a lost phone

So last week at work, while we were recovering the store, I found a Blackberry.



It was tucked underneath a pair of green Tommy boxers in the wallet area, which I was recovering. I thought it was a co-worker's, so I asked, "Did any of you guys leave a Blackberry here?" No one had, so my friend (the closing manager that night) took it and called the owner of the phone to come pick it up the next day.



Next day at work, I'm at the registers when he approaches me and tries to shove some cash in my hand. I'm like, "What are you doing?? It's going to look like we're stealing from the cash registers!" He said, "No, no... I got a tip and I'd feel bad if I didn't share it." I found this really weird because like... if we provide great service, we get a customer compliment and not a tip! So finally he says, "Oh! It's from the girl who lost her phone. She gave me $20 as reward money. That's why I'm giving some of it to you now!"

But even hearing that made it awkward, because we would have returned her phone no matter what. Add that to the fact that we don't accept tips (that's just weird!) at work. I mean, all I did was pick up a pair of boxers to find the phone. So in the end, I felt it was just too weird if I took some of the reward money.

I'm thinking she's so grateful because nowadays when people lose their things, they don't expect to get them back (like a wallet or camera or something). But then finding that phone and returning it to its owner was just pretty much part of our job... it's like if a customer forgets his bag, we would keep it for him behind the counter until he comes back. It's just part of our customer service, I guess. Accepting more money for that wouldn't feel right.

I'll just accept my reward in karma points, thanks :D

illusionary deep space

class: art12 - 2D concepts

assignment: design an abstract CD cover

medium: acrylic paint

time: two long nights

i really need to learn how to work faster -_- especially with paints. paint quality/craftsmanship are not as good as i would have liked, but i do like the illusionary space in the designs.

class: art14 - color

assignment: monochromatic free study

time: don't remember

i worked on this before i purchased a blending agent, so blending could use more work. i do like the red emphasis, though.

class: art12 - 2D concepts

assignment: incorporate elements of illusionary space to move a letter throughout the paper

time: 2 hours?

of all the things i learned from the art classes i've taken so far, i think finally learning about deep space has been the most beneficial/influential for me.

medium: cheap watercolors
time: no idea, but i did this like six years ago... lol. i was attempting a painting, but...-_-



medium: acrylic paints on bristol
time: don't remember

quality of paints, i've learned, is just so important. also very crucial is knowledge of how illusionary deep space works. i wouldn't go as far to say that this is a masterpiece, but i think it certainly owns my work from 6 years ago...

a missed encounter

Driving back was a torturous, never-ending line of stop signs and red lights--one after the other. I raced the clock back... but accidentally turned too soon and found myself lost. After dead-ended streets, many stop signs, and pitch-black neighborhoods, I finally found myself headed the right way. Excitement burst inside me, and I sped up.

Got there, threw my car into a parking space, and hurried in. I needed a ticket to get up, so I fumbled a bit with the ticket machine until it printed a clean white one for me. I dashed up the stairs and scanned the empty platform. Across the tracks, only unknown faces studied me in indifferent puzzlement.

More disappointing than the events that had occurred earlier, more disappointing than the disappointment I had in myself ... was trying so hard to, but not finding, the person for whom I was searching.

I trudged back down the stairs, slipped my ticket back into the feed, and was promptly hailed by the ticket agent. He fixed my ticket for me, instructed me to exit through the emergency exit, and cautioned me to be safe walking around outside. A kind soul...

fall 09 grades

chyeah!! <3

12 units last semester was a breeze!

thanks to my photo and meteorology buddies for helping me out :D

quick blurb

If I find a guy attractive, nothing makes him instantly look more like a loser (in my book) than that first moment I see him pull out a cigarette or down a can of beer. No offense to anybody out there... even though I'm a college student, I still have that elementary-school mindset where we were proud supporters of "Drug Free, That's Me!" and learned all about cigarette/alcohol scenarios.

retail musings

Keeping up the appearance and tidiness of the store is like trying to pat wet sand dry... the waves always come back to mess up your work.

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to have my job. The co-workers are awesome too! Closing is so much fun. It's just that the managers expect us, as sales associates, to really SELL to the customers.

"Hello, my name is Jessica. If you need help with anything, feel free to let me know!"

That I can do. That makes me happy to get a smile and a thanks in return.

But pushing products on them?

"Oh, just this sweater? Would you like anything else? Have you checked out our clearance racks? They're 40% off! And our handbags are 40% off as well! No? Are you sure?"

I feel like a hypocrite when I do this, because I personally hate when salespeople try to push their products onto me. No, I'm fine. If I'm at the register already, I've already looked through everything and chosen exactly what I wanted. Don't try to make me get something I don't already want. And yes, I am sure. Hurry up and get cracking with my transaction! I don't want to listen to your sales spiel.

I don't want to lie through my teeth to get people to spend their money on Tommy Hilfiger products. I'm not going to say that sweater makes you look like a British supermodel when really it just makes you look dumpy. When you ask me "Should I purchase the brown bag or the black one?" when the black one is uglier but more pricey, I'm going to recommend the brown bag. If everything I did was directed toward helping Tommy gain more profit, I would be going against what I truly feel.

This might make me a bad sales associate or businessperson... but I would rather help the customer gain than increase Tommy's profit. Isn't that better in the long run? The customer would be happier with the service and not feel cheated.

Maybe sales just isn't for me. Oh well. This is only temporary!

On a separate but related note: I find I have to force myself to be sociable and friendly, though I may not feel like it at first. However, I do find that as time passes by, I get into my bubbly sales-associate character and start behaving like so. A force-fitting, but nevertheless spirit-lifting. It's like that one idea that forcing a smile makes you feel a little bit better. It usually takes me about half an hour to really get into my role.

snapshot III

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snapshot II

I am no longer confused :) Things are turning out well and I hope it continues to get better.

This week has been so long! Today especially. I had an allnighter on Sunday (did a photoshoot the entire day on Sunday) painting an assignment for 2D. It got a very good reception, so I'm happy... but I could have improved the craftsmanship and paint application.

Today: hurried to the print shop before class at 8:30, printed out my pattern thing, went to 2D. An hour and a half standing up examining patterns! My eyes were swimming.

Searched for the photo print shop (Foto Express) right after I got out of 2D. 11am-11:30. Finally I found it, got my photos ready to print, and hurried off to meet Pickle for my appt at noon. We had a good talk about my grades and I know what to do to get my A now. For a beginning photo prof, he grades very hard!! It feels more like intermediate photo, or an advanced art class. I try so hard for this class it isn't even funny. Well, at 12:30 we finished our meeting, and I sprinted off to Foto Express to pick up my prints. $15 for three spectacular prints. Thank you Foto Express! I love the quality of your prints. Walgreen's has nothing on you!! I sprinted back to class and got back at 12:50. My photo class is on the 4th floor of Duncan Hall, which is a building all the way on the other side of campus from Foto Express. Tiring!

Well, I am way too tired to type any more. I'm in thel ibrary so I might as well go home and rest up.
quick snapshot though!

- Abercrombie model! I thought that print was the best out of the three. Too bad I left Suzie's photo with Alex... I really regretted putting up that brighter pic of her because it didn't go with my series.

- I think I did the right thing :)

- I should stop drinking milk tea...

- I have a job now! My new manager seems really nice. yay

- Franny and I want to audition for choir! haha well, actually I'm trying to get him to audition with me. Just for fun... it'll be fun :)

- Stupid SJCC transcript... stupid SJSU!

- I hope I get the classes I want. If I don't, I probably won't be able to assistant coach for Piedmont.

- Speaking of badminton, I am getting super rusty.

A snapshot of my brain

Random thoughts off the top of my head.

+ Tommy Hilfiger interview on friday :) Can't wait to work again!
+ My current 2Dconcepts and past ColorTheory prof asked me to give her my old assignment so she could use it as an "amazing" example for her color class! Flattered!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfFLsrnZuoClXFpjtFPDyNvIZxdT2oXbPFHB7Ni885p1bNrmvEBodSu9F44fMZOLJqBz_uR7OM-qIoH0lOmUfJv93LVSVX-X8LqpBU9Q24Wr92KBo5gp2e_IRBGdFZXSq2A4OazeK8ejM/s320/P1010805
+ I need to practice badminton and get back in shape. Deteriorating...
+ Finished homework early tonight! Yay!
+ Gotta get up earlier tomorrow or I'll make my mom late again :(
+ How do I really feel about this?
+ Don't like my sport photography photos.
+ I should clean my room.
+ Haven't gone shopping in forever!!
+ Can't wait to start photoshooting!
+ I love hanging out with my SJSU buddies. Movie nights and boba anonymous...
+ Santa Cruz tree 9 photoshoot! Can I climb the tree with a DSLR around my neck?
+ 2D hw is always tedious and difficult for me. Color was much more preferable.
+ I want to take voice next semester but that'd be weird without a buddy, lol
+ Girl talk with a guy is always nice
+ Should REALLY clean my room.
+ Too much candy intake!!!!

Loss of innocence

Very confused about recent developments. Should I stick to what I really want, or to what everyone else wants/already approves of?

Of course if I phrase it like that, people are going to tell me to stick to what I want. However, if I did, that would be an incredibly selfish act. Doing what I want isn't necessarily the best choice. I would probably inconvenience and/or hurt other people.

In the end, is it best that I strive to make others happy, but reassure myself with a lie? Or should I be honest with myself at the risk of inconveniencing and harming others?

Just something running at the back of my mind.

++ I have to remind myself that 95% of the people in the world are honest good people. Encountering deceitful people certainly makes it seem like that deviant 5% of the population makes up the whole world.

At Smash City, I was reserving a court for Ian, Bryan, and Chris. Bryan had gone to change and the other two had gone to get water. I was standing on the court, practicing my serves, when two big Indian dudes came up to me.

I recognized them from the summer, when we came often to Smash City. I had played with them and their other friend before, and they'd cracked sick jokes that I awkwardly laughed off.
Awkward moment over the summer:
*Mustache dude points to short dude* "He said you would marry me if we win this match!" Thankfully that was the only time I played with them.

Anyway, they came up to me. Mustache dude pointed at the sign on the court: "Training is at 4:00. It's 4:30 now. Sorry, but this court is reserved for training."

"Oh?" I said, stupidly. "Okay...um..." And then I got off the court.

Which I really regret. I wish instead I'd stuck around and asked where their coach was, where their fellow trainees were, etc.

Sneaky, sly way to steal a court from a girl when the entire gym is packed. The validity of the sign made me believe the guys enough to get off the court, but as soon as I walked off, suspicion alarms went off in my head.

Anyway, a while after that, the two dudes spotted a better court next to the one they'd stolen from me. Mustache dude turned to me and said, "You can use the court now."

Thanks.

++ Why didn't I argue? I didn't want to raise a scene just for possession of a court. Besides, the two of them were huge and burly. I will just know better next time.

It's kind of sad how everyone is so cautious and wary of others just because of that devious 5% of the population. Those two guys hit shamelessly on girls, cheated their way onto courts, and cut in line for challenge courts (saw them do this over the summer). Because of guys like them, we have rules and sign-up slips just to ensure honesty.

People think that the loss of innocence results after sex or learning about sexual references, but here's what I think losing one's innocence really should mean.

Our parents, when we were children, read us stories that conveyed strong morals about life. We grew up with Disney fairy tales, where life was just peachy and ended happily ever after. The evil witches were always killed, the good guys always lived, and love stayed forever strong.

As I grew up, I stubbornly believed that there really are no bad people in the world. Misfits, maybe. Misunderstood, probably. But bad down to the core? Never.

No one will take my backpack if I set it down on this bench in the locker room for about two hours. No one will try to blatantly lie to others for their own benefit. People were read the same Aesop's fables that my parents read to me. We all have the same morals...

In freshman year, my backpack was riffled through when I left it in the locker room (don't remember why). Somebody took the $30 I needed to pay club fees. As a freshman, that was a lot of money to me. As a freshman, I was also naive and innocent. After that incident, I wondered why someone would have the nerve to steal from others if he/she had the same morals I did.

In 7th grade science class, my table exchanged our quiz papers with the adjacent table. The girl whose paper I corrected came quietly to me while the teacher was lecturing, and pointed out that I had miscorrected a question she had gotten wrong. I looked at it again. When I corrected it the first time, she had boldly circled the B when the answer was C. Looking closely at it, I saw a small, thoroughly-erased circle around the little B. I argued quietly that I was sure I had corrected it right, but she insisted that I must not have been paying attention. The teacher turned around and told us to stop talking.

I gave up and miserably gave the girl the point that she did not earn.

Granted, people are not necessarily bad down to the core. One thing I did learn, though... Life isn't fair. Life really isn't. Even when you stick to your morals, other people may not believe in them.

I lost my innocence when I gave up on the idea that people are always honest and good. Life isn't a fairytale, and good people don't always triumph. Watch my back, and remember to keep my pepper spray in my bag at all times. Bring my things to the restroom with me instead of leaving them out in the hall, and check that I still have my DSLR wherever I had placed it.

But do remember: 95% of people are good. Just watch out for that other 5%.

time

phot40 - beginning photography
assignment #2









the meaning of time varies for every being

Time flies.

I was scrawling today's date onto my homework assignment when I suddenly realized how significant this day used to be to me.

I didn't know why the date gave me such a jolt of recognition, like the face of a best friend I haven't seen in years. I stared at it for a few seconds before it hit me why.

No, I didn't forget...

If things had turned out differently, today would have been such a day of festivity. Instead, it's a day of fond recollection - bittersweet memory - and a (slighty) wistful minute of "I wonder how it would be like if we didn't..."

where's the integrity?

Tiring, exhausting day! I've already finished dinner and it's only 6pm. Today had its high and low points... especially low points.

I'd stayed up to 4am editing my photos and whatnot. Today was my printing slot and I was the very first one in the class to print, and surprisingly my pictures turned out pretty well. Even my "tough love" photo teacher told me my prints looked great. I'm pleased. I wasn't pleased at 4am though... I'd tried to move all 110+ photos (even the edited ones) to a CD because that was part of the assignment. Moving everything took about 15+ minutes. However... as soon as it finished, Windows announced that there was an error with the pictures. My heart sank. I looked at the folder on my computer, and it was completely empty because I'd just moved all the pictures in it to the CD. I clicked on the CD... it was completely empty because of the error. I freaking panicked for a minute, but luckily I'd made backups. THANK GOODNESS. I still lost a substantial amount of photos (about 30 or 40), but I have most of them still. I'd kept my five edited pictures open in Photoshop, so they weren't lost. THANK GOODNESS!!!! Those were the ones I was most worried about.

For 2D, we had to expand a square. I totally started this at 11pm and finished at 12:30am. :) My first one was pretty nasty, so I started over and did another one. Much better! It got a pretty positive reception during critique today, so I'm happy.

But... while we were painting squares for the value scale, I got a text from Francis. He said that he'd checked on my bike (I'd left it on campus, locked next to Dudley Moorhead) and the seat was gone... and did I have it? Dismay hit me... shootles. I'd had too much faith in the integrity of mankind and assumed that no one would touch my bike. I mean, if I hadn't had my bike locked, of course I would expect it to be stolen. However, I wouldn't expect someone to like, steal the seat of my bike... Too much faith.

While I'm on the topic of integrity, I'd like to talk about something that disturbed me this weekend. Someone I know picked up and kept two items that weren't his, because supposedly they had been "left behind." When his motives were questioned on two separate occasions, he answered 1) "Because someone took my birds, so I'm taking this tube in retribution" and 2) "Because I've always wanted a bag like this." Personally, I was more than a little disgusted. Why?

1) You don't know who took your tube, yet you chose to punish someone (who is most likely innocent) by taking his half-full tube. Furthermore, you stated that your tube only had one bird in it. Why is that grounds for taking someone else's tube? What if someone stole a half-tube of birds from you?

2) You picked up someone else's bag and kept it for yourself? I don't exactly know the situation behind this, so I don't know if you found the bag empty or not. I don't know where you found it--it could have been in the trashcan or on the floor next to someone's badminton bag. I'm thinking that most likely someone accidentally left it behind. Instead of trying to find the owner or giving it to the tournament director for lost and found purposes, you kept it to satiate your own desires.

3) I would just like to rant about one more thing. I'm really cranky from lack of sleep right now, so maybe that's why I'm so rant-y today. Anyway, I digress.

You need to CHILL. If I am giving you a freaking ride, speeding and driving dangerously in order to get YOU somewhere in time for YOUR benefit, I do not need to hear you cursing and complaining in the backseat while I: a) slow for red lights, b) accidentally take a wrong turn, c) want to pull over to check the gps, d) brake to avoid a collision. I am NOT your chauffeur, nor are you even paying me. I am doing you a freaking favor. If you don't like the ride (and you don't appreciate that I'm doing you a favor), then you can get out because I will NOT be driving you anymore. Furthermore, and probably most importantly. I will NOT listen to you when I am in the furthest left-turning lane and you're telling me to go straight. Are you crazy? If you want to drive recklessly, drive your own freaking self. Don't try to tell me to do something illegal, stupid, and dangerously reckless just to get your butt warmed up for a better chance of winning your games. That is just so incredibly selfish.

I really doubt you will read this and I am honestly not too sure if I want you to read this because you'll probably get all butt-hurt, but I want you to realize how idiotic you were.

Anyway, enough of that. But on a similar topic... badminton. Badminton warms my heart :) The tournament on Saturday was so incredibly fun. Trevor and I got to D mixed semifinals and C mixed quarters. Unfortunately he had sprained his ankle and I couldn't really cover him haha. I made him bring his sleeping bag because I wanted to use it, but I was actually very wide awake during the tourney :( sorrrry! Truman and I just used it to sit on to watch games. haha.

Jenny and I unexpectedly played C women's doubles, and got 2nd. Not much of a victory because a lot of girls dropped out of C's out of sheer exhaustion, but still! It was pretty awesome. I think when I get really warmed up, I can jump smash a bit. I've always wanted to jump smash :D I just don't think I'm getting the form right, haha. Oh well. As long as the smash is angled and fast, I'm happy.

On Friday, we're completing more challenges for the SJSU club. Leo and I have some more mixed matches to go because it's double elimination. Eva and I are #2 for doubles, and I hope Leo and I can get #2 or #3 for mixed! This Saturday is a dual-meet against Berkeley, and I know they're going to be tough... oh well. More experience!

Anyway... on a negative note. My mom told me that my dad got laid off today, and I was really shocked. I just hadn't been expecting it. We'll be okay for a while because of savings and whatnot, but I don't want to drag us down with unnecessary expenses. I'll manage my finances better and try to cut down on expenses, I guess. Oh, I must find a job!

self-portraits, upcoming week

I'm having an amazing week :) The best things are unexpected.

Tuesday is a furlough day, so I'll probably use that day photoshooting for my self-portrait. I already took some ridiculous ones...haha. Well, we have to take 100+ pictures and choose the best three, so i think I want to use three concepts.

I was going to go with something like this, but after some more thought, I want something thought-provoking and serious. Not something this simple/fun... I guess I want something surreal? Or emotionally charged? I'll think of something. Besides, they aren't even really in focus... too bad :P

Tuesday - furlough day! Study/photoshoot/clothes-altering day.

Wednesday - Have homework for 2D Concepts done? Shootles... what's the homework..? I have to go and check. Oh, and have concepts for my self portrait.

Thursday - Meteorology midterm! Must study. Turn in onion sketch, and sketch something else. I love drawing class! It's so chill.

Friday - SJSU badmin club! More challenges, especially in mixed. I don't know if there are any more girls doubles besides us and another pair.

Saturday - Santa Teresa tourney! I'm really looking forward to this.

Sunday - Finish 2D concepts assignment #2, and do the assigned reading. Oh, and have self-portraits ready for printing! My printing slot is 12:30-1 on Monday.

So far that's all I have planned.

Upcoming Badminton Stuff

It's just so difficult finding a compatible girls doubles partner .. it's crazy!! I miss playing with Meiyi, haha.

On the other hand, lately mixed girls have been in demand. Diane and I (and probably a lot of other badmin girls) received a lot of partner requests for Berkeley's Smashapalooza. I've already got mixed partners for three upcoming tournaments (Santa Teresa - Trevor. SJSU Open - Thanh L. Bay Area Open - Trevor). But... I have no girls doubles partner at all!

Well, I'm playing girls doubles and mixed doubles for SJSU. Luckily I was able to find a (last-minute, albeit) partner for girls doubles. It was super easy to find a mixed doubles partner... someone asked me if I was playing mixed and I said that I hadn't found a partner yet. A few minutes later, I've got a mixed partner. Haha.

Not enough girls in badminton :(

soft-focus onion

class: art24 - beginning drawing

subject: a random onion from the kitchen.. lol
medium: charcoal
time: 2 hours...and another hour to fix shading/lighting -_-

I really need to learn how to finish art things faster. I'm just so slow. People can whip things out in an hour or two, and I need at least 2-3. It's kind of sad... I'll work on getting faster. Using a chamois really helped.

Some Myspace hate!

I haven't been on Myspace for a very, very long time. When I logged into my old Myspace account very recently, I rediscovered the many reasons I'd left Myspace.

1. The slutty profile pictures.

It's so weird, but people's profile pictures seem so much more self-respecting and civilized on Facebook. Maybe because Myspace has a more anonymous air than Facebook's? Well, one day I was at MLK in the teen center (heh heh) because there were available computers. Anyway, I glance over at the girl next to me. She seems pretty nondescript; she's dressed in gray sweats and little makeup. It's not her appearance that shocks me; it's her Myspace profile that's open on the screen. Classy picture, that girl has; a compromising pose for the camera, with cleavage spilling out of a very tiny tube top. Gobs of makeup--hot pink lips, heavy eyeliner, spider lashes--the works. I know it's her profile and not someone else's because she's replying to someone's wall post.

Yes, I know I was staring for a very long time. I couldn't help it; I was basically pretty shocked. Could this seemingly innocent girl next to me really be the whored-out poser in that Myspace profile picture?

To be fair, there are Myspace users who don't post compromising pictures of themselves for the entire world to see... but no one can argue that there aren't a huge number of slutty Myspace profile pictures out there.

2. The shirtless mirror shots.

Obviously this one applies to guys. What is with dirty spotted mirrors and camera-wielding shirtless guys?

Guys don't post up these pics for incoming compliments concerning their manly musculature. Of course not!

It's such a total turn-off. Personally I have never seen one of these in a Facebook profile pic... it seems to be just a disgusting Myspace trend.

3. The viruses.

This was probably the last straw for me. You know the type--your "friend" sends you a link to something really cool, you click on it, and your computer gets infected. In my senior year, so many people's myspaces got hacked that I didn't even want to check my wall comments anymore.


Ugh, there are so many more reasons, but I'm too lazy to write about them all. Haha. These three were just annoying me recently.

Art Classes

Art classes are fun :)

Art12 (2D concepts): a pretty boring/easy class. This is like the next step up from Art01. Too bad I have to take this, but good thing I have the same professor from Art14 so her teaching style isn't anything new. I know how to suck up :) haha jk. But I'm glad to know what ticks her off and what I should do (participate in critiques, save all of my work, have really good craftsmanship) to guarantee an A in the class.

Art24 (beginning drawing): A little boring right now, but it's only the second week. We're moving on to charcoal drawing next class! We sketched huge bones today and put our work up on the critique board. Someone's work had her bone sketch and a sketch of someone's back. Then I realized that the subject was me, because of the long hair (in her sketch, a thick strand of hair was hanging down the subject's back, and the rest of her hair was over her shoulders. I pulled my hair back and sure enough, there was a single strand of hair hanging down my back), dress pattern, and angle (she was sitting right behind me). Super cool!!

Photo40 (beginning photo): I have all these visualizations of cool shots in my head, but due to my camera noobness, I can't find a way to transfer my visualizations onto the photo. :( But that's why I'm taking this class, yeah?

Unfortunately I'm only taking 12 units this semester :( I wanted to take 18 or at least 16, but I couldn't get into two waitlisted classes. Sucks... SJSU is going down the drain!!

Santa Teresa tournament!

Yay for another tournament! I personally had not done so well in my first tournament (Smashapalooza) last week, so I was excited to hear that there would be another tournament at Santa Teresa in September.

I will play C and D mixed doubles with Trevor. Haha, haven't played with him in forever, ever since our SJCC days. I hope I don't suck, or at least don't get him mad. In junior year or something, Alex would always get super pissed off at me for messing up in games. There was one memorable time (i posted this on xanga...) he stalked off the court after one of our games, and I refused to talk to him even though he went to my house and tried to apologize. Haha, good times. But yeah.

One time the mixed girls and I were talking, and we were complaining about cocky, chauvinistic male partners who would blame us for messing up a game. Like we were the ones to blame for their shots going out or into the net! Stupid suckers. But yeah, anyway. Didn't mean to go off onto a tangent. I don't think Trevor will get pissed off at me like that, but I'd understand if he did if I'm totally off the mark and hitting out for every shot. Especially in a tournament game. It'll be fun practicing with him for the tourney! Like old times.

Anyway, I want to play girls doubles too, but I can't find a partner. Diane will be in Berkeley and I think Meiyi will be in LA. I don't know about playing with anyone from Piedmont because I've just been playing with guys there whenever there's open gym. Hopefully I'll find a partner soon... the girls doubles entries are capped at 16!

I detest Chinatown.

Before anyone accuses me of going against my roots, I would like to explain.

Perhaps "detest" is too strong of a word... but it would be equally apt to say that I'm extremely averse to Chinatown.

Perhaps I just had a bad experience in Chinatown today...but it seems that most of my experiences have not been on the positive side. I'm usually happy and relieved whenever my family and I depart Chinatown. Perhaps it's because I'm ABC (American-born Chinese), but whatever it is, this is why I can't stand SF Chinatown:

1) The smell and sanitary conditions.

What more can I say? Anyone who has ever been in Chinatown would know what I'm talking about. It's this pervasive, sewer-drain, rotting-meat-in-the-sun, bad-breath odor. Plus, the streets are so dirty. People hack up their spit all over, and there are all sorts of bits of trash strewn about. Years back, I tried to sit on the sidewalk because I was so tired from walking and standing for hours, but my dad told me not to because of all the germs and nastiness and spit and snot and stuff. Yeah.

2) The crowds.

Chinatown is crowded, crowded, crowded. There are people shoving, people cutting in front of others, people showing blatant disregard for traffic regulations, people jostling through crowds... Okay, personally, I hate crowds. Chinatown probably has some of the most crowded streets at optimum traffic time than most.

3) The noise.

Traffic is so bad that people are always honking at each other. And, whatever happened to the guy who kept yelling HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY? He was a little annoying, but funny. Plus he made a good landmark whenever I couldn't tell where I was. Haha. Well, he's gone now, but the noise level is still pretty high... Then there're the portly shop ladies/men who rearrange vegetables and simultaneously scream (at the top of their well-developed lungs) their low, low prices. This is kind of funny watching them, but the main things I really can't stand about Chinatown are:

4) The rude people.

I find that most Asian establishments are like this (99 Ranch, I'm looking at you): lacking in customer service and leaning more toward low prices. Understandable when the price of produce is 1/4 of Safeway's, I guess. It just sucks when I greet and thank the cashier, and she doesn't even look at me--just keeps glaring with a slightly harassed expression on her face. I asked my dad, and he said that's because of the bad working conditions. Understandable as well, I suppose... it's just that this world would be so much nicer with some courtesy. I mean, I can sort of relate to them. When I worked at 99 Ranch, my boss would yell at me for no apparent reason. Little story: When I was training at the register, I had my sheaf of produce+meat codes with me so I could commit them to memory. However, my boss sent someone over to tell me that if I didn't put away my study packet, my boss would immediately stop training me and fire me. Humiliating and degrading. She could have come over quietly and asked me not to use the packet to help me study... but instead she pointed out my supposed wrongdoing to a co-worker and made her warn me. Not logical; if I didn't have the packet, I couldn't check whether or not I was making a mistake with the codes.

Another story: My boss was testing me on the code for a certain type of cucumber. There were three types to memorize and I memorized them by their distinctive sizes. I still remember them: 5051, 5052, and 5053. Anyway, she holds up a bag of cucumbers and I punch in 5051. She says, in her harsh clipped way, "No! Is 5053." I am very sure that the type of cucumber is 5051, and I try to respond modestly (she is my boss, after all): "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure those are 5051." My boss turns to the assistant manager and they both laugh at me. "Who's been here longer than you have? Who manages the front?" they mock. Anyway, after degrading me for a bit longer, they take a closer look and realize that I was right. No apology, nothing.

Asian people are hard, hard bosses; this can lead to some pretty deplorable working conditions. When I started as a freshly trained employee, I tried to kickstart some feelings of courtesy into the Asian cashier reputation. I had noticed that my fellow cashiers, unlike say Safeway's cashiers, barely greeted the customers. Customer service can go a long way into brightening someone's day, at least a little bit, by greeting them and chatting them up a bit. I actually made a few customer friends at 99 Ranch. Weird but true. There was one 20-ish guy who came with his parents, and the parents would try to matchmake us. So awkward, but it certainly broke the monotony of listless customers who expect zero interaction with the Asian cashiers.

Ugh, another story just popped into my head. So one day, after I got a bit further into my training, I was working the register with one of the older ladies. She was a meeeeaaaan one. If you go to 99 Ranch, she's the one with a perpetual scowl on her face, long hair tied with a scrunchy at the nape of her neck, and curly-ish bangs. Anyway, I don't exactly remember the details, but I made a pretty minor mistake (I think it involved bagging, or receipts... don't remember exactly). She smacked me on the shoulder and told me I was a stupid, stupid girl, then turned away disgustedly. I was soooo pissed off after that, I glared at the customers the rest of the day. So I guess I can't really blame the shop employees in Chinatown for horrible customer service... if I had been treated better, I would give better customer service. Not all the cashier ladies are horrible, though; my favorite was a nice older lady named Angela and she still works there. She has short cropped hair, wrinkles, smiling crinkly eyes, and solemn lips that have a trace of a smile around them. She was playful and always nice to me even when I messed up, and if I had a hard day of training, she'd still have a knowing smile and a laugh for me at the end of the day. Sounds so cheesy but it's true. I was just at 99 Ranch last week at Ivy's line, and Angela noticed me and smacked my butt in recognition. Haha. The customers weren't so friendly to us in return, so maybe that was a factor in our lack of customer service... which brings me to another point.

5) The rude customers.

Anyway, Diane and my dad were standing outside a shop today, waiting for my mom to emerge. I go in to hand my mom her jacket and carry groceries for her. The shop is just STUFFED to the corners with people. As I follow my mom out, I'm stopped by a wall of people. I gingerly ease my way through them the best I can, trying hard not to shove into anyone. Well apparently I failed. As I'm going through the crowd, I feel someone leaning on me for a protracted period of time. I turn around to see a middle-aged woman staggering backwards. She turns around and, glaring, starts yelling about people violently shoving her and knocking her over. Then I realize she's glaring at me! I run over the past few seconds in my mind: I hadn't particularly shoved anyone, unless you count brushing by them in an attempt to get through. Then I think: what about my bag? I had sideswiped people before, unknowingly, because of a big bag I'd wear over my shoulder. I check myself: my bag is on my left shoulder and not my right. The woman and her friend are on my right. So had I really just shoved her? I gaze in confusion at them. Maybe I just hadn't noticed, so I stammer an apology. The woman is still loudly and indignantly explaining to her friend about how I had shoved her and made her lose her balance. I decide, thanks to my broken Chinese, that it's not worth standing there and trying to make her understand that I didn't knock into her intentionally, so I shake my head and leave.

Incidentally, that's also why I dislike Chinatown, though it's more my fault:

6) The language issues.

So Diane and I went to a cafe place for cheap milk tea. I asked Diane to make the order for me since she can speak clearer Chinese than I can. She refused, so I decided, Hey. I can speak Chinese too. I know the words. This is what happened: Confident, I stride over to the counter and ask for pearl milk tea. The employee repeats my order. I nod happily and add, "No ice please." Well, apparently we had some communication issues. I had phrased my latter request like this: "Mo bing." Instead of "No ice," she heard "Red bean dessert" ("Hong bing"). So, she gives me two drinks: pearl milk tea and the red bean ice thingie. Diane and I look at them in confusion, and she sets out trying to explain that I just wanted the pearl milk tea. The employees look at each other in confusion, and we resort to crude sign language. Finally, the disgruntled employee whisks away the red bean ice, slams it on the inside counter opposite of the cash register, and barks out the price for just the milk tea. After I pay and thank her, she turns away in a huff. Diane reprimands me for not having spoken clearly enough -- I should have said "I don't want ice" instead of "No ice."

Admittedly this is partly my fault for my crude Chinese, but I couldn't help comparing this milk tea experience to one I would have had at a Quickly in San Jose. All right, so I've never had to correct a miscommunicated order at Quickly... but I have had good enough customer service from that place to state this, with assurance: That mistake would have been rectified quickly and respectfully, with a smile and a "No problem." Then again, I have to give those employees the benefit of the doubt; it was nearing the end of the workday and I don't know if they were working in deplorable conditions or not.


All in all, the only appealing factors about Chinatown are its cheap prices and sentimental connections. But then again... I would rather spend the extra money on having an enjoyable shopping experience in (clean, friendly) Safeway or elsewhere other than Chinatown.

A great summer.

Well, summer is drawing to a close... the days are getting shorter and the breeze crisper.

I love the long carefree days of summer. The breezy, perfect nights. The golden light of the setting sun. The floaty sundresses and warm air. But I also can't wait for fall--all those pretty fiery colors, crisp breezes, snuggly scarves...

I would say that this summer was probably my most favorite of all, especially with Smashapalooza, badminton days, hangouts, biking, milk tea, driving, beach days, and Mission Peak. I did everything on my summer to-do list except 1) bike across Golden Gate Bridge and 2) pick cherries. It's okay; I'll save that for next summer, right?

I have a certain person on my mind. And no, Diane, not the plums and branches. -_- Too bad that we won't see each other for a while (I think).

I'm sad to see summer go... but I welcome the coming of fall.

Driving!

Driving is so freeing!

Now that my mom trusts me with the car and I have insurance, I've been driving around every opportunity I can get. :) SO AWESOME. It's just so easy getting from one place to another now. Say for example I had to get myself to Great Mall. I would have to give myself about 45-60 minutes to get there, because I would have to walk to the bus, wait for the next one (and sometimes the buses are waaay off schedule) and sit on it. If I drove, it would only take me like 10 minutes after I'm out the door. So awesome.

"Training" for smashapapoopoo is really fun... I wouldn't have imagined that I would be looking forward to a tourney, but I'm glad I signed up. It's my first one! Plus it's gotten me used to feather birdies. I really hate plastic ones now... I don't know how I ever could have played with plastic in high school! I think I've mentally converted to 21-point scoring now. 15-point scoring seems odd now.

I hope we aren't sandbagging :(. I'm playing D mixed with mikeypoo and D girls doubles with Diane.

Humbled.

I didn't have a problem with reading until my summer American History class started. -_- Our textbook is a 600-pg nonfiction book, which retells American history from the bottom up (poor to rich). I mean, it's interesting and all, and I definitely learned more about living in America in the old times than I would have if I'd taken any other history class... but it's a lot to stomach in a month-long class. It's not too bad; we just have to read 150 pages a week. The thing is, we can't just skim the book; we have to totally absorb each and every little detail and nugget of information because anything in the book can be tested.

I have a book report due tomorrow, which isn't too bad. What sucked was having to read The Grapes of Wrath ... all 600+ pages... in one weekend. lol. I mean, I probably should have started earlier, but I was too busy reading my textbook. The book honestly wasn't bad. It definitely left me humbled by the plights of the migrant families in the story. Like, they can't get anything but fried dough to eat, and meat is a luxury to them. It's like, I'm reading this and I'm snacking on yummies at the same time. lol. Reading about their hunger makes me hungry at the same time. -_-

daily rantings

My Tide To-Go stain remover pen SAVED MY LIFE today. Seriously, Diane was very unsupportive of my purchase and she said it was a waste of money. IN YOUR FACE :D I found it difficult to use at first, but it's actually very simple once you get used to it. Really, I think there's a cheaper way to go about making your own stain remover pen. The marker tip of the To-Go pen is just a sort of button that you have to press down to release the liquid inside the pen (maybe hydrogen peroxide as a liquid will work as well?). All the marker tip does is sweep away the stain. But still. IT SAVED MY LIFE. Combine a ruffly white skirt with girl issues. -_- Every girl needs this pen.

But anyway. (I hope only a few people read my blog or I'll be mortified. lol.)

I. CAN. DRIVE NOW!!! Well, slightly. My mom still doesn't completely trust me with driving by myself. However, I've got car insurance!! I say give it a couple more goes behind the wheel and you'll see me whizzing on 280 in no time.

I feel so fat and lazy, but I don't want to exercise. Sigh. so sad. I do like badminton, but I hate those days where I just can't move/hit. Like, I'll swing my racket arm, and I can't get full power. Plus, I want to keep in good standing with my parents, and going out just about every day of this week won't do that. But I do want to get better in time for Smashapalooza at berkeley. -_- Badminton is an expensive sport. Diane spent $250 on birds yesterday and I'm going to buy the next set of birds after we use up this one. I spent $25 to string my racket a few weeks ago and I'm waiting on $22 from chris. After checking my bank accounts from which I've been steadily depleting money without replacement (no job...), I'm trying to limit my spending. BUT IT'S SO HARD :( So, I've been trying to put myself on a no-buy... or at least a limited-buy. lol. I think it's helping a bit with my money management. Like, when I actually do go shopping nowadays, I carefully look at what I'm buying to see if I really am going to wear it a lot and if I really do need it--otherwise I'm putting it down.

I think when I go looking for jobs... Tutoring would be a nice option. It'd be easy $. I kind of wish i'd stayed at SJCC just so I can tutor. haha. Hey, it's $15 an hour! I wonder if there's a tutoring thing at SJSU... I don't know. I don't really want to privately tutor, though.

Then again, it would be really fun to work with a friend. Like Thanh and I want to work at a restaurant together.. that would be fun :D No more retail. Well, retail is okay, but it's actually a pretty exhausting job. I just like the discounts... if I actually did use the discounts at Tommy Hilfiger more often.

ah.

june update

wow guys, I haven't blogged in the LONGEST time. Anyway, I'll make this nice and brief.


What have I been doing for the past month? Well, I had a summer class at SJCC in the afternoon. It was so awesome because for the past year I've been killing myself waking up early in the mornings to go to class (30 mins - 1 hour bus ride sucks) and for Oral Communications, I could wake up at noon!!! Awesome. Of course this totally messed up my nice sleep schedule, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.


I had an awesome professor for this class. She was really nice and fair and just overall very friendly (if you are going to take coms20 at SJCC, get Leslyn McCallum. Her classes fill up very quickly, so you'd have to hurry). I just really loved this class! I know I sound like a nerd but I don't care. I actually enjoyed writing and giving the speeches, and the activities in the class were really fun.

The people in my class were also really cool and interesting--totally not your typical classmates. For example, the guy who sat on my left is currently going through a three-year-long child custody settlement with the mother--a girl who he never even liked. The guy who sat on my right is a reformed gangster. The girl who sat at the table behind me was in drug rehab for a number of years and has been clean for three years. Fun, huh? I love my classmates! :D

For my informative speech topic, I actually gave a speech about perverts on public transit. I loved that speech :P Oddly enough, the inspiration came to me when I had a pervert encounter on the bus the day I had to write the speech.

So, the pervert encounter? Yeah, I was on my way to Walmart from SJCC to pick up some junk. So I'm sitting in the upper division of the bus, near the back. The bus stops to pick up some people, but I'm not paying any attention to them. Then I notice this 40-50 year old Indian dude who has taken a seat diagonally across from me. Normally I wouldn't have paid him any attention, but his entire body was turned around in his seat and facing my direction. My gaze flickers over to him and I see that his gaze is turned in my direction. Well. Okay, whatever. Maybe he's looking out the window. My attention flickers back to the view out the dirty window.


A little bit later, the bus stops to pick up a whole group of people. I'm taking up two seats, so I scoot over to the window seat to make room. Bad move. The Indian guy seizes the opportunity to claim the seat next to me, like he thought I was offering it to him or something. A tall, slightly chubby Asian guy about my age fills his vacated seat.

Hence begins the usual hitting-on proceedings (and this guy was being a LOT more obvious than most), except that unlike most other pervs, he takes up 1.5 seats. I'm scrunched as close to the window as I can get because he's basically invading my space and I don't want my leg to touch his (ew). I'm trying to make it as clear as possible that I'm super disgruntled and uncomfortable so he will go away.

So out of the corner of my eye, I'm aware of the Asian dude looking at us and getting up to move to another seat somewhere behind us--but I'm barely paying any attention to this because I'm so focused on staring resolutely out of the window and wishing for my stop to come. Then when I finally see my stop coming up, I make these not-so-subtle getting-off-the-bus movements (zipping my bag, hoisting it over my shoulder, etc.). Indian dude offers his hand for a handshake. I gingerly clasp his hand (out of politeness) once and let it fall. As I get off the bus, I see the chubby Asian guy sitting right behind the seat where the Indian dude and I were sitting. I don't know exactly why he chose to sit there--I was wondering why he chose another seat--and here are the possible reasons I came up with:

1. He saw the debacle and wanted to view it from a better vantage point. (Sort of like entertainment on TV. Sheesh, I hope not.)

2. He didn't like his seat and wanted the seat behind us. (Maybe, but generally no one takes those side-facing seats unless the whole bus is like packed. I sat in those seats a couple of times and every time I got thrown around whenever the bus jerked to a stop or accelerated quickly).

3. He saw what was happening and positioned himself behind us to intervene if the perv tried something beyond perv-ness and into perverted-ness. (Maybe he was genuinely a good guy! The Asian guy, not the perv dude.)

If it was because of #3, I would like to maybe thank him the next time I see him (which is probably never). Not keeping my hopes up.

Anyway, tons of girls get hit on when taking public transit. I'm glad to think that the majority of people on VTA are nice people, and there are only 1% or so of perverts.

So in my speech, I talked about:

1) Recognizing a perv. Note that VTA pervs are generally of the flirty type and not so much of the really creepy physical perverted types. I'm thinking it's because we're in the Bay Area. Heh. Anyway, most of the pervs I've seen are either in their twenties, or 40-50 years. And totally not to be racist, but they are usually Hispanic. I don't know why. Perv encounters don't just take place on buses and lightrails, but also at bus stops and just walking to bus stops. There's always some sort of association with public transit..lol.


2) Dealing with the perv, should there be a confrontation. Resist giving out personal information, such as phone # (never, never ever). Usually a perv confrontation begins with a request for my name. I find it's hard to lie about this, so I don't think giving your name is a big deal. And I always, always say that I'm taken, even if I'm not. This step particularly will save you a ton of grief. The perv will usually back off at least a little.

Out of all of my female friends, I find that I take public transit the most because I take it everywhere all year. So, I've found it particularly handy to carry around my pepper spray!! I found it for $8 at Walgreens completely by surprise. But honestly, if any girl decides to take public transit, she would be subject to a possible perv encounter. It's just so easy for pervs to pick up girls on public transit, ya know? Being forced to take public transit as I am now, I had to learn to deal with these pervs. They really aren't so bad--they're just being friendly and trying to pick up girls easily. But if they are clearly at least 40-50 years old, their jeans zipper is unzipped (...) and they offer to drive you somewhere... that's when caution should be taken.

Okay, enough about pervs. I got an A in the class! Yay. OH, SPEAKING ABOUT GRADES. I GOT AN A- IN ART HISTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUDES, I worked my butt off for this stupid class (which I now, absurdly, love). I was so scared, heehee. Okay, here's an easy list view.


Color Theory: A
3D Concepts: A-
Art History: A- (whooOoOo!!)
Art 01 - pass.
Social Problems - dudes, I still have no idea. The prof is pretty absentminded, so grades are reeeaaally delayed. I have the feeling that I got a B, though. Oh well. Don't care.
Creative Writing - A




And for Fall semester, here are the classes I want to take and have signed up for (two are waitlisted):





I can't wait! Heehee. I'm afraid I might get overwhelmed with three studio classes, but I'm not going to have to worry about Piedmont badminton in the afternoons anymore. Now I'm taking BADMINTON on fridays! And I'll be joining the club. Funnn!




I've really been playing a lot of badminton these days at Smash City and once at Bintang. Like, Diane and I go about 2-3 times a week or so. It's pretty cool because we're both improving. Diane can get fast shots in the front a lot better, and I feel that I can move around a lot more.


I give the credit to Truman because I hecka pushed myself in that mixed game at Bintang with them. I felt so breathless (not tired breathless, but BREATHLESS breathless) and just so beat up after that game. I really felt like I gave it my all. Now I'm applying that same feeling to the games I play now...I hope. I'm thinking girls doubles with Diana or Jenny next semester, and mixed doubles with either Leo or Truman (if he needs a mixed girl).


Truman asked me to play mixed with him for the Berkeley tournament but I'd already said I was going to play with Mikey-poo! Darn. Oh well, I want to play with Mikey! I don't feel stressed out when I play with him. I'm thinking I want to play girls doubles with Meiyi for the tournament too, but I still have to ask her. We haven't played together in forever.





Pictures with Thannie from the little reunion get-together at Cataldi!

I love her! And that shopping day at B&BW was hilarious. This really nasty pumpkin lotion had erupted all over our COOL CITRUS BASIL bottles, which were all the way at the bottom of the big blue buckets. We hecka dug through all the mess to get to the bottles, and then we had to rinse them off at the sink. Haha. So obsessed...

-_- I was GOING to make this short and brief. oh well. I have so much to write about still (1. mini-reunion with ANDREW VO, 2. car insurance, 3. bipolar mom) but I honestly don't want to type any more. I shall resume tomorrow?

negativity

Negativity came at me from many directions this week, especially today (which I thought was going to be a good day). It was all I could do to keep my chin up and maintain a smile on my face. How can people be so cruel to somebody whom they supposedly love/are friends with? I know the best way to deal with this is to let it go over my head and not get upset, but that's easier said than done. I shouldn't let these things get to me, especially when some people are just joking; they probably expect me to take these things as a joke too. I find that if I do force these things to go over my head, I'll forget about it in a little while. That's best. It's just... it kind of hurts. A little bit. I know I've hurt people in the past - most of the time entirely accidental and merely a joke - and people can't always be so goody-goody to each other. That's a fact. The thing is, when the negativity is repeated and the person knows what he/she's saying is hurtful... how can I keep such a negative person in my life?

My head hurts and there's a lump in my throat... a hot shower and comfortable bed should make me feel better.

classes

GRADES COME OUT IN 10 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


at 8am tomorrow.





I'm hoping for straight A's, but that seems doubtful... so this is what I think my grades might be.





Art 14 (color) - A-, probably. I messed up a bit on the final vocab quiz and I got a B+ on my last project and I didn't do extra credit... but I did participate a lot.





Art 13 (3-d) - OMG I am between B+ and A- in this class. Well, Tracy said that I def. got an A on my last project and I think I did well on my vocab quiz... so maybe an A-? :D





Art 01 - no sweat. it's a pass/no pass class. However I missed the maximum amount of notecards that we can miss in order to pass the class, so if the prof. counted my notecards incorrectly, I'm going to have to retake the class again. Haha. Darn.





Art History - I HOPE I got at least an A-. I got an A on my 5pg paper (95%!!!). He said he gave A's to only a few people, a few A-'s, more B's, and a whole bunch of C's. Thank goodness; I worked my butt off for that paper. I didn't do extremely well on the final, so this is a toss-up...





Creative Writing - I kept missing reading quizzes bc I didn't do the reading, haha. bad... but I did pretty well on the poetry final. For the final, all we have to do is prepare a packet of three poems and our revised self-portraits. I had an interesting topic for the poem I read (we have to stand in front of the class and read one of our poems "with feeling"), but I sure as heck am not going to reveal the topic here. So I will venture... a B+?





Social Problems - B. I don't even care about this class because the professor doesn't care either. Honestly, I couldn't care less if I don't get an A in this class. I didn't try in this class AT ALL. I'll be mad if I get a B or lower in my art classes because I worked my butt off in those classes, but I'll have to admit: For this class, I did squat.














Away from grades for a minute... I was talking to Diane about how a mutual friend's blog is so obviously self-absorbed. Then I realized that personal blogs ARE essentially self-absorbed, because the content is on the person's own life. My blog is definitely self-absorbed; I'm always complaining and/or worried or something. I'm always self-conscious that I'll sound too conceited or MEMEME in my blog, but why fight it, you know? As long as I'm not bragging about myself in every other sentence, right? Or not sounding like I'm using my blog to brag about my accomplishments? Oh well, whatever. Not like people other than close friends are reading my blog :D I shouldn't feel like I'm getting judged.





Anyway, for my fall semester, I chose a tentative schedule:

2-D Concepts, Beginning Drawing, Beginning Photography, Child Development, Weather and Climate. Nice and fun classes :D Exactly 18 units.

I've decided to go for my BFA in Graphic Design (Bachelor of Fine Arts). It's basically more intensive than the BA and I have to take more art classes, thus 5 years instead of the typical 4 years of college. Then, because I'm going to go for five years, the plan requires me to go for at least 12 units a semester instead of the 16 units/sem for four years. I might as well double-minor!! heehee. Or double major!!! But in what? I'm thinking photography/animation/interior design/architecture/communications/creative writing/etc. No more psychology/sociology, because after taking Social Problems, I discovered that I have no interest in sociology. Couldn't care less about the class. Ahhh...thank goodness for GE's.

This summer, I'll be taking two GE classes at SJCC - Oral Communication and American History. Meh. They sound boring, but oh well.

NINE MORE HOURS

ART HISTORY

WOW i had a crazy dream that I almost failed my art history final. It was nighttime, raining, and I was on the bus on my way to PHHS for badminton. I got to school, went into the bathroom, and started to change into my badmin junk. I had on a lot of sweaters (it was cold and rainy, and really hot in the gym) so I kept pulling them off. I realized that I was wearing a tanktop that had my 5-pg paper (for art history) written on it. I was like OMG, WHAT AM I DOING AT BADMINTON!!! I NEED TO TURN THIS IN or i'm going to fail. So I hop back on the bus to go to school, and I arrive at the end of the final. My professor sets up a meeting for people who need to beg to take the make-up final and turn in their papers, and I join the meeting. When he comes to me, I explain that I'd completely forgotten and I really wanted to get an A in the class. After testing me on a few paintings, he lets me proceed to take the test.

Then I wake up and run off to study immediately :(

finished!

MY ART PROJECTS ARE OFFICIALLY DONE

I made a bow+arrow+stand set for my final 3DConcepts project. heh heh. It can actually shoot! I carried it home on the bus today and I got a lot of weird stares+comments. Oh well...

I thought it would be easy to make, but it was kind of frustrating--especially with the magnets and stuff. Speaking about magnets, I attached a whole string of them to my bow stand but they all disappeared. Hmm.

frustrated

being a freak

now, all I have to worry about is art history. Perhaps social problems? nahhh.

davis dual-meet

I have been having strange dreams lately.

1) Last week I dreamed that I painted a large depiction of a tulip. The colors of the tulip were monochrome and desaturated--sort of like sepia-toned. Apparently it was hanging in a student gallery in SJSU, and two wealthy old white women viewed it and loved it immediately--so much that they offered me $25,000 for it!!! lol. I was so happy and excited. Anyway, for some reason my family and the two women and I went out to eat at a fancy restaurant to celebrate my painting sale. Halfway through the dinner, my mom started badmouthing me to the old women. After hearing so much bad stuff about me, they decided not to buy my painting after all. :( :( :( :( :( :(:( :( :( :( :( what a horrible dream..haha.

2) Last night I dreamed that I was walking on the road. The beach was a distance off to my right, and the sky was an intense combination of colors-- bright reds, oranges, pinks, and purples all streaming into the dark blue of the night sky. It was a color explosion and I just had to take a picture... but unfortunately I didn't have my camera. I ran off to find it, which took forever... I ran back to the beach to take my pictures, and luckily the colors were still there, albeit a touch darker.

So... I guess we do dream in color!

Well, anyway.. yesterday I spent my Saturday with the SJSU badmin ppl for the Davis dual meet. It was actually not as bad as I thought; I met some pretty cool and nice people. I played mixed (changed at the last minute from singles) with a senior guy who covered a ton of my shots. heehee. We won that game. Then I played doubles with Jenny, which we lost. The girls weren't bad, but not undefeatable; Meiyi and I would probably have beaten them by just clearing to them. I guess Jenny and I were both still tired from our games--my mixed one, and her singles one. Overall, we lost 5-6 to Davis.

It's really tough switching from plastic to feather. I would smash the feather bird, and it'd go totally out or into the net. I would drop, and the feather bird wouldn't go over. I would clear, and it would go several feet out. Geez. Along with birdie difficulties and the fact that we play to 21 points, I feel like I'm a freshman JV player all over again. But oh well...

When we went home, I switched cars because I needed to get home earlier and Jenny was staying for a few more hours. It was such an awkward ride because 1) other than the driver guy, the other two girls basically ignored me, and 2) one girl kept talking the entire two hours, making snotty, rude comments about people driving next to us (there was a half-hour traffic jam). It was unbelievable. Maybe that's how she just is, but she was just... unbelievably immature and stuck on herself being better than anyone else. "Oh, my God. Is that guy listening to MEXICAN music?" (Why should you care what he listens to?) "I lost to a girl named Fanny. If I had a name like that, I'd change it immediately. Why the **** would you want to be called Fanny?" (Um, my cousin's name is Fanny. If you don't like it, move on. Geez.) "With a traffic jam this bad, there had better be an oil spill."

Two hours of torture listening to this girl spout her mouth like an arrogant ten-year-old kid...luckily I fell asleep for half an hour. I know I can't judge her after only two hours stuck in the same car with her, but she seriously gets on my nerves. Whatever. Maybe she's just callous like that. I have better people to talk to.

grades outlook

Today I went up to my huge locker (it can fit my badminton bag, two bows I'm working on, two huge drawing paper pads, a jacket, a scarf, an umbrella, my lunch, and so much more LOL) on the 2nd floor. As I put away my books, I suddenly hear my art history prof's voice. Turns out his office is right across the hall from my locker. Anyway, I decide to linger outside the office and give him an impromptu visit to ask about my grades. After a girl comes out, I go in and talk to him. So in order to get an A in the class, I have to get at least 90% on both the 5-pg paper and the final exam... gaaaaaaaaah. Luckily I went to all the classes so he'll boost my grade if I get a B+. heheh. Dangit, I foresee a lot of studying.

Speaking of grades... I got my first A+ in Color!

shameless bragging

it was an assignment where we had to use optical mixing, like really small dots of color


It was fun...but wasted a lot of paint.

I need a guy to fix my computer. Spyware+malware+virii all over the place.

nearing the close

Finals are coming up... projects and papers are swarming in like crazy. I've got to put together two portfolios, finish my blog entries for art13 (not bad, these are kind of fun), complete two more art14 projects, one more art13 project, re-do another art13 proj, write two papers for social problems (these will be super easy), and write a 5-pg paper for art history (not so easy...).

I got an A- on my midterm for art history!!!! I'm especially happy because my professor said that if 1) we attend all lectures and 2) score a whole letter grade higher on the 2nd midterm than the 1st midterm, he will decrease the weight of the first midterm from 20% to 10%. Sorry if that was confusing.. but that just means my first midterm (a B-, ugh) will be worth less in my final grade! I totally was not expecting to get 91%... but technically I didn't really, heheh. I actually got 84%, but he curved it for our class to 88%, and THEN he brought up everyone's grades by 3% because he saw that the other classes did so poorly. Thus... 91% :D I guess all that studying really did help. But there's still the final, which is going to be much harder than the midterms... so I will be studying for the full week beforehand again, I guess? I don't think I will get an A overall, but at least I might be able to scrape a B+.

OMG GRRRRRRRRRR I KEEP GETTING A POP UP LIKE EVERY TEN MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It'll pop up RIGHT in the middle of my typing, so I'll miss a whole sentence of typing when that happens. Plus, it really slows down my computer when the stupid ad tries to pop up. WHERE'S MY POP UP BLOCKER

anyway.

I'm going to be playing doubles with Jenny and singles (ugh..........................) in the sjsu-davis meet on May 9th. dangit. I definitely don't mind playing doubles, but SINGLES? Hello incoming bagel...lol. I would play mixed instead of singles, but the positions are already taken and Danny's injured so he doesn't come to the practices. Oh well... more exercise for me, yeah??

my shirt!

a cool cloud

earn your respect.

Why does the Silver Creek assistant coach have to be such a butthead? I was watching GD #3 and BD #3, with my attention diverted to BD, when suddenly I hear him complaining loudly to the Silver Creek head coach lady, "What are they doing having such a long conversation?" I stare at him as he storms over to GD #3, who couldn't have been debating over service issues for THAT long (my attention had only just been diverted). He goes over to his girls, while I go over to Maria and Eileen to see what the problem was.

Maria tells me that one of the SC girls were serving in the wrong box, but they had disagreed. Then suddenly SC assistant coach starts saying, in a rude and arrogant tone, that the players should keep track of their own serving. He yells at the scorekeepers that they should pay attention to the game, and he angrily reprimands Maria and Eileen for not knowing if the opposing side has 13 or 14 points. He's screaming all of this, by the way. I wish I could say that I'd said something to him, that he was being totally rude and going way overboard, but my mind was blank with disbelief.

Why? What happened to civility, to respect? Is he trying to make himself look big and threatening so he'd feel a rush of power over everyone else? So insecure that he has to resort to belittling other people? Or is he really such a jerkwad?

Anyway, the dude storms over to the head coach lady and immediately begins to complain, LOUDLY, about Maria and Eileen and the whole situation. It was so stupid. The head coach just stood there listening to him. I couldn't believe how such a nice person like her could listen to him rant on and on about such a little thing. He didn't even bother to keep his voice down; just kept gesturing wildly and complaining at the top of his voice, RIGHT behind the GD #3 game.

Maria walks up to me and angrily asks me to tell him to shut up, because he's distracting them all. So I go over to the SC coaches and say to the dude, "Excuse me, could you please quiet down? My players are getting distracted." He whips his head around to look at me and snarls, "ALRIGHT, just HOLD ON."

How can the SC coach stand such a rude jerk?

^ BD #3. I wasn't really that intent on their game.. heh

Aaaaannyyway, pictures from last weekend's excursion to San Francisco's Legion of Honor.

^ gooooorgeous

^ i shall write my 5-pg paper on this painting

^ a golden sedan!!!

^ shopping

virus

I think my laptop has a virus. I've System Restored at least three-four times now, and I still keep getting pop-ups. One pop-up I got was a Youtube pop-up for a Batman game or something. I was like what the heck, I'm not even on Youtube. It just randomly popped up out of nowhere. And then I scrolled down and read the comments, and people were like "WTH?? I was playing Left 4 Dead and this popup screwed me over!" "POP-UP!!!" and then someone said, "I think we all have the same virus." LMAO!!!! Yes, we all do...

What a cool connection to make to other people--through a computer virus.

I found it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Nj4u9UhFw

"this is cool i actually don't mind that it popped up on my pc "

ahahaha.

summer 2009

Okay, so I'll most likely be going to SJCC this summer - 98% chance. I looked up the schedule of classes - which is almost pathetically weak compared to Mission College's and De Anza's and SJSU's - but

1) SJSU tuition is much too expensive for the summer ($1000-$2000, I forgot, but it falls in that range)

2) SJCC only requires one bus and about 15 minutes of walking, whereas Mission College = lightrail, transfer to another lightrail, transfer to bus. De Anza = like close to an hour on the bus! heck no.

So, I whipped this up.

I know, I know...these classes are probably going to be super boring. These are all required GE's (I made sure that these articulated with SJSU GE requirements). Might as well get rid of three categories of GE's in one summer, no? I wanted to take Intermed/Advanced badminton at Mission College... but there's no way I'm going to spend an hour on public transit just for badmin class -_- And then I tried to compromise by sticking in Track and Field at SJCC, but that doesn't fit into my schedule (and who wants to run around the track in the blazing summer heat???). So... my summer schedule. I'm going to try to tack on a summer job too, but I have high doubts about that.

Thanh will probably go to Mission College for the summer... but of course there will be plenty of time to meet up at Quickly and have a date! Oh, and maybe throw in some fun activities!

1. Finish up summer classes.
2. Go cherry picking! yay!
3. Bike across Golden Gate Bridge
4. Go to the beach of course! And play some beach volleyball. funfun
5. I was thinking about hiking up Mission Peak. Or something. sounds like fun?


I'll think about more later.

Today I went to Michael's since I had to buy some modeling clay for my project (our clay wouldn't have worked, diane). I was admiring the brushes when I turned around and saw a huge ArtBin. I opened it up and OMG!!!! LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was $28 bucks or something, which in my opinion was a bit pricey for an art toolbox kit thing. But I had a 40% off coupon...

^ So I purchased it!!!!!

^ My stuff put inside it. I LOVE ORGANIZERS OMG. As soon as I got home I yanked the ArtBin open and showed my mom. She loved the triple tiers. As soon as my dad got home I proudly showed it to him as well. -_- He laughed at me.

^ My brushes. The two bottom ones were purchased today. That fan brush is sooo pretty. and yes, I know the handles are dirty -_- i'm too lazy to scrape off the dried paint.

and Samuel... THIS IS FOR YOU

^FOREHEAD GALORE! and no bangs, per your "request" :P

^ Broken fence. beyond is the neighbor's orange tree.

Badminton frosh/soph tourny tomorrow at indy!