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?
