Mei's Trip to the Orient

Schulich Formal May 28th, 2007

2007-06-05T13:47:00.001-07:00

Well my time at Schulich is officially over... the last time I'll be in the building is likely to be Friday June 15th, the day of my convocation. It was a beautiful night at the Arcadian Court (something like that) on Bay Street where we all took photos, danced and laughed at the very irritated waiters and waitresses! For some reason the student council likes to do this Teacher Excellence Award where the students nominate their favourite professor...except all the professors that were nominated were taught MBA courses and I only knew one of them (and she didn't win! boo urns) Anyways during the announcements regarding the award and during the Dean's extremely dull speech, my table (Jill, Asad, Karen, Janice, Melissa, Lynne, Gable and I) was playing with the center piece... you can do many things with a long flower that looks like a horn!

Example:

More Formal Pictures

2007-06-05T13:43:00.001-07:00

Louise, Lana, me, Shirley, Renee, Karen, Janice, Lynne, Jennifer
Laura and I
Renee and I
Asad and Jill
Angela and I
Jill, Me and Janice
Karen and I

Formal Pictures

2007-06-05T13:40:00.001-07:00

Gable and I
Fabi and I
Melissa and I
Melody and I
Renee and I
Lynne and I
Gable and I

Schulich Girls BBQ May 28th, 2007

2007-06-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

I still have tons of posts to make ... ie) FORMAL, TACB Reunited Part IV, Plans on Part V, Karen and Brian's Wedding Pics of Benita and I haha, Connie and Andy's Wedding...

Anyways i'll start with what i can remember which is my most recent Schulich Girls Outing! The last time we had seen each other altogether was Formal which was in April so it was awesome to be with my girls. It was a relaxed time of eating (organic burgers, salad, potatoe salad, grilled vegetables) and a lot of booze that no one really touched, but everyone loved the strawberry/cranberry cocktail juice. BTW Mel: you left your margarita juice at my house! I should give it back to you. Jill kindly left her premium beer for my dad which was much appreciated by him! Anyways it was a great time to catch up, reminisce on exchange memories and talk about future getaways with each other (even if it's for an afternoon). We're all getting so busy and we still live far from each other which is why i'm cherishing every living moment that i have with them. I know in September when everyone begins to work or move away it will be bittersweet.

The night had a wonderful ending of a delicious oreo cheesecake that was created and designed by the Mels for a surprise mini birthday celebration for Lynne. HAPPY 22nd Birthday!!!
We continued to talk about cosmetic surgery and the horror stories of what ppl do to themselves followed by a time of chatter in my driveway while we looked at fabi's new car and then ventured to Bubble Republic for some unnecessary bubble tea! (Still tasted good to the lips)

I love you girls

Long Over Due

2007-06-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well, as expected...

I have not picked up a needle, a piece of fabric or any thread in a means to further my goal in learning how to sew... quite disappointed in myself but I underestimated school and work. Oh i also neglected my personal goal to be more fit ... that was a failure. BUT!!! I'm still happy that the weather is great, i still get enough sleep and take my occasional naps. I officially found my napping spot at home. It's not my bed or in front of the tv...

It's on the dining room sofa where i read my cost accounting and information systems textbook!

Summer: New Goal

2007-04-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

LEARN HOW TO SEW...

School's Out! ... Almost

2007-04-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well Tues was my last day of school... i ended on a tax lecture and a runny nose but still no more classes except for a review tax class that isn't mandatory but if you're smart u'll go.

Just a few pictures my friend took... i'm officially done on the 23rd and i should be studying right now.

Janice's Birthday - Salsa Night

2007-04-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Janice!

Despite the fact that was i sick and i knew that i would inevitable get worse by going to Babalu's for salsa last Wednesday... I went for my girl Janice, whom I have only known and got to know better this last year of Schulich which is a shame but she is awesome. We went salsa and Gable and I were late for the 9pm lesson but I'm glad we missed it because the instructor was an ass. He kept yelling at my friend for being too slow, even though it's a beginner class. Anyways we picked up a few tips from Shirley and her boyfriend Terrance who had taken lessons before... excellent teachers i might add. It was too bad that I had to leave early just as some of my friends arrived since my throat was getting really choked up.

Pub Night

2007-04-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures of our last Schulich Pub Night... they have definitely come a long way... from 2nd year to now. They use to hold pub nights at a crappy dirty hockey arena and now they actually moved it to a more sanitary place. Those for some reason they were playing "Chicago" on their big screen...

The best thing about pub nights, i get to push people around, esp couples that are making out, and my excuse is, "Sorry i'm just dancing" or "Sorry i can't hear you, it's so loud in here, <> bye!"

hehe

Easter Weekend

2007-04-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

let me say Happy Easter and long weekend to everyone...

Last night was great... had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet and sour pork, deep fried wontons, grilled vegetables, salad with this amazing dill dip all served with more turkey ooh and i forgot salmon!

It was hardly a day for studying so i didn't fight it and watched 2 long missed episodes of Gilmour Girls and helped my sister and mom hide chocolate eggs for my 2 cousins Victoria and James who are only 9 and 6ish... and for Eric and his school friend.

The night was loud and luckily i am at the end of the spectrum of my sore throat and cold but i still avoided my favourite deep fried wontons just in case because my dad is always saying that "Heet Hay" causes illness or zits or makes your symptoms worse. I listened to him because today i had to lead worship - sing and speak in front of both congregations. It was alright, not my most organized hour; the translation throws me off... we have to do everything in translation; scripture reading, some songs, annoucements, comments before special music... as the chairman it was not good to forget to do scripture reading, luckily Aunty Stella had a Chinese-English bible and i'm fortunate that i can read with stuttering ... the key is to say a word confidently even if you have no idea how to say it... u would probably make the audience doubt their own speech.
Back to last night, dinner was followed up with an array of desserts: Cinnabon!, Some Egg shaped, spray painted Chocolate Cake that i didn't touch because it looked way to sweet for me, Vanilla Ice Cream, and my mom's lemon squares that tasted like lemon cheesecake.

After dessert Victoria came to my room to try and my HK shoes and she was dissing my preference in pointy-toe shoes haha. I tried to get her to stop walking in my room with my dirty shoes so i said, let's play a game! So Tory suggested the game, "Would you ever... or something like that, i don't remember the name" Anyways here is an example:

Would you rather eat 5 lbs of ice cream or 5 lbs of fries? Then you laugh at everyone's answers...
I guess James saw us having fun so he wanted to join in and of course he makes the most ridiculous comments:

"Would you rather eat hair or would you smell a foot?"

I choose the foot.

TACB Reunion III

2007-04-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

Good times! TACB went on it's 3rd eating excursion... well the second one wasn't quite an excursion unless you count my house as one but now ben has tried Indian food and can say to all her friends, "Yes I've tried more than just samosas!"

The night was great, my sister and i saved a bundle using the TTC day pass for $8.50 so we went to Eaton Center to look around. It was so packed inside the mall that we both in a hurry to just get back on the subway and meet Tiff and Ben. We all met up at St. Patrick's station and walked over to the "Saffron Tree" for the Indian Buffet. I love butter chicken and the spinach salad... soooo good. We were in the restaurant for about 2 hours just catching up, it was great... i felt like exams weren't even a worry... actually i still feel that way. I will get crackin' on those books tomorrow hehe.

The night was followed up with some late night walking around the downtown strip by Eaton Center but we walked quickly as we saw a guy get busted from 2 cops.

Next Excursion: Part IV
- Tiff's House for a Mexican Fiesta...and...chocolate fondue!

Karen "Bear Bear" Birthday

2007-03-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is the Birthday Girl: Lynne put together a great HK EXCHANGE pic of us 4 girls (Karen, Renee, Lynne and Myself)

Right Photo (starting from left) :
Renee, Lana, Jen, Karen, Me, Janice, Lynne

My Crazy Roommate and I

Renee, Lana, Jen and Karen

Look at this awesome cake Janice made!! The best part of this night was not only being with my schulich friends but it was ALL YOU CAN EAT JAP and we got 20% off for no apparent reason AND we got to humiliate Karen because behind us was a great huge flat screen and they put on the Karaoke song Happy Birthday in English, Cantonese and Mandarin!

Dixie, you've come back to me...

2007-03-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

I thought Dixie Value Mall was dead... definitely a write-off after going there after school (about a 30 minute drive in total) countless times to find just garbage.

I went to just check it out quickly since I didn't want to go home after dropping my brother off at Chinese School and moreover it was close by. Garage which has made a glorious comeback in my books... they had one rack with spring sale just for me.

Scoreboard:

black Bermuda shorts - $3
Khaki Bermuda shorts - $3
A pair of cameo capri's for sister - $3

CRAZY DEALS! And the defect is so small you would never find it...

Warm Weather = Stupid People

2007-03-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Harsh title isn't it... well this is exactly what flows through my head...

Well Gable and I had an interesting conversation a few days ago on how today (thursday) would be a warm day reaching 14 degrees. We joked around about how we would see girls in short mini skits with UGGS, tank tops and fur jackets, bermuda shorts and fur jackets... very senseless outfits! We were talking about tallying up all the ridiculous outfits that we would see... he was actually joking however I on the other hand was not... next time i'll take photos because only a photo can capture the greatest memories... The weather channels were right and even with a little wind and little rain i felt the humidity right when i came out of the bus. My tallying began ... within the few minutes i walked into York Lanes for a coffee and saw a girl with a mini skirt and a t-shirt... close enough even though she wasn't wearing UGGS.... the second nonsensical outfit and the winner of them all...in the basement of the schulich building... a girl wearing a tube top and a shawl... DING DING DING you win. I should have taken a picture. I saw the typical shorts and fur jacket and high knee boots which i can forgive but i mean TUBE TOP and SHAWL that doesn't even make sense to me.

Please ladies; just because it's merely 14 degrees outside it doesn't call for a beach party. I'm waiting for someone to wear flip flops soon.

Fellow GO BUS RIDERS!

2007-03-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have been a GO BUS commuter for 4 years now and you would think the virtue of kindness and consideration exist or at least improve over the years, but reality always puts us back INTO REALITY and of course once in a while you get those rude, "i'm worthy of 2 seats on the bus because look at all these things i'm carrying" type of people.

After my tax lecture which i get out right at 2:30pm, i immediately ran to the bus stop in hopes of catching the 2:30 bus and it was great because that run was worth it: for my heart/exercise and for the sake of not having to wait another 15 minutes. The bus was nearly full with probably 4-5 seats remaining and i like to sit at the front of the bus so i can get out quick. So this one girl was reading some notes or something and she sat on the aisle seat ... i'm pretty sure she thought like most people that "If i sit on the aisle, i have a better chance of having 2 seats; and i don't have to share with anyone and in the end i have more space...etc." Sometimes I wonder: Why the heck do you ppl sit on the aisle seat and pretend to be so preoccupied when they know others who are walking on to the bus need a seat. Why not sit by the window so you don't have to move... Well i had to ask her the stupid question to keep my composure: "is anyone sitting there?" Of course i knew no one was... and she grunted and said NO! and moved aside. Well... i'm sorry for imposing on your precious space where you ended up putting your notes away after 2 minutes to sleep... gosh why are people so inconsiderate; I TOO paid the $135 a month to ride this bus. I was actually going to be a smart ass and say exactly what i thought but as everyone knows i'm usually all talks! I wouldn't have any face afterwards.

My Best Friend for the past few weeks!!

2007-02-28T21:02:00.000-08:00

Favourite List:
- Armaretto Almond Coffee
- Chocolate Truffle Coffee
- Bavarian Dutch Chocolate Coffee
- Vanilla Bean Latte (Skim)
- Vanilla Bean Hazelnut Latte (Skim)
- Green Tea Latte
(hold the foam on the lattes)

Urge to not study!!

2007-02-28T20:58:00.000-08:00

it's midnight and i should be sleeping or studying but ever since Jan. i haven't been able to study in my room... i'm always moving and getting up and wanting to get out! i feel caged in... it's wierd because i usually am very efficient... as Fabi said... we have the fourth year Syndrome... ready to graduate and hating school more than ever and wanting to get by quick...

reality is sad sometimes...

Border Checks!

2007-02-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well last weekend I had the "great" opportunity of being stopped at the US/Cdn Border and for what??? For the search of American Goods that were greater than our stated amount of $20 which was an overstatement because we only spent (we'll just me not gable) spent only $15.

Anyways the day started off fine (for me at least) Gable didn't sleep at all and he had an academic test plus a physical test as part of the application process for paramedic school at Niagara College. Anyways he drove 2 hours to this school and i stayed in the cafeteria for 5 hours just studying for my advanced financial accounting midterm... after the waiting we went to the States to shop at Walden Galleria. Nothing really came out at us to say BUY ME! except for the regular Old Navy flip flops that can be bought at home and i managed to get a hippie like t-shirt for 3.99 and a long belted brown cardigan for $5.99 at Forever 21. Since we didn't expect his testing to be 5 hours long our shopping time was cut as we had to return home in time for Chinese New Year Dinner. I wanted to stop by this coffee place in the mall to get this apple cider & carmel frappe but the shop was being renovated; another stab in the heart and another disappointment.

Anyways the worse was being stopped at the border for being HONEST... they really wanted to bust us because they looked at ALL my reciepts in my wallet and search gable's entire truck... maybe it was the truck or maybe it was our teenage looking faces that made them think we were lying but i was quite pissed because of the delay... i would expect this type of crap going into the States but not returning HOME... or what i use to call home... (hehe i'm just bitter)

Well like gable said, "i hope she looked through my dirty socks..."
and this may seem gross but we should have left dirty tampons everywhere to piss them off... that is only if we knew that it would happen... we laughed at the thought... we are evil people...
They must have felt so stupid because they had nothing on us and were probably so disappointed when they saw the price tags on my shirts that said $39.99 NOW $3.99

Best Actor slash Singer!

2007-02-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

After watching the Prestige and all this talk about David Bowie... i'm sure you know who i have voted for!

My sister and I were talking about the best actor/singer... well we mentioned Will Smith but he's defiantly not the best singer... come on Let's Get Jiggy with It?? do you want to be remembered by that song? Or "Parents just don't understand"?

Anyways all hands down... David Bowie!

Though I have to agree that he has had the scariest role in the Labyrinth, i watched it like 20X when i was a kid and the whole story is dumb; she has to remember a poem to get her brother back from David Bowie!! That's it! But his HAIR IS OUTSTANDING! hehe

Prestige

2007-02-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

Saturday night Gable and I watched Prestige with Huge Jackman, Christian Bale?? is that his name and this other very famous English man and although he had a small role, DAVID BOWIE! hehe I was so amazed that the man who invented the cloning machine and was in competition with Thomas Edison was the China Girl man.

Anyways the movie was great but nonetheless I think Gable and I have a tendency to just go straight to wikipedia to look at the spoiler because everything happens to fast for us... or maybe this is the drawback of pirated movies; we can't hear very well ... i always need subtitles.

Anyways a twisted ending and you should go see it

Things that should not come back into fashion!

2007-02-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

I thought there was a closed chapter on the whole Jumper/Suspenders Era... it looked really psychodelic during those 80s music videos but I think they need to buried along with mullets, socks and sandals... things of this nature.

I hope i don't hurt anyone's feelings.... (Hmmmmmm Ang??)

Neccessities vs. Impulsive Urges

2007-02-06T19:51:00.000-08:00

So there is a very nice day timer on ebay... it doesn't look like this, it's nicer... no ugly gold trimer.. but little coach symbols all over... there is also a plain white coach day timer... $45 USD?? I wish i was in HK right now... i could just buy a fake LV day timer for... what $15? I think i need to follow my heart on this one... NO BIDS!

Isn't Valentine's Day overrated???

2007-02-03T06:44:00.000-08:00

No plans for Valentine's Day... such an expensive holiday for couples: for example by marketing standards!! both people have to buy presents and then spend some romantic day together which probably entitles an expensive dinner... and with Winterlicious in Toronto, i bet everyone is in the mood for that; just another marketing tactic!

The best part about Valentine's Day for me is to see all the nice 75% off signs, though i never buy anything. How many stuffed animals do you need...especially when your above 20 years old... just going to lie around.

Gable and I are doing something really different, actually we don't really celebrate, but we were at Hallmark because i was buying some valentine's day cards for my gfs and we were looking all the crazy merchandise and i kept telling Gable; "if you really like it, just wait until feb 15-16 and it will be 75% off. " So it sparked an idea... we never really celebrated V-Day but this year we'll take a spin on it... on Feb 16 we going to the mall and we're going to surprise each other with majorly discounted items within the limit of $10. The theme of the event is, "what would you buy me if we were in grade 8?" haha so it doesn't just involve going to Hallmark but really thinking back... if we are capable... just a reason for me to go to H&M and get some cool accessories for myself.

but i should hold off a bit because I"M GOING TO BUFFALO again...

HELL WEEK BEGINS! Bonus: random pics

2007-01-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

One of the last dinners Gable and I with my Schulich + Hong Kong friends... @ a Dai Pai Dong!

The infamous sundial at HKUST!

Nearly one year ago... i was in this beautiful city!

Not sure why i'm putting this particular picture up of tacb ... i can't remember if i showed any pictures of my sister's wedding reception... maybe because i had such a great time at benita's b-day sushi night that i can't help but just look at old TACB PICTURES. I can't wait until we meet up again... this monthly get-together is great now that we are ALL in town! HEHE but it will only last until September (well tentatively speaking... it depends on many other variables...)

Anyways why does YorkU have to have their reading week so darn early... earliest of all Canadian universities. We start early get our holidays early i guess on a positive note, we end exams earlier than most universities... or perhaps just UofT.

This week:
- Tax assignment #2 - estimated time spent on the assignment 15-20 hours NO LIES!
- Advanced Accounting Assignment #2
- Contemp Issues ACTG Assignment #2
- Italian Quiz (congiuntivo imperfetto)
- Italian Presentation (il mio viaggio a Hong Kong e delle situazioni cross-culturali)

... nothing for drugs and behaviour because all the sections just had their midterm (after 3 weeks we have a midterm... crazy, but it's a bird course; just memorize memorize memorize... nothing abstract)

Thanks TIFF for teaching me some basic bio/chem... "a cell membrane is lipid soluable" except it wasn't really tested...

i'm going to put some random pics for fun... part of procrastination... i should be doing that tax assignment

Bargins do exist!

2007-01-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

Well although i have no pictures to back up my story; gable and i went to the states 2 weeks ago before school officially started and for the 2nd time around, only I in substance managed to find great deals on wicked items: all in USD

1. Banana Republic: Brown crew neck Long sleeve sweater = $12
2. Banana Republic: Black pencil skirt = $23
3. Forever 21: baseball tee with puffed sleeves = $7.70
4. Forever 21: red tee with puffed sleeves = $8
5. Forever 21: Navy long sweater vest with belt = $7.99
6. Rue 21: Plaid golf hat = $5
7. Bath and Body Works: lotion and bath wash = $15

Gables :(
1. Banana Republic: black leather belt = **$15

** I forced him to buy it b/c it was 50% off

Now i shall resume with Canadian income and Advanced Financial Accounting :(

Rewind!

2007-01-13T18:37:00.000-08:00

THE HONG KONG CREW!!

Alright ... i like to blog about things with visual presentation and i forgot to mention of a SEPTEMBER EVENT haha a long time ago but still worth mentioning b/c it's about my SCHULICH GIRLS whom i love very much.

Our back to school dinner at a new pub/grill on keele called HOOPS... nothing spectacular but a good place and a CLOSE place to meet up.

Too bad Fabi didn't join us, i think she had other plans but she's our little latino social butterfly... anyways, it was basically a chance for us to rant about all our exchanges overseas and retell crazy stories... none will be mentioned of course for confidentiality reasons!

Melody's Christmas dinner - post exams

2007-01-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

Twister is fun!

My first entry of 2007... but regarding 2006

Well what can i say, exams blow and time went by too quick. The winter break is done and i'm back in school: 2nd semester a.k.a my last semester officially! I have summer school and i'll be taking 4 extra courses to finish up my CA 51 credit requirements but i'll be ALUMI... actually from Gilmour Girls the correct term is ALUMNUS (singular)... i think many are misguided or it could be just me!

Anyways Melody's party served the purpose of a post exam celebration and it was great... i went early to Fairview Mall to meet her so i could help her with drinks/food and it was amazing to just talk/chit-chat without worries of school, homework, assignments, work... and we had lunch together talking and talking. We wanted to go to this sushi place at midland and finch ... after 4 years i still don't know the place but i love it because the people there are extremely nice and we always get free stuff + its cheap. Bulgogi for $4.99 and you get all those little side dishes.
But unfortunately the place was PACKED and it is such a tiny place (only can hold about 20 ppl max) and so we settled for viet noodles next door... busy pho but at least it wasn't dirty pho!

Anyways here are some pics of the food, the ppl... a very warm and fun celebration

Long time now write

2007-01-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

I haven't written anything or added pictures since .... ??? September recruitment from the Big 4... but u will be updated...

btw, the last post was not me, it was gable.

Amateur Music Review

2006-11-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

I can't stop listening to the new John Mayer CD "Continuum"... it's a must get CD. I never thought of him to be such a skilled Jazz artist but he can pull it off and i like the variety he has on this cd. I love his acoustic repetiore but his diversity has shown another side of him!

I especially love the song, "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" It's not a particular sweet love song, in fact it's the opposite but i think this song is sheer reality for many relationships (i only assume because i have no objective or empirical research to back that up) or at least its reality that we have all probably gone through these thoughts spoken aloud or internally...

Slow Dancing In A Burning Room

It's not a silly little moment

It's not the storm before the calm

This is the deep and dyin breath of

This love we've been workin on

Can't seem to hold you like I want to

So I can feel you in my arms

Nobody's gonna come and save you

We pulled too many false alarms

We're goin down

And you can see it too

We're goin down

And you know that we're doomed

My dear

We're slow dancing in a burnin room

I was the one you always dreamed of

You were the one I tried to draw

How dare you say it's nothing to me

Baby, you're the only light I ever saw

I'll make the most of all the sadness

You'll be a bitch because you can

You try to hit me just hurt me

So you leave me feeling dirty

Because you can't understand

We're goin down

And you can see it too

We're goin down

And you know that we're doomed

My dear

We're slow dancing in a burnin room

Go cry about it why don't you

My dear, we're slow dancin' in a burnin' room,

Burninl room, burnin' room

Don't you think we oughta know by now

Don't you think we shoulda learned somehow

Don't you think we oughta know by now

Don't you think we shoulda learned somehow

Don't you think we oughta know by now

Don't you think we shoulda learned somehow

The Best Goalie in the World

2006-10-28T23:00:00.001-07:00

Gable the goalie scored on the opposition net while the other team took out their goalie and was 6 on 5... hurray! It was perfect and straight down the middle!

Congrats hun on your first goal!

- Christina

Family Dinner

2006-10-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday night we had a fun family dinner and it felt different without my grandma there but i know she'll always be with us spiritually and we collectively decided to carry on the tradition of celebrating her birthday in August.

The highlight of the night:

The male cousins were playing hockey: including james and eric. James was defense and eric was the goalie and all my older cousins were shooting on them. There weren't enough hockey sticks so eric had to use a shovel! My cousin Ian said the funniest thing: "I was robbed by a shovel" this was of course after his shot didn't make it into the net...

Famous quote by James: "Kids are better than teenagers; they're so much faster!"

Alleycatz

2006-10-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Friday night was a celebration for renee and mel's b-day... unfortunately i was late but zion is important to me... sorry for all the times i had missed out; it's all b/c of schulich! Anyways picked up fabi and met her bf. We had to pay cover but then it was alright because then i wasn't obligated to buy their food which was $$... drinks were around 10 bucks. Narsty... anyways fabi and i just had our pineapple juice! There were about 15 people and the night was fun; though i hardly call this place a jazz bar and was disappointed. Just because you have a live band doens't mean you can call yourself a jazz bar... The first 2 songs were more modern jazz pieces but after that it was like old school, with some hip hop and RandB... it reminded me of SKITZ in HK but still below par! Anyways many interesting things happened hmmm but no comment except for the fact that i enjoyed myself and was especially happy to see all the faces that i never see at school! It was a great reunion. But still midterms coming up and still more studying...

Gable's 21st B-day

2006-10-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Haha an exciting day for Gable.. this post is so old but his b-day was sept 21st, it's not almost one month later that i post about it... anyways, i felt bad because school well just intro to tax is killing me so we celebrated gable's b-day late but it was SOOO FUN! BOWLING AND DEMETRI's... i also made him a nice home-made apron for when he cooks (obviously) i have no pictures of the present but let's just say it looks like a project made by a grade 6 student for family studies... gone terribly wrong! Tiff saw it so if you want details ask her because i have no more comments about it.

Mongolian Grill!

2006-10-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago i got my wisdom teeth pulled... although i can't open my mouth entirely, at least it's not swollen and i can chew just fine... so now that my agony is gone gable and i went to Mongolian Grill to feast to our heart's content... and painfully we went to play volleyball afterwards!

New Haircut

2006-10-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

Why is that everytime i get a new haircut and ask my dad if he likes my hair his unchanging response is...

"You know I can do that for you!"

I don't like to remind myself that when i was a kid he use to cut my hair and it was a bowl cut without the bowl so all rigid and jagged. Never again, don't let your parents cut your hair unless they are professionals.

More Reception PICS

2006-10-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

Allison's Wedding Reception!

2006-10-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

I hate not having a camera anymore... actually i miss the old crappy but very cute laptop i once had... i hope the person who bought it off me from ebay is very happy with himself... i'll get another one in time.
Anyways... TCB's main duty was to prep the restaurant and do some admin while guests walked through the door. With the help of the boys we managed to get it all done with in an hour and run a few errands! I was even able to go to shoppers to get some makeup to try and cover up my tan lines... i had forgotten about those! Anyways teh night was great, the embarassing part was when the photographer, Jamie, kept taking pictures of us while we were writing our speech... he was like, "you shoudln't be doing that now!" hahaaha it's not what you think!! We knew what we wanted to say except some of us wanted it on paper in case there was some stuttering... better to be safe than sorry. Overall the night was fun and a new game was formed called SHOOT THE MOON... if you want details ask Gable and Felix.

CUBA PICS

2006-10-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful view from a mountain peak of Holguin Cuba... a costly view resulting in too many insect bites!
Tiff and I sitting in the lobby of one of the A La Carte Restaurants
My dad at the shooting range: he almost got a perfect score ... out of fluke
Outside the Mediterranean restaurant
This was during our hike and bike excursion... ben is such a good influence on me
One of the daily night entertainment shows... this was a salsa/dance show
My beautiful sister on her wedding day... too bad i was sick for most of the ceremony
The beach that was part of our resort... there was snorkling on one side and in the middle were small sail boats.

ONE WEEK IN CUBA

2006-09-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Cuba was another great experience that reminded me of being on exchange: cultural diversity, meeting new people around the world, new FOOD!
The best part was being with my family and TACB and just relaxing. The waters where crystal clear but still very salty! The pool was amazing, the people were so friendly and the food was so GOOD! The most memorable moment was watching my brother, myself and tiffany get sick during the trip. How come we were so vulnerable... i don't remember eating that much, in fact i tried to pace myself because i didn't want to gain weight. My mom thinks its the alcohol... they put so much rum in everything. Speaking of rum, they make this awesome bananas and rum dessert that i would love to have right now.... food, the fresh meats, fresh breads, fresh drinks, pizza, sandwiches, pina coladas... well the worst was getting sick and then refusing to get any drink afterwards. I got sick the day before my sister's wedding and ended up still sick during the ceremony and poor tiff had to miss the ceremony too to escort me back to my room. Then when i got better she got sick too! Arg what a week... next time we don't drink...alcohol is bad for you... the stomach pains were so intense that i teared a bit! Now that it's over i wish i was in cuba... or somewhere exotic and all inclusive! Maybe next time i'll go to cancun if it's cheap.
They had snorkling gear that could be rented for 2 hours and it was great to see all the tropical fish. We went twice; once by the beach where everyone snorkles and once with a little excursion group that took us to a secluded tiny beach but if you didn't wear flippers you'd probably step on something sharp. It was kinda scary not have a life jacket too... crazy benita who is the best swimmer of all time swam everywhere and probably saw all the best fish. I'm quite risk-adverse which is why i stayed close to the rocks incase something happened and i could hang on to something.... but i found good fish too.
Every night there was some type of performance... some night were eehh boring... just lip syncing to broadway performances...like moulin rouge, i'd rather watch the video. They had one entertainer who was this tall male with long hair, he was quite the character but looked like a crazy serial killer sometimes. He paid Urscilla from the Little Mermaid and he deserved all merit for playing an evil female villian. Anyways the best performances were the dancing shows where they had salsa or ballet, though i have to say that the ballet, i was no impressed, i could see dancers from the back because they didn't close the curtain properly and one girl kept falling and some groups were not in sync... i realize it's difficult but i'd rather watch salsa then. At the end of each show the entertainers always ask you to dance and that is when ben and i run back to the room.
Another great part was room service... anytime 24 hours... though they kept messing up our order... we wanted to try the spring rolls but they would always sub it for something else like another dish of spaghetti... last time they also forgot our assorted pasteries... oh well, we could have gone to the buffet to get it, that's where it comes from anyways. The coffee was excellent in cuba... rich and full of aroma.
The 2nd day of cuba (sorry for being everywhere) i went on a bike/hike tour with benita and it was the steepest hike ever!! No lies. It was so intense but well worth it for the peak view at the end... i don't know if the 30-40 misquitoe bites were worth it though... it was so hot that i bet all the repellent came off and since i took all the bites, ben got nothing... the other couple who was from etobicoke which is not far from Mississauga was with us and the wife was catching all the bites too.
It was cool to meet so many people... well not the kids at least haha, there were too many kids playing with all the floaters in the pool. We met so many people in cuba from Quebec, Britian, Germany, Toronto... it was great... it reminded me of my exchange. The people working at the resort were very kind to us... it wasn't until the final day that we knew it was compeltely ok to leave behind old clothes, shoes, shampoo, soap, anything because those type of daily products are so expensive in Cuba...
One day ben, tiff and i went on an excursion to an old fishing village in Cuba which was almost taken over by the US to be a military base. There was some intense history and basically because of the collapse of the former USSR and the fall of communism Cuba struggled to receive cheap imported goods. Then US put an embargo on them which made them worse off... anyways it was a sad story and made us a little depressed. But i'm sure they had that particular excursion to make outsiders/foriegners more aware of the political and economical position of cuba.
One last thing before i sleep: thank you God for letting us leave right before the hurricane!

- Cy

always the bridesmaid

2006-09-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Present from tiff, ben and i... tiff did a great job
more presents...
Thank you thomas cook for all the pics
Our homemade thank you present
Tiff made us customized tanks!!

It's been a while since i've written... been so busy during this summer and i finally got some pictures to show even though they are little out of date.

My sister's bridal shower went really well, and i have to say that TCB deserves outstanding credit for our decorations and my mom deserves a pat on the back for all the beautiful food she cooked. We played icebreaker games: purse checklist type of game where we read out random items that would be found in your purse and whoever finds it first gets points that lead up to a prize. We also played a bunch of question games where we asked allison questions regarding how much she knows about Drew and viceversa... we already had answers from Drew prior to the game... the resulting wrong answers = shot of malibu or marshmellow (Chubby Bunny game)

Overall it was fun and it was another reunion for TACB!

Somebody Kill me NOW!

2006-08-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

someone put the noose around my neck or slit my throat...

VBS next week... just lost my folder of everything... prob. left it at church

Sister's bridal shower on saturday... looks good but need time to buy the stuff
Just drove to Ikea today for stuff for the B.S. now i don't need it arg. On a positive note i picked up more coolio storage boxes with a chocolate brown and white flower patttern. That makes my day 10X better!

Work everyday even today the CIVIC holiday... not stat. Everyone makes me feel better by saying, "oh that sucks you have to work..."

I am looking forward to the end of this week... after sunday...

p.s. sick of aqua

Shopping Grabs

2006-08-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

So i'm at work... nothing to do, no one is around... except debra who works with my cousin and she is doing some sitcom quiz ... cousin is gone to some meetings as usual and i'm left unsupervised. Mailbag is done so i bet tomorrow will be boring plus it's Friday and i bet no one will give a care as to what happens... i should go to yorkdale to use my BR friends and family coupon.

Anyways i guess this blog is no longer my trip to the orient but now just a blogger...
Just came back from Winnipeg/USA and so busy: VBS crafts AND decorations that i wasn't aware of... i got extra shifts for BR (all crappy night shifts... money good but tired/sore feet at the end of the night) but always happy to make money... plus gable isn't around so i mind as well work... need to pay off those student loans in the future... then there is my grandma's annual b-day bash on Sunday. I want to get her this very specific gift but that will mean travelling to the east end... now is that really worth it. Then next saturday is the BS (not Bulls**t) but my sister's bridal shower... just want to get it over with... then my sister finally got her centerpieces and bombineres sorted out... i don't want to say i told you so but... i told you so (only ppl who know exactly what i'm feeling towards this wedding will know what that means)

BUT... more IMPORTANTLY, i got to go shopping with TIFFANY at dixie value mall because they were having a sidewalk sale... we got my sister part of her b.s. gift and i got a wicked deal on black linen pants: score $5. There was suppose to be not noticable hole but it was soooo tiny... fixed it in less than a minute. Then i got a nice top at Jacob for $5... deals are on ppl! But i'm looking too forward to FALL FASHION!

Family Reunion PICS

2006-08-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

I think is the son of one of the uncles or aunts... i can't remember but i like him because he is always smileing.
My Uncle Humphrey's house... bbq/potluck, not everyone made it
At the banquet we played a whole bunch of Look Alikes... my grandpa, cousin gordan and his dad uncle humphrey
I don't know how my uncle ken and cousin peter got nomintated for father/son look alike
This is more like it... father son look alike... my uncle calvin and my cousin Bernie (related to uncle 7)
My cousin sue (in the middle) and Julie who is related to my grandma
Before the banquet we went to the cemetary to pay respect to our elders (33rd generation)

The YUNG Family Reunion

2006-08-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

So i was away for about 10 days... my parents, little brother and myself started our road trip to Winnipeg through the states last thursday and we are now home. My sister and her finance had the luxury of flying to Winnipeg but at least we have a ton of stories and a ton of "Wendy's" in us. Everytime we stopped for lunch i called Wendy's... i love their 99 cents value menu... honestly there is value in it! Anyways more importantly... my dad and i had the wonderful opportunity of driving... my poor dad had to drive most of it because i can't really stand driving more than 3 hours consecutively.

The family reunion was great: i saw my relatives (my favourite relatives are on my dad's side) Sue, Viv, Goo Ma who's now in BC, Nelson, Derick, Gordan, Aunt Cindy/Rebecca, Uncle Ken and of course my GRANDPA. I haven't seen him for 3 years so it was great to see him... and this time i can talk to him in Cantonese (Thank you HK) The only people missing were my fave cousins from BC and their wacko kids.

This reunion was massive... 64 people at the organized banquet and even more afterwards. The coolest part was finding out more about our family tree and family history. My great Grandfather had 2 wives because the first one passed away so my dad only really knew the 2nd wife and she took good care of my great grandfather according to the family. So in total there are 2 daughters (Aunt 1 and 2) and 7 Sons (Uncle 1-7) My grandpa is uncle 4... only Uncle 4 (my grandpa) and Uncle 5 are alive but Uncle 5 is in BC and his health isn't that great so he wasn't able to come. Uncle Fee aka Uncle 1, Uncle 6 and 7 passed away. Uncle 2 and 3 passed away but they lived in Trinidad and the offspring i believe are still in Trinidad. Aunt 1 and 2 have passed away and i beleive Aunt 1 is burried in China. The family is crazy massive. It was cool to get to know my distance relatives and to see how we are all related... like i said before this reunion is the biggest one of all and there was even a committee which consisted of my family (Uncle 4's kids) ... they all scrambled at the last minute before the banquet to organize everthing: there were games, a crazy slideshow, a bbq/potluck and a beach party that was eventually cancelled because so many ppl coudlnt' make it.

The week was filled with so much laughter, Nucci's Gelati, The Grand Forks Marketplace, MJ, old stories from the village, Daily Trips to Superstore, FOOD, more FOOD, golf, the driving range (i can't wait to go back to the range... now that i have my left-handed iron), bubble tea with cousins, Cora's breakfast with cousins, slurpee's (getting yelled at because we bought them right before the banquet), Baked Expectations for cake, The Winnnipeg Casino ( I won $15.10), Uncle Calvin's dvd store and getting free Jet Li Dvds, Dim sum @ Kum Koon (There are only 2 big chinese restaurants in Winnipeg one being Kum Koon and the other Marigold), cleaning grandpa's house (well i didn't, i managed to escape that), Watching "WonderFalls" all night with Sue, going to the cemetary to remember our family... too many things in 10 days

The strangest and scariest things happened on this trip... while i was at the casino my dad and eric went fishing and caught a catfish... when i got back my brother was crying because my dad cut himself trying to fillet the fish... he's alright but he claims it was the "revenge of the catfish"... he now knows he must KILL the fish before filleting it! Good Idea.

The second incident occured in the states while we were driving to Minniapolis... eric had to use the bathroom so we stopped at a rest area (note that it was about 95 outside) and as we were about to drive off the van woudlnt' start... we had to wait for AAA to come and jump start our car. We had asked a man to help us but i guess his car didn't have enough power to jump start us... we waited for 2 hours but we're grateful that we were at least at a rest area with water, a vending machine and a bathroom. The tow truck guy Mike was so nice to us... he led us to a firestone and we left teh car there... he dropped us off at a Super 8 Motel where we had free WIRELESS... thanks Gable for your laptop! I was able to notify my sister and all my friends about the incident in case we didn't come home on time. My dad was so happy because on teh way to firestone he saw "Old Country Buffet" that made his day!

Other than that scary moment it's good to be finally home... crap is that i have to work.

A little Late

2006-08-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

These pictures are dated from July 5th... so i'm almost a month too late but oh well... Right now Gable is playing bass with CTI (Carpenters' Tools International) and him and his team are in Guatemala... aahh i miss him so much and when he comes back i won't be here because i'll be in Cuba for my sister's wedding. I just came back from Winnipeg and The States for a family reunion and i wrote him a whole journal full of stuff to read haha... he won't feel outdated at all when he comes back.

This pic is from a mini iTrust concert... not really a concert but still a performance... his niece abby is so sweet.

July 1 Canada Day

2006-07-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

I know that this blog post is a little late... about 2 weeks late but it's ok...

Canada Day usually isn't a big deal to me, just means BBQ but this year was extra special because it meant BBQ and lots of food + TACB reunion + Victor and his firework show for us and the neighbours.

It was a great time to catch up with friends and meet new friends... i think the funniest moment was Kelvin's Ricotta and fresh berries... the question, "Why is this salty?!" and the phrase "It's salty!!" was heard throughout Chris's basement!! I liked the berries a lot!

Pictures of BC and Alberta

2006-06-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

Spanish Banks, BC
AquaBus mini tour around Vancouver
In front of the Resort @ Rocky Mountain Resort in Banff
Gable, Me, Loretta (Gable's Sister-in-Law), Toby (Gable's brother) @ Lake Louise

Mini Western Canada Tour

2006-06-27T22:46:00.000-07:00

Since my exchange is over and now that I'm officially back in Canada this blog shouldn't be called Mei's Trip to the Orient... but for the safe of formalities and thinking of a cool name for this blog i'll keep it this way temporarily.

So i got to Vancouver, BC and after 2 days gable and his family took us to Banff, Alberta which was cool because i have never been there before. We went hiking, saw the infamous Lake Louise which is beautiful... the water is emerald green hence it's previous name emerald lake. We went to the Columbia Ice Fields which is a huge glacier... we went to Kelowna and spent a day relaxing in the outdoor pool and on our way back to BC we went white water rafting which was just exhilirating. No pictures of that because didn't want to get the camera wet but i'll put pictures of banff and BC.

BC has just been so fun; mainly because of the people and the amazing weather. I feel funny because while everyone is saying that it's so hot (which it is, i mean it's 30 degrees) i'm just saying to myself, well it's not THAT hot... i think i got use to the HK humidity so i guess that will be perfect when i return home to Toronto tomorrow.

Right now i'm having a whole ton of mixed feelings, i'm so happy to finally see my family and just be at home and have my mom's homecooked meals (something i missed so much on exchange) and last but not least i'm happy to finally see my friends. However, going back home means this exchange and this time of travelling with gable and seeing family whom i rarely see is officially over. That makes me so sad... just this morning as i hugged my cousins Jim and Angela good-bye i felt choked up because this good-bye reminded me of the good-byes i said in HK... and i'm wondering why aren't people emailing me back and it's just difficult to deal with the fact that ok, everyone has a life that is separate from exchange. No more slacking off and having fun, it's work time and this isn't the best picker-upper. But as James said (Friend from Singapore) we should always think of the people that are waiting for us back at home. It's funny that he says that because he was also the one that described our Exchange experience as a dream and that it won't hit us until we are in our beds sleeping at home and when we wake up in the morning it hits you that exchange really did feel like a dream and it's all over.

If anyone of my exchange friends are reading my blog i just want to tell you that you made my exchange experience completely unique and i wouldn't have had it any other way. If you feel sad or you're missing a friend then you can call me or email me anytime. I think about returning home and truly there isn't any other place like home but i know a part of me will always remember and share a place in Hong Kong as something unique and special.

Thailand - Bangkok and Phuket

2006-06-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

After my exchange Gable met me in Hong Kong and we went on a trip to Thailand - Bangkok and Phuket (southern island of Thailand where the Tsunami hit). The trip was amazing and we really felt the lack of finances near the end... can you believe that we were lasting our last few days on about $20 Canadian dollars. My aunt in HK was right, when you are poor you really learn to enjoy yourself... you buy the things that you utmost love and you find cheap things to do. For example... we were at the Grand Palace in Bangkok and this stranger told us that if you ride a government tuk-tuk (a 3 wheel 1/2 motorcycle, 1/2 car taxi that is suppose to be one of the cheapest means of transportation) therefore a tuk tuk with a yellow stamp near it's license plate then the driver will take you around for one hour for only $20 Bhat which is equal to 70 cents canadian... isn't that crazy; the only catch is that you have to go into this jewellery store so that the driver recieves an automatic gas coupon... that is the reason why it was so cheap. The driver also took us to the pier where we got from on end of hte city to the other for only 12 bhat which is 30 cents canadian..
Overall, Bangkok wasn't the greatest place: it's known for shopping and it's not as cheap as Hong Kong because there is a VAT 7%...the night market has great and cheap food especially fruit smoothies... As well the taxi drivers cheat you and you gotta be aware of your surroundings or be like my aunt: Don't look stupid.

Phuket was an amazing place... although you can see that it's a very impoverished area, the place thrives off tourism... taxi's are more expensive there than in Bangkok and when you buy things they give you some ridiculous initial price. There are many water sports you can do there... instead we join some local tours to see the neighbouring islands such as the infamous Phi Phi Islands and James Bond Island... it was the first time i saw crystal waters and white sand.

Exchange is Officially Over but the vacation continues...

2006-06-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

The oldest security guard at HKUST - knows every party story of each exchange/local student
The senior superintendent @ New hall (my dormitory)
The Cashier/Manager at Grab and Go - Maxium (My breakfast and Lunch place)
wow i haven't written in my blog in the longest time... well from the time of the farewell dinner it was crazy studying-in-the-library time... even for us exchange students... actually this is the most crucial time for us X students because the theory goes that we haven't been doing much except for partying and hanging out with friends so finals are the time to really make sure you don't just marginally pass... well that is the objective of some, but not my group of friends. I have to say that ECON 311 was exactly what i expected it to be... exchange students will poor micro and macroeconomic background, lax prof who "says" he won't be generous and last year and in the end no matter how badly you fail on the midterm you somehow end up with a B?? How is this possible... we all are so happy we dont' ask questions, we just celebrate.

Here are some farewell goodbye pictures... enjoy.

I'm in BC right now, tomorrow off to Alberta and in July off to Winnipeg and then to Cuba in August so even though exchange is over the travelling around Canada continues... may not be as exotic but travelling is travelling... it's who you are with and not where you are going!

Farewell Dinner @ the Peak

2006-05-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was so emotional... my group of friends decided to go out to dinner all dressed up, like it was prom and take dozens are pictures at HONG KONG'S PRIDE: the Peak... basically it's a nice mountain where people can take a tram up the mountain and see the great lights and skyscrappers of HK. The site is breathtaking and is something you cannot get in Toronto. Anyways the place was underrenovation but we still got a great view of HK. After taking pictures we went to Cafe Deco which is in the Peak Galleria. The food was great, even though it was a little $$ we were paying for the view. It was an emotional night because after dinner everyone of us (12) went around and gave a little speech.... it was so touching and there were many tears.. even some guys had some tears...

Taiwanese Food in HK

2006-05-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

My buddy took my friends and I to eat taiwanese food in HK... it was funny because i just came back from Taiwan... let's just say there is nothing quite like the real thing. But it was still good times.

The beauty of Taiwan = FOOD

2006-05-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Clean "Pow Bing"
"Pow Bing" = Crushed fluffy ice with toppings
"Yen Su Chee" = salty fried popcorn chicken

Taiwan Pictures

2006-05-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

Yang Ming Shan National Park
In front of the civil war memorial
Some blended coffee drinks in Taipei
The National Palace Museum (Gu Gong of Taiwan)

LKF --> HKUST REUNION

2006-05-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

It's funny that when my local friends ask me where i have been in HK they say that i know HK better then them... but they still know all the hot spots to eat and shop. They told me that they have never been to Lam Kwai Fong (LKF) so my friends and I volunteered to be the tour guide for one night and we took them to the Western night life of HK. From their faces and their dancing they had a great time and since today (friday) is a public holiday; i believe that it is buddah's birthday... Thursday was not ladie's night (free cover and drinks) at LKF however there is one very small bar called 1997 that is always free for everyone and girls can drink for free (diluted cosmos) What ended up happening was that all business exchange students from HKUST were there on the mini dance floor and it was an unexpected farewell party. Seeing everyone was great and i think we have converted our local friends into unleashed locals who crave the exchange life!

Local Buddies

2006-05-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

I have to say that i'm a very lucky girl at HKUST because i met so many great local friends and they have taken good care of me and my friends... they take us out to great restaurants and make sure we really experience the HK culture... i also get to practice more cantonese with them ... they are my mentors; a true cultural exchange. Thanks to "Ah Mun" who is in my HUMA352 class (BTW i aced the exam yesterday and it's great to feel that i have accomplished something on exchange academically) he introduced me to all his friends and I love hanging out with them... Jackson, Angus, Roy (not in the picture) and Karen. Jackson was nice enough to drive us to Kwun Tong and we had SNAKE SOUP... after we went to get some "teem bun" (dessert) and we went to Clear Water Bay Beach. We just took pictures, some of them raced each other on the beach and we even went to Fei Ngo Shan in Choi Hung to see the view of Hong Kong but since it was foggy we couldn't see anything, but it was good times just talking and joking, eating our snake soup.

Old News: Spring Break

2006-05-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Long time since i have written in this but an older update that i wanted to write about was about my local friend Annie... well she says that she is only half local because she is originally for Singapore but she has been at HKUST the whole time and pretty much is a local. She was nice enough to take time out of her busy schedule to take me to eat Shanghainese food while all our exchange friends were touring Shanghai during Spring Break. Apparently we ate more "Shanghainese" food then the people on the tour... all they ate was watermelon and greasy Beijing Style food which made most of them sick. Annie met me up at Times Square in Causeway Bay and we had a wonderful feast!

Shek O Pictures

2006-04-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Shek O and Good Times

2006-04-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

April 14-15 Instead of mopping about Vietnam and Cambodia I immediately went to plan a sleepover with Renee (my Schulich girl) from CUHK . We met up at Choi Hung and made our way to Shek O which is a small village with a great beach. There is Thai Food and bathing suits and bamboo mats (only $5 HKD) everywhere. Renee recognized a place that was selling street food and it was GOOD! The chicken was marinated to perfection... we got so much for only $23HKD. It was so beautiful even though the sun wasn't out but despite the weather it was such a great time to catch up with Renee. It's so difficult to meet up and with our schools because quite far away and just having busy and different lives in HK. Afterwards we went to Mong Kok and ate at Euro GoGo... a western style restaurant... i ate too much which was a bad idea... felt like puking after but we walked it off and made our way to Sha Tin to window shop some more and went to City Super to buy some snacks and stellas... We spent the night talking (which is what we do best), watching chappelle, and laughing... we had so much fun opening a bottle of wine that one of the other housemates in her flat got pissed off. Renee said, "Sorry are we too loud?" and his reply was "Yes, of course!" and he slammed the door. What a butt, the other guy was being louder.

We basically talked until 8am and decided to sleep for a bit and woke up around 11am which is abnormal because Renee is the queen of insomnia during sleepovers... it was quite spontaneous but we decided to head out to ShenZhen because her school is so close to the border... the problem was if she could get a VISA and luckily everything worked out great... we shopped, talked some more, ate our $8 yuan chicken and rice... we went to Sha Tin to window shop, buy some stuff at Mannings (it's like Shoppers Drugmart... they have so many of those in HK) ... we had dinner at a Japanese Restaurant and had dessert at HONEYMOON DESSERT... bean curd with almond tea is an excellent choice... in comparison to Renee's Thai Glutonious Rice ... it looked funny.

Just want to end off saying that I couldn't have asked for more... even if i'm stuck in my dorm or in the library doing work... the past 2 days with Renee has made my Spring Break memoriable and I wouldn't trade that for Vietnam or Cambodia or Both. Thanks for having me over Renee and it was so fun getting lost everywhere!

Hiking @ Choi Hung

2006-04-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

Never again... well maybe...

Since all my friends are spending their spring break in Shanghai and those beautiful neighbouring cities... i'm in HK touring like a tourist. Yesterday my local friend Wyman took me and his friend Karen to a tremendously long hiking trail. The view though was amazing because as we walked the mountain we could see every part of HK... our school, Sai King, Hong Kong Island... the view was worth the 2 hour hike. Along the mountain there are stops where people have written stories, set up shrines to worship their idols, there are even excercise bikes... odd. My friends told me that elderly people usually stop at these little huts and have tea. During our first 20 minutes of hiking we met a guy who apparently is always on the mountain playing his music. When we departed from him we could still hear his music when we were high up in the mountain... it was just as Wyman's dad had depicted. Haha. The hike was great, we stopped here and there to look inside the huts and we ate an orange. The pace was great... if i was with my European friends I think i would have been left behind! Afterwards we went to Wyman's house to eat dinner... AAHH HOME COOKED FOOD! The food was soo good; better than any Chinese Restaurant.

Note: The first picture is called The Book of Hong Kong: named by Wyman because it looks like a book and "Hong Kong is opened to you." - direct quote

Honeymoon Desserts

2006-04-10T05:42:00.001-07:00

Just when i came back from Beijing and told myself that i needed to cut back on the sweets (esp at night before i sleep) and that i need to work out more to compensate for all the bad and oily foods that i eat all the time... my friends call me up to go eat desserts in a great place (way better than Sweet Cultures @ home) in Sai KIng which is the neighbouring city that is so close to us. It's about a 10 minute bus ride and costs about 5.90 HKD... seems expensive to us because we can get to other closer places for 4.50 or 3.50. More importantly, since James (now so health conscious) was sitting beside i didn't order what i wanted to order... which was the ice cream pancake with fruit or the coconut sago and fruit. The prices are the same as back home so i stuck with black seasame paste. I love it!

The above picture is just James and I trying to do an exaggerated Derek Zoolander Pose without laughing. I obviously can't hold it in.

more pics

2006-04-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

Summer Palace The Beijing Countdown in Tianan'men Square
The Great Wall of China (Annie a local student and I)

some Beijing pics

2006-04-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

The Great Wall of China
The Ming Tombs

In front of some medicine house

Beijing: March 31st to April 3rd, 2006

2006-04-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

I’m back from Beijing and back to the regular HKUST life in Hong Kong. The trip was too short but nonetheless it was utterly amazing! In summary I saw so many cultural and historical sites: Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Tianan’men Square, THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA, The Ming Tombs, The Chairman Mao memorial… The sites were amazing and it was extra special for most of us because this was the first time seeing these sites. We went with a Chinese tour from Hong Kong and in total there were 13 of us and the rest of the tour were a much older crowd. They probably hated us because we were late in waking up a few days and we couldn’t really catch up with the tour when we were at Summer Palace. It was funny cause you would think the younger crowd would be able to catch up… but we were too busy taking pictures! I originally had probably 300 pictures but my memory card couldn’t hold that much so I had to delete some… so now I have 262 pictures of our 4 day and 3 night trip in Beijing. The worst part of the tour for some of my friends was the fact that instead of maximizing time at the better places like the Great Wall… we were stuck at medicine stores, silk factories and jade markets. Lynne and I had to remind some of the people that the reason why the tour is so cheap is that the company makes commission off of these places so they have to take us there. I don’t really care because I just look around and talk with the people around me. We were lucky because our trip was made easier as 4 out of 13 of us knew fluent mandarin. The last night we went to a 5 star hotel and the card wouldn’t work and we were stuck outside… if my friend didn’t know mandarin our clothes and everything would still be in that room. They kept talking to me in mandarin and I just laughed or shrugged my shoulders. Knowing the phrase, “I don’t know mandarin” would have been a very useful phrase.

The food in Beijing is very oily but I still ate it… it came with the tour and it was decent…some people were scared of the bird flu but I still ate eggs and chicken…thinking about it, I guess that was a bad idea but the western breakfast at the hotel was so good and I really wanted a fried egg with my toast so I could dip the yoke in the toast! Anyways, the first night we went to a street full of food vendors and they had some very yummy snacks and some very repulsive ones. For example, seahorses, caterpillars, scorpions, grasshoppers, worms… they had bubble tea too but the thought of being sick from my last one repelled me from buying it.

The worst part of the trip was the foot massage (included in the package). It’s a long story but it’s quite funny; though not funny at the time… anyways I sat down like any other foot massage and it was my 2nd foot massage during the Beijing trip because the day before we had free time and I went into a salon and got an hour foot massage: my best mandarin is saying “Foot massage, One hour.” Hahaha thanks to my aunt she made me a pro. Anyways, the lady was talking to me in mandarin and of course I couldn’t respond and I really hate conversations during my massage so the language barrier was to my advantage. My friend James was there in case because he is fluent in mandarin. So as she was massaging my left foot she said my nail has some contagious thing on it that most athletes have (I did notice before HK that my nail was funny looking). James translated that this cream which is exclusive sold at their place could cure my nail problem. I kindly asked James to tell the lady that I will look at my nail when I return to HK. I realized that this foot massage parlour was just another way for the tour agency to get more commission. She then started to pressed hard on one part of my right ankle and I said in Cantonese that it hurt and I made those “OW!” noises which seems universal to me. She became gentle but later on kept pressing hard on the same part… again and again I told her that it really hurt. She told my friend James that she was hardly pressing and the reason why it hurts me so much is that my shoulders and my back are weird and that there must be problems with them… once again I know this already. She tired to sell me more medication but I refused and started to get really pissed off because the more she talked, the less she was focusing on the massage. She kept pressing to show James an example of what she was talking about and I yelled in pain again. I told James that I was getting quite frustrated with her and that I wished she wouldn’t talk so much and just massage my feet. She once again pressed hard to show James another example and I had to star down at her and point my finger at her to finally get her to stop. She said that if she keeps pressing it will help my back. James further told me that she mentioned that I could possibly have some type of hormonal imbalance and some problems with my reproductive system… and I thought to myself, “Can she really know all about my health by touching my feet?” James and I laughed and I tipped her less than what was suggested by the tour guide and I told the story to my friends who stayed on the bus because they refused to get a massage in such a shady place. I was so upset at that lady because after kindly telling her I was in pain she still persisted on pressing me. Moreover, she kept talking about me to her friend beside her and looking at me…I told her I was from Canada (another somewhat useful phrase that I learned in Mandarin class) and I heard her say the word Canada a view times … if you want to talk about me, fine, but please don’t make it so obvious. When I got on the bus I was so upset and I told my friends, I want to call my mom and tell her what happened because I don’t like people telling me that there is something wrong with my reproductive system, NOT COOL at all!

Other than that, the trip was amazing!

TOTT Asian Grill

2006-03-27T05:55:00.000-08:00

My aunt was so nice to take her friends (Annie and Wings) and I out for dinner in Causeway Bay to a very nice restaurant called TOTT … Top of the Town Asian Grill (yet nothing on the menu was Asian except for some overly-priced sashimi) I was worried because Saturday I had to study for my ECON midterm which I bombed completely. This is NOT an exaggeration… the only thing that makes me feel better is the fact that ALL the other exchange students and a few local students were in the same boat… it was funny, I looked at one of the other exchange students and we just laughed and smiled at each other because we know fully that this exam was not good. Hopefully we don’t lower the curve by too much. Anyways more importantly, the dinner was quite interesting. The whole time my aunt and her friends were saying how salty the food was and that white people don’t know how to eat… they just like butter and salt. It was true but I’m not going to complain especially when I’m not paying! My aunt and Wings told the manager that the food was too salty and they were nice enough to remake it and while they were eating they got free orange sorbet… it made me think that I should have complained. After eating my aunt said that the place was too expensive for such crap food… the view was great though. We were on the 13th floor and it overlooked Hong Kong Island. The view on the other side of the restaurant was better and my aunt said they should clean the windows more often… she was complaining so much … made me laugh. She was joking around saying that if I’m not full we can go to Mcdonald’s… I have to admit that I went to the street corner and bought some egg waffles for dessert… the saltiness of the dinner had to be balanced with some sweet.

Procrastination

2006-03-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

Today was so sucky... had only 4 hours of sleep and the cleaning ladies woke me up ... they talk so loud and i forgot to cover the windowms completely so light was shining on my eye... was very cranky today, didn't feel like studying or doing anything but forced it... Who would have thought that having too little sleep could affect u so much... i had no idea; my cough got worse too in the morning but it seemed to have died down. I should be reading econ or reviewing some business ethics but my eyes are tired and i want to type.

Just want to say thanks Steve (a.k.a. "em") the guy who always gives me perspective when i'm not thinking straight... love u
(this picture is old... it's from my b-day... but just wasting time)

Karen's Birthday (March 18)

2006-03-19T23:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my mom, Aunty Nancy was able to give me some medicine for my cold and after 1 hour i felt better... almost immediate recovery; my sore throat was gone, no more nasal congestion and my cough wasn't as severe. If anyone is sick take Tylnol Cold Day/Night... do not trust the doctors at UST... that is something i'm putting in my report for exchange: Local students nickname the doctors "vets" --> labratory for animals! I still am in awe that the doctor gave me 3 different medicines and none of them worked... they actually made me feel worse. Anyways the day went off well with me feeling better and since it was a sunny, mildly humid day i went to the pier to read my textbook and my microsoft case on antitrust laws; perfect reading for the seaside. Anyways, as i was reading i frequently found myself stopping to just look around and i kept saying to myself, "There is no where else that i want to be right now." It was nice to just have some time to myself and see what others are doing... fishing, barbequing, reading (just like me), playing basketball... the environment here is different from the city despite that the city is only 5 minutes away. I even thought to myself, maybe i could retire in Sai Kung or Clear Water Bay... but these are just thoughts...

After Lynne and I surprised Karen with some white and peach coloured roses... and while Lynne and Renee picked up the b-day cake, karen and I went to the sundial to meet everyone for dinner of hot pot and KBBQ... but when we actually got to the restaurant there was MUCH more... they had bbq skewers of stuffed green peppers, fish, and sushi and nasty looking sashimi... i'm not an expert on Jap cusine but I know for a fact that sashimi is suppose to be bright red to reflect some type of fresh-ness but it was brown/beige... wasn't going to touch it but the poor kids in front of me took enough of that...

The night was very fun, took tons of pictures (felt photo deprived because we've been studying for the past week and still got 2 more weeks of studying to go...) and had cake, sung happy birthday but i think i missed it cause i was in the bathroom haha Lynne tried to stall them but i'm sure people wanted out after dinner... We ended off the night watching a movie, "Underworld Evolution" I won't give my comments on this movie because this would be a complete waste of time... i don't mean to insult Lynne's taste in movies but honestly just save your money... unless you really are intrigued by the mystery of why vampires and werewolves don't get along or if you want to get a good nap watch the movie... during the climax i was thinking if i had enough money for a taxi... that's how great the movie was! I will admit that the main character is beautiful in a very gothic and sinister looking way.
Tiff: I'd rather watch Anchorman or Zoolander anyday!

"The Human Torch was Denied a Bank Loan"
"You look good today... maybe don't wear a bra next time!"
"You think you're too cool for school... but you're not"

- Cy

Sven's Birthday (March 14th, 2006)

2006-03-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

Wow haven't written in a while... i got 15 minutes before class starts....

Background information about Sven:

24 years old, Staff member at UST for one semester and going to the States for his PHD Studies...

This guy is in love with potatoes...

The original plan was to have a potatoe party: dinner of mash, baked (with all the fixings) potatoe salad, fried potatoe wedges... But since this month is all about midterms not many people wanted to spend so much time in the kitchen cooking. So Sven and Karen went to Welcome to get a bag of potatoes and we just barbequed them along with some other delicious meats that i couldn't eat. I hate being sick... you can't eat anything fried or sweet. The best thing about HKUST is that we are by the shore and there is a bbq pit by the beach with some picnic tables... the best spot for a bbq at night... even the security guards came to steal some baked potatoes. Sven is the best he bought butter and cheese... got him a "Hello Kitty" cake and a bottle of vodka for his birthday... by the time i left he drank 1/2 of it. Another observation that i have seen since being in HK... Europeans especially Germans have high tolerance... abnormally high!

Little Observations

2006-03-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

What to expect of 90% of HK people:

1. Will not hold the door for you: especially Males... it's actually quite the opposite... I hold the door for the guys... little signs of gentlemen characteristics

2. At the club: Guys like to dance in a sort of Kung Fu - like manner... lots of punches in the air
Girls: like to jump up and down until they are tired... little jumps (almost like skipping rope with no rope)

3. Disgusting habit of the older generation: Picking noses and ears are very common... there is no use of giving them looks because they will proceed on doing this... males and FEMALES do this

That's it for now!

- Christina

SOHO and Lam Kwai Fong

2006-03-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy because thanks to SIMON --> Gable's supercool cousin i know have internet once again and hopefully and i'm praying that there isn't any virus on my laptop, it can't be because i reformatted it. Anyways last night was fun, my buddy CHIN took 12 of us to SOHO where you just look at the nice antique shops and diverse restaurants everywhere. The prices are quite steep in SOHO but the atmosphere is very nice. We went to this greek restaurant, dont' know what it was called but the service was quite bad and the food was $$. At least the food was good though... it tasted like authentic greek food because it didn't taste like Mr. Greek. After we made our way to Club Mod which was recommeneded my friend at BR but when we got ther eit was booked for a private party and so off we went to LKF because it's only a 10 minute walk away... we went to C Lounge and had a fun time listening to music and just talking... Annie's friend was tipsy and it was fun taking pictures of her laughing. Now it's time to study!!

More B-day Celebrations

2006-03-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

Haven't written in a while, but that's cause there hasn't been anything exciting... groups of exchange students have officially formed but we are still meeting new people... starting to hang out with the same people and it's nice because we have been to so many outings and just about everyday we hang out or do something either eating out or going out. Yesterday we at at LG7 (lower ground 7) just the name of the floor and we just ate and talked about our unofficial Shanghai and Beijing trip. I'm aiming towards going on a trip that is about 10 days and it hits Beijing and Shanghai.. the problem right now is that some people want to follow a local tour and others want to go to plan the trip by themselves... i honestly feel like going with 2 other people and that's it... i don't want to go with 15 other people because the groups will split up anyways.
2 night ago it was Damien's Birthday and we went to the BBQ pit just outside our rez. Lynne and I were late cause we were shopping but we made it in time for cake! Damien's old.. he's 26!! He's the one in the 2nd picture in the Blue jacket with the hat on backwards.

Tai Shan Village

2006-02-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

This weekend was such an amazing experience... back to the ROOTS! At first the thought of a 3 hour bus ride from Shenzhen was not exciting to me and once i got out of the bus things seemed so sketchy... and when i got to the school where my great grandpa has a memorial and where my grandpa has donated tons of things... there was flies everywhere!!! IF you know me well, there are only 2 types of bugs that I cannot stand; misquitoes and FLIES! After trying so hard to whim them away i just sat there like a cow and just let them fly all over me... except my face. Anyways the school was quite small and many kids were playing volleyball or just playing outside or heading home... once i brought my camera out all the kids were gazed and hypnotized... i even got a few pics of them. My aunt was telling the kids to get in teh picture but they were a little reluctant. I met the principal and he showed me around to all the places where my grandpa or great grandpa had some recognition. There was a memorial in the front with my grandpa's name or great grandpa's name ... i can't read chinese! I saw my relatives on the donation board... they all look so young, including my grandpa and my grandma.

After seeing the school i went to my dad's old village which was about 5 minutes away from the school. My grandpa's newphew (What Gwao) was taking us around... i got to see my dad's old house which was locked up and the shop that my great grandpa and grandpa use to work in from the 1930s!! We also got to see the markets and got a crappy massage in the village... looked so sketchy but it was only $10 yuan for one hour... what more could you ask for?? Our relatives took us around the market and you could see so many neat things... and some disgusting things... let's just say that it's TRUE... Chinese people do eat dogs... specifically puppies... i won't show you the cute pups for sale. You can get your worts/pimples and teeth taken out and your fortune told at the market... it was crazy.

When we went to dim sum the next day our relatives were so tired because someone from the Northern areas of China were trying to steal our relatives clothes at night with a pole. It was fortunate that they managed to scare them away. It really made me see the differences in lifestyle of living in the village... another difference is that they like to drink BRANDY at 7am... crazy.

Sorry i can't upload any other pictures for some odd reason but the above is the stove of my dad's old house.

Sweet 21

2006-02-23T03:09:00.000-08:00

My birthday was sooo fun... first we went to a sushi restaurant... there is revolving conveyor belt where you can just pick up sushi and eat. There's also a la carte where you can order stuff too... me and renee went all out and pigged out... the plates on the belt are coloured and each colour corresponds to a price... after a while we stopped looking at the price... MMMmm Renee and I shared fried chicken, octupus balls, tempura ramen and the best of all soft-shell crabs! After my exchange friends had cake and drinks ready for me at the balcony of my hall. So sweet! It was a great birthday!! Felt so much love... that weekend i also received a package from my family with a present and cards from them and from ZION! I love you all!
The next day we went to Wan Chai b/c it was ladies night!! The live band is great and it maybe a new wednesday tradition!! Afterwards Renee came to sleepover and once again we held the tradition of only sleeping for an hour or so. After class, Renee, Lynne and I went to UST's chinese restaurant for dim sum!! IT IS the best!!!... i have to take my relatives and Gable to this restaurant. I'm so glad it's close by!

Important News: I need you all to stop what you're doing and LISTEN: Canon BALL!

2006-02-23T03:06:00.000-08:00

Do you like my new room??

I love GABLE MAK!

He painted my room during reading week!!

Early B-day Celebrations

2006-02-23T03:01:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a great day… first went to church with Renee and Rochelle… sermon was good but even at the 11:15am sermon I was still tired… I wished he would pray so I could close my eyes. After went to Quarry Bay to meet up with my aunt and her friends for dim sum… more eating. Pineapple Fried Rice!! The plan after dim sum was that my aunt and I were suppose to buy some fresh seafood and go to her friend’s apartment for dinner for a pre-mini-birthday celebration, however my aunt had to meet up with some clients and so I went shopping at Fa Yuen Guy (Flower Market) to finish up the street. So I shopped for about 2 hours… had tons of fun and got a bunch of deals. But I also experienced first hand some shopping frustration… I bought a basic black sweater for $39 HK and thought it was a good deal… then saw the same thing for $29… I hate feeling so ripped off! I also got a shirt from ‘GARAGE’… TACB will know what this is but these shirts go for around the same price $29 HK in Canada but at least I don’t have to sew it up! It was weird to see GARAGE stuff at the market… it was exactly how it is in Canada but it’s pretty good stuff so you know that these markets aren’t the most updated! Afterwards I met up with my aunt and her friend Wings. It was a great night… Annie cooked up a great steak and we had amazing appetizers of shrimp and crab! The finale was awesome… Mango cheesecake! My aunt and her friends are just great… one of the best b-day dinners I have had in a long time. Annie also busted out the GOOD red wine! We spent the night eating and listening/watching Annie’s Andrew Lloyd Webber concert. Amazing DVD… also had fun watching her company’s annual dinner. Some Chinese celebrity was singing and all the management including her boss did the Stick Dance. Hahah good times!

Stanley Market and Repulse Bay

2006-02-16T01:38:00.000-08:00

I never wrote about this but this happened a while ago... short blog! My aunt took me to Stanley Market which is a market of lots of clothes and souvenirs that are overpriced because many tourists go there. I would never buy anything from there. I'm sure the stuff could be real but my theory that i stick with is that in Asia... just assume that Everything is FAKE. Anyways we had ice cream and then right after had afternoon tea (a British tradition that has been passed down to HK even after British rule) at a place called Wildfire... amazing snacks!

After we went to Repulse Bay, a beautiful beach; again filled with tourists... i will definately make a trip back there when it gets hotter.

Lan Tau Island

2006-02-16T01:24:00.000-08:00

Hey,
My internet is stilled messed up. Gable let me know that there is a major typo in the blog... let me clarify that my internet is NOT working and therefore i won't be able to update this blog as much until i reformat my laptop.

Anyways last weekend a whole bunch of exchange students for HKUST and from CityU and HKU went to see the big Buddah at Lan Tau island. The ride to the island was LONG, it was around 1 hour and 45 minutes and when you get on the island the roads are tiny ... only one bus can fit on the road so when oncoming buses are headed toward you the bus driver either stops and lets the other bus drive through or they squeeze!!! Anyways because there were so many of us, we split up and 1/2 of us took the ferry to the island and the more efficient group (I was part of it) took the MTR (subway) and then the bus. We got to the spot and then had "Chae Ghai Mean" which is noodles from a cart and you can pick a whole bunch of fixings... shrimp balls, fish balls, vegetables.... i got a tea egg... i have to say that it was better than Bubble Republic. 3 eggs for $10 Hk dollars... who can eat 3 eggs. After lunch we met up with the other group and walked up the 8 -9 flights of steps to see the giant buddah. Once we got up there we took about 5 pictures of the buddah and then 30 pictures of the group! After we went to see a bunch of temples and walked on "Wisdom Path" and took the bus to a small fishing village. At the village everyone owned at least 2 dogs...

let's just say i wasn't amazed with the Buddah and i would rather go hiking at Lamma Island. I told other exchange students that you shouldn't waste your whole day there... it's not that special. I did get some great pics though.

We got back to the MTR station and the worst thing happened with the big group: everyone wanted to split up but couldn't decide what to do at the same time... most of the girls wanted to stay at the station because there was a big mall attached to it and the guys wanted to get movies at Mong Kok. Sven and I just wanted to eat! What ended up happening is everyone went shopping and everyone was satisfied because they bought something... I was happy because i finally got a nice american steak dinner at the food court. It was sooo good! Could have been more juicy and could have added some A1 or HP sauce but overall it was great. I would take the 1 hour ride back to get it again!

Busy Weekend

2006-02-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

For the past few days I haven’t been living without Internet… I have no idea why it’s not working and its been soooo frustrating… some of my INTL friends tried but no one has really figured it out so I gotta go to tech support tomorrow and if they don’t work I’m calling Simon up because Gable said he’s a tech genius!

I’m going to try and summarize some of the events that have happened this weekend.

Friday:

Lynne and I had tons of fun just joking around while going to class and then eating and waiting for her uncle to pick us up from school. They are so nice, I can’t believe I got red pocket from her relatives and they don’t even know me. We went to visit her grandma and she is just hilarious. We also went to check for cell phones for Lynne and “A-Bee” her little 5 year old nephew tagged along and dude this kid is hyper! He is the most active kid ever. Anyways the day was filled with hanging out with family and the best part was a home cooked meal and having Lynne’s relatives teach us some Chinese slang. If you say, “say say, look look” which means 4, 4, 6, 6 if really means that you’re stupid. Haha.

Saturday:
I met my aunt at her place and we went to get dim sum with her friend name Ping Ha and she knew my grandpa and my dad. She was also the director of this local carnival … I would hardly call it a carnival but since gable said that there were “carneys” then it’s defined as a carnival. Anyways while we were sitting down, my aunt told me a bunch of stories from her childhood. The best one was about my dad!!! She said my dad and his good friend use to play with fire a lot in China and once they lit a house on fire… it didn’t burn down but still was on fire… and when he got home he hid under the bed because he was so scared! Haha I thought that was cool.
After the carney I went to meet Gable’s Aunt and we shopped with her daughter Jackie and with her best friend Judy. We went to these wholesale places where you can get cheaper clothes made in France/Italy or Japan. I didn’t buy anything because everything was ugly. I was also invited to eat at the family’s Chinese New Year celebration dinner… more red pocket and gifts… another aunt gave me bird’s shallow! Gross… maybe my grandma will like that; apparently it’s very healthy for you. The dinner was good and Gable’s aunt took me to Mong Kok to look around and she was so nice and bought me a nice necklace. She said she felt bad that I didn’t buy anything at the wholesaler’s place. She even walked me to the mini bus stop and called me to make sure I got home…His family is amazing.

Today: Sunday (Llama Island)
Renee and I went to church today early and shopped afterwards and ate lunch. Around 1:30pm I went to meet Minh, Andrew, Renee Huang and their City U friends and took the ferry to Llama Island. It’s a cute little island with great picture spots. We first went to get a snack at this Indian Restaurant and then hiked our way to 2 different beaches. The view is breathtaking… except for the huge factory or nuclear plant on the side! I was so happy that I went because I haven’t seen Renee is so long and we had one month’s worth of stuff to talk about… Renee also brought her friend from Cali and we had so much fun talking about stupidness… hair, shopping, food, boys hahaha! We weren’t able to finish the entire hiking trail because it was getting dark and there are no lights to guide you back so we decided to get a small seafood dinner by the shore. It was nice and Renee was speaking mandarin with the hostess, trying to bargain and alter the fixed menu! Coming back to residence makes me so upset because this darn internet still is being stupid. I keep bugging lynne because I’m bored… I guess we should start reading.

2nd day of school

2006-02-07T00:58:00.001-08:00

Since it’s still technically Chinese New Year Celebration time, people are still in the holiday mode; even the professors. So far the courses seem great… the topics are interesting and the profs are very friendly. I mean for my history of China and U.S.A course, he said “We are all friends and as a friend…” I mean who addresses himself as a friend, usually in Schulich they go straight into the course material. It’s true what they say about classes in China… there are rare occasions of class participation… it’s only seen when the course is full of INTL students, especially if they are full of North Americans. As well another cool thing is that all the professors speak English fluently with little accents. I have a professor from Cali and he is sooo funny. The crappy thing was that he took for the whole 2 hours but at least it was enjoyable and he pretty much forces you to mingle with the locals which is the best learning experience for me. I met a girl named Chloe (cute name) and she is going to practice her English and I’m going to learn Chinese from her… nice little tradeoff there. Anyways another thing to point out about HK in general is that…and Lynne will know exactly what I am talking about because I seriously say this EVERDAY… but really, “WHY DO ALL THE GUYS IN HK LOOK LIKE RONALD (Melody’s friend/roommate)????” Tell me Why??

After class Lynne and I went straight to Po Lam and we went shopping and I had a hunch for these Pumas that I keep seeing. Sadly the price wasn’t as cheap as I thought but I think Lynne really made me feel a little impulsive. After she bought 2 pairs of nice and inexpensive shoes, I needed a pair as well. Karen took the lead too. I love them, I also bought some shoe cleaner for those times when I by accidently wear them when it’s crowded and someone steps on them.. as Lynne would say “I’ll punch the person that steps on these shoes!” Afterwards we met up with some other INTL students to have dinner at this Macau/Taiwanese Restaurant and went back to the common room at UG HALL I and watched Kill Bill I. The common room is so much better then ours because the flat screen is huge and there is a dvd player. Had bubble tea at the Taiwanese Restaurant and it was one of the worst that I ever tasted. When I met up with Minh he even said he misses BR food and bubble tea… ooh I want some popcorn chicken! We are destined to find sesame paste noodle!!

2nd day of school

2006-02-07T00:58:00.000-08:00

ShenZhen

2006-02-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well this week has been busy because School started today and everyone wants to go out and have fun... as well as Mainland China is still on holidays while HK is back to work today... so everything is just crazy. So yesterday i went to dim sum with my aunt and her Canadian Winnipeg-er friends... so much eating! I also got a little red pocket too! So right after we walked to the train station and headed to the border of China to ShenZhen to the place of grade A fakes! haha. So the ride was 45 minutes and when we got there, so many people where trying to go to HK so we were lucky. I was a little nervous because i'm always scared that they won't let me in or i'll never be able to return. Anyways it was ok i got in and we went straight to the shopping center. There were so many things to look at: Oakley, Gucci, Armani, Chanel... everything, Burberry, Polo, Chinese Dresses everywhere. We saw a store that was selling shoes ... 5 pairs for $100 HK dollars! That is just crazy... that's $3.00 Canadian a pair! My aunt told me to get two of my favourite shoes incase they break after the first wear! haha I got 3 pairs of pointy-toe slip ons and i got a pair of metallic flats. I also got a pair of white pointy toes for my aunt. After we walked around and i got my mom a chinese jacket for about $120 HK dollars. I'm so glad that my aunt is fluent in mandarin and so she got to bargain for me!! I"m so lucky. My aunt even bargained herself some fake Armani sunglasses. I want to go back and get some frames, i got a business card so it's all good!! I want to go back and buy things but i'd probably fall for their selling tactics... the girl that sold the sunglasses to my aunt said, "Oh come on, i haven't made one sale today... please..." haha that is such bull yeah right you haven't made one sale today!

After shopping for a bit we had a early dinner at one of the best ShenZhen Restaurants inside the mall (well my aunt said it's the best...) And we had a great dinner... my aunt doens't want me to eat good chinese food all the time or else i'll get overwhelmed by all the crappy food. OH well we just keep having good chinese food ... anyways after we walked a bit and headed out to the massage parlour... China was so sketchy i mean my aunt is scaring me with stories of her friends and how they know people that got tied up and the northern China immigrants were stealing their credit cards and cash... also she told me not ot breath in the smoke of smokers because they can make you faint and then they steal from you. Aaahhh i was so paranoid and was watching my bag so closely, i hid it under my big roots sweater... I wanted to like pick my nose of something so i could blend in with all the locals. hahah anyways we saw so many beggers on the street eating out of the trash it was just wierd. Anyways at the parlour i got a 2 hour body massage, 1 hour foot massage, 1 hour Thai massage and a facial... there was also unlimited drinks and fruit. It was so funny because my aunt went to get other things done first and i was left on my own and all these ladies and hosts were talking to me in Mandarin and i was speaking to them in ENglish and there was literally no communication at all, a guy getting a foot massage was helping me out. The place was busy and there were a lot of HK people (with kids too) and they knew some english... that was the first time i felt a little frustrated but at the same time it was so funny. The guy giving me a foot massage couldn't talk to me and we just kept laughing. He knew a little cantoneses but of course i suck! He was nice he ordered me a milk tea. The worst part was the toliets... they were just swaters! eew gross even in the massage parlour. Since the border closes up at midnight we had to stay at the parlour overnight... my aunt said it's free and lots of people do it! aaahh i was paranoid and i wasn't feeling too well becaus eof my cold but we did it and it was so hard to sleep. Never again. I can't do it again. Anyways it was all good and when i woke up around 8am there were people getting a foot massage! craziness... anyways i didn't take any pics because i didn't want them to see the digi cam haha see how paranoid i was! Well we got back to HK around 11am after having a good breakfast at the same restaurant and the border was packed with mainlanders!!! but luckily because we entered as FOREIGNERS the lineup was short... though the HK immigration officier was stupid... when coming back to HK she took forever, even the person behind me was complaining... she couldn't spell Univeristy of Science and Technology.... and she took a few minutes to find a pen and she kept looking at her writing as if she was self-conscious... hahaha it was funny because usually i would show how impatience i can be but i did not want to stay in ShenZhen for much longer! Anyways today was first day of school and it wasn't so bad, i just want to say that the classrooms need to be elevated because i can't see past the tall people, and the students are rude because they talk while the prof is talking... that annoys me

New Territories Tour

2006-01-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was more fun than i completely expected! Sunday was the New Year so nothing is really open so i guess it was a good idea to go to this tour. We went to see a bunch of temples but since everyone was mingling and trying to talk to new people, not many people were able to really enjoy the historic backround of the temples... our tour guide Gerry was funny. We played games on the bus and i got a nice prize but it seems to much like incense. Going to air it out a bit. People were singing on the bus, telling jokes... it was all good fun. We also went to a seafood restaurant which wasn't too bad, it tasted like a regular Chinese Restaurant in Canada. The crappy part was that we had to wash our plates, chopsticks and bowl very throughly! Anyways after we went to a small village where they were doing a traditional Lion dance and they were travelling to each house to get red pocket money. Apparently the dance will give good luck and prosperity to the house... haha i had no more battery in my camera so i may have to steal a video off someone else. At the village there was also a Tree House.. (tree house rock) where the tree use to be a house haha but it's remains it now just a tree and some bricks. No one really knows how old the tree house is. Well while taking a picture something huge bit Renee in the back of the leg and practically paralyze her entire leg. Renee describes it as a stab in the leg. I never knew a bug could have such an affect. After we went back to school, sung some Queen (We will rock you) on the bus haha and then a bunch of us decided to go to the parade. There was Fredrick from Germany, Pansyee and James from Singapore, Scott, Sarah Anthony and Patrick from the States and of course Karen and I, a girl from Queens named Jess. Wow i met this gril in the elevator from Queens and when she found out i was from York her immediate response was Queens is better and you know it.. in my head i wanted to punch her and say, "it's nice to meet u too." Anyways i won't speak more about how self-absorbed Queen's Commerce people are... (see i'm not mentioning tiffany)

Well we went to the parade and it was crowded but it was a very diverse and cultural experience. Countries from all other the world had a part in the parade and especially Cathay Pacific. They were the official sponsers and randomly they would put thier people in each segment. I thought it was wierd.

After the parade most of the people went to 7-11 to drink it up but karen and i weren't feeling to good, she had a head ache and i had a sore throat so drinking wouldn't make it feel better... i need more sleep!! Today i hang out with aunt rebecca then i go to see Fireworks with some INTL students!! THis time i'll have my camera!

Cause Way Bay

2006-01-27T00:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Lynne, Karen and I went to Clear Water Bay and went to the SOGO mall; very high class! When things are so expensive and classy, makes me want to go to Mong Kok for some cheap things… I can’t afford Burberry, LV… so why look? I guess we were just seeing new things and experiencing the culture itself. A lot of people were at SOGO and the endless crowds were agitating me… Lynne said she could even see it in my face… I wanted to push someone over. I think that was my first glimpse of intense culture shock. It made me wanna scream. After walking around SOGO we spent a good 30 minutes in HMV. Karen and Lynne went crazy over all the asian pop because it’s so cheap compared to Canada. The whole time they were contemplating on which cd to buy. I thought it was pretty cheap… a Jay Chow CD / DVD for about $15. I want to get that for my cousin who’s into this whole Asian pop music. Hahaha I had a strong influence on his preference for Jay Chow. Anyways after we went to eat at a restaurant called the Odeon Taiwanese Restaurant It was probably the most expensive meal I’ve had seen being here in HK. I only spent about $40 HK = $6 Canadian and I got a sesame bubble tea too! Let’s just say that Bubble Republic is 10X better and I really miss their black milk tea. Afterwards we went to Victoria Park to see the Flower Market and this was a great experience. There are tons and tons of vendors selling the most useless things… of course there are tons of beautiful flowers (I took a ton of pictures for my dad to see) and there is so much to eat. We carefully watched our belongings because the place was packed and us girls stayed close together. There is sooo much to see and buy. I wanted a souvenir of my HK Chinese New Year experience so I bought a cheap stuffed animal of a dog in a Chinese outfit haha… it was only $18HK. The price read $23 on the sign and I asked her if I could have it cheaper and she quoted $20, and I quickly said what about $18 and effortlessly the lady said yes! That was the easiest bargain ever. I can’t believe I was bargaining for 30 cents Canadian… wow I’m a cheapo! Anyways bargaining even for cents gives me this sense of satisfaction that I achieved something important haha! We also shared a spicy squid dish and after we were so full. We agreed that next time we won’t eat lunch and just eat all the little snacks. I want to try the deep fried ice cream balls… haha that sounds funny. I also bought flowers for my aunt Rebecca… a small bouquet for $30. I swear walking away from the vendors is the best bargaining tactic ever. There is so much competition with the flower sellers and if they don’t make money then they sell everything for ½ price on the last night. Karen was listening and found out that these old ladies got a bouquet for $28 so I tired too but she wouldn’t (I’m not skilled like the locals or the seniors yet) and so I said BYE BYE… and she offered $30 and I accepted. Another satisfying moment! After we walked Karen back to the MTR station and Lynne and I walked around the city stunned at all the people once again and at all the places to shop. We met up with my aunt at the Manulife building and she took us to eat deep fried tofu, mushrooms wrapped with beef strips, sweet and sour spareribs and some shanghai vegetable rice and some wonton. I wasn’t even hungry when we eat but I had to stuff myself… it’s rude if I leave all that food… I’m so happy Lynne was there to help eat too! After we had black sesame paste… really good dessert. My aunt left with her friend and Lynne and I went to Time Square to shop more. The nightlife in HK is utterly crazy!! The malls are crazy busy because during Chinese New Year all stores have sales. It’s similar to our Boxing Day in Canada, except their boxing day hype lasts for about a week. I bought a pair of Jordans for Gable… (I’m sure he’s happy now) and Lynne bought a pair of Nikes… by the time we got home our feet were killing!! Soon we’ll be out again and shopping at Mong Kok. I’m meeting Gable’s aunt today and I hope I make a good impression on her today… aaahhh a little nerve wrecking!

Mong Kok

2006-01-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

Another day of shopping and today was great because i got to practice my Chinese, bargaining skills and i got a few items today. However there was some pain in it too!

First Lynne and I decided to get our MTR student applications signed today by the school and then we went to get breakfast and bought a few sandwiches for lunch. We headed out to Wan Chai where i had to figure out some immigration VISA extension stuff. The people were helpful. I also went to the China Embassy to get a VISA because in 2 weeks i hope that my aunt and I will be able to go to CHina for my 3 hour massage and walk-a-thon... Anyways, we waited for my number for at least 45 minutes but before waiting for the application process we discovered that when it's lunch time in HK, everyone literally stops what they are doing and eats. Around the embassy is the HK exhibition and convention center and we just took pictures and walked around. It's a great place to just take in the amazing view of all the islands in HK. It's so beautiful and it was super great because today was very sunny. Lynne saw a "mister softee" ice cream truck and had to get some because she use to eat it as a kid... it's ice cream that tastes like whipping cream... it's nasty in my opinion. Anyways afterwards we walked around the Wan Chai MTR station but then only saw strip joints everywhere... the "entertainers" actually were trying to push guys into the place and Lynne heard the phrase "it's$25"... haha wow that is a sale isn't it... we quickly went to the MTR station and made our way to Mong Kok which is where all the cheap markets are. We arrived and we immediately were approached by a huge wave of people... it was packed. THe first thing we did was get slushies from the vendors... for some reason we managed to get 2 free drinks and $8 in change because we coudln't really speak Chinese with the Vendors and Lynne (she knows way more chinese than me) but she couldn't understand the lady... we think that the lady thought we paid already... so we just walked away and got free drinks and got paid $8! haha they really don't have good memories...

I managed to bargain down a bath robe from the markets from $99 HK to $70HK... my first bargain... then lynne and i went to some vendor to buy underwear and undershirts and those things... we coudln't really bargain it down and the lady was such a "Beep" she kept saying in Chinese that we were being unfair and that she already gave us a good deal and we shoudln't be hassling her for a few dollars off... we should have walked away but i really needed to buy those undershirts for my mom... it would have been embarassing to go back and buy after knowing that i couldn't buy from anyone else. But even after paying, she kept lecturing us about how unfair we were... i mean if you don't want to bargain then put a sign like everyone else... ideally we should have walked away... oh well, a lesson learned.

The shopping experience was really exciting because it was just Lynne and I and we went to the Argyle Center were we saw many interesting and trendy things. We both bought bags and managed to save 10 bucks. After shopping we had a small snack at KFC and found $20 bucks on the floor... today was just pure luck ... with $20 we got fries and some candy at a store, a lighter for our candles and we pocketed 1 dollar each hahhahahaha... now i'm always going to look at the floor near the cashier to see if there is money. Lynne you got good eyes!!

Tomorrow will be another day of shopping and going to see my aunt for some flower parade ... not quite sure but i'm sure it will be a breathtaker.

it's late need sleep.

Shopping @ the Teaford Center

2006-01-25T11:16:00.002-08:00

Well i guess this day was something i was waiting for... SHOPPING with friends... SO since Karen arrived at HKUST earlier than Lynne and I, she was our unofficial tour guide. So we started the day with getting some internet information from the useless administrators at this school. Afterwards we grabbed some breakfast and headed to the buses. This was the first time Lynne and me were taking the bus to the MTR station (subway lines) and it was great to have Karen to help us or else we'd still be there. The transportation is quite simple and inexpensive when you pay the student fair (half price) however you have to get use to all the exits and entrances they have.... anyways we went to a nice mall called the "Teaford Center" Us 3 girls were walking so slowly and just taking in the cool stores and different merchandise and of course in HK everything is Fast Fast Fast... so many times we had to remind ourselves that we have to walk a bit faster. There was a cool iKea and it was quite cheap. To summarize the whole experience, it was just a lot of walking and comparing prices. The worse part was eating in an outside cafe and having no seats excepts in the smoking section.. i think the smoke here smells worse than Canada because it is so strong. The funny part was that Gable kept bugging me about getting some Jordans and since i was in a mall with many francised sport stores like GigaSports and Marathon Sports and the Nike Store, i went to check out the shoes. I saw the ones he wanted for a good price but i wanted to double check with him so i took a few pictures... the guy noticed and after 2 pictures the sales guy said in Chinese that i wasn't allowed to do it. So then i went to another store with LYnne cause she made us go back and forth to get some nike bag. I saw more Jordans so she kept the guy busy while i took more pictures... hahaha we make a great team!!!

GO TEAM... see what i do for Gable... i hope that they dont' think i'm some spy from China and want to make copies and copies these shoes for resale.

Way too much eating out!

2006-01-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, my second day of HK… I’m so grateful that my aunt has a computer and internet… apparently she says not many people have internet in HK. Anyways, I fell asleep around 3am last night and woke up at 8:15am for service. We managed to only be 10 minutes late. My aunt is new to this area of HK because she moved about a month ago so she asked around about any buses that go to Tsim Sha Tsui and luckily there was one and it was much faster than the mtr and faster! Found out that there is also a bus that goes to HKUST… and it’s like 5.80 to get there which is less than a buck Canadian. Sweet! Anyways went to this Evangelical Community Church…it was quite multi-cultural and the sermon was intimate. The pastor shared about his experience of losing 2 kids…well his wife was pregnant and she miscarried twice…so he was talking about Hope in God, rather than Hope that situations will work out for us. Quite good and I’m surprised that I was not tired afterwards. Since I was a new comer, I got free lemon tea! Afterwards my and aunt and I met up with her friends (DUDE she has around a million friends) and we went DIM SUM… let’s just say that I was adventurous and my aunt was right… I can’t think that things taste gross before I try them… turnip cake actually tasted good. I had a bunch of new things… only thing that was familiar was bbq pork bun and the beef wrapped noodle. Today’s lunch was the single ladies group… all single women and the one next to me “Sam” she was so nice to me. She said I had nice skin and she kept pinching my cheeks and she grab a piece of my arm and said that it’s good that I have meat but honestly she really hurt me!! My aunt had to leave early to go visit someone at the hospital and so I stayed with her friends and went shopping at Tai Koo Mall. They are soo funny, like a bunch of teenagers. My aunt met up with us again at this restaurant called Key West Village and her friend treated us to some coffee and cake… this was only 30 minutes after dim sum… nasty. Anyways they were the loudest group in the restaurant, my aunt had to remind them to speak quietly hahaha they are cool. After we went back to the apartment and I slept… after we went to a market downstairs… I never felt so sick before, I heard a frog squeel as his head was cut off and was skinned… I never felt like throwing up so badly.. luckily I was able to eat. My aunt made a fresh seafood dinner; it was awesome. She said she could’t cook but she is a great cook. She keeps it simple which was perfect because I wasn’t even hungry. Now we’re going to eat some papaya and watching some Chinese movie. I want to shop but trying to hold myself back for a bit.... gotta ration out the shopping ...

The Flight

2006-01-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

hey all... finally get a chance to write some memories down!!
I guess I should start from the VERY beginning… I can’t believe that on Thursday at 5:30am in the moring… FIONA came to bring sliced up fruit and whip cream to my house! It was great!! We had a early morning breakfast and then around 7am STEVEN got us coffee and tea and wished me a safe trip… I have such great friends!! I hugged my family good bye and in the car got all tear-eyed and had to pull myself together. I saw Melissa at the airport with her timmies hot chocolate.. ahah I really want timmies!
Anyways saw Karen in line for check in and it was so cool we were on the same plane but not together… I would have been near her if she didn’t change her seat… but that was my fault I told her the wrong seat number!! Sorry! Anyways I was beside some guy didn’t catch his name but I felt compelled to talk to him (because of Anglea… “talk to strangers”) haha so we talked about HK, the student exchange, VSIAs, the CMA designation hahaha it was cool. After that we did our own stuff… had mini tvs on the back of each seat.. and u can watch movies/tv/play games whenever u want to. So I watched Cinderella Man, Corpse Bridge, Some movie with Reese Witherspoon and some Chinese movie called drank drunk drink or something dumb, I also made about 8 beaded bracelets, did a word search. I can’t believe that I didn’t sleep.. ok for about 20 minutes…that is a world record or something… and they kept giving us food… it was pretty good until u feel all bloated… as I said to ben, should have gotten just red wine/sprite haha that would make me fall asleep. When we were two hours from HK I looked at the window and there were sooo many beautiful snow capped mountains… I never saw anything like that before….i took a few pics… it made me think about how Awesome God is and how he made everything in 7 days…
The worst part about the ride was some dumb lady was stretching her nasty feet on the railings of my seat… and I thought to myself should I let this slide, I mean we are all tired… and then I concluded that I didn’t pay so much money to be uncomfortable and I don’t care if she is tired… so I kindly said could you please not put your feet up… so she was cool, and stopped… but she was clever enough to put her feet on the other side of the seat… and I just kept looking at it and my face getting more disgusted… I even had the thought I was actually touching it and brushing it off.. but no that would have been bad, so again I had to ask her to not do that… I was much happier after that.

After we landed I got my stuff and my aunt bought me an octopus card (transit card) and we went to her place by bus which took about 2 hours and the driver was a crazy maniac… he almost ran over kids!! What a jerk. He was making those sharp turns and when I was standing I was almost flying off the floor. My aunt was annoyed that it took so long and she vowed never to take that bus.. there wasn’t even traffic.
We lugged my suitcases to her apartment and went through a mall, it gave me a short temporary euphoric experience but ended quickly haha… I got to the apartment and was tired. I unpacked, went to email my parents and then I went grocery shopping with my aunt… after that I went to sleep from 7pm to around 9am … great sleep
I’m pretty much over jet lag.. my stomach is slowly adjusting though. Today I woke up and missed Canada sooo much… I wanted to go to residence and just be around familiar faces… got all tear-eyed again like an idiot but then I called home and called gable and felt a bit better. My aunt took me to so many places, pretty much all around HK… I know how to take the MTR now and just getting out and seeing the sites and shops made me excited and less sad about missing home. We went to central (the financial and upper class shopping district), went to eat lunch at some little noodle in the mall near her house, saw a cool store that I think will be my favourite it’s called G2000.. had nice suits for cheap cheap cheap. Rode on the Star Ferry, and walked on stars avenue with every well known celebrity’s hand print on the ground… we also saw an NBC reporter doing some Chinese new year report so I think u might see my back hahaa, aunt Rebecca kept telling me to turn around and wave hahaha, I had no face. We went to other places but I can’t remember the exact names… we then had dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant with my aunt’s 5 friends… they are funny but almost the entire night they just talked about people dying of cancer and stuff… very depressing. Made me think about my grandma and how I use to think she was immortal… but of course this isn’t the case. Anyways after I kinda tuned out because I couldn’t understand that much and saw some guy with a furry jacket… like a pimp’s coat and I said to myself, is that “in style” or something because that is dreadful… hahaha some guys were like she-men.., I couldn’t tell if they were guys/girls… but we have that everywhere… haha I guess analyzing that was more amusing than people talking about death and cancer… I mean it’s almost Chinese New Year… is that a topic we should talk about…

Anyways I should sleep soon it’s 2am! I drank too much tea.
- Miss you all, Christina

Anticipation

2006-01-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to figure out things with this blog and playing around with all the options available.. so you'll have to bear with me...

Anyways, this day seems to drag: I'm not sure what to do. I'm glad that I get to rest but the waiting is killing me. I'm glad that I'll be seeing Tiff today: i'm sooo sorry that i forgot to call TIFF! Please forgive me! Yesterday my mom and I made a feast for my grandma and my aunt/uncle. Soo much food, it was incredibe... and my aunt made deep fried WONTON! those are soooo good.

After dinner i went to have some 2nd cup (oh i will miss 2nd cup) with my sister and Gable. It was fun, talked about a plan to get my brother more active this summer so that he's not always on the computer... haha I know melody knows what i mean.

Friday is Friend's Nite @ Zion... i wish i was going to be there... sometimes i picture myself going to a Chinese speaking church in HK... not to be rude, but i think i would rather sleep in... let's see how it goes...!

- mei

2006-01-16T21:44:00.000-08:00

Hey my first post... still trying to work this out!!