A Week Before my Fall 2011

A ton has happened this summer, yes indeed. Well, enough with the yoda talk. Ignoring the usual, I met a new girl (kinda cute) at prospect park, hung out with her some more. At the dragon boat festival - sadly lost my headphones and I lost my new tennis visor. Guess I'll have to buy new ones to replace those. Also, ruixin's birthday was this summer (August 23rd, actually) and it was pretty awesome - me and my friends got her a dorm set and baked a coffee cake. We then gave her the gift and cake while eating at Wonjo restaurant in Korean Town. In addition, we ate in Manhattan that day and strolled around. It was fun meeting with my Brooklyn Tech friends before the majority of them left for college again. The following day (August 24th) was my mom's birthday. We ate an awesome dinner and had a delicious ice cream cake (yummy). I managed to drag more friends for tennis and got closer to my other friends. It was an awesome summer. Also, I spent most of my day studying and doing various other forms of entertainment (hanging out, Starcraft II, finding music, playing games,etc). I feel kinda unproductive, especially since I don't have a job, but oh well. I'll plan things out more thoroughly next summer.
So I also tried to get closer to this new girl I met (with some success). I'm interested in her and I think the same follows suit on her end. On the first day we met (prospect park, it was awkward. After meeting up some more, we biked together, then hung out in Manhattan, then the Bronx Zoo. The zoo was tiring but really fun and well worth it (and met a new friend as well as got to know an acquaintance too. An then we both bought two red panda plushes. It feels like a destined pair, and they're so adorable! (yes, a guy just said a plushie was adorable, but it really is). Today, I just played tennis, joked around with her and hung out. It was fairly fun. I really do miss the summer days. I would post pictures but there's too many to post, so...deal with it.

(^.^)v

Prospect Park Fun

Today was a fun day - about twenty people gathered together to create a barbecue event, where we all had fun, such as spraying each other with water guns, playing twister, playing scrabble. We started off cooking hot dogs, then bacon, then chicken wings and then many other stuff. It was delicious! Well, I brought the Panda speaker today and it was really useful - it ended up running all day on batteries, but at least we had music. I also brought a lunch box and chopsticks but didn't find it necessary. I feel like an idiot for carrying so much extra stuff. Furthermore, not much people ate the pasta, so it went into the trash can. A little wasted but whatever. I also bought 5 gallons of water and some chicken drumsticks but by then, we had too much food so it didn't get cooked. So, I came on by train with Cherie. It seemed awkward since we rarely talked together, nevertheless we walked and rode the train together. It just feels weird being alone with a girl, you know? But then again, we both were tired and got back safely. I was probably the most tired of them all since I stood up/walked the whole day at the duration while I was at the park, so my legs were completely dead. Still fun though! We then had fried chicken for dinner. Looks like things are getting bad for my canker sore, but at least I had good food! Hehehe. Well, I'm heading to sleep slightly earlier today because I'm really sleepy and tired. Ciao!

A really hot week of...boredom

This past week was really bad, soaring to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and above. Lucky, I just got my AC installed today, so it was sweaty but worth it. Today, my friends came over to watch X-Men, First Class. I mean, I watched it by myself before, but watching it with friends was much better and more fun. I also had the remaining parts of the harry potter series, but they didn't want to watch it. Oh wells. I also wanted to buy an ice cream cake to eat with my family but dang, Baskin 31 Robins make expensive cakes!!  I think I'm going to prepare for the BBQ on Saturday by making food. Man, it's going to be hot. I wonder how it's like in HK nowadays.

Queeny's 19th birthday

Today was an interesting and fun day. I counted pennies to pay back for Helen because she bought the gift for us to all chip in. So, I ended up shoving her 840 pennies. Well, I arrived at the party today late. Why? Well, I was lazy to buy a card yesterday so I bought one today - last minute. Weeell, it sorta worked out. I bought the card (took me 10 minutes to choose it) and took me half an hour to write it. I only expected to take 10 minutes to write it, but I guess I wrote a lot (and messily too). So I ended up walking a LONG distance in the sun today - it was really hot.

So once I arrived, I set down my stuff and watched the Pixar movie, Wall-e. Watching it again was sooo cuute! Robot love, lol. Then we watched Kung-Fu Hustle. It was pretty funny too and now that I watch it again when I'm older, I realized a lot of stuff as well. The best part of the party? FOOD. Queeny's family made a TON of food and it was really good, especially the BBQ chicken wings. So we all pigged out; afterwards, ate cookies took photos, and played the card, Apples to Apples. It was pretty fun playing as a large group. We then ate pizza and then the cake. Yup, I ate a lot today, so I have to burn all that fat somehow. Hmm, maybe I should bike longer and play better at tennis next time to make up for all the food I ate today, lmao!

A day wasted on ice cream (again).

So I'll start off with yesterday, since that's all I can really remember. I was playing games the whole day while studying. Yes, that's pretty much all I did (and help cook dinner). What game? Cities in Motion. It was a fun game, but I was frustrated because I kept losing money in that game. Basically, you're the manager of the commuting system for a city and you're supposed to make money. After spending the WHOLE day trying to make money, I failed miserably. Only when I borrowed A LOT did I end up making money to maintain the city transportation. It was harrrd. But fun. Simulation games are always fun, especially business ones.

So today, I helped fix the windows of my house and then went to Yu's house to make more ice cream. Yes, MORE. Last time, we failed because our green tea ice cream had a bad recipe - yes, those idiots actually used REAL green tea leaves (and the teabag ones) instead of the matcha green tea. It ended up being really sweet and tasting like milk tea than green tea. Milk tea ice cream...that's a new one in America. So, we spent the whole day following recipes, playing a little games, eating noodles at a Japanese restaurant (it wasn't that good) and shopping for more ingredients. That was seriously the whole day. Speaking of which, I still need to buy a birthday card for a friend of mine since her birthday tomorrow. That's a lot to write about, since I write a lot.
x.x

I also found my lost battery so yipee! I still am sad for my lost pair of headphones though. Also, Janus showed me pictures of the Harry potter event at HK. It looked cool - I'm jealous. But at least she looked pretty in those pics (and sexy wearing that uniform, hehe)

Another (few) Day(s) Gone~

Today had gone by fast and so had the other two days. You've probably wondered why I've stopped the posts for several days - well, I was really mad at myself. I lost my expensive headphones and my phone battery - a worth of $140 USD retail. Just those two items..and they're small too. I tried finding them and finding them but couldn't. It's really been bad luck (in addition to my mom blaming me for everything I didn't do). Well, at least Saturday was fun with tennis. Today, I also went to Yu's house to test out the ice cream machine Helen bought for Queeny's birthday. Well, it didn't go as planned. Helen forgot to read the instructions beforehand and that messed up the whole day because we were supposed to freeze the machine's bowl for 18 hours. Because of that, the liquid solution didn't freeze and turn to ice cream. It was a wasted day but at least fun. We also ate Japanese food at Fugu Sushi! I wouldn't say it's wonderful but it's pretty good (but again, expensive). Well, I ordered another pair of headphones from Amazon - this time slightly more expensive. I will protect it with my life this time so I won't lose it. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00385XU7Y). As for the battery...I want to buy another replacement but don't have the money to. However, I'm thinking of buying this, if I do: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Ericsson-BST-41VP-Battery-Charging/dp/B003F8L8M8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1310441908&sr=8-4.

Well, there went my typical 3 days. They fly by FAST.

Back to NYU Poly for a day. Got a lot of things done.

Today I went back to NYU Poly to take care of financial aid and to study a bit. It was interesting. The school library was virtually empty so I had a whole room to myself. Yay! Inside, I just chilled and studied. Of course, I allocated some time to do other stuff, such as installing the Visual Novel, Rewrite (which I bought from Japan imported) and talking to friends via facebook. Overall, I thought it was a pretty productive day in a cool air conditioned environment. I also went to ask about financial aid. Well, things weren't better than planned because I didn't get as much financial aid as I hoped, but I still had enough. A TINY bit more than last year. Honestly though, it would've been a lot better if I had more governmental assistance. Even work study opportunities were all given out. Maybe I should start applying for private scholarships? Sounds hard and competitive but it's a start. But then, my GPA is wrecked, so I don't know. But at least I got it done. The only bad side of today: there was a damn fire drill. Really? The only one day I go to poly in the summer, I get kicked out of the library for an hour for fire drill.

I also went to the new restaurant near the school today, "Five Guys". It was delicious but expensive. The price of a typical meal costs $16 USD, almost priced like that at a fancy restaurant in Manhattan. Luckily, the food was really good and fresh (organic too, I would say). I personally would say it's worth the value but for it's price, I can't afford to eat this on a common basis since I'm a college student.

Also, my mom saw my talking to Janus on AIM again and yelled at me. She said I'm "dating a girl who is not a USA citizen." It's true that Janus is not a US citizen and that she wants to be, but I trust her enough to not marry me for just that purpose. So if Janus really wants to marry me, she should  become a US citizen first. Then I can prove my mom wrong, lol. Even if I don't do it for my mom, I'll want to do that for myself. I wish for a future wife who can work independent and not rely solely on me for the whole family. 

Today was quite a random day. I woke up to the sound of my grand-uncle ringing the doorbell of my house to pay a visit. Obviously, I didn't want him to see me sleeping like a pig, so I immediately woke up, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. Honestly, I was still yawning and tired as hell since I played games with my phone before I went to bed (I slept at 3AM last night). Well, he came over surprisingly early (9:30) to fix the ceiling and I had to help out by carrying some repair stuff to aid them in fixing. Honestly, I didn't fix the ceiling much at all. I just pointed the flashlight  at the hole and my grandpa and grand-uncle put more plaster to fill the hole. I was expecting something much cooler, but hey, it was hot. Doing anything crazy in that heat had to mean that you were crazy too. When done, I went outside to buy Dim Sum since we like to treat our guests well, so I went to the Ho Wong restaurant near my house and bought the dishes. THE FOOD WAS HORRIBLE. Honestly, if they weren't so close and I was in a rush to buy the food, I would've gotten it from another restaurant because the food was really badly prepared (and wasn't cheap either). Luckily, my neighborhood has a bunch of bakeries, so I bought some milk tea for everyone to help with the bad food. Well, Janus also asked me to write a blog before she woke up, so I did! It was a very short blog  that fulfilled it's purpose (and made her laugh too).

 For the rest of the afternoon - I spent time trying to repair a workstation I salvaged from Columbia last year (they threw it out). Unfortunately, some other people came to the computers before me and took some important parts, but I took one of the many computers there home. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure, right? So, I had spare parts at home and managed to fix MOST of the computers. I'm still missing some parts though. I think I'll still need to spend about another $100 to fix/upgrade it. Realizing that I should buy it in the future when I get more money, I went back outside to return a book. On the way back, I went to McDonalds to buy an ice cream cone - but they ran out. REALLY?!?! A McDonalds without ice cream is bad! It's the only reason why I like McDonalds! Well, there goes my local fast food restaurant.

At night is probably one of my most relaxing times. I listen to music to enjoy the calm night while studying and chatting away with friends. Queeny's birthday is coming up and Helen and her friends decided to pool money to buy an expensive gift. Of course, I joined in too. The gift is an Ice Cream Machine, and we got a list of recipes to make ice cream. Personally, I want to make this: http://www.geekychef.com/2009/01/sea-salt-ice-cream.html. It is the ice cream from my most favorite game, Kingdom Hearts. I really want to try it and I heard it's pretty good. Because of this, I also managed to talk to Ruixin, a really close friend I haven't talked to in a while. She's a really hardworking girl who I really admire for her efforts. Nevertheless, the chance of talking to her is pretty rare, even in the summer because she's just a really busy person.

And of course, I studied C++ near midnight. I don't need to know it now, but I need to learn it next semester, so studying ahead will help me program better so I can get better grades. Besides, I find C++ to be really fun to program. Also, my other friends are planning to have BBQ in celebration of someone I know coming back to the USA. He went on a trip to Peru as an intern, so I can't wait to hear his experiences. Well, it's late. Really late. Goodnite and hope for a better tomorrow!

A random post

So evidently I was asked by someone *ahem* to make an early post on my blog. As a result, I incoherently deny to make that post by writing this post. There~
:-)

Maybe a new website?

Yesterday, I thought, since I bought a silver account at yola (http://www.yola.com/pricing) and I've only used up 3 of my 25 website, I wondered what would happen if me and Janus created our own website? Not a blog, you see, but a dedicated website to talk about things. What to talk about? I don't know. Maybe we can talk about US - HK relations (political, personal, etc) or write stories together. Many potentials are available online nowadays. It's just too much to choose from!

So today, I went to 8th ave, Brooklyn to help my mom carry some stuff from shopping. Well, me and my mom had some arguments over my future and college, but I guess the arguments wasn't too bad. There, about 6 people said "hi" to me, but I didn't recognize half of them. I must be getting old, lol. Either that, or I know too much people. So, we had red bean ice (also known as red bean slush) from Quickly's and came home to look online for portable air conditioning online. They were expensive!!! Luckily, I found one online at a big discount, but it is still expensive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16896808070&cm_re=portable_air_conditioner-_-96-808-070-_-Product). We also have old Air Conditioning units (non-portable), but we would then have to go through the annoying job of assembling it and fitting it into the window.

Also, I thought about upgrading my computer and repairing the server I found at Columbia University. If I can repair that server, things would be awesome! I've never had a computer sever before, so I wonder how it will run. One last note: Janus asked me today about a gift for a friend of hers. The only description she gave me was "he likes math." That was not very useful at all. I mean, what can you give to a math person that's meaningful? Pen? Pencil? Paper? Calculator? A fancy pen or pencil might work but the rest seems bad idea for gift. Books is just a no, due to chinese superstition. Then, I thought, "what about tea?" A hard studying person is sure to get tired, right? And tea is a healthy way to keep that person going, so I have that suggestion last-minute. Well, that was my day. And well, studying of course.

An unhappy July 4th

In the past, every July 4th, or American Independence Day, my mom would always cheer me up at night. I remember times when she gave me candy, saying "Happy July 4th!", or celebrating with me in happy times, like eating ice cream together and allowing to play games/give me back my PSP. Today, was a different story. Ever since I entered college, and she quit her job, EVERYTHING changed. She used to be always optimistic, now she's always angry. She used to remember everything, but now she stays home all day, forgets stuff, and blames it on me. She used to let me play games practically the whole day on holidays in the past - now she yells at me when I only played 1.5 hrs today. Today, I originally planned to go with my friends to see the fireworks, the biggest of the year, but all my friends ditched me, leaving me alone. I'm tired of this bullshit. Things used to be fun and happy, now things are sad and depressing. What happened? Sure, my grades are bad, but she's not even giving me a chance anymore. Back then, I used to look at the stuff I wanted to buy, and my mom used to say "Save up your money for another time" or "We'll buy it another time when we're rich." Now, even when I look at an item on sale online, she plainly yells at me, "STOP WASTING MONEY!!!" when I clearly only dream of buying it and didn't even buy it yet. She used to love it when I learned about computers, and now she yells at me despite being a computer engineering major. She even yells at me saying I'm stupid. Occasionally, she does stuff to me and tries to be nice but never says anything. Why? Why is life changing so much? Life used to be happy. I originally created this blog to write happy thoughts so I can look back to see my happy side. But I cannot forgive myself if I don't write this rant. Even now, as I'm writing, I hear fireworks setting off outside my window. My mom offered to go with me there but I don't want to go with my mom. I want to grow up and go with my friends. AGAIN, she yelled at me for being a hermit. I still hear the whizzing sound of the fireworks. The Chinese astrology said this year was a happy year for Monkeys, but so far, everything was bad. I wish my life wasn't so terrible.

edit: Janus tried to cheer me and up and reminded me how graceful music is at lonely times. Thank you. I appreciate it

A Not so Busy Day for Once.

For once, my day wasn't busy and I had nothing to fill it with, so I played games. Honestly, I originally planned to practice the keyboard/piano but ended up playing computer games (feel so useless today). In fact, I even stopped talking to Janus around 3PM to play games (though, it was an excuse to get her to sleep earlier). On the more useful side, I bought Parmesan cheese. Why? Well, I was thinking of making alfredo pasta for my family tomorrow, since they said it was really good last time. Unfortunately, I lost the link to the previous recipe so I'll have to hunt it down again. But hopefully, things will be better tomorrow. Well, Janus didn't talk to me tonight. She's probably busy. Well, I'll have to sleep so, hope things get fun!

My first time at Chuang Yen Monastery

I went in the morning to the Chuang Yen Monestary today with my family. What can I say about it? Well, it's beautiful in scenery but...the temple didn't inspire me much. Perhaps the buddha was too new? The only thing I found interesting was a picture of Guan Yin from 900AD or so (carbon dated) made of wood. WOW, that statue was OLD! But besides the Guan Yin statue and the architecture of the buildings, I didn't find the shrines to be any interesting, especially after seeing all the authentic, original ones in Chinatown (particularly the ones from Shanghai, Xian, HK, and Guanzhou). However, it's understandable. Americans get taxed everywhere and that monastery was not government funded, so for what it had, everything was really well designed. After that, my family and I decided to go to Flushing, NY for dinner. The funny thing was, my Phone's Google Navigation GPS was much better than the paid Garmin Nuvi GPS alternative. For one, my phone had GPS signal while the Garmin took a while to even receive signal. The graphics on my phone also looked MUCH better than that of the dedicated GPS. Finally, the GPS made us go through a toll bridge when my phone's GOOGLE GPS could have helped us avoid that. I love my android phone.

And afterwards, we ate dinner at flushing. It was chinese food - northern/taiwanese style. Things looked weird but tasted pretty good, so that's that. I also ordered really spicy qing dynasty chicken or whatever. DAMN, those peppers were ultra spicy! Luckily, the chicken wasn't that spicy, so I managed to eat it all. Whew~

I promised to take pictures for her and I did. I just finished uploading it to Facebook, but re-uploading it to blogspot will take a long time, so I'll just link it to my album for now: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2127414033898.123075.1502342492

Tranformers 3 and What I Did After

Transformers 3 was one of the most graphically amazing movies ever! Sadly, there was almost no storyline here because all I ever saw was 1) explosions, 2) explosions 3) more explosions. It was also the first time where Megan Fox did not partake a role in a transformers movie and I have to admit - the new girl looks really hot. Well, we arrived at the theater late and they gave out more tickets than seats were available, so we stood in the back row for the whole duration of 2 hrs 45 minutes. I'm surprised my legs weren't dead yet. Also, I found out that the new Linkin Park song for the movie was Iridescent (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLYiIBCN9ec). I don't find it as powerful as Linkin Park's previous songs, but it's a nice song nevertheless. Afterwards, me and my friends walked through Central Park to Byrant Park, where I went to Sunrise Mart (a small Japanese market) and found Pocari Sweat! OMG, it's been ages since I've last drank those in China and HK. I really miss them (and they're really expensive). So, I bought one and slowly enjoyed it. Today was a really good day. Oh, and all the while, Janus, IMed me. I don't know how to respond to this, but I felt really bad - I could only spare a moment every 10 blocks or so to reply to her IM's with my phone because Manhattan was a crowded district. In the end, we talked very little today thoughout the 2 hours. I felt REALLY bad, and this time, I really owe her one because she stayed until 4AM again.


Last but not least, she said I can pay her back by giving her my address so she can send me a replacement Guan Yin Necklace as a gift. I really do miss it because it was my only gift from my trip to HK but to have her buy one for me - it sounds like I owe her too much. I mean, we talk a lot online and I trust her, but we rarely met in real life. I don't know what to say. I mean, could I lend her one my friend's address's to send to? She suggested to send it to her uncle to give it to me but I really don't want to bother other people (especially those I don't know too well).  Maybe I should rent a mailbox so I can write letters to her? Sounds very romantic, but expensive. I definitely cannot give my home address because my mom does not like me dating - my grades are bad enough as it is, so me being with a girl will only create more tension in my family. $100 USD a year for a mailbox rental...is it really worth it? Love is troublesome. What should I do?


Anyway, I'm going to the Chuang Yen Monastery tomorrow with my family to see the Giant Buddha. I heard that Monastery has the temple with the biggest Buddha in the East coast of America. I can't wait to go! I'll be sure to bring my lunchbox and chopsticks because you save $1 for lunch there for bringing your own utensils. I'll be sure to take pictures!

Staying with her all afternoon (night).

So she ended up being in a really bad mood (not surprisingly) from the recent events. I mean, I was playing games in the morning and my computer flashed an IM message from her saying " Ron, I think I am kinda useless." Wow, that message was enough to stop my gaming time. Grrr. But I somehow ended up staying with her all afternoon (and to her, all night, since she lives in HK). In fact, she stayed up until 4AM talking to me, which is a miracle because I would be dead tired by then.  Regardless, we originally talked about college then moved on to the most random topics ever, like us and secrets with our health. We also conversed about how we trust each other, how we first met, and all. Now that I think about it, it seems like we talked as if we were couples, LOL. I have to agree with the general topic of today's conversation though. Money does indeed rule everything in this world.

Later on in the day, I went to borrow books from my local library. On my way back, my necklace holding the Guan Yin pendant broke (the one I bought from HK). I pray nothing bad happened, esp for her. If anything, I wonder if she can help me buy one from that monastery in HK and mail one to me? I really do hope she is well, especially after staying with me so late at night. Well, I can't wait to hear her messages on AIM again when she wakes up. Being optimistic has its own benefits at times.

Got Transformer 3 Tickets. Woot!!!

So last night (actually, more like today morning at 00:30 AM), I ordered 5 tickets to the Transformers 3 movie for Digital 3D. Little did I know, there were still tickets for the IMAX at Lincoln Square 13, but I had no money to purchase a new set of tickets, so I called the theaters asking for an upgrade. Fortunately, the theaters allowed upgrades. UNfortunately, the I had to physically go to the theaters to upgrade them. So there went my day of riding around the city. On the brighter side, my upgrade from digital 3D to IMAX was free. How? Evidently, the salesperson said that the theaters don't communicate, even though they're of the same company. It's weird. Anyhow, so I got free upgrades! Yay! 

Also, Janus said she did bad on her test grades. I felt really sad. Then, she said she wants to study in NY. This is where my feelings are confused - should I feel happy for her being with me in NYC? Or should I be worried about her new environment? She seems really determined to be here, so I don't know what to say. Looks like she wants to study in Hunter College or Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) because she wants to major in Design or Philosophy.


Edit: I had some sort of 400 Bad Request Error for blogger but Clearing the Cache and Browser Cookies seemed to fix the issue. 

I miss my Senior Year of HS

Today was the graduation of the class of 2011. I really do miss my old days when I could be carefree and full of leadership. I used to be able to do most of my will and now...I'm virtually a slave to the college life. Today I went biking and I felt really disconnected with everyone. Sure, biking is fun, but I barely had anything to talk with Henry or Yu anymore. It felt so lonely, even with cheerful Shelly there. It makes me miss having a relationship but I guess this is one of the sacrifices of college. Anyway, I chatted with Janus today and I felt bad for having staying up so late. While it was 3PM here in NYC, it was literally 3 AM there in HK. You know, Janus might probably read this, so I won't say much, but Yu said I'm flirting. Really now? We all have our own problems once in a while. Anyway, I took some photos of the Caesar's Bay to Owl's Head bike route. Enjoy the pictures. (Includes the famous Verazzano Bridge)   

Hard Summer Jobs

No, it's not that my summer job is hard, but FINDING one is hard. Just today, I went to Chinatown to go to Kumon (an enrichment/tutoring program) to look for a summer part time job but they weren't hiring for the summer. Is it really THAT hard? I only look for minimal pay with a decent work environment, but undergrad jobs are almost non-existent anymore. Even SYEP (Summer Youth Employment Program) got filled to the max. The funny thing was, when I went to Kumon to find a job, Enopi (another enrichment program) was right across the street. Wow, really? Two competing companies right across of each other? That's ridiculous. So afterwards, me and my mom strolled through Manhattan to ask my family doctor if he accepts Health First, a Medicaid insurance. Unfortunately, he wasn't there so we both went to Coney Island to eat Hot Dogs at Nathans and Strolled the boardwalk. I also saw the MTA work on some tracks and rails today. It was coool!

NYC gdgt event 2011

Yesterday was a BLAST. I went with my mom to to gdgt event (because nobody else would come with me) to see the new technology. When I first arrived, the line was long! It went literally one whole city block and required extra security to maintain order. And when I went in...well, it wasn't what I expected, but it was really interesting. I initially thought I'd see things similar to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). And it was!...sorta. The event space was really small and not many companies went, but it was a huge crowd. Of course, I got a lot of freebies too, from pens, to stickers to T-shirts (will upload pictures sometime this week). The main sponsper was AT&T and displayed the oldest phones at our table. I even got my Sony Xperia X10 into their AT&T revolve project! It was amazing. Lastly, I was able to see some 3-D printers. I've seen them before but seeing them again brought back memories. Plus, these printers were created from geeks like me (also from Brooklyn), so that made me proud. Oh, and BlueAnt Technologies also had their LED T-shirts on raffle today! It looked so cool that I want one! I can't imagine myself wearing one though - I'd stand out too much. I'm definitely attending this event again next year.

A note to Janus~

Hello Janus! It was really nice meeting you! For the first time, I think I met a friend outside of the USA which I have ever spoke so much to! You are an awesome friend and it was a great pleasure. Do you like the USA? If you do, which part of it? I know Kenny was a bad tour guide, so maybe I'll guide you next time you come back to the city! And maybe when I get more money, I'll get you to guide me around HK! Okay?

If you were wondering if I liked you or now (from that conversation the other day), I'll admit that I do. Not love you, but like you (there is a minor difference). I respect all feelings so whatever you feel, I apologize for it. Think about it this way: even if I asked you out, you will be asleep while I would be awake since we're on the opposite side of the worlds. Also, I remember that you like white guys too, so I respect your preference. Hey, maybe I can find someone for you one day! Haha, (jk). But we can still be friends at least, right? And no hard feelings. I hope we can meet again in NYC next year and have more fun together as a group

One last thing: I dislike lies, so I might as well say the truth. It's easier and usually more effective but sometimes painful.


--Ron

Janus Leaves USA to HK

So today is the day when Janus leaves America for her homeland. It's kind of saddening to see someone leaving as I already have a scarred history of people leaving me but I'm mostly used to it. Anyhow, I'm here at Ivan's house playing games today though half of my mind still resides with her. Wow, it's a weird feeling. Not of love, but of a loss of a new friend. Well, okay, maybe I do like her but I'm not that close. I started drawing a picture for Janus from all her friends in the USA but never got to finish more than the first few letters of the lettering. I really do fail at this, don't I? 


I wonder how it is to ride the plane again because I really do miss it. Back in China, I was laughing because I got so addicted to plane flights that it felt WEIRD to not ride the plane once every 3 days or so. I wonder what's her experience with planes. Well, gotta finish this picture and move on in life. Hopefully, it'll be done soon. 


(^.^)v

Kenny is a bad tour guide

I find it VERY sad how Kenny does not know his own city despite living in it. Janus asked me what places there are in NYC and she complained to me about barely being able to see the Statue of Liberty in the New York Harbor (and not being able to go up the Empire State Building). Really? Wow, that's one terrible tour guide for his cousin. So sometime last week, I gave him all the tour destinations (to which he complained about his wallet, metrocard, blah, blah, blah) to go to. To make me facepalm myself even more, he rejected about more than half of those in the end. But for anyone reading this and wanting to explore NYC more, I'll highlight some popular locations:


Empire State Building
Statue of Liberty
Central Park
Wall Street
Grand Central Terminal
42nd street, Times Square
Top of the Rock
Rockefeller Center
Golden Bull at Wall Street
NYU area (Washington Square)
SoHo (Shopping/Art)
Chinatown
Macy's
Korean Town
IMAX theaters

United Nations
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
Brooklyn Bridge 
Fifth Avenue (Shopping)
Madison Square Garden
South Street Seaport

First Summer Vacation of College

I suppose I have more time on my hands these days so I'll blog some more. However, this doesn't mean that I have the whole world of time for the summer because I have to study for my next semester courses. Yes, I need to maintain my GPA because it is really low - low enough to put my scholarship. Yes, it is really bad and I can appeal but this is really a bad situation for me. Therefore, I decided to be really Asian this summer and study on my spare time. If I do get a job offer from SYEP or Staples, then it is perfect! If not, I will just dedicate my time to studying and arranging plans for my future career. 

I've also realized that I've partied a bit too much recently. Well, not the party as in NYC parties, but more like "hang-outs" at friend's houses and doing physical group activity like biking and tennis. Only yesterday, 6/09/2011, I went with my friends to have Shabu Shabu at Hottest 86th. In addition to being a Shabu Shabu place, it is also a very nice modern Asian fusion restaurant so things went pretty well. And although it was 98 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday afternoon, the AC kept us cool inside the restaurant so things were all good. What made me really happy that day was meeting Kenny's Cousin, Janus. She was gorgeous. Well, I wouldn't say she's the prettiest girl in the world in terms of looks but she's someone I was attracted to at heart. UNfortunately, she was a tourist from HK so even if I asked her out, things would be bad due to time zones; When she'd be awake, I'd be sleeping and vice versa. She also thinks she's childish, but I find it rather cute. Regardless, I still need to focus on my career, but it helped me realize one thing - there are many other cute girls in my world, so no need to feel bad about my past anymore. Thank you, Janus, for allowing me to meet you - you helped me reach my next step in life. 


edit: I also uninstalled blogger-droid for my android because I realized that it started being mean by 1) not posting and 2) requesting a paid version for a FREE service (google blogspot)

Summer sadness

My blogs seem to spread further out these days - not because I'm that busy (well...partially), but because I feel down. College is definitely depressing compared to high school so summer should be full of happiness and reunion, right? Wrong. Freshmen year of college was a wreck. I don't know what haunted me this past year, but everything was full of bad luck and influences. I mean , sure, I slacked off once in a while but I felt no initiative to drive myself forward anymore. I feel as if my mind is driving me and my willpower is hindering me. I know the consequences. My GPA is already half dead and barely maintaining it for the Scholarship. I...I just don't know what to do anymore. I used to think - improving myself would work. Jobs said in his speech that I just ask myself what's wrong every morning "what's wrong" and I just have to change it. The main problem is - I don't know how. I can't seem to bring myself to make do what I want anymore. Is there a way for me to suddenly increase that drive? Some sort of magical powder perhaps? I can't fail at this anymore - the consequences have already done too much. But now the lure of the past comes again. My old Brooklyn Tech friends wants to hang out with me and the others again. Will it be a positive influence like before? Or will it be a negative influence that'll hinder me on my goals? I know they helped me in the past, but are they lost like me too? I feel like I'm just another kid lost in the depths of NY. I feel as if the stars are too high for me to reach. I really wish someone can help me.


But ah...someone. I also feel as if I've lost my directive also due to my love life - I used to work really hard for the person I like, I hopes of winning their attention, usually through my grades. Is that it? Not really. Perhaps that may be part of my problem, but not the whole problem itself. I used to like Lisha, but was terribly shot down. Then I thought of Helen as a chance, but she nowhere of my type (though she was closest to approach). Is there someone else I can work for? SomeTHING else at least? I know I definitely cannot work based on my own motives. I've tried that before and failed miserably, so having a source of inspiration as a magnet would work for me. But WHERE? I certainly don't have too much time to look. All I have now is pressure - and an aching soul. I rarely talk nowadays, even if it's on the internet. I want to cry, but tears refuse to flow. Sometimes, I feel like I'm even denying my own existence. Am I still the Ron I know? How can I fix the wrongs with me? Where are the keys to my identity? I know, I probably sound emo, but I'm not. Still, the pressure is harsh.


Financially, it is also dreadful. My aunt rarely comes home to eat dinner and on top of that, she's the ONLY person in my whole family who is employed. My dad ditched me and my mom when I was born and my mom hasn't found a job for a whole year. Things are looking bad. I can't hang out with my friends as much anymore due to budget constraints and I can't spend as much the way I happily used to. Not to mention, we have no health insurance since the government wellcare insurance keeps rejecting us (for some odd reason) and school insurance is way too expensive to afford. I originally had a lot of things planned for the summer, such as buying an ice cream machine to test out new flavors, buying a better bike to travel around and buying home media equipment to play/set up with. Now, I have to put those items on hold. What has become of me? So much has changed....I don't know how much longer I can hold it in.

Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanical Garden

So many things have happened this week. For one, Sakura Matsuri was fuuuunn! Prior to going, I ate dim sum with my family and had a fret with them on going (because my family dislike the Japanese and their culture ever since the Nanjing Massacre), but I managed to get permission go after acting naive. Besides, I was 19 and could decide stuff for myself, so I went. I also tried inviting Helen and Henry, but for the first time, they both passed - mainly because there was a $10 admissions fee. In other words, I went alone. However, all wasn't too bad because I met a bunch of acquaintances with a Brooklyn College ID and we managed to get free entrance like people with membership status. And thus, I took a few photos of everyone there and traveled by myself for photos and for the festivities in the air. Never have I felt New York City so active and so happy for such a long time since 9/11.


Inside, people swarmed everywhere to add to the festivities and although I missed the Taiko Drumming, I went to see a performance by 10tecomai and it was PURELY AMAZING. When they told us that it was a traditional dance, I first thought of a slow, folk dance but it ending up being something like fast-paced choreography with old and spiritual music. It was a BLAST. In addition, I met this guy named Tee Torres. He was this white-spanish guy who claimed to be a teacher from China, so I learned from him. Unfortunately, he was a good liar (and very social too), so I couldn't fully trust him on everything, but he seems safe and just wants a talk. And regarding the festival, there were quite a lot of cosplays too (including the fattest cosplayer I've ever seen in my life, but lets not talk about that).
Here are some photos!

So some side news this weekend, Prince William and Kate of England had a glorious and beautiful marriage on saturday and Osama Bin Laden was killed by the US Navy SEALS this Sunday. As my friend, Kavita, said, "It's a Disney weekend. A prince got married and a bad guy got killed"

(^.^)v      -Ron

Hanami at Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Yesterday I went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden (BBG) to see the cherry blossom blooms before many others. In short, I went to celebrate hanami before the crowd swarms in this coming Saturday and Sunday for the Sakura Matsuri Festival. And those blossoms were BEAUTIFUL. I recall one artist sketching a scene onto her sketchpad of a pathway surrounded by cherry blossom trees. To make things better, nature followed suit too - it was awesome weather. In addition, the peach tree in front of my house blossomed for a glorious sight and the cherry blossom tree in front of my house is just starting to bloom.

Here are some of the photos:

Cherry Blossoms at BBG

Japanese Maple at BBG

Cherry Blossom Orchard at BBG

Signature Gate for Japanese Pond Section at BBG

Close-up shot of the Japanese Maple at BBG

Peach Blossom Tree in front of my house

One of the Cherry Blossom walkways at BBG

The "gate" at the Japanese pond at BBG

Close up Cherry Blossom Flower

Japanese Pond-snapshot at BBG

Another interesting tree by the pond at BBG

Physics- Mechanics Midterm

It's been almost two and a half weeks since my last blog - and yeah, it's been a heck of a long time. My family once again got into a large argument and I'm siding with my mom, but if everything works out, then it's all good. I just don't want anymore quarreling (even if it involves my mom yelling at me when she blows a fuse). Some bad news to note - I failed my Linear Algebra class. Failing a test was a first time for me, but failing a course is a whole new thing and I became very ashamed of myself. I MUST work harder to get back in shape, especially since I'm starting to dislike math. On the brighter side, my physics midterm today was a breeze. Man, I miss the fun of physics - all the fun of analysis and equation manipulation.


As for fun, I've started to revert back to Starcraft II. I'm not addicted, really, but it's a fun game to relieve some stress every once in a while. In addition, I've started writing a Visual Novel for fun and have started out the plot. Henry is helping me out on the character profiles while Reynold promised to be a reviewer for my alpha product. I'm just thinking - should I create a website as a VN producer? I'm REALLY tempted, especially with Google ad-sense advertising. And on an interesting note - I've talked to Estella more often recently (as much as I've used to talk with Ruixin).  Yup, I really miss my old buddies....

Freshman Snow Ball 2011

I initially worried that I would waste my time by going to the ball because I have my linear algebra final the day after but wow, was I surprised: the ball was extremely high classed and the Kimmel center of NYU made poly seem ancient while the fanciness of the ball completely obliterated the poly new student orientation. In fact, when I checked in for the dance, the staff were surprised when they said "Oh wow, we have a poly student. Welcome!" Being at the rooftop dance pavilion of a building was a new experience, but I definitely envied the amount of money NYU spent on interior design. It was fun with the music and food there too! The DJ played all the top 10 songs from 2005 and brought back a great deal of good old memories. Also, it was the first time I have seen ice cream at a ball. Wow.


Unfortunately, I had to leave the ball early. Why unfortunate? Well, because I didn't have anyone to have fun with because I went to the ball alone. It looked really fun. Furthermore, I found my poly friends last minute right before I left. Lastly, there were only about 50 people today at the ball and there was a raffle for the ipad2. If I stayed, there would've been a chance for me to win. That sucks, but I guess the experience is worth it. I promise to upload more pictures via the computer later. Wish me luck on my test!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

A photo of a class lecture

Great Grandma's Death - Funeral Processions

Today was the burial for my deceased great-grandmother and I was one of the lead pallbearers (my cousin, Patrick, was the other lead pallbearer); luckily, we didn't have to carry  it or it'll be quite heavy. So when we delivered the casket to the cemetery (Kensico Cemetery), the fleet of 10 cars constantly blocked the traffic to ensure a smooth transition for the train of cars. It looked like an action movie - very cool. Unfortunately, we weren't the only funeral fleet arriving at that cemetery and our fleet of cars were so long that it extended from one highway exit to the next while in motion. And so, the casket was buried. We threw the flowers into the grave and they buried it and the end. Shockingly though, the snow there didn't melt yet and the ground was VERY mushy, coating my shoes in brown mud. But all was good on my way back to Chinatown for a large family lunch where we ate a HUGE lunch of ~10 massive dishes. I took some photos of it but they unfortunately got corrupted without me noticing and deleted themselves. Well, at least I shot some photos on the highway back the the city:

Picture of the Frozen Lake

A Steel Arch Bridge

A Closer View of the Arch

Sammy (Samantha) is girl facing camera on left
Patrick is the young guy on the left side where I took a side shot

Too bad we didn't have a group photo because I really wanted a photo with me and Sammy in it for the memories. Oh well. At least I can add her on facebook (and I also just learned that she's born in Vietnam and that her real name is Samantha Vo). Too bad this was a bad picture where she frowned, since her smiles are really pretty. That was pretty much my day today. BOOORING (but at least somewhat interesting).

Great Grandma's Funeral at the Funeral Home

Today was a hectic day - I woke up in the morning at 8:15AM only to find out that my train was in ~10 minutes so I rushed out the door without brushing my teeth or taking a morning dump. Man, it was a horrible start. To make matters worse, I tried to buy breakfast right before the train - only to see the train leave when I rushed down to the platform. Aye..it was bad, especially on a Friday schedule when it ran straight from 9 AM to 3 PM with no breaks in-between. 


Well, things at the funeral home were interesting today. In fact, contrary to the previous funeral of my great grandpa, this funeral was MUCH more ornate and looked beautiful. In fact, my deceased great grandma looks like she's sleeping peacefully in the casket with dozens of bouquets of flowers about her. It was an interesting sight and I would have taken pictures, but would be too disrespectful. Oh, and I also met many relatives (much of whom I don't know and have never met) but there was one particular girl from there that I remembered - Sammi. Although I didn't talk to her much or see her often, I remembered seeing her every once in a while when I went to New Jersey in the past with my grandma and we played together (that was in the days before the Twin Towers fell). Seeing her again evoked some happiness in me. And not to mention - she was kinda cute! Not someone I would ask out or love, but just REALLY cute (like a plushie). Oh well. Too bad I don't have any pictures today - perhaps I'll have more tomorrow! 

Strolling Through Washington Square

I've realized how much I've been a Brooklyn boy this school year, so I've decided to make my way into Manhattan, or more specifically, the NYU Campus known as Washington Square. When I went there, I felt invigorated, motivated, and...happy. The feeling was really different when you're in an environment full of busy people like me - people who are motivated in life. From all those streets, I stared into those stores in awe as people chatted away in the small bars, restaurants, and coffee shops. In fact, one student even asked me to help him sign a petition to open a new sushi shop within the NYU campus. It was fun! I also bought food from chinatown prior to my adventure:

Now of course, I didn't eat ALL of it (I don' pig out THAT much), but only the sushi, one strawberry daifuku and a wee bit of the seaweed salad. For a $13 meal, this was quite worth it because a whole set like this would generally cost at least $18 without tax and tips. And so, I ate some of it at the Washington Square park. It was beautiful! The amount of sunlight was just perfect and the wind was just perfect. Unfortunately, it was ~30 degrees today (I'm surprised that it's still March), so the wind was cold, but it would be perfect if the breeze was a bit warmer on my hands and cheeks. Also, I snapped a photo of the famous Arch of NYU - the gateway to success. Man, was I thrilled! Seeing it from the pamphlets and brochures of NYU is one thing but walking underneath it and seeing it in person is a whole new experience. I feel more like a tourist than a native New Yorker, haha.

Anxiety and an Overstuffed Bin of Trash

The Computer Science midterm is coming up this Monday and the Linear Algebra Final is approaching next Thursday. Noooes! I'm really bad at this math, especially when it's only half a semester. I'm really scared. Well, at least there'll be a review session for CS exam tomorrow night fro 6-8 PM. Yeah, I know - it's awfully late, but what can I do? The only other review time is on Friday afternoon but my classes interfere. Furthermore, there is this socialization/networking class on Thursday afternoon from 3:30 to 6 PM. Life is a highway indeed.

But on the brighter side, I saw this overfilled trash receptacle in the morning in the train station. Not something wonderfully pleasant to look at but was interesting enough for me to snap a photo of it.
Well, there goes my day.