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)