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thatchinesegirl
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Interests: volunteering, socializing with friends, penpalling, travelling, photography, watching indepedent and foreign films, learning about cultures and languages, debating and politics, and lately sleep...
Expertise: Blah- inquire to acquire =D
Occupation: Student
Industry: Nonprofit
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
3/10/2003
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| I realize that it has been a long time since I've written a journal entry here on Xanga. It's been so long that I don't even recognize the interface on the site anymore!
It has been a little over 1 year since I've graduated from Berkeley and embarked into the "real world". Well, technically it is the tseudo real world since I am still working on my Masters in Asian Studies.
Unlike my years at Berkeley, I've gained a lot of self confidence since I started working--- notably superb management of my finances, financial freedom, getting straight As in graduate school, and discerning between good friends and friends I don't really care for- Yup that's right. I think sometimes people in the past have taken advantage of me in different ways because I often did not say no- then when you do say no, you become the B%@#$@. However, now that I am older, I don't think I have the time to hang around people who wouldn't treat me like a true friend or one who does not have my back. Maybe when people get older, they have less time to wait around for the little #% in life and rather just live it as it is.
Some updates on my life since I've graduated...
Summer Travelling & Working
I graduated in May 2007 and spent the summer traveling to different parts of the world. In May 2007, I went to Las Vegas and attended the consumer electronics show. I also spent a week in Honolulu, Hawaii to relax post finals. In early June 2007, I went to Taiwan. Afterwards, I came back to the Bay Area and worked from June through the end of July. In August 2007, I went to Singapore and did day trips in Melacca (Malaysia) and Batam (Indonesia). This was followed by my attendance at a conference based in Hong Kong and Mainland China (Luoyang, Henan, Zhejiang).
Fall 2007
After the summer trips and finishing my job as a student worker at Cal, I started graduate classes in Asian Studies. It's a two year program and I really did not know what to expect. I was not that concerned about doing school and work at the same time except that I figured it would be a little harder this time around since I work full time. However, factoring in all the time I use to spend volunteering and in clubs/activities on campus, I think it is about the same amount of time. Classes started in end of August and I had to miss a week and I started my full time job with the Department of Justice in mid-November (technically, the "job" and its paperwork, background checks, and more paperwork and administrative stuff began way before November). My semester ended well and I received an A in both classes. Super happy=). I also felt it was much more pleasurable to study something more focused and something I would enjoy. Compared to undergraduate classes, I've found my experience at USF to be a lot more focused and enjoyable. I've also met great friends from the program- some of which are my closest friends in life right now.
Winter 2008/Spring 2008
I spent the winter working and also spent some time in Switzerland. The plane ticket was super cheap and I just couldn't pass it up. It was about $425 dollars roundtrip!!! Most of the winter was spent working. I also spent some time in New Orleans.
Spring arrived and I was in classes. This semester I took two graduate seminars- one in political economy of East Asia and the other in Religions in East Asia. For the religion course, my classmate and co-writer for our research paper and I took it upon us to interview Asian sex workers and their religious beliefs/sprituality.It was a difficult process and one in which we had to attend one too many functions to gain their trust, but the end result was very rewarding and enriching to gaining a better understanding about their life and to recognize them as ordinary people- not as what most law enforcement or church would deem them to be. For the other course, I spent the semester researching about Macao and its gaming industry- along with how it has affected the residents of Macao. If you're interested I can enlighten you with both topics =) I am still waiting for my seminar grades. I have another year left in the program. Next Spring I will get my Masters and I am truly looking foward to it. I do want do another degree after that, but I am not sure what yet. Meanwhile, I am trying to gain new skills and establish some stability with a full time-career type job. It's been a good experience so far and I am planning on going to training on the East Coast in July this summer. Looking forward to it. My cousin also graduated from college this week so it's all about celebrating! congrats! I am planning on taking her to Vegas to celebrate in style. She needs a break from all the havoc and mayhem that comes with new graduates.
Lastly, in my spare time, I've been trying to read a lot more. Since I take BART a lot to work and try to cut down on using my car (especially with rising fuel costs). I've read a lot of newspapers and magazines, but also took it upon myself to read new books. My new interest has been in the personal finance genre- reading about how to protect, invest, and save money. I've been really into Suzie Orman lately or actually ever since my friend bought her book for me several Christmas' ago. I think I've been talking about her work a little too much to my friends- maybe to the extent they might be bored haha. It's been exciting and I hope to be able to buy a house within the next two years (if everything goes well and assuming that I probably will need to be able to stick with my current job since the lenders like to see established people in stable jobs).
I forgot to mention that I've been very moved by the Chinese Sichuan Earthquake. Please donate money if you can afford it. There's a lot of rebuilding not just physically but in the lives of Sichuan folks in China. It has sadden me every time I watch the news and see their faces, emotions, and anxiety on television. They are so strong for being able to withstand all that they've lost. I can only imagine how it would be like if I was in their shoes. Tonight I am attending a charity concert with my parents led by Luo Dayou.
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| I've always made it a point to read the newspaper -- no I don't mean on
the Internet, but really holding the newspaper and reading it. I've
always found great pleasure in reading. If NY Times didn't cost so
much, I'd resubscribe.
The SF Chronicle gave me a great deal and I just couldn't turn it down.
The gave me this 26 week deal for 10 dollars! What a bargain (after I
canceled by complaining that it cost too much) and the deal allows me
to get the paper from Wednesday through Sunday. My bet is that they
need the numbers for advertisers- but hey I'm not complaining about it
since my pocketbook is benefiting from it.
Lately, I found myself writing responses to the paper. In the past, I
would read and take in what I read, but I seldom write responses to
articles. Perhaps, I'm responding more now that I have more time, but I
also think that as I get older, I have more things to say and
subsequently more things to complain about aka ranting ranting and more
ranting.
But I think that sometimes my rants to the writers of certain articles deserves ranting because what they write is wrong.
Take for example information regarding Carmen Chu, the "replacer" for
Ed Jew as supervisor for the Sunset District. I have mixed opinions
about both of them, but I think that the writers for papers should
report earnestly and spend more time in writing truthful information.
Reading one of the articles, the writer boosts that she speaks fluent
Cantonese and that because of that she will replace Jew (but in essence
not really since she can understand the primary language of those who
live in her district). That's just one example about how this
particular writer did not separate fact from fiction. Chu herself
laments in a Cantonese News broadcast interview on Channel 26 KTSF that
she can't speak Cantonese (if only for a few words) , but that she will
work hard to understand her district.
I also found the article disturbing because it really portrayed the
common voice and not necessarily the voice that should get
representation- namely the people that she represents. It annoys be
personally because I feel a sense of sadness knowing that people will
make make assumptions based on what they read and most won't spend the
time to question and probe what they read.The people that she does
represent do voice their opinions quite often actually, but these
opinions are never heard by mainstream media. I suggest to this writer
to research a little more before they create articles that are not
entirely truthful about what people truly think-- and also please
respond to me because I surely appreciate it.
Oh and for those of you who can understand Cantonese and are from the
SF Bay area, tune in to AM 1400 on Friday nights (10pm). The
politically inclined have rented this time space from the radio and are
always voicing their opinions. I'm really proud of these (namely
ladies) for evoking public discourse because Asian Americans are often
considered docile and timid to the mainstream populace. Thank you old
ladies! | | |
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Link from: http://www.kinotayo.fr/data/programme/films/always_affiche.jpg
"ALWAYS: SUNSET ON THIRD STREET"
BEST MOVIE EVER! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!
I urge everyone to watch this if you get a chance. The English title is called: "Always: Sunset on Third Street". The film is centered around a 1950s Tokyo, thirteen years after the dropping of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
As an Asian Studies enthusiast, I was highly interested in this film. Someone screened parts of it in the Asian media graduate seminar course I've been taking, and I love this film. It also highlights extensive usage of CGI technology since Tokyo looks a lot different now than it did 50+ years ago.
The movie gave me this nostalgic feeling- not of the times presented within this film, but of the universal experience of life that was more simple "back in the day". I thought about my own childhood- the 1980s when horrific neon type clothes were in, when the Internet was not around, and when cell phone had not been popularized. I remember the simple days of writing to penpals throughout the world- waiting for that letter to come via "snail" post style-- and then later getting my first pager/beeper! It seemed as if I spent more time with my family and more times outdoors-- people actually talked to each other- and there is this collective sense of happiness that I don't see (at least not in the same form) of the days before the Internet revolution and crazy technology kicked in. This movie did that for me- reminded me of the happiness that I've found between myself and other human beings--- so in a sense- even though its a Japanese film, it truly has a universal appeal.
I also thought it was quite accurate in terms of its depiction of how life was like in a 1950s Tokyo, Japan.---- the desire for the three goods- TV, fridge, and the washing machine! and the etiquettes and presentation of the film was superb!
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| I still cannot figure out how to type Chinese font and have it appear as Chinese font on my blog. Even when I typed the Chinese characters, once it goes into the journal, it doesn't seem to work. Perhaps, someone can enlighten me on this matter.
Lately, I've been really into Daiso and the dollar store.=) I love that store- precisely because there's so many things that I can buy from it! Daiso is a great Japanese store- with tons of goodies. I love buying stuff from there- ranging from pet food for my fishes to organizing bins for storage, to photo albums, to snacks-- bahhh. Everything seems really cheap and I am always up for a bargain! I was so happy when I saw Daiso opening up a store near my house. Yay!!! It's probably my favorite chain store in Japan- because everything is only 105 yen or over here it is slightly more at 1.50, but the quality of the items beats the dollar store. I really shouldn't say its cheap though because despite it being 1 dollar per item- i always end up spending much more there--- maybe this dollar store "re" craze will go away soon. until then!
also heroes rocks! i love that show! cant way to see what happens and what sylar's doing. | | |
| It has been nearly four months since I've graduated UC Berkeley. Equally, it has been four months since I've last updated this blog. This blog entry is SO overdued so I apologize for the delay.
Graduation night was a lot of fun. I went out clubbing in San Francisco with some friends. It was nice to ese everyone even though I felt myself shouting half the time when I was inside the club. The club was not that great, but the company is what's most important. The neatest thing about it was the glass floor, but I don't think the girls with skirts liked the idea of such a floor on the 2nd floor of the club. (go figure) and go figure again for a guy friend pointing this fact to me. Haha. Gosh, where and what was he thinking!
My parents also threw me a nice dinner with family and friends. Finally, a four year journey completed, but I feel in many ways, life has just begun and it only gets more complex each and every day.
I spent the past summer travelling to different parts of the world, namely Asia. Instead of doing the traditional European backpacking summer trip after college graduation, I opted for several small trips to Asia and domestically instead. First, it was cheaper this way because my US dollars truly cannot afford the British pound and for the expensive-ness of European places... and the euro. I just wish my benjamins actually carried me farther. Maybe and hopefully someday it will be better --- I can only hope! Anyhow, upon graduation I took several trips including:
In May, I went to Japan and Taiwan. In Taiwan, I ran into a school friend (Rachel) at the mall! It was quiet funny that I ran into her at the mall in Taipei and even more funny that it doesn't surprise me- the first thing she said to me besides hi was "hey wanna go clubbing" lol. I also spent a week in Japan (Tokyo namely), but I got a chance to visit Mt. Fuji for the first time. We had such a great tour guide and I really loved the hospitality that Japanese people offer in Japan. Because of their graciousness, I often feel like I need to do more -- daily self improvement to improve the way I communicate and treat others. It's also amazing how safe Japan is compared to other places around the world! In Taiwan, I also felt pretty safe and enjoyed the lovely street food- I especially loved the Shilin Night market. and LOVED bargaining and buying cheap clothes and goodies. I bought shirts for $1.50 USD! I was so happy. Naturally, they aren't the best quality, but it's just a great deal for cheap finds that add some flavor to my generally black and neutral color clothing. I also spent a week in Vegas, hung out in vegas, gambled the penny slots because i dont know any other game table nor can i fork up the buy ins hahaha, and i watched a cirque solei show call "beatles". its really good and quite different from their other shows in the past!
In June, I returned back and worked the rest of the summer till August. I bid farewell to my coworkers, and onwards I went on a cruise to Alaska on Celebrity. it was a lot of fun, and seriously Alaska is probably one of the most prettiest states I've been to... I did some cool things that i didn't think I'd ever do such as go on a super high, super speedy zip line in Hoonah Alaska. I also went kayaking as I love water sports in Juneau. I had a great trip in Alaska and unlike most cruisers, I came back and LOSt instead of gain weight! I was pretty happy, but it was probably the diet/ healthy option bar that I frequented-- they had an awesome blueberry dessert.
In August, I spent a weekend + a few days in new Orleans for psp's national convention and grand chapter. it was nice to see other Brothers again from other chapters and to spend time with my big and friends. Candi went as well and it was nice to have more people from delta omega show up. I had fun touring the french quarter thru the ghost tour as well as the many nice restaurants that we went to..some were very reasonably priced for all the good food and super big portions! the seafood there was really good but i cant imagine how good it would be for my cholestrol level lol.
In August, I also got an opportunity to go to Asia and HK and China on a ethnic chinese leadership conference. I was really happy that I got a chance to go and the sponsors/program paid for the trip except for the airfare to asia. It was such a great opportunity to make new friends and to talk to other chinese folks worldwide. i learned so much from that week that I cannot sum up here. I had such a great time meeting people and talking to them about their ethnic culture and what it means to be chinese- whether it was fellow americans or others from places like australia, canada, and southeast asia- singapore, indonesia, malaysia etc. i felt a renewed interest in my chinese culture and got a chance to practice my mandarin and cantonese. I even learned how to sing classic chinese songs such as ?????I really recommend the conference to folks that are interested in learning more about their cultural heritage. as a result of the conference, i made lasting friends and felt that despite our difference in backgrounds, our forefathers have contributed a lot to the development of our world. Being in places such as Henan ??, ??????is so different than actually just reading about it in the books. I felt connected- and also felt a responsibility as a fortunate, young person to give back and to shape the world thru my footsteps. I felt that it's not enough to be knowledgable about something, but it's even more important to understand what it means to have that knowledge- and the responsibilities that come with getting an education, or living in an area free from war and violence- it means a lot more than many people I've seen over the course of this trip and others in the past.
Coming back, I started my evening classes that will lead up to a masters in asian studies. I'm quiet excited about it, but what separates graduate seminars from traditional undergraduate classes is the amount of reading that i actually am expected to read and the leadership and initiative that i need to take to lead discussions within seminar , but also to start a dialogue of discourse within my classmates. there is less structure which could be good or bad for me --since having structure helps at times. 1 class is on the media and asia and another one is on the development of asia.
I'm also always about self improvement so I enrolled in a personal finance class online that starts next week. I dont want t be one of those broke seniors that are struggling to make ends meet. iw ant to retire happy and be able to pursue everything especially travel. given that my mom has been reminding me that "you're not getting any youngeR" "you look way older than 22 -- and trust me my asian eyes can tell another asian person apart" or "blah, you're getting old , i see your wrinkles", maybe now is the time to plan!! better start now or never right?
I've been a bit busy, but I've been trying to hangout and reconnect with some friends as well. I had a great time the other night with my friend Doug , Lan, and Randall. Doug even brought his friend Jessica along so it was nice to meet her too. Sushi House is great as usual- and fairly cheap compared to other sushi places I've been to. i love their lion king roll!
Outside of being busy , I've also got three guppies in a small tank in my room. yup, new pets! to add on what some of my friends call as a "zoo" at my house. i love fishes, and even brought a breeding small box tank, except my fish arent breeding! DARN DARN DARN. so much for the buy 1 fish , get 10 for free slogan eh? Maybe someday they will heheh, but it seems like when I bring a male guppie in, they or someone dies in the mishaps - perhaps because of increased competition in the tank- im not really sure why, but yeah-- it affects the tank harmony. when its all females in the tank, someone gets bullies but at least they live! hmmm, i wonder if that says anything about human life heehe.
I've also been trying to eat more healthy and sleep more. lately, ive been sleeping WAY too much. WAY too much. I've also developed an interest in playing Wii! it's so fun !!!! and great excercise especially playing the boxing game and the dodging game. i completely suck at wii baseball but that does not suprise me bc i suck at baseball in real life. i wanna try the wii yoga sometime too! I also sucked at the wii snowboarding game, but i been snowboarding once in real life and absolutely S***** at it too! hahaha.
I miss many folks as it seems like people have moved on and intot heir separate ways. hopefully trying to rekindle and reconnect with folks still in the bay! | | |
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