you know something is special in the works when your birthday falls on thanksgiving. normally it's spent with your family, but my first thanksgiving - was spent with some special friends whose friendship i have come to treasure over the past couple of days.
an introspective view on friendship allows one to really evaluate the depth of his human relations. but i realised from these precious few days that sometimes, some things cannot be measured. the word priceless comes to mind instantly.
people choose to spend their holidays the way they want to. and, hey whatever floats their boat right? i chose a peaceful thanksgiving over one that requires lengthy travels and such, and to actually sit down and have a conversation over some hearty home-cooked meals, or a short brief lesson on the quintessential american man, how about a concise summary of the history slavery and it's far-reaching implications on the modern society? you don't get that anywhere else.
and to eddie: the last time we met was 17 years ago, but the moment i met ya it felt as though we've known each other forever. i feel honored to have you as a friend, i've learnt so much in just 2 days. and of course to your mom and dad, it felt like home for the first time in 2 years.
really, thank you guys from the bottom of my heart.
+listening to: dream on by aerosmith
Friday, November 28
| snowing in milwaukee |  |
Monday, November 24
| silent night | |
it's weird being the only one on the floor in an unfamiliar dorm. i have the whole room to myself, the whole bathroom to myself, the whole lounge to myself, the whole floor to myself.
i turn the tv on just so it doesn't feel quite as eerie, and i waste my day away slumped on the futon/bed. and as i look out the window, the old glory still flies over the krannert center; the bell tower at the south quad still clearly visible like a vulgar display of all things ugly; and yet another four-in-the-afternoon sunset.
people. the occasional pedestrians down below looks like little insects crawling through the barren concrete landscape, the zebra crossing seems like a piece of delicious brownie cake drizzled with savory icing. the onset of vertigo never permits my gaze to linger - just long enough for the latent memory in my eyes to come to play before i go for another peep.
and then, low and behold, the clinking and clanking of the heater starts to tell me it's time. time to go back to work. turn the tv off, set the bag of unfinished chips aside and hit the books. it's a long night ahead.
+listening to: nothing
Thursday, November 20
| it's been a long week | |
it has indeed been a long week. claiming that i'm dead tired would actually be an understatement at this point. i think it's got something to do with the fact that in the past 72 hours of my life, only 6 have been spent on sleeping.
the drudgery of life is finally getting to me. i don't think i'm one of those winter persons. because gloomy weather pisses me off. and i sometimes lose myself when i'm not feeling my most comfortable self.
it's been a week spent doing work in vain. karma never seem to reward me for doing something good. i did my math homework till 2.30 in the morning yesterday, and karma just slapped me in the face by making me oversleep this morning and miss class completely, and hence i never even got a chance to turn in my homework.
this week is forgettable. i don't think i have been through a week as bad as this one. but thankfully, there's the thanksgiving break to look forward to starting this weekend. but i'm not too glad though, because that's when the battle starts all over again. there's the finals after that, and a shitload of stuff to do in between.
i'm trying to do the best i can, honestly.
+listening to: slow dancing in a burning room by john mayer
Sunday, November 16
| cold... | |
it's been a long time since i have been here. truthfully, there was nothing inspirational or worthy of being talked about.
this past week has been everything but nice. it's rainy, wet, dreadful, gloomy. the days grew shorter, the sun is getting lazier, and it doesn't help at all that it's getting pretty freezing out there.
just take a look at the weather outlook for the next few days, and winter hasn't even started yet. and don't be fooled by the deceitful looking sunny/cloudy symbol. the sunny bit is pure BS. you pretty much never get to see the sun.
it's going to be thanksgiving soon, in about 2 weeks. even though i've never celebrated one with my family (usually my mom goes to church), the spirit of the holiday season is surely getting to me.
chi-town for thanksgiving, here i come. but before that, 2 exams tomorrow. let there be mercy.
+listening to: jerry lee lewis by jerry lee lewis
Sunday, November 9
| hanging in the balance | |
it's another peaceful saturday night, or should i say sunday morning.
i watched into the wild for the 2nd time today with a couple of friends because the office downstairs just happened to have it in their dvd collection. it was definitely a different experience watching it with other people, and we had the lights off, and everyone sort of just took it all in.
it was also nice to have someone like natasha in the room, because she grew up in alaska, and has actually seen the magic bus in real life as depicted in the movie. somehow there was a sense of closeness that i haven't felt before when i watched it for the first time. maybe it's just the sudden epiphany about the reality, that somehow it actually did occur.
hollywood tend to have that negative dramatic effect on you. somehow at the back of your mind, even though your subconscious may have been mostly fooled, you know that the story was made up. but not this time though.
and this time round, the ending didn't make me as sad as compared to the first time. it actually felt kind of sweet. i guess wisdom comes to knowing why and how things occur the way they do once you've experienced them, maybe i have indeed grown wiser.
if mccandless hasn't died the way he did, had he come out of that alive, he would never have gotten the insight into what the whole truth is. he could have lived his whole life not knowing what he knew right at the end...
that beyond all selfish needs, and whatever satisfaction he got from doing what he wanted to do and who he wanted to be, HAPPINESS IS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED.
+listening to: society by eddie vedder
Tuesday, November 4
| election day | |
"go barack go!... what do you say america?..."
the words echoed through the hallway as james and brian from down the hall made their rounds apparently gloating about the positive projections in favor of barack obama. cnn is calling it 174 to 64 right now along with a democrats majority in the senate.
it's just a little past 8pm here in obama's home state of illinois, and polls have officially closed. as i headed to dinner over an hour ago, there were still people streaming into the polling station set up at the main lounge, all looking eager to cast their ballot.
it has definitely been an eye opening experience, as i talked to friends who were eligible to participate in this historic occasion. the political apathy that i thought was so prevalent among the young people here somehow has not reared its ugly head as far as i see. then again, i can't be sure though, because the scope of my knowledge is limited to the circle of people i know.
still it was somehow satisfying to know that EDUCATED voters are going out to make INFORMED choices en masse today, especially people of my generation. these are the same people who will be the deciding factor in the decades of contests to come.
it's going to be hard to go to sleep tonight. america is awake and alert. the way i see it whoever wins doesn't really matter a whole lot. the most crucial issue is that people go out and make that decision for themselves and not let others do it for them.. isn't that the whole point of a free, democratic country? rock the vote -- change or no change.
ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country is doing to you.
+listening to: help help by pearl jam
Saturday, November 1
| it's hahahalloween | |
it's that one time of the year where you can be just about WHOEVER you want, and no one will ever laugh at you, only because everyone else's costumes are just as ridiculous. but it's all good fun, despite being a tad silly.
notable costumes (not in order or funny-ness):
- ghostbuster
- a group of people chasing each other in the streets wearing pac man character costumes
- beer pong table
- michael phelps
- joe the plumber
and so here it goes:
in case you haven't been able to tell, i was derek smalls, the bassist from spinal tap. if you have not seen the movie, you're retarded. so go look up THIS IS SPINAL TAP.
until next time. i'm so stoned.
+listening to: the jaguar by frank gambale
