This is the semester in which I...

crumble under the amount of work. I can see it now: halfway through the semester, I will be behind in all my readings, basically behind in all my work, locked up in the library, reading with barely any sleep. Each course will have intensive coursework for sure, unlike past semesters, when I had at least one class I could be more lax in terms of keeping up with work. -cry-

I finished my Aplia assignment for Statistics, and I realized that I had forgotten a lot of basic math stuff. I need to relearn all of this in order to survive both Stats and Intermediate Microeconomics. I'm going to have to relearn calculus, especially. -weep-

For my American Constitution class, it's going to be so much reading and re-reading, and I expect a lot of new vocabulary, like "writ of mandamus" and "dicta." -shudder-

Maybe my Power & Politics in America will a bit more easygoing. It's a typical politics intro class, and most of the terms I've seen before in the other politics intro classes. I may just have to refresh upon the American history, which should be okay since its been drilled into our brains since we could write our names.

But this is what junior year of college is really about, right? Difficult assignments, late nights.. i mean this is what I signed up for. I guess I'm just trying to 安慰自己, console myself. Gotta stay positive, keep this start-of-semester spirit of "I can do it!"

Watched the last episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.. it's sad that that show is over. His farewell speech was quite inspiring.

"All I ask is one thing and I'm asking this particular of young people that watch. Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere."

"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."

WORD. now to more reading

FDOC: first day of class

Today I took advantage of one of St. Marks Place's many services and FINALLY got my ears pierced. Yes, my piercing virginity has been taken. My friend needed to get her piercing fixed, and convinced me to just go and get it done. I just never got around to piercing them: when I was younger I was scared of needles, and then when I was older I just never actively gone out to Claire's to pierce them.

We went to a piercing/tattoo parlor on St Marks. It was your typical store: hookahs, various grungy earrings for sale in the front, and tattoo/piercing parlor in the back. It came out to 48.99, which I think was a bit pricey. I would have liked them to include a free bottle of saline solution for the aftercare, but the guy seemed pretty professional and the tools seemed sterile. I don't want to sing high praises yet, only because I've just gotten them done. It hurt for only a bit during the actually poking part, but overall it went pretty quickly. I have to keep these not-so-flattering hoops in for about two months, and then I can finally wear the earrings that I admire in the stores.

My second to last semester started today, and it will be challenging. I had my Power & Politics course first, but I am excited for it. I've heard good things about the professor and I've never actually taken an entire course on American politics. Should be a good time. Then I had my 3 day Stats course, which will be helpful in the future, however, the professor talks monotonously.

Even though NYU has a huge population, I've been seeing all these people from the Prague program on the streets, in my classes. It's crazy, because I never used to see them before going to Prague.

the perils of the city

I was walking home from work today. It was around 6pm, so it was already dark. Walking, walking, faster than usual because it was so cold, I just wanted to get indoors. I come to the crosswalk at West 13th (maybe at this point its East 13th) and 4th Ave, and I see the bright white dude, telling me its okay to cross. So i cross.

Then I see the bright lights of a large taxi. I sort of lean back, step back, and I feel the cold metal through my glove. I still can't believe how close of an encounter that was. It happened so fast. The taxi driver must have stopped to make sure he didn't fuck up, but I just kept walking, getting onto the sidewalk. I wasn't shaky at all afterwards. Usually when something like this happens to someone, don't they feel like their whole perspective on life changes? Maybe that's being a little too dramatic. But I know for sure, I'm going to even more wary at crosswalks, even when it is supposedly okay to cross. Stupid taxis.

I've been meeting up with friends whom I haven't seen a really long time, and it feels so good to chat and reminisce, hear what they have accomplished during the time apart, discuss the future. There are still people I want to see, which makes me look forward to the beginning of school. And I guess after this close shave, makes me look forward to anything in the future.

I've moved..

.. into school housing. It gets easier and easier each year, I suppose my family and I have got this moving in and out of dorms down. We used these lime green container bins that my mother bought, and it made moving in so seamless. I used to use a few suitcases and a bag here for shoes, another bag for clothes, and other bags for various things. With these containers, all we had to do was unload from the car, load into the large wheely bins, and unload in my room all in two trips.

And now I sit here in my room near Union Square, look across my room, and actually can't believe I'm a week from starting what could be my second to last semester of university. I'm still on the fence about graduating early, only because I'm afraid I'm going to be limiting myself. Yes, its great that I will be finished with a major and a minor, but I question whether I should go beyond that. Should I go ahead and finish another minor, or go for honors in my major? Will be worth another semester of NYU's insane tuition? This is something that I really need to make a decision about very soon. I guess a trip to the advising center is in order.

Other curiosities pop into my head: what will this semester be like? What should I expect? Usually I tell myself not to have expectations, just so that I won't be disappointed in the outcomes. But sometimes I do wonder what will the next semester bring me. I think it does surprise me in the end anyways, with changes in social circles, in knowledge, in the world, and in myself.

I'm excited to get this semester going, even though I know it will be not as easy in terms of schoolwork as my time in Prague. My fall semester abroad is now a pleasant and lovely memory, and I am ready to get Spring semester started. hahaha, maybe I really do love school a lot. I think when I hit that mid-semester slump, I'll just look outside my window and see the new highrise next to my building... one day I want to live in the city comfortably in such a highrise apartment building, but until then, I've got to continue working hard.

Saturday in Flushing

After a week of commuting to and fro, I spent a nice day with the family in Flushing. It's the first time I went to Flushing after coming back from Europe, and after I got out of the car, I was smiling ear to ear, as I was happy to be back in this environment that is familiar to me. The main mission of the day was to get the hairs did, as we usually do every six months or so. I ended getting my hair cut shorter and dyed a coffee-brownish color (ok, maybe my description of the color sucks.. but its much lighter now). I like it, and the hair color may take some getting used to. Upon further inspection, it looks like the hairstylist may have cut one side slightly shorter than the other, but I am hoping that it is just because its slightly more curled than the longer side.

Then, we had a wonderful lunch at 紅筷子, or Red Chopsticks. I had heard that this restaurant had pretty decent Taiwanese cuisine. It has a fabulous 3 Dishes, 1 Soup lunch combination for $19.95, which is a price that can't be beat. We ordered Ma Puo Tofu, San Bei Chicken, and Sauteed Spinach. My mother added Oyster Noodle Soup and other little appetizers. The food came quickly and I devoured my bowl of rice quite quickly. I must have been hungry, or I just hadn't had this kind of food in such a long time, that I just couldn't stop myself. HAHA. I will definitely be going back to this little restaurant on 41st Ave.

Tomorrow I will be moving back into housing. I have been preparing myself for a less-luxurious semester in my dorm, after being spoiled in the newest building in our school's housing. I've got my ricecooker (which I missed so much in Prague) all ready.

the next time i fly....

I will keep this article in mind..

"Perhaps there’s only ever been one trick to keeping one’s cool in challenging circumstances, the same one the British adventurer T. E. Lawrence offers for dealing with pain in David Lean’s film “Lawrence of Arabia,” set a century ago, in another war. The trick, he says, “is not minding.”"

renewed spirit

ok, so Prague blogging didn't quite work out like I wanted to. I'm going to try again, and maybe allude to my experience abroad with these future entries.

It has been a week since I returned to the USA. Although I was sad in the days leading up to my departure from Prague, I was so happy when the plane touched down in Newark. Perhaps it was from the long and trying day of traveling. I've done long days of traveling with trips to Taiwan, but what I experienced this time around never happened on my trips to Asia, which now seem so much smoother in comparison to my trip to Europe. So, my flight from Prague to London was delayed two hours, thanks to the snowstorm in Western Europe that Thursday/Friday. The Czech Airlines plane arrived in Heathrow around 4:05pm, and my scheduled flight to Newark from London departed at 4:00pm. My fellow travelers and I went to the Virgin Atlantic transfer desk and found out that there was a flight out at 8:00pm, however it was fully booked, and we would be on standby. For about 2hours, I tried in a crowded Terminal 3, to find the best way to contact my parents. I tried buying internet, but my laptop failed to work properly and efficiently. I tried using the payphones, but that didn't seem to quite work. Then I opted for the quick internet kiosk, and sent an email. But I later realized that I could have just used my Czech phone to call home, since I still had some crowns on it. Sigh... wasted a bit of money.

Anyways, went to the gate and waited, waited, for all the passengers to board the plane. It looked like there were a lot of people, and I had to keep reminding myself that it was a big plane. Tried reading, but I just kept thinking about the possibility of spending an extra night in London. Which I guess, wouldn't be too bad. But at that point, I was ready to get into my own bed in NJ. Then the crowded winded down, and the rest of standbys gathered around the desk. A steward called out one name, and then said that everyone was getting on the flight... yaaay I jumped and exclaimed "I'm going home!" There were many extra seats too.

On this flight, I learned from watching "Revolutionary Road" on the way to Europe, and watched a lighter movie. "500(days) of Summer" was a better choice, and I discovered how cute Joseph Gordan-Levitt is. I attempted at "Julie&Julia" but dozed off halfway through, not because it was bad movie, but because I was just so tired from not sleeping that much the night before, and being on the move.

The next day, I had lunch at Mitsuwa, and went grocery shopping with my parents at Han Ah Reum. Even though these are Japanese and Korean markets respectively, it was slightly shocking to be among people that looked like me, and to have some of them speak a language that I could understand. I think I blinked several times to just adjust myself to this environment. I was also just HAPPY to be eating real and delicious Asian food. It also started snowing on Saturday, so it was a good thing that I got on that 8pm flight out of Heathrow on Friday, otherwise I would have been stuck in London for sure.

Today, I went shopping at Jersey Garden's, a local outlet shopping mall. Its huge, and always jam packed around this time of year. Sitting in the food court, I sat there thinking, if I were an alien and landed in this particular food court, I would not think that I was in the USA. Most of the people were Hispanic or Indian American, and not a Caucasian American in sight. This would not be the case in the Midwest, I'm sure. If an alien had landed in Kansas, for instance, it would have thought it was a completely different country. Ahhh, diversity. How I've missed you.

This is an interesting article.. "Taiwan's Santa bus drivers." Its about bus drivers in Taiwan, dressing up as Santa and decorating their buses, and the Taiwanese "superficial" approach to the holiday. They've really commercialized it, but so has the USA. I see it as new way of bringing Christmas spirit. Must be an interesting sight to see Asian Santa Clauses, and all lined up waiting by their buses.