Tuesday, April 20, 2004
The return of "J"!
Remember "J"? The dude who invited me to Yamagata? The guy I almost "went to Korea" with but then cancelled on me? Well, for the second half of 2003, I hardly ever heard from him and I thought I would never hear from again, but then...I got in touch with him again through MSN Messenger. And guess what? He's coming here, to the US....to the University of Delaware to study at their English Language Institute for an academic school year. During the time I spent with him, I knew that he had been to UD twice and that he was seriously thinking of studying there...but I didn't think he'd actually go through with it! And him, of all people! Why couldn't it have been K?? :`( He's coming very soon...in a week in fact. I felt that it was only right that I should repay his kindness in inviting me to Yamagata by inviting him down here for a weekend when he comes to Delaware. For a while, I tried to get in contact with him to let him know, but he wouldn't respond. I was getting exasperated about it when he got in contact with me while I was in Newark this past weekend. We talked for a bit and I told him that I wanted to invite him to my house and he seemed to like the idea. I've told my sisters about my history with J so when I told them that I wanted to invite him over, they rolled their eyes, but I assured them that there will be on "hanky-panky" this time!! I'm inviting him over to be nice...He is off limits for me!
Remember "J"? The dude who invited me to Yamagata? The guy I almost "went to Korea" with but then cancelled on me? Well, for the second half of 2003, I hardly ever heard from him and I thought I would never hear from again, but then...I got in touch with him again through MSN Messenger. And guess what? He's coming here, to the US....to the University of Delaware to study at their English Language Institute for an academic school year. During the time I spent with him, I knew that he had been to UD twice and that he was seriously thinking of studying there...but I didn't think he'd actually go through with it! And him, of all people! Why couldn't it have been K?? :`( He's coming very soon...in a week in fact. I felt that it was only right that I should repay his kindness in inviting me to Yamagata by inviting him down here for a weekend when he comes to Delaware. For a while, I tried to get in contact with him to let him know, but he wouldn't respond. I was getting exasperated about it when he got in contact with me while I was in Newark this past weekend. We talked for a bit and I told him that I wanted to invite him to my house and he seemed to like the idea. I've told my sisters about my history with J so when I told them that I wanted to invite him over, they rolled their eyes, but I assured them that there will be on "hanky-panky" this time!! I'm inviting him over to be nice...He is off limits for me!
This past weekend...
This past weekend, I spent a really nice and relaxing time with my sister M. The thing is, my mother wanted to go to the King of Prussia Mall and pick M up on the way. M had wanted to borrow the car for Sunday so basically we were to drive up in two cars and then I was to stay over in her apartment in Newark until Monday. Then my dad said, "Why don't you take the time to visit the Wharton School of Business while you're up there?" I didn't feel like going, but I figured that I'd go to please him...and basically to get him to stop bugging me about my future.
We ended up spending Saturday afternoon at the Christiana Mall, which is nearer by. We had lunch at our favorite Christiana Mall haunt, Don Pablos, which is a Mexican restaurant. My dad and I spent time at Circuit City, one of my favorite stores, then I joined my mother and my sisters in their endless and pointless quest to find G shoes for prom. Anywayz, we all drove back to M's apartment in Newark and we were dropped off there. I had brought the Spirited Away DVD to watch, but M wanted to watch something else, so we went to the nearby Blockbuster. At first, we couldn't find anything, but we ended up renting three DVDs. We got "Ghost World" and "Dancer in the Dark" because we couldn't decide between the two. And I got "Taboo" or "Gohatto", a Japanese movie starring my latest celebrity obssession, Ryuhei Matsuda. I was so surprised to see it in Blockbuster that I simply had to rent it. That evening, M and I saw "Dancer In the Dark", which is one of the most disturbing movies we have ever seen. While it was about a woman who had lost touch with reality...it was so realistically filmed and so shocking that it stays with you for a while. While it was an interesting movie....I really don't recommend seeing it. Geez, after seeing this movie, "Grave of the Fireflies" seemed uplifting (even though I still think it was a very sad movie).
The next day, I had lunch with my sister and then, while she worked on homework, I watched "Taboo". I think it was an interesting and entertaining movie that I think I would like to buy on DVD, in spite of the sloppy ending. And I hate to say this....the symbolism was a little cliche, and obscured to the point where I don't know if there was something deeper to it or not. Anyways, I started watching Ghost World that evening but the DVD player in my sister's computer froze up so I gave up....hopefully I will have time to watch the rest of it in the near future.
Anywayz, the next day, Monday, Mariana was nice enough to go with me to Philly to go to a Wharton information session. It was a good thing too because I hate, hate, HATE driving in Philly. Anyways, in spite of the initial intimidation by all the prospective students dressed in suits and already with careers, the information session was very interesting and the admissions officer was very nice. He directed me to the Lauder Institute, which was where my main interest was in. The Lauder Institute is a department within Wharton that allows you to earn a dual degree in business and in international studies. Anyway, I talke to an admissions office there and basically she told me what I already know....that I need more work experience in order to even think about applying. I asked her what kind a job she would suggest and she told me that there was no "right" answer. Instead she gave me two student directories which had student profiles. I read it later on and I almost got sick to my stomach. All the students know several languages but above all, they all have these, amazing careers and have been all over the world....it's inhuman! They're all these super-duper overachievers! I had to stop reading. Anywayz, after dropping M off, I went back home....I was pretty tired.
This past weekend, I spent a really nice and relaxing time with my sister M. The thing is, my mother wanted to go to the King of Prussia Mall and pick M up on the way. M had wanted to borrow the car for Sunday so basically we were to drive up in two cars and then I was to stay over in her apartment in Newark until Monday. Then my dad said, "Why don't you take the time to visit the Wharton School of Business while you're up there?" I didn't feel like going, but I figured that I'd go to please him...and basically to get him to stop bugging me about my future.
We ended up spending Saturday afternoon at the Christiana Mall, which is nearer by. We had lunch at our favorite Christiana Mall haunt, Don Pablos, which is a Mexican restaurant. My dad and I spent time at Circuit City, one of my favorite stores, then I joined my mother and my sisters in their endless and pointless quest to find G shoes for prom. Anywayz, we all drove back to M's apartment in Newark and we were dropped off there. I had brought the Spirited Away DVD to watch, but M wanted to watch something else, so we went to the nearby Blockbuster. At first, we couldn't find anything, but we ended up renting three DVDs. We got "Ghost World" and "Dancer in the Dark" because we couldn't decide between the two. And I got "Taboo" or "Gohatto", a Japanese movie starring my latest celebrity obssession, Ryuhei Matsuda. I was so surprised to see it in Blockbuster that I simply had to rent it. That evening, M and I saw "Dancer In the Dark", which is one of the most disturbing movies we have ever seen. While it was about a woman who had lost touch with reality...it was so realistically filmed and so shocking that it stays with you for a while. While it was an interesting movie....I really don't recommend seeing it. Geez, after seeing this movie, "Grave of the Fireflies" seemed uplifting (even though I still think it was a very sad movie).
The next day, I had lunch with my sister and then, while she worked on homework, I watched "Taboo". I think it was an interesting and entertaining movie that I think I would like to buy on DVD, in spite of the sloppy ending. And I hate to say this....the symbolism was a little cliche, and obscured to the point where I don't know if there was something deeper to it or not. Anyways, I started watching Ghost World that evening but the DVD player in my sister's computer froze up so I gave up....hopefully I will have time to watch the rest of it in the near future.
Anywayz, the next day, Monday, Mariana was nice enough to go with me to Philly to go to a Wharton information session. It was a good thing too because I hate, hate, HATE driving in Philly. Anyways, in spite of the initial intimidation by all the prospective students dressed in suits and already with careers, the information session was very interesting and the admissions officer was very nice. He directed me to the Lauder Institute, which was where my main interest was in. The Lauder Institute is a department within Wharton that allows you to earn a dual degree in business and in international studies. Anyway, I talke to an admissions office there and basically she told me what I already know....that I need more work experience in order to even think about applying. I asked her what kind a job she would suggest and she told me that there was no "right" answer. Instead she gave me two student directories which had student profiles. I read it later on and I almost got sick to my stomach. All the students know several languages but above all, they all have these, amazing careers and have been all over the world....it's inhuman! They're all these super-duper overachievers! I had to stop reading. Anywayz, after dropping M off, I went back home....I was pretty tired.
On TH...
Lately, I find myself thinking about TH a lot. Right before I started dating K, I felt that TH and I had some sort of...flirtation going on. On my birthday, KM even asked me, "Why don't you go for him?" and I replied, "Well, I don't know if he likes me" to which KM did not respond. Looking back...maybe TH did have feelings for me, but I will probably never know for sure. He was always such a nice, sweet guy who came across as introverted but would surprise you by doing or saying something crazy or wacky. He's really not a very handsome guy and lord knows he has awful teeth, but there was something about him...a certain confidence...something that I have often referred to as "sexiness." We have exchanged a few emails since I came back home. He's now working and God knows most of his time will be occupied with that. After I started going out with K, TH confided in me that he had feelings for this girl at Soka who is half Brazilian and half Japanese. Later on, when I asked him about her, he seemed to have given up hope, apparently she was more interested in getting him to go to meetings. TH himself, while of full Japanese blood, was born in Brazil and spent a few years of his life there. Perhaps he is attracted to hispanic girls. So if that is true, did he indeed have feelings for me? If K hadn't been in the picture (not that I regret it....K has been one of the best things that has happened to me so far), would something have developed between TH and I? Will I ever see him again?
Lately, I find myself thinking about TH a lot. Right before I started dating K, I felt that TH and I had some sort of...flirtation going on. On my birthday, KM even asked me, "Why don't you go for him?" and I replied, "Well, I don't know if he likes me" to which KM did not respond. Looking back...maybe TH did have feelings for me, but I will probably never know for sure. He was always such a nice, sweet guy who came across as introverted but would surprise you by doing or saying something crazy or wacky. He's really not a very handsome guy and lord knows he has awful teeth, but there was something about him...a certain confidence...something that I have often referred to as "sexiness." We have exchanged a few emails since I came back home. He's now working and God knows most of his time will be occupied with that. After I started going out with K, TH confided in me that he had feelings for this girl at Soka who is half Brazilian and half Japanese. Later on, when I asked him about her, he seemed to have given up hope, apparently she was more interested in getting him to go to meetings. TH himself, while of full Japanese blood, was born in Brazil and spent a few years of his life there. Perhaps he is attracted to hispanic girls. So if that is true, did he indeed have feelings for me? If K hadn't been in the picture (not that I regret it....K has been one of the best things that has happened to me so far), would something have developed between TH and I? Will I ever see him again?
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
A potpourri....(or, Procrastinating)
I was reading my previous blog's archive from last September. Natsukashiiii (how nostalgic!). It was nice looking back and realizing that they way I wrote wasn't as boring as I had thought. I also didn't feel the sadness that I usually do when I think about my time over there....I guess it was because what I read was before K's time...
I saw the "Grave of the Fireflies" a few days ago. I can honestly say it was one of the saddest movies I have ever seen. It's about two children orphaned during World War II. I won't give away the ending, but I don't think I would even want to because it's so sad. But it was also a very beautiful movie, beautiful in how it portrayed the characters' emotions and the relationship between them. Shortly after buying the DVD, I wrote to my professor asking him if he had seen the movie and what he thought of it. He wrote back to me today saying that it was a very sad movie and that I should see it with my family or friends instead of seeing it alone. Unfortunately, it has been several days after I saw it....alone. *smiles* Well, what can you do?....but it's true, perhaps I should have seen it with my mom or my sister. I didn't cry when watching the movie, but this movie is defenitely a tearjearker.
Easter was nice...got to wear a new outfit and go out for lunch. But my biggest surprise was in church when I ran into JK, my first boyfriend. It was such a pleasant surprise to see him after all this time...I hadn't seen him since way before I left for Japan. He has a full beard now....at least his head's not shaven like the last time I saw him! It seems that I am "doomed" to date guys with beards, with JK setting the precedent...lol! Anywayz, he gave me his phone number but unfortunately, he accidentally gave me the wrong number, but he knew my phone number so he called me up the next day. We started talking about things when I mentioned K. I hadn't even mentioned that he was my boyfriend when JK said..."You miss him, don't you" I meekly said yes and then he said..."Oh my God...you love him, don't you?" I was shocked....it was as if he had read my mind! He tells me that he has the ability to not quite read minds, but to feel other people's emotions when they are nearby and said that my emotions must have been running really strong for him to have felt them over the phone. Later that afternoon, he came over my house and we spent a long time just talking and catching up. There was so much to talk about....about his fiancee, about living with her and her parents...talk about crazy! G also had a chance to talk to him. Later on, he told me that he sensed that she feels something for the guys she's going out to prom. I certainly wouldn't be surprised about that. Anywayz, I do hope I get more chances to talk to him. It was strange, but the fact that he sensed my emotions when mentioning K sort of resurfaced the strong feelings that I have for K. The two days before that, I had been talking to M, convincing myself that things with him wouldn't have worked out anyway...but now I know that I still love K just as much...*sigh*
I was reading my previous blog's archive from last September. Natsukashiiii (how nostalgic!). It was nice looking back and realizing that they way I wrote wasn't as boring as I had thought. I also didn't feel the sadness that I usually do when I think about my time over there....I guess it was because what I read was before K's time...
I saw the "Grave of the Fireflies" a few days ago. I can honestly say it was one of the saddest movies I have ever seen. It's about two children orphaned during World War II. I won't give away the ending, but I don't think I would even want to because it's so sad. But it was also a very beautiful movie, beautiful in how it portrayed the characters' emotions and the relationship between them. Shortly after buying the DVD, I wrote to my professor asking him if he had seen the movie and what he thought of it. He wrote back to me today saying that it was a very sad movie and that I should see it with my family or friends instead of seeing it alone. Unfortunately, it has been several days after I saw it....alone. *smiles* Well, what can you do?....but it's true, perhaps I should have seen it with my mom or my sister. I didn't cry when watching the movie, but this movie is defenitely a tearjearker.
Easter was nice...got to wear a new outfit and go out for lunch. But my biggest surprise was in church when I ran into JK, my first boyfriend. It was such a pleasant surprise to see him after all this time...I hadn't seen him since way before I left for Japan. He has a full beard now....at least his head's not shaven like the last time I saw him! It seems that I am "doomed" to date guys with beards, with JK setting the precedent...lol! Anywayz, he gave me his phone number but unfortunately, he accidentally gave me the wrong number, but he knew my phone number so he called me up the next day. We started talking about things when I mentioned K. I hadn't even mentioned that he was my boyfriend when JK said..."You miss him, don't you" I meekly said yes and then he said..."Oh my God...you love him, don't you?" I was shocked....it was as if he had read my mind! He tells me that he has the ability to not quite read minds, but to feel other people's emotions when they are nearby and said that my emotions must have been running really strong for him to have felt them over the phone. Later that afternoon, he came over my house and we spent a long time just talking and catching up. There was so much to talk about....about his fiancee, about living with her and her parents...talk about crazy! G also had a chance to talk to him. Later on, he told me that he sensed that she feels something for the guys she's going out to prom. I certainly wouldn't be surprised about that. Anywayz, I do hope I get more chances to talk to him. It was strange, but the fact that he sensed my emotions when mentioning K sort of resurfaced the strong feelings that I have for K. The two days before that, I had been talking to M, convincing myself that things with him wouldn't have worked out anyway...but now I know that I still love K just as much...*sigh*
Here I am, trying to do something with my life. This evening, I looked up information on joint Japanese/Business degree programs. There are some that look pretty good. The thing is, I know for sure that I want to continue my study of the Japanese language and culture, but I don't want to use it for teaching, and since I hear that you can do a lot with a business degree, the combination of both sounds like a good idea. It's just that I still don't know what my "career goals" are...I'm just seeing where it takes me. But unfortunately, it seems that schools are looking for people with "goals". What the heck am I supposed to tell them? Should I make something up? I am also trying to fill out a part-time job application to Barnes and Noble. I love bookstores and it seems like such an awesome place to work and above all, I could use some cash flow....God, I hope they're hiring. I need to be doing something besides sitting on my ass.
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Today I went back to Circuit City to buy my sister's birthday present/s and to see if I could find that "Grave of the Fireflies" DVD. Well....the DVD was still there so this time I was able to get it. Yay! I know I won't need to rent a movie tonight!
On Monday, my friends KG, AR, and ET came to visit me for two days. It was so nice to see them! We went to Circuit City, my favorite electronics store in the US, so I could check out the laptop prices. My friends had a field day in the CD section because CDs there are so cheap. I came across a rare copy of a lesser-known movie by the same animators who did "Princess Mononoke" and "Sprited Away" called "The Grave of the Fireflies." Even though I had never seen it before, it looked really good and I really wanted to buy it, but I didn't have enough money. Later that afternoon, we all went to Olive Garden for dinner. It was really nice and the food was delicious! In the evening, we watched "Lost in Translation"....the first time for the three of them. I'm not sure they liked it though, but it's understandable....it's is a rather strange movie...and part of the reason I liked it is because I could identify with it after being in Tokyo. We also saw "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". I know, I know, I'm such a geek....but I absolutely love this movie! It was AR's first time seeing it....how could she have gone through college without having seen it!!?? Anywayz, the next day, we finished watching "The Holy Grail" and relaxed for a while. Then we went to the Ward Museum and then to Ocean City to walk on the boardwalk. I was so happy to see my friends, with whom I have mostly communicated by computer this past year and a half. I hope to be able to have more chances to hang out with them in the future!
D'OH!
I realized today that April 1st was DT's birthday and that I had forgotten to wish her a happy birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY D.T.!! I will be emailing you soon!
I realized today that April 1st was DT's birthday and that I had forgotten to wish her a happy birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY D.T.!! I will be emailing you soon!
