Senior Luau

The senior luau was yesterday! I spent most of mid-morning and noon getting ready. Chunnie called me and I invited myself over her place so that we can go together. But something really scary happened while I was on my way! A man driving in the opposite direction of where I was headed had his arm draped outside the car window. With his other arm, he beckoned me to come over. I continued to walk forward, but when I looked back, I saw that he was leaning his head back and still staring at me! The next thing I knew, he had his car turned around and was driving next to me.

"Need a ride?"

I replied, "No," and to my relief, he drove away. I was so scared because he was pretty persistent. 恐い!!!

Chunnie and I met with Tracy and eventually arrived at school (safely!) The luau event started with a tour of Waikiki on the trolley (a great privilege made possible by events like these because trolleys are normally reserved for tourists). Tracy boarded trolley 3 with Chunnie and me even though she was supposed to ride trolley 2. Our trolley had its share of quiet people, so she made it fun. During the trolley ride, we were not allowed to shout profanity or sexist/racist comments of any sort...but showing our school pride was encouraged. Much of the screaming was done by her...with the exception of the occasional cry of "WAYMOND!!! WAYMOND!!!" (by Waymond's...boyfriend?) since Waymond moved to trolley 2 (mix-up between him and Tracy?) I did some screaming, but only when I wasn't too preoccupied with laughing at Tracy, who was so hilarious and cute (she screamed extra loud when she spotted good-looking half-naked blond boys). Since the other four trolleys were close by (all going down the same way), I could hear everyone making a lot of racket. Some people in the streets looked at us with a bewildered look on their faces, but others smiled and joined in on the fun by waving in response or throwing a shaka.

On our way to Treetops, the restaurant the luau was held at, we saw chickens! And it flew! I didn't know chickens could fly! (Chunnie explained that they could to a certain extent.)

When we arrived, we played games - Hawaiian themed charades and trivia. I made a mistake during the buffet by putting on too much cold food on my plate because I didn't know that there would be a lot of hot food toward the end of the line. My favorite was the barbecue chicken and the thick slippery glass noodles (it tasted super Chinese and was extremely good!) I ended up eating two large plates because it is against my nature to waste. We took pictures after dinner, announced the senior luau court, and played limbo before the dancing started.



It was my first time so I felt really awkward, but I learned to just move around. Everyone's body heat warmed the place up, so I stayed in the crowd to prevent myself from getting cold. I only wished they played better music (I didn't know most of the songs and many of them were so obnoxious-sounding!) I would be happy to dance to A.R. Rahman, haha!



This was the backdrop I painted so that everyone could have a little bit of fun. ^.~ I've never really painted before and it was the first time I've painted something on such a large scale! :)

When the music stopped playing, my throat was really sore and everyone's ears were ringing (the aftermath of insanely loud music). Erica described the sensation as having your ears stuffed with marshmallows - quite true! Overall, I had lots of fun. ^^

The night ended with screams of "WAYMOND!!! WAYMOND!!!" (again) on the trolley ride back to school. Tracy was too tired by this point to yell (and wake up the entire neighborhood). We sat and watched the city lights flash before our eyes, huddling together for what warmth our bodies gave against the cold.

Filming LOST Downstairs!

Everyone knows that the ABC television show "LOST" is being filmed in Hawaii...but who knew they were going to choose the front entrance of my place to shoot a scene?! X)

I was walking home from work when I saw a bunch of construction workers in the middle of putting up a sign in the front entrance of the apartment building. Because there were several men working, I did not get a chance to see the what the entire sign said, but I spotted the words "Medical" and "Beach." On the glass walls, I noticed the letters "Waiting Room." I was completely boggled because I had no idea what was going on! I thought, "Am I at the right place? Isn't this a residential building? Why are they turning the lobby into a hospital?"

It was only after I read the sign posted between the elevators that I found out they were shooting "LOST" from 6-10PM.

I never had the time to see it, but I really wish I watched the show. :(

I didn't mean to be depressing...

I've been accepted into my top two choices schools!

Both schools have both their positive and their negative points so it is difficult to make a decision. However, I think I already know what school to go to.

Numerous people have asked me, "Did you talk to your parents about it?"

And my reply was no, because I dreaded the moment of telling them. I just knew what my ignorant parents would say.

Today, after I received a call from a student of the school that I got accepted into, I decided on a whim to finally tell my mother.

"Mom, I got accepted into two schools!"

Her response, "Is it a brand-name school?"

That was exactly what I thought she would say. During a meeting to discuss mainland colleges, the college and career counselor had joked, "You know the stereotype of Asian parents telling you to go to Harvard..."

Guess what? The horrible thing is that my parents fit that stereotype exactly! They do not know the first thing about colleges and my mom probably does not know any college except Harvard. She's probably never even heard of other equally well-known ivy league schools such as Princeton or Yale. She knows only Harvard. And not Harvard, the school, but Harvard, the NAME. She also wants me to be a doctor (like all other stereotypical Chinese parents!)

So even though the response didn't come as a surprise because I was expecting it, I didn't feel less...angry. She is not the kind of woman you can explain something to. I've tried for all of my life to talk to her. My brother and sister gave up long time ago because any kind of conversation with her ends up with angry shouts and profanity. I don't want it to be that way, so I try. But it is really impossible. And every time I try and fail in attempt, I feel like crying.

Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

My sister and I went to Chinatown on Saturday night to check out the festivities. It rained a just like last year! I am glad the rain stopped quickly because having an umbrella open in the crowd is very inconvenient. I went out because I wanted to see my friend perform (sorry, all pictures of her came out bad!) She does traditional Chinese dancing (something that I quit doing long ago). I enjoyed watching lion dance, especially when the guys balance on the long poles~ very impressive! ^_^ I've always fantasized about doing this myself, haha! Alas, I have never seen a girl do it yet. Perhaps a boy's body is better built for this sort of thing.

On Sunday, I helped my mom make jai:



During these past two days, I must have eaten over seven bowls of jai already! XD

I received lai see from my parents this morning. I think I will use this money to buy my prom dress. :)

Coconut Carrot Cake!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! :)

I ended up spending the entire day making a birthday cake for my grandma. Buying the ingredients used up quite a bit of money. (;_;)

But I've never made a cake cake before, complete with frosting, all by myself. It took me five hours to finish (not including how I spent all morning shopping for ingredients)! (^_^)

I was applying frosting when my mom mentioned that grandma was diabetic. (-__-) She is so mean for not telling me beforehand! What is cake without sugar?! (>_<) Well, I have to remind myself that this is the same lady who told me to add grapes and pork into my brownies...

I've Been Tagged!

School and work is CANCELED tomorrow because of a big storm that is said to come any minute tonight. (Hooray, hooray!) This is the first time school and work has ever been canceled because of a storm. The school will always be open as long as electricity is running. However, the upcoming storm will apparently generate such strong winds that it will be dangerous to go outside.

I've been tagged by Brittany!

Here are five things about myself, four truths and one lie. Can you guess the lie? XD (My sister and my close friends know me too well so they probably already know the answer...)

1. I don't like ice cream because it's too cold.
2. When I feel itchy, I have to scratch!
3. I like strawberry flavored candy.
4. The first thing I notice about guys is not their eyes, but their hair (and height!)
5. I love to climb stairs.

I tag...Jenny, Yesi, Cat, and Jayme... but only if they want to! ^^

A new obsession with dresses...

When I was little, I loved watching Disney princess films and seeing the heroines twirl in their big beautiful ball gowns. I thought, "I want to wear one of those poofy gowns when I grow up." It is the last day of winter break. I should be doing something...studious, like flipping through my calculus textbook and looking over some of the old problems. Right. My head is still stuck in la-la-land, especially since I just went prom dress shopping with my friends for the first time!

In the afternoon, the four of us went to Masako Formals. Bridal wear dominated, but there was still a small section for prom dresses. I actually had a hard time finding a dress that I liked - maybe because I’ve never shopped for anything like it before and everything seemed so...extravagant! I could not picture myself wearing many of these dresses and I almost did not try any on until a friend handed me one and insisted that I try it.

There was a bunch of bridal wear catalogs scattered about on the table so my friends and I flipped through them. If I ever do marry a rich guy, I would love to wear a wedding gown designed by Vera Wang or Oscar de la Renta. <3

Oscar de la Renta Spring 2007


Here are some of my favorite gowns:

Hwang Jae Bok




Faviana:






Alyce Designs:



This one is my favorite:
(Should I ask Masako Formals to order it for me if they don't have it in stock?)

2009 has just come so the new dresses haven't arrived yet. I still have months to find the perfect one (and hopefully, I do at an affordable price!) After spending around two to three hours at the dress shop, we decided to take the bus to go to the Don Quijote area and grab a bite to eat. While we were on our way, one friend commented, "Wait. Shouldn't we be shopping for senior luau dresses first?"

(Duh! That's in a few weeks!)