Summer Break (Part One)

Wow, it has definitely been a while since I last blogged. A month and a half of summer has already passed by so quickly. Soon, I will be leaving Hawaii and heading off to Oregon! There are so many things to think about, but I need to learn to think about the right things and not focus on the wrong things. ^_^;

Our housing assignments are supposed to be mailed to us in the second week of August, but someone found out how to access that information so all of us know where we will be staying. Blitz Bearcat (the helpful school mascot that provides us information about the school and answers our questions) tells us that the housing assignments listed online are only tentative and not official, so it might change later on. But because of this, I found out who my roommate is prematurely! She's very different from me, but she seems like an amazing person. ^_^ She's very athletic and into sports (Maybe some of her skills will rub on me? Haha. Maybe!)

Summer's actually not too bad! I like that I never got "bored" yet (except at work, where I feel incredibly lonely) and that I'm kept busy. I like being productive and feeling useful. When I'm not working, I make sure that I have plans to hang out with friends instead of lying around at home (which is what I've always done in the past). I've been going out a lot more lately (which is why less time is spent online and why I haven't blogged in a while...) There are those who have a great social life and also manage to blog frequently. I'd like to know their secret because I can't do that.

Anyway, I have a lot of catching up to do since my last blog post! Here's what I've been up to:

May 25, 2009
There was prom. It could have been better in many ways. Lots of drama happened between my friends, but I was kept in the dark about it until after prom was over. The food = terrible.



June 7, 2009
Graduation! Yay! It still hasn't hit me that I'm not in high school anymore. I did not cry.



June 9, 2009
I carried a 21 lb watermelon to my friend's place for a surprise birthday party. Below is a picture of me and my muscular arms (in all seriousness, I was dying but I smiled for the camera anyway).



June 10, 2009
I went to the movie premiere of The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds with my older sister Jenny, Alden, and Erica. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the movie! <3

June 11, 2009
I got sick from hanging out with peeps who went to Project Grad (a virus spread and infected all of them!) but I desperately wanted to attend Janelle's grad party anyway. Her party was at Chin's Restaurant located across from Kahala Mall. When I arrived, guess what I found out? Janelle wasn't able to attend her own grad party because she was too sick (and staying home according to doctor's orders!) Everyone at the table I sat on was also sick. :O But the food was good. We had buffet.

June 14, 2009
I finished watching the live-action drama, Hotaru no Hikari. I didn't like the manga very much, but I loved the drama. <3 Everyone should see it!



Right now, I'm watching another Japanese mystery drama called Kiina. It is very similar to Galileo, but I don't mind because it is fun to watch. I find the cases easier to solve!

June 20, 2009
I attended Erica's grad party at Nice Day Chinese Seafood Restaurant located in Liliha Square. I bought Erica a bouquet of yellow camellias at the supermarket right next door (convenient much? LOL!) I was very jealous because the food was so good. I kept thinking, why couldn't my parents have ordered these things at my grad party? They made me feel like a picky eater. I just think they didn't order the right food. The only problem with Erica's party was...there was too much food. I ate so much that I felt like my stomach was going to burst (literally!) There were NINE dishes in all.



Left to right, top to bottom: 1) Appetizer: spring roll, pork, jellyfish, 2) Egg drop soup, 3) Honey walnut shrimp, 4)Shoyu chicken with shrimp fries, 5) Shrimp, 6) Crab/lobster noodle dish, 7) Sweet and sour beef with onions, 8) Seafood and vegetables dish, 9) Mango pudding.

June 22, 2009
My first sleepover! It was at Alden's place. It was memorable because we took a midnight trip to Walmart and hung out in the toys section. (Like, wtf right? XD)

June 23, 2009
Okay, it wasn't really much of a sleepover because I didn't really sleep (I just closed my eyes). I had work starting at 1PM and someone warned me, "Don't fall asleep at work!" I scoffed at them because I didn't think that would happen (I felt alright). I didn't realize I was falling asleep until I hit my head against the wall. I could barely keep my eyes open.

June 24, 2009
Lanikai beach outing with Chun! She's the only person who can convince me to go to the beach and into the water. The beach was beautiful so I'm glad I came. I actually had fun and enjoyable (having sand in your bikini was not though).



July 6, 2009
I visited my baby cousin, Daphne, who was born on July 2, 2009 at around 11AM. <3 It was the first time I've ever held a baby. She is very tiny and I couldn't believe that what I was holding my arms was...alive. It was a very humbling experience. Meeting her made me think that everything else in life was unimportant and none of my dramas or worries mattered. Only she mattered. She was very sweet and calm. I love her.



July 14, 2009
I went to Cha no Ma Teahouse located in Waikiki with Kara and Jenni. I was very excited! I originally thought the owner was Japanese until he heard me speaking Chinese and replied in Chinese. It turns out he is Taiwanese! He's a very nice and friendly. The best part of the teahouse was the laid back atmosphere and wonderful ambience. Although we were the only customers, it felt really comfortable. And the desserts!



I ordered the green tea jelly, which is topped with whipped cream sprinkled with matcha powder and anko on the side. I was surprised when I tasted the jelly because jelly is usually sweet. Not only was this green tea jelly not sweet, it was downright bitter. Even if one is not fond of sweet things, one might think to add a little bit of sweetener simply to balance out the taste and get rid of the bitterness. But the owner apparently used purely matcha powder, and nothing else. It made me think of my friend Joyce, who constantly complains about things being too sweet. I thought, this is perfect for her.



When my dessert arrived, I spent some time staring at it first. The owner noticed my hesitation and laughed, "Eat it, eat it!"

When I took my first bite, I immediately exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, this is bitter!"

The owner laughed again and said, "Yes, your dessert is the only one that is not sweet." He points to Kara's parfait and said, "That is sweet. Yours is not. Hahaha!"

My friends were worried about me, but I assured them that I liked it (which is partly the truth). There is an art to eating this dessert. Each scoop should contain a bit of jelly, cream, and an (which helps balance out the bitterness). At first, I was a little scared of all that whipped cream, but it turned out to be the lightest whipped cream I've ever tasted and almost everything was consumed. My only complaint was that there was not enough an. Overall, this was a very enjoyable, if not pricy, experience. I can't wait to go again! ^o^

In between these days, I did A LOT of shopping (need to hold back so I can do more shopping in Oregon!) and watched a lot of movies. Fun stuff.

I don't know what happened to 'studying for a driver's permit' and 'learning how to drive'. I think I'm still scared. But there's still the rest of summer, right? ^o^

P.S. I finally changed the layout. I was being entirely selfish with it, because I didn't worry about whether visitors would like it or not. I only thought about what I wanted. It looks pretty simple, but I actually spent about three days on it. ^^ The image was drawn the night before my trip to the teahouse. I actually saw the same kind of teapot there (by pure coincidence).

If you've read this far, congratulations! This blog post actually took several days to finish...and now I'm finally done! Whew. Until next time~!

I sent in my reply yesterday. I'm going to Willamette University! :)

Rambling about a very important decision I have to make...

I am having such a difficult time deciding which school to go to that my head is spinning! I hate vacillating between schools and not knowing what I want to do. I like Seattle University because its location is very appealing – I heard Seattle is interesting and fun. There are cafes, shops, museums, and plenty of things to do. It’s a city city, like Honolulu. I also like that there are many Asian students attending the university (I even spotted ‘anime club’ in Seattle U’s list of student organizations). The cons? I don’t feel like Seattle U really wants me there. They have been giving me a difficult time with the financial aid, and I’ve already emailed and phoned them numerous times. Although the deadline is tomorrow, they still weren’t able to give me a definite answer about my financial aid...only that they would “probably” be able to give me the federal pell grant (they already made it clear that I will not be receiving the SEOG and ACG). I don’t feel comfortable being left hanging like this - it makes me feel so anxious! I can’t believe their doing this to me! Do they want me to come to their school or not? I also don’t feel too eager to take their required religion and philosophy classes. These are core classes and six of them are needed to graduate. I don’t want to waste money on theology classes...!

Willamette University, on the other hand, has been treating me extremely well from the beginning. I received calls and emails from a student representative and from the admissions office asking if I needed any help or if I had any questions. Their financial aid package was the most impressive – a whopping $44,000 that covers all of my expenses! I wouldn’t even need to apply for any more additional outside scholarships! However, this is a liberal arts university and I am not sure I want a liberal arts education (it’ll be like taking high school all over again – and there won’t be a major focus on your selected major). I’ll have to admit that one of the reasons why I was attracted to Willamette was because of the big exchange program they do with a Tokyo University – there are many Japanese students attending! (Gosh, I am such a Japan freak. I can’t help but be obsessed.) The school is also very small (less than 2,000 students!) This can be a good or bad thing, depending on whether you have an optimistic or pessimistic perspective. One student said, “After one month of attending Willamette, you start to see the same faces everyday,” and “It’s like one big family!” Yes, everyone is open and friendly. But with a school so small, I have my doubts about whether I would “fit in” and whether the environment will start to feel suffocating. (Of course, this is just my own stupid insecurities and if there are any problems making friends, it’ll be me and not them.) The size and environment might also mean I’ll be living a sheltered life, and isn’t the point of going away for college to explore the outside world? I feel like Seattle can give me that experience that Salem wouldn’t.

Although I am leaning toward Seattle U, I don't feel good waiting to hear for a response from them while rejecting a perfectly fantastic financial aid package from Willamette University...especially when Seattle U hasn't even given me a straight answer yet!

Oh, what should I do?!

I anticipated that April would be a stressful month, but that did not make it any less stressful for me to go through! The stress and lack of sleep has even caused me to become sick. I missed one day of school and many days of work. I know that I have to take better care of myself~

You would think that because it is the end of April, I would have made my college decision already...but no, I actually haven’t. I’ve talked to many people about the three schools, weighed the pros and cons of each one, compared financial aid letters, and thought and thought about it. In fact, it is what occupies my mind day and night. Throughout the month, I’ve reached moments when I thought I’ve finally made my decision. But I always end up surprising myself with one thing or the other...and right now, I’m back to square one!!! Tomorrow, I will see the college counselor and try to solve this crisis. I desperately want to end this headache once and for all!

I also desperately need to study for the upcoming AP Calculus exam, but a major case of senioritis hit me and I’ve been finding it extremely difficult to concentrate on studying.

Happier notes:



Tracy bought me a beautiful rose on Wednesday and came over to give it to me on the day I was sick. It was a ‘thank-you’ present for the earrings I bought her~ but she didn’t have to do this for me because that’s what a ‘present’ is supposed to be right? She is so sweet! <3

Sara invited me and another friend to her family barbeque on the beach today! It was my first barbeque and the food was so delicious!!! There were chicken drumsticks, short ribs, chicken and apple sausages (strange as that sounds, it’s insanely good and one of my favorites!), bacon wrapped mushrooms, grilled corn and asparagus, ocean salad, sushi, kimchi daikon, and of course, rice. YUM~! I spent the entire day eating and well, doing nothing. It was strange because I’m not used to doing ‘nothing’ but I guess I needed the break.

BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW. G’NIGHT.

Update on Prom Dress 2

It's finally over.

Right at this moment, I might be the most grateful girl in the world.

My co-worker (who, BTW, is the most awesome person I have ever met) went with me to Claudette's during her lunch break. When we first arrived, Claudette was not there. Eventually, she did come back and started to lecture me and my co-worker. I felt so scared. There were multiple times when I thought that I should just forget it and give up. But my co-worker kept reassuring me that it was okay. Claudette spoke for such a long time that I thought we would never get my $50 back.

Toward the end of her long lecture, she was saying, "You are her mother...you should understand how young girls are like. I know, because I am a mother too. They are always changing their minds! I cannot run a business this way."

My co-worker fired back, "I understand. But don't you think $50 is a big price to pay so she could learn her lesson? $50 is a lot of money for her."

Because my co-worker didn't give up, they were able to eventually reach a compromise and Claudette gave me $25 back!!!

She said, "In all of my 29 years of doing business, I have never broken my policy. This is the first time I am doing this and I am only doing this for you."

Although it was not the full $50, it was better than trying to exchange it for some accessories and I was simply happy to get anything back at all. I guess Claudette will keep the extra $25 for the time wasted.

It was a lesson that I learned and I will try to keep my head strong and not give in to peer pressure. I am normally a very careful spender, but this incident will definitely keep me aware of how I am using my money.

Update on Prom Dress

I bought a prom dress today!

But it is not the one from Claudette's - it is from BCBG Max Azria! XD I bought it for $220 with 20% off! Even if I lose the $50 deposit I made at Claudette's, it would still be $30 cheaper than if I bought the dress at Claudette's. :) I tried on five dresses at the store and four out of five of them fit me perfectly so no alterations are necessary! XD I am so happy that there were actually my sizes in the store (I didn't see any size 0's at Chinatown and Ala Moana).


I bought a XXS navy blue ruched bodice strapless long gown. I've always wanted a dress with a ruched design (I don't know why, but I'm really attracted to the fabric gathering!) The dress is also not backless with a V-cut, so I won't feel as cold and self-conscious. It was also the first time I picked something out myself because every time I went prom dress shopping, it was always my friends or my sister pulling dresses out for me. There is no beading on this gown, which means I can go all out on the accessories (bling, bling, baby!) ^o^

Tomorrow, I will be heading down to Claudette's to tell her that I do not want the dress anymore (I wonder if she will try to offer me a bigger discount then?) I doubt that she will let me have my $50 back (she was pretty adamant about that last time) but my friend says it doesn't hurt to try. =/

(If I do get it back, I will cry big tears of relief and happiness.)

Well, wish me luck guys!

Shopping for Prom Dresses

Spring break officially starts tomorrow, but I've already found a prom dress! I did not expect to find one because I thought I would buy one at Waikele, where the dresses were much cheaper. But we did hit six stores! :)

We started out in Chinatown with Downtown Fashion, Do's Formal, and Local Design Formal Wear. Then we headed toward Ala Moana and went into Princess Brides, Party Dress by Claudette, and Masako Formals.

I found my dress in the store that I've always wanted to go inside, which was Party Dress by Claudette. Their dresses were more expensive, but they sell designer dresses that are of higher quality (this is especially evident when you compare the dresses to the ones being sold in Chinatown.)

I didn't actually find the dress myself - it was more like Joyce and my sister found it. They both insisted that I try it on because the back of the dress was so beautiful - there's a tail!



It is a black satin chiffon dress, designed by Niki Livas from the Niki collection. Niki Livas is also known for her Zum Zum collection, but I think her Niki collection is more sophisticated. My sister and Joyce were really enthusiastic about the dress, saying that it looked stunning on me. I was still a little confused because it broke all of the rules that my sister had previously set:

1) Never wear black to senior prom.
2) Don't wear anything with V-cuts because they don't flatter your body.
3) You only look nice in pastel colors.

I also broke one of my own rules because my budget was originally $200 and the dress cost approximately $300. However, my sister was only too eager to buy it for me because she thought it looked so beautiful on me. Honestly, as of right now, my sister and Joyce are more crazy about the dress than me. Other people's opinions easily influence me, and I've been under my sister's influence and thought for a very long time. I still feel strange that I'm breaking all the rules for this dress...is it really that special? It contradicted everything that I was supposed to be looking for in a dress! Maybe it is the kind of dress that I will start to like more and more over time.

I was overwhelmed by my sister and Joyce's enthusiasm and before I knew it, had set a deposit of $50 on the dress. I regret doing this - I should have been more firm (my biggest wish is to become less vulnerable against aggressive salespeople) because the dress is very pricey for such a simple design. I should have asked for a discount because almost every place we went to offered us discounts. I looked up the dress online and found three different stores that sold it for approximately $178! I spoke my concerns about the price more than once, but my sister reassured me that she would pay for it. That was beside the point - money is still money and I don't feel right using hers. Her eagerness made it simply too easy to fall for the trap. Would it be too late to ask for a discount?

After Claudette's, we stopped at Yu Chun, a Korean restaurant, for lunch. I was tempted by the thought of having jajamyun. I was made a mistake though - the restaurant served naengmyeon - black noodles made from kudzu root and not black bean sauce noodles. The food was good, but very pricey. We also a had an unpleasant experience with paying because the waitress made a big fuss and insisted on a 15% tip (when we were going to pay them tips anyway, but her attitude!) She busted out her calculator and calculated our bill down to the last penny. Even with the calculator, she gave one of my friends the wrong change. Communication was also not very good because we didn't understand what she was trying to tell us. A $20 meal for me and my sister became a $25 meal. I suggest that they let us know that the restaurant charges a 15% tip on the menu so that customers would know beforehand. I had the exact same experience at Little Village Noodle House, an upscale restaurant at Chinatown, because they made us pay for the bill, and then gave it back because we also needed to add the required extra 15% tip. How were we supposed to know that we had to pay it if they didn't have it written down somewhere? And why not include it in the bill in the first place? It is all very frustrating. We thought the food at Yu Chun was good, so there was a possibility of us coming back - but not anymore. Yu Chun Restaurant just lost five customers. And if anyone still plans to go, I suggest you bring a calculator with you.

We walked over to Masako's after lunch, where Wai Chu and Yuen Ni found their dress. I love many of the dresses Wai Chu tried on - the green one at Downtown Fashion, and the magenta one at Masako Formals. The magenta one was lovely- silky and smooth satin chiffon with a beautiful shade of pink (in fact, this is my favorite color!) with an elegant tulip twist in the front and a mermaid-like finish. The dress was also 50% off from $165!!! I am very happy for her, but also very envious at the same time.

(Ho, ho, I just realized that Wai Chu strayed from what she was going to buy - a green gown because green was her favorite color. I guess you can never say anything about the dress you'll have because the one you end up buying may be completely different!)

Yuen Ni looked very cute and stunning in a short pink gown (made "long" because she is sooo petite) but because it was a bridesmaid dress and not a prom dress, there was no discount offered for the $195 price tag. She did not buy it. :( Although senior prom is a formal event that requires all seniors to wear a long gown, Yuen Ni was able to look at both short and long dresses because of her height! (Short dresses would fit her perfectly while long dresses needed to be altered - or she would have to wear six inch heels.) In the end, she placed a hold for a similar dress that is a burgundy color for $165.