Ohana (Part Two)

During Ohana, we stayed at the 4-H center:



There were about 35 of us, including the Ohana leaders, staying at the Cascara House. There weren't enough beds for everyone upstairs so many boys had to sleep on mattresses in the main room (I felt bad!) We had quite a few deer sightings (very exciting!) but they always leaped away when we came too close. Jordan told Kayla and me stories of Big Foot and how schools in pacific northwest require you to take a class that teaches you how to protect yourself from Big Foot. We had a very difficult time believing him because it just seems so ridiculous!

Monday, August 24, 2009

We toured the campus!



The Star Trees:


I was very excited to finally visit the famous Star Trees! The Star Trees are comprised of five Giant Sequoia trees (the largest trees in the world!) that create a star shape where it meets the sky. Legend says that couples kissing under the tree will experience lasting love. I would love to be kissed under the Star Trees someday! X)


Goudy Commons:

This is where I usually have my meals! They always have really good food (maybe it's a bad thing...) and we have all-you-can-eat meals six days a week. I still haven't learned to control myself because there are so many things I want to eat! In the end, I have to suffer every night with a tummy ache.

More campus pictures? :)



After our tour around school, we went shopping at Lancaster Mall! :)

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

On the very next day, we went shopping (AGAIN!) at Woodburn Mall. I bought meeself a sexy pair of water-resistant boots. It is made up of leather (the quality of shoes is very important to me!) and lined with synthetic fur (which is good for me, because I'm usually allergic). I am lovin' the no-sales tax!!!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

On this day, we were given the option to switch with another Jump Start activity so I was in NOSOCO, which is a group that did community service. I went to the Chemawa Indian School and beautified their campus by pulling weeds! I remember feeling very lonely, though, because Jordan and Kayla were still in the Ohana group...doing more shopping! XD

Ohana was the best experience I've had in my life! No, not because of the shopping (although, that was fun!) We bonded with everyone, made so many new friends, and created so many memories. The most intimate moment we had together was that one night we all got around in a circle and revealed some personal information about ourselves that we normally would not reveal to others. People mentioned a lot of depressing things, but it was amazing how everyone opened up to the rest of the group. <3

Ohana definitely helped ease the transition of moving to school.It is definitely a nice feeling to walk on campus and be able to greet familiar faces while other freshmen are still unfamiliar with the school and its people.

Ohana (Part One)

I finally found some time to blog! Yay! Only three weeks passed since I arrived in Salem, Oregon, but it felt like months! So much has happened that I don't know where to begin!

I'll start with my flight to Salem, which was horrible, mainly because my parents were being incredibly exasperating. I even broke down and cried because I couldn't take it. I had to tell myself that I only needed to deal with this for a few more hours before they leave. ><

I live in WISH (Willamette International Studies House), which used to be a sorority house:



My new home looks so cute! ^^ When you open the front door, you are immediately greeted by the grand staircase. The chandelier adds to the wonderful ambiance. You can feel like a princess every time you walk up or down those steps. Truthfully, it makes me feel a bit self-conscious!



Since we arrived a bit earlier than the registration time, we got to explore the campus. AND I SAW A SQUIRREL FOR THE FIRST TIME.



I didn't have my camera with me at the time, so I used my cellphone. The camera on my phone loads slowly, so the squirrel was running away by the time I was able to snap the picture. It held an acorn in its hands (awww...)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

On our first day in Ohana(the pre-orientation program), we went on a trip to Portland and visited Powell's (an enormous bookstore that took up an entire city block), the Saturday & Sunday Market, and Uwajimaya (a Japanese department store that kicks ass).

Jordan (from Washington), Kayla (from Hawaii like me), and I raided the manga section at Powell's. The selection actually wasn't that impressive so I was a tad disappointed. But manga is still manga! <3



After the bookstore, we headed to the market, which was alright. I found the people there more interesting than the stands!


Street performers



We still had some time left after we explored all of the stalls so we decided to take a walk down the park. We were not prepared for what we saw as a result of our innocent detour. Apparently, it was National Topless Day. I have no idea if they made this up themselves, but there were a bunch of people sitting together on the grass...naked. A woman approached me and handed me a flyer. I did not realize she was topless until she came closer. That was when I realized that she had painted flowers on her breasts. I didn't take the flyer. (Kyahh!) >_< We continued down the park and saw another naked man heading in our direction. He was riding on a bicycle and carrying a sign that read, "Free your minds! Take off your clothes!" He told us to take it off, but we were like, nuh-uh. Getting naked in public will definitely NOT free my mind...

It was definitely an interesting experience. We met up with the rest of the Ohana gang to take a picture. A random guy (furthest man on the left) also jumped into the picture...just cuz. Portlanders are weird! >__<;



Then it was off to Uwajimaya, where I apparently freaked out.

"You were so excited there, jeez!"

Haha.

But!

You cannot blame me! When we walked through the entrance, there were shelves of Hawaiian chocolates and other local merchandise from Hawaii. Apparently, it was Hawaii Week. It was definitely a pleasant surprise to see stuff from back home! <3


Shelves of goodies

There was a Kinokuniya Bookstore inside Uwajimaya. <3 I spent, like, $72 on Crimson Hero and Aka Chan to Boku manga, a Totoro hat, an adorable coffee mug set for a friend, strawberry snacks, a box of CHOKOBI, and the Ponyo artbook. Fun stuff. I would love to go again again again...!!!

I am happy that Oregon is such a beautiful place. ^^

Leaving for Oregon...

I finally finished packing (seven hours before my flight! yay!) I panicked earlier because I got many scoldings from my mom and my sister for packing so late...I almost thought I wouldn't make it in time! And I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to fit everything in my luggage! (Who knew I had so many clothes? Why do I stand in front of the mirror everyday, thinking I have nothing to wear?)

My biggest fear right now is that I forgot something. And though I'll spend only one day with my parents (thank goodness it isn't more than that), I hope everything runs smoothly (highly unlikely, but...!)

I've never been away from home like this, so I'm not sure what to expect. I can't imagine how I would feel not seeing my friends and not coming home every night to see my sister. I think I might actually start using my webcam!

Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't get to blog as much as I wanted to over the summer. I did plan a Part Two to go with Part One but I ran out of time. >3<

I predict tonight and the next few days will be super chaotic. WU has many activities planned for us so I'll be busy for the next few weeks, but I will try to blog the first chance I get! ^^

Wish me luck!

Selling on eBay!!!

I finally opened my eBay account (couldn't wait until I turned 18!) so I can sell some of the things I won't be able to bring with me to college. (Yay for summer cleaning?) It is my first time using eBay so everything was a bit confusing at first (even with that eBay for Dummies book!) but I think I got it after listing the third item. Boy, it's actually pretty hard work. I always manage to go past midnight by the time I finish! ^^;

Most of the items are all brand new items! I think I started the auctions at reasonably low price. Since I will be leaving on the 21st, I can't afford to have the auction last for more than five days. If someone bids on it, it will be a bargain for them, haha. :/ I know I'm not going to be making much money from this...

Here are the items I've listed on eBay:


A teen novel called, "Hero-Type" by Barry Lyga.


A yellow graphic tee that is simply too small for me. :(


The beautiful clutch that I bought for prom from a very chic boutique. I love this, but I will probably never use it again...


I bought this on a whim from Sanrio. It was too cute to resist! There's no reason for me to sell this other than the fact that I have so many bags; it's starting to get a bit ridiculous...!


It's a short auction, so I hope there will be bidders! Wish me luck guys! ^^

(If you're interested too, that's great! *winkwink*)

My 18th birthday

I turned 18 this past Sunday! ^_^

I found this on my table:



This unexpected surprise left me dumbfounded and I asked my sister, Jenny, if this was from her. She adamantly denied having anything to do with it. We were both confused as to where it came from because I didn't remember this being on my table just a short while ago. The items seemed to have appeared by magic!

It turns out that it was from my baby brother. He even allowed me to hug him! *SHOCKED* (Allow me to explain...he's usually an angry, angsty teenage boy.)

Yesterday was a little more special because it was the first time I celebrated my birthday! It felt strange and even a little...selfish to have people gather for, well, you. I always see characters in movies, dramas, and books celebrating their birthdays. The birthday boy/girl dons a party hat and is surrounded by their families and friends. There are colorful balloons, streamers, and of course, the birthday cake. Many people may take this for granted and expect this on their birthdays, but that kind of thing is alien to me.

I still never had a birthday cake before, but my friends and I did go to Seoul Garden Yakiniku for lunch. I even managed to drag my brother out of the house~ yay. ^_^



For yakiniku, we ordered brisket and cow tongue. I had wondered for the longest time what brisket was. I am happy that I finally got to identify it and conclude that I do not like it. I actually really enjoyed the cow tongue, which, according to my friend, is not really the tongue. They just call it that. But, like, why? LOL.



We formed a Doraemon-look-alike using the semi-raw onions that were left! XD

After stuffing our faces and taking a few group pictures, we headed off to Century Center to take purikura (print club stickers)!



There are many purikura places in Harajuku but this is the first to open in Hawaii! Yay! (Even though I'm leaving soon...) ^^; Purikura is fun, but expensive. One sticker sheet is $8. Since it is the grand opening, they cost $6 until the end of this month. I plan to take a couple more pictures with my friends before leaving. ^^

I think we spent about an hour there before we left and headed for GS Studios in Waikiki. Since I've been obsessing over the song 君がいるだけで by 米米CLUB recently, I was happy to find it right away by chance! (Fate?!)

We ended up singing for four hours! Everyone was pooped!

When I came home, I immediately ate and read my sister's fourteen-paged research paper about the Uigher conflict in China. Such conflicts make me very sad and I can't say I'm proud to be Chinese. (But I'm proud to be an American!)

After reading the essay, I ogled over the purikura I took earlier and opened my presents.

I received an owl hoodie that says, "Owl love you" in the back. How clever.

This year, my friends chipped in and bought me this together:




THEY ARE THE CRAZIEST PEOPLE EVER.
It's the coolest present I've ever received.



And they just knew I wanted it because I've ogled over these beautiful jewelry display stands whenever we go shopping. I knew I could never afford it though, because a nice one like this costs approximately $60 - $80!!!

Did I say they were crazy?!

I also received tea from Wai Chu dear, which smelled oh-so-good, and a pair of owl earrings. (Wow, everyone knows I like owls, huh?)

FYI, I also like elephants and lions...and most recently, lionhead rabbits. =3



They're so unbelievably cute!

Fall Course Schedule

Okay, yayy, I finally have my schedule down. :D

CS 141 Introduction to Programming
Mon, Wed, Fri
9:10 am - 10:10 am

JAPN 231 Intermediate Japanese I
Mon, Wed, Fri
11:30 am - 12:30 pm

EXSA 084X Tai Chi
Mon, Wed
12:40 pm - 1:40 pm

IDS 101 College Colloquium - Making the Grade
Tues, Thurs
12:50 pm - 2:20 pm

PSYC 210 Introduction to Psychology
Tues, Thurs
2:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Willamette Hawaii Club Summer Picnic

During the weeks prior to today, I felt nervous whenever I thought about the picnic. I am very shy when it comes to meeting new people. So I tried not to think about it and I think that helped. ^^ I should stop thinking that people scare me.

I spent the morning baking arare cookies (I baked them on Saturday afternoon and they turned out to be quite delicious so I made a second batch) for the picnic. ^^ Then I had my dad drive me over to Waikiki. I was lost at first, but I eventually found where the picnic was held. I saw some familiar faces~ they were people that I've met and friended through Facebook. *laughs* We ate, chatted, learned more about Willamette and the Hawaii Club's future activities. (I look forward to all the no-sales-tax shopping trips! Hurrah!) We also did a scavenger hunt through Waikiki~ those are always fun! =3

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because they were taken on someone else's camera, but some of the things that I remembered from our scavenger hunt list include:

PICTURES WITH...
- A Japanese tourist holding a peace sign
- A life guard and a surfer holding their surfboard.
- A tourist with a horrible sunburn.
- Man in speedo. (NEVER THOUGHT I'D EVER GO SEARCHING FOR ONE IN MY LIFE!)
- Bride and groom (did not see one! D:)

In the end, we were second place with 30/40 points. The winner had 39/40 points (how did they do it???) Anyway, everyone's really awesome. I'm really excited to move to Oregon and experience four seasons for the first time. I'll see the leaves turn orange in the fall, snow in the winter, and cherry blossoms in the spring. Yay! ^^

P.S. While I was walking down Waikiki after the picnic, I noticed that one of the guys walking in front of me stopped to pick a hibiscus flower from a bush. He then proceeded to stick it behind his friend's ear. I found this pretty amusing so I snuck a picture from behind. ^^



Countdown: ONLY SEVENTEEN DAYS BEFORE I LEAVE HAWAII!!!