Atlantic City and Manhattan!

It was a pretty hectic two days for me (笑)

I honestly don't have too many photos from Atlantic City, but it was an enjoyable trip all the same~
It was a very long drive from home to there though!
It took us around three to four hours just to get there, so by the time we arrived, we were so hungry!(笑) We stuffed ourselves with food at a buffet. (^^)
We were also given some coupons worth ten dollars that we could use in the different slot machines.We didn't really win anything though. (笑) Oh well, it wasn't so bad~ I'm not a very big fan of gambling, really.

I was supposed to blog about it yesterday, but because we finished so late, and got home so late, we didn't have the energy left to do anything except go to bed. (笑)

Then, the very next day, we woke up to hit Manhattan~

We intended to go and see the Statue of Liberty, but, again, since we started so late, we ended up eating at Yoshinoya and just going around the city for interesting places to take photos at. Of course, I had to take some shots in the busy, busy Times Square. (^^)

We drove around and around the city, but I think most of our time was wasted on looking for a free parking space near any interesting area.(笑) We went to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts~

I really like their steps, it flashes "Welcome" in several different languages, including Tagalog (which is not in the photo, haha), as well as the different theaters, organizations and schools associated with it. I wonder if I'll ever make it here someday?(笑)

I would be more excited for ballet seasons if I could afford to watch them (笑) But really, I think it's great. Someday, someday!


I was actually quite excited to pose underneath this sign, but, because we thought we didn't fit the whole sign into the photo, I kind of got embarrassed and flailed around. (^^;) My dignity, lost forever! (笑) I am no longer the ballerina I used to be.

I'm still not sure how I will manage to continue living here in the United States, far from everything and everyone I love, but maybe my perspective will change after I have landed a job and started accomplishing the things I want to...well, accomplish. (笑)
Until then!

頑張ります!

Alive again~

I arrived in New Jersey on the same day Osama Bin Laden died. I find it very ironic. (笑)

Some of my friends joked that I was to be his replacement. (笑)

Since I'm pretty much over my jet lag, I'm adjusting a little to life here.

There were many things I experienced on my way here. It took several connecting flights for me to reach home: one from Manila to Tokyo, a second from Tokyo to Seattle, and a final one form Seattle to New Jersey.Here are several highlights of my trip:
-I actually met the first dean of my university's school of management and his wife. They were wonderful people. His wife treated me like her own granddaughter. I felt very touched. They treated me to Mcdonald's while we were in Narita airport in Japan.

-Speaking of Japan, I have finally been there! To the airport at least. I pretty much bought random things in the airport shops, and got a free taste of mochi~ ♪
I was very excited about it--Japan is really, really beautiful, when you view it from the airplane window. The trees, fields, and buildings that you can see...they just look amazing, almost unreal. I couldn't stop staring out the window when we landed in Japan, and when we took off from it.

-Japanese toilets are also very interesting. So many buttons! (@_@)

-While I was in the airport, the dean's wife asked me to draw this bearded man in a turban sitting several rows away from us. This was the first time I'd ever been requested to do such a thing, and with realism in mind.

-Shifting across timezones is very freaky. If I think about it, I'd been traveling for more than 20 hours, I think, and yet I landed in New Jersey on the same day! (Which makes sense if you remember than there are 24 hours in a day, but still, it's a little freaky.)(笑)

-Static can be a little alarming.(>_<) I experienced it with my hair and clothes, which caused my hair to go haywire on the plane. Also, whenever I touched certain things, i would feel electrocuted. Static electricity is (for lack of a better word) shocking!

-I lost my chocolate cake dessert somewhere on the floor due to my own clumsiness. I felt very very depressed afterwards since I was really looking forward to a sweet. (>_<)

-Also, for the first time, I felt displeased with service on the airplane, because I was not given my pre-arrival snack. Again, I felt a little depressed as my seatmate ate his snack, while I had none. I had to press the button for service, and it took more than twenty minutes for them to notice and respond. (>_<) I got my snack in the end though. (笑)

Ah, I haven't adjusted the time zone here yet. To be honest, I'm reluctant to change time zone settings on my laptop. I like to be reminded what date and time it is at home. No matter, I'll figure it out eventually.

For now, I will rest again. I have so many things to adjust to!

Issues.

I normally don't blog about such heavy things...
The news has been out for a while that I was unable to graduate. Even though I passed all my subjects, my grade point average didn't make it to the mark needed for graduation. As anyone might expect, it caused much uproar among my family, especially since my mother came home from New Jersey just to see me graduate.

I'm upset in my own way...though for me, I've done enough crying and after all the efforts I have made, I think I've done everything I can to fix things...
I appealed for re-admission into the university and well, as it is, I lost the appeal. I will receive a certificate of completion of courses and a transcript, rather than a degree and a diploma. It is still of use to me, and well...

I am, in many ways, ready to push into the next stage of my life. With the kind of attitude I have, I think, I have enough drive to do anything...

But why does my family have to be this difficult?

I am not surprised, and understand that they're hurting, and I am sorry I was a disappointment...but the past two years have been a time of self-discovery...and I've learned so much more about myself than I ever felt I could have...so many things have changed in me...

As it is, I'll be leaving for New Jersey soon enough, because my green card is ready, and I'll have to be a permanent resident...But as most of you might guess, I really don't want to go.

The way I think about it, change comes to me whether I stay here or go there. Either way, I will have to work hard, and I'm open to that...But the only thing discouraging me from going to the US is my family... and my relationship with my family is not exactly the best...

My mother in particular, while doting and loving, can be very controlling, and it can be quite an issue to deal with. I have no friends my age in New Jersey, and will be left quite alone with my family, which makes it several times more controlling...I was actually quit suffocated during my last stay in New Jersey, and I have no doubt that things can get worse...

It's not a very good situation, is it. (笑)

I think I have made clear within myself what I wish to do with my life. I enjoy doing many things, and am open to doing any kind of work...Overall, I strive for freedom.

I am still searching, really. I have mixed feelings about going. Things I can gain, things I will leave behind...For me, the changes amount to almost the same amount, and it all depends where I am happiest, even though suffering through hardship...

For now, I am outlining the things I can do when I go there. It might take a miracle for me to be able to stay here, and I have plenty of things I need to work out. So for now, I will see what I can do. If I can gain more working experience while I'm here, then it will be all the better.

Fight on, Get on, Keep on, Step up...F.G.K.S.

And for some reason, 走り出す時 also made an appearance. I will write messages to myself everyday, if I need to. To remember that I can get through this.

For now, I'll end this with the phrase I will rely on to bring me through everything:
頑張ります！

試験がある～

心配しています。。。
勉強すればよかったです（；＿；)
日本語が難しい！

お久しぶり～

ブログに書きなくてごめん！
先月はめちゃ忙しいんだ（＾＾；）

そして、今週にたくさんの試験があるんだ～
もう疲れた～

これは私のスケジュール。ああああああああー


There are no words in Japanese that allow me to express how dead I am. (笑)
SO THERE.

CASINO!!!

4:32AM @NJ

First time to go into a casino~

Hope they don't ask for my ID (笑)

I am perfectly old enough!!!

Finally in New Jersey!

Timestamp: 3.21AM @ NJ


God, that trip was maddening. (O_O)
Basically, we left the Philippines on Oct 17 at 6am, and the flight took us to Beijing first. From Beijing, we took another plane to New York where we were picked up, and that's the overview of the flight.

I'm not so sure I'm too thrilled about travelling this far. I was happier during the stopover in Beijing. (^_^;)

Here's a basic transcript of my thoughts during the flight.
----------
Oct.17: 8am Beijing Time

Breakfast was finally served on the plane. I was starving and basically didn't care anymore. Once again, China proves that mushrooms save my life.

Oct 17: 12:30pm Beijing Time

The flight to Beijing took longer than I'd expected. The moment I step off the plane, a blast of cold air hits my face. My first thought: "Where the hell is the aircon?" You can't tell from the picture, but it was that cold. (O_o)

Since I had some excess Chinese currency from my trip several years ago, my mom and I decided to spend it right then and there. Airport shopping!! Managed to get some nice things, actually.

Funny moment at the airport though--I left my jacket in one of the waiting areas! I realized it when we were in line to board the plane. I ran at full speed to get it and skidded like an idiot on the tiled floor.
One of the female maintenance staff saw the whole thing and laughed. It wasn't a mocking laugh, it was actually quite a nice laugh. I'm glad I made her day. I guess she doesn't see things like that often. It was actually the first time I felt good about the trip.

I had some misgivings when I heard some Americans complaining about a lot of things while we were in line, like how when we were called to board, they didn't call us by section. I distinctly heard one of them say, "Well, that's dumb." Hmm. Not a very good impression on me, really.

Though there was a nice story from some woman behind us in line. She was telling her companion about how some stranger was asking around and flashing a passport at them asking if they knew the person on the passport. It was apparently a lost item and the stranger was trying to get it back to the owner. The lady commented how lucky the person who lost the passport was. There were still tickets and other things inside. I would have to agree.

Oct. 17: 2pm Beijing Time

On the plane headed for New York. Lunch was just served and I am so glad I grabbed the seafood option, I don't think I'd felt this satisfied about a food choice in a while. Still have an unpleasant feeling in stomach though, that has nothing to do with food. Hm.
Being in a plane full of Americans is starting to make me feel uncomfortable. People all around keep either socializing (not too bad) or just butting in among others (kind of bad).

Oct 17: 5pm Beijing Time
Karate Kid just finished airing as an in-flight movie. I'm glad they cut out the bad parts though. I wasn't too fond of the movie, but hey, it reminded me of home nonetheless. Was thinking of doing some Tai Chi in the back of the plane but was worried that I would attract too much attention/get picked on by the Chinese on board the flight.

Oct 17: 9pm Beijing Time
Dinner was served. I got too lazy to take a photo, plus I was hungry and I couldn't find my phone. Muh. I had spaghetti then. It was surprisingly good. Or maybe I was just starving like whoah.

I also somehow got roped into a Tai Chi conversation with two foreigners in the back of the plane. I was amused.

Oct 18: 12mn Beijing time
Getting very close now to New York. Only two more hours from this point and then it's all bright and sunny 2pm instead of dark 2am. I'm getting a little more worried , definitely. It struck me again how much I missed everyone.

Also, about 90% of the Caucasians on board the flight were strangely overweight. Erm. Just an observation. A disturbing one.

Oct 17: 3pm NEW YORK TIME.

FINALLY got out of the airport. Getting rushed off into a car to my aunt's house now.


Driving wherever. I have no idea how this will turn out, but I hope it's going to be enjoyable at the very least.
----------
And there you have it. All my woe and all my nightmares during the flight.

I hope I blog about happier times in New Jersey.
Hope to hear from you all!

2nd Live (笑)

Had our second performance at The Aerie in Cervini Caf near Ateneo's new University Dorm. I have to say, We were quite successful in a sense. Ochibi and Kin-chan came to watch us. (笑)

Kae and I made a mistake in singing 1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou, since it was a last minute change to our play list. None of us had mastered "You"/"Dear You" just yet. In addition, Sarah couldn't sing with us as her throat started to hurt something fierce.

Not that Kae and I were any exception--we were also suffering from colds and cough, but we were a little less strained than Sarah--she'd already performed earlier. Mou~

At least we got a good response from the audience, and a lot of ideas. Yaaaaay~ (笑)

I was subjected to a lot of madness from the Toujin Boys though. I swear, those guys are insane.

TILL THE NEXT PERFORMANCE!! Please continue to support us till the very end~

Bad day (>_<)

Today was the 2nd round for Aka Myaku, our Host Club~

It turned out well enough, and I enjoyed parading around and such...

Although somewhere towards the end I had to be taken in a wheelchair to the infirmary--a serious headache left me pretty much immobile and weak. (>o<)/ I conked out in the infirmary bed for more than an hour, I think.

Then later, went to a tai chi session where I pretty much failed. (笑) It's not too big a deal though--tai chi is very difficult to learn.

But what made my day really horrible was the fact that my group mates in my Philosophy class decided to ax me--they did all the work without giving me a chance to do anything. It was enough to make me feel really frustrated--I wanted to flip tables. (笑)

Nonetheless, I know I will have to pull through this on my own. (>_<) It was just so frustrating; I really couldn't help but give in to a sort of rage that I've never really had before. But at the bottom of that rage was a kind of steadiness I can't explain. Perhaps there's a way out of this?

Tomorrow, I will go to my first ever UAAP game. FEU vs Ateneo, for the first game of the finals. I never thought I would actually see a game live.

I hope things work out, and that tomorrow is another opportunity for me to just be happy.

Injuries?!

Today, Kin-chan came to visit me (笑)
She wanted me to help her with math. Again.
Even though I barely know anything about math. (笑)

And she forgot her math book. (笑)

But yes, somewhere in the middle of the "tutoring" and the bullying, she somehow slammed the side of her hard head against my face.

IT HURT!! (笑)

So we ended up going to the infirmary for bags of ice. (笑)

We look seriously fail, don't we. (笑)

What.

What is this I don't even.

It's not every day that I get clung to for nearly an hour.

Auditions finished safely~

No, I have no picture from the auditions. (笑) I was too nervous to take a photo~

I'm still not good at something as simple as the minuet on the violin. (>_<)
At least I know I didn't do too badly on the interview, they looked okay with me at the very least. Aaaaa~ I really want to get better at violin. As it is, I'm not particularly good with any of the skills I'm trying to develop (dancing for example, or singing), so i couldn't join the university's dance company or the music pool. (>o<) They're all very intense in their training and won't accept anyone below par (at least, the dance group is).

I would love to be a dancer! But as of now, I kind of suck. (笑)

Anyway!!

I'm excited about tomorrow!!!



Yamato: Drums of Japan is here in Manila for a three-night performance, and tomorrow is their last night here! Thankfully they're at a venue that isn't too far off--I can actually go and see them!!!

I'm so excited!!! I have always wanted to see a Taiko performance (>w<) This is the chance of a lifetime for me!!

I don't like hospitals...(^^;)

We had to go to the hospital for a medical examination today (^^;)
I'm still bruising from the blood extraction they did (>_<) I don't like needles...

They say we need to come back for the immunization shots, so I'm expecting more needles (>o<)


Afterwards though, we had a nice dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and I finally got to order my buchi. (^^)

Overall, it wasn't too bad a day, but I was cranky for most of the morning and that in itself wasn't pleasant. (^^;)

Also, I have low blood pressure. (笑)

ALIVE~!

I was able to go out today, after two weeks of being confined to my bedroom!
It was great...I was a little paranoid at first about going out, but my mother insisted that I needed fresh air, so I went.
The chickenpox has faded away by now, and I was taken around Eastwood to go shopping for some clothes. I snuck off to one of my favorite stores to look for an accessory to buy as a souvenir, since I felt that I was in need of a new ring. Sadly, there weren't any nice rings on display, but I spotted a necklace I hadn't been able to buy once. So, I got it. I'll put up a photo sometime, haha.

We ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant before going home. I swear, as much as I love Japanese food, Chinese food really fills you up! It is my second favorite cuisine. I have never been so hungry before in my life, my mother and aunt were alarmed at the amount I was eating. I had pork dumplings, a beancurd roll, some noodles, and even char siu bao (siopao). Still though, one thing made me sad. Every time I go to a Chinese restaurant, I always make sure to order buchi for dessert. I really love it. However, this time, since my mom and aunt were picking on me for how much I was eating, I hesitated to order one.
This is the first time I have not ordered buchi at a Chinese restaurant. (T_T) I feel sad about it. I love buchi.

I have a bad feeling that this will be my next food craving. Before it was takoyaki, and now it's buchi!! Will it ever end~

P.S. Buying a frilly shirt merits this kind of randomness. ACE ATTORNEY FANS UNITE!

CHICKEN POX!!

..This is the first time I have ever gotten chicken pox.
...I'm not very happy about it at all (T_T) I very rarely get sick, but when I do, it's usually quite bad. (笑)
Yesterday, I managed to teach part of the Hare Hare Yukai dance to some high school students. Even though I was also supposed to come up with a dance for the song "Inori ~You Raise Me Up~" by Lena Park, I had a difficult time and asked Ochibi and Kin-chan to help out there. THANKYOU to both of you!

However, afterwards, I started to feel quite sick. I developed a fever while having dinner with my classmates in Japanese class. Thankfully I had medicine in my bag, but my condition worsened today. I officially have chickenpox. (;_;)

It was still a fun day yesterday though.. Even though I felt really bad afterwards, Ochibi, Kin-chan and I managed to have a little fun nonetheless.

Late for work (>_<)

I was kind of late for work today. (>_<)
Since I'm no longer hitching with Raizza to go to work (she's finished with her hours already), I need to get to Makati all by my lonesome. (笑)

This morning was a hassle though, because my mother wanted me to try taking this shuttle that, she thought, went straight to The Fort, or at least to Ayala. Big mistake, it didn't even come close, and the routes are erratic there too. Muhhh~ (>_<)I ended up getting off at a nearby train station and take the train in order to get me to the bus stop that goes directly to my building. (T_T) As you can see in the photo I took of the station, I was already 5 minutes late for work and counting. Then when I got to the bus stop, the line was EPICALLY LONG. (^^;)

In the end I spent more money on a ride which took me nowhere near my destination when I could have spent much, much less if she had just taken me straight to the train station near our place. (T_T) Maah maah. I hope tomorrow will be better. For now, I want ice cream. (>_<)

Practice again, haha.

今日は、日本語の授業が楽しい！！
日本語を大体習った（＞＿＜）
難しい!とても　難しい！そして、教室は暑い! 夏日はいつも暑い...

明日、何もしたくないです．．．でも、忙しい．．．仕事があるから。
大丈夫!仕事が好き。本当に好き！

土曜日、友達に会って、晩ごはんを食べるつもり。

疲れたから、寝たいです．
おやすみ！
----------
Practicing again. Thank you, Gus, for helping me compose this and for correcting my mistakes. The rough translation:
"Today, Japanese class was fun!!
I learned a lot of Japanese (>_<)
Difficult! Very difficult! And the classroom was hot! Summer days are always hot...

Tomorrow, I don't want to do anything...but, I'm busy...because I have a job.
It's okay though! I like my job! I really like it!

On Saturday, I'm meeting some friends, and we plan to have dinner.

And because I'm tired, I want to sleep.
Good night!"

I can only hope that all this practice will be effective. I actually had a picture to post from today, but I'm too tired to upload it.

Next time, everyone. Oyasumi~

Bus hassle...

Earlier today, I commuted back to the university in order to attend my Advanced Japanese class. I left the office at exactly 2:00, but as I turned the corner to the bus stop, the bus had finished loading, and I missed it. Fail. (笑)

I had to wait longer for another bus, and then I took the train to Cubao where my mother was waiting. I ended up being late for class since the bus had gotten caught in traffic and, well, that did eat up quite an amount of time.

I should probably leave the office 15 minutes earlier. (>o<) Also, I didn't get any work to do today. (>_<)

On a side note, I am actually looking forward to learning more Japanese. We're reviewing past lessons now, and we officially start learning new lessons come Thursday. I've got to study my ass off for this in order to catch up--I'm probably the one with the least knowledge in the class.

I'm sorry for the lack of photos--I will come out with some soon! And I need to post those pizzas we made at Ochibi's house last Saturday. (>_<)

頑張ります!! I have an early start tomorrow, so this is all for now.

P.S. I should really start filling up my blog for snippets/drabbles/songs/whatever.
Zero-to-One, I hope, will soon be under way.

extremely tired

I know my mother only wants the best for me but this has gone too far. I'm honestly very tired of her attitude and I'm tired of having to argue with her. For one thing she did not have the right to look at my text messages, especially without my permission and without any good reason. And now she's raised hell about it.

I'm tired, angry and I am not ready for tomorrow.

Go and die in a fire, world. (>_<)

My "junjou baby loves". XD

Monday was quite an entertaining day, too. (笑)

I had gone to ADMU to meet with Justin, intending to figure out what to do with the shrine that we had built for the KiraKira☆Matsuri. Since the Japanese Studies Department could not take it (they had no more space), we will have to dispose of it during the clean-up week set for orgs, to clear their org rooms of junk. Looks like that will be my duty for next week.

Well, since we had that cleared up, I went to meet Ochibi and Kin-chan, who'd gone to Cello's. As usual, when all three of us are around, Kin-chan gets herself into trouble with me, i pretend to ignore her, and in the end forgive her anyway. (笑)

Nikki also passed by all of a sudden. (笑) I hadn't expected to see her today, and it was a nice surprise. (^^) We also managed to contact EA--I was to face him in a Pokemon battle!!

Well, admittedly, he had the upper hand because I don't have enough battle experience. (笑) However, I did have my crowning moments of awesome!! Even if I only won once out of three different battles. ...And all this happened while Nikki tried to "rape-tickle" both of us. (>o<)

Still!!

I have discovered my hidden potential as a Pokemon trainer!! (笑)

My hidden skill will be a secret for now though. (笑) Fssshu! (笑)

I will conduct my research and face EA once more in battle!! And next time I will emerge victorious!! (笑)

頑張ります!!(笑)