Take the time to enjoy yourself.

Shows and weekends

There has actually been so many things I have been doing here that I always forget to blog about, or just miss the timing to do so. To start of, I went to the cinema near my place on Friday to watch the Maze Runner. Tickets costs about $8.50 but the cinemas are really huge. They have huge recliner chairs for every one.

I didn't manage to get good pictures because it was dark but it was really comfy. Surprisingly though, there weren't many people there. Or maybe it was because we went in the afternoon. Then again, most students don't have many classes on Fridays.

That same night, we went to watch Colin and Brad from Whose Line is it? in our school theatre. We bought tickets on the second deck but later saw closer I taken seats up front and moved ahead (we actually paid the more expensive price so technically we aren't really freeloading the better seats just that we didn't manage to get those seats when we bought our tickets.)

To start off, I didn't know what to expect because I don't watch whose line is it. It was only after the show started that I realize I did watch it before. I watched small snippets of it without knowing the title of the show I was watching.

It was really funny though. I took some videos but really, you probably just head my laughter through half of it.

I even bought an autographed cd for $20

They were acting with 100 mouse traps on the floor and it was really hilarious because they just started throwing them at each other like little kids in the end.

The previous weekend, I went out camping. I have more pictures on my computer but I'll upload them next time. We camped out and then went to this Sky High Adventure Park to do a High Ropes course (or high elements as we would call it). It was really fun because everything is in between the trees and it's just so refreshing. The ones we have in Singapore feels so concrete that this one feels so much more relaxing in contrast. And the best thing is you don't have people constantly staring at you because you do everything yourself. The equipments allow us to lock in and out of the wires by our own and choose the courses we want to go.

These are the zip lines, and it is really fun because they go in between trees and aren't too short.

Somewhere towards the end, it started pouring heavily and it was so fun. I mean, I love the rain. I would just play in the rain if it doesn't equate to me falling sick. But when the weather is warm, the rain just feels so good. I completed the course I was on completely in the rain and ended up so drenched.

I bought chicken tenders and curly fries after that and it just felt so good because they were freshly made and piping hot. Since I was wet and kinda cold, that just tasted so good in comparison.

I have always liked high elements obstacles. I don't know, it just feels so fun to me. The few times I did it, it was with my class and most girls just don't like things like this (or pretend they don't because society) and I would just go ahead and do them because they're fun. Like, stay behind for all I care, I'm going ahead, bye! Hahaha.

Of course, my favorites are the zip lines and flying foxes. I just love the breeze. Funnily enough though, I had had the chance to do bungee jumping in New Zealand and yet I didn't dare to. And I probably wouldn't do Skydiving either. Those seem too extreme for me, but these smaller scaled obstacle courses are good for me. Keke.

Unlike last weekend, I spent this weekend nearly entirely at home. I went out yesterday for a dance class for the club, but came back after that, ate lunch and went to sleep. I woke up at night to play with phone only to sleep again at 6am. I slept through the entire day till 7pm when one of my friends asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner. I considere it for awhile before I decided that if I did not go, I would probably just skip another meal. So I went out and we had Asian food today. I had Vietnamnese pho and it was considerably good. That is the reason why I'm still awake at 3am right now even though I have class at 9am tomorrow. Thank god I don't have any quizzes for Japanese tomorrow, though I do have one for finance class in the afternoon and I have not studied for it at all. That being said, I shall attempt to sleep now. Night night.

Labels: buffalo, daily activities, OAC, weekend

❤ "Shows and weekends" was Posted On: Sunday, September 28, 2014 @11:56 PM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

Fall

I have always said that autumn is my favorite season even though I have never actually experienced a fall season. But from pictures itself, I know that I would love it, and I do. Constantly, I find myself standing in the middle of the street looking like an idiot as I pull out my phone and snap random pictures of trees along the way. I just love the colors of fall and the weather now is pretty much perfect as well. It really amazes me how one day the trees can be green and the next day it's virtually completely yellow. I guess this could be due to the weird weather we had been having were it was way below what it was meant to be. I heard that 6 degree temperatures are actually November weather when it is close to start snowing. Now, it is almost always about 20 degrees out so I wear my shorts while I still can.

Labels: buffalo, fall

❤ "Fall" was Posted @11:26 PM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

Things that makes me happy

Let's hope this doesn't take too long because I'm sleepy and I have to wake up early tomorrow.
Well, I have said it before but I'm not a hard person to be made happy. I get happy over the slightest things.
Today, I'm happy because of dance. I have never been recognized to be an excellent dancer. Not even an above average one per se. But I do love to dance.
And the only thing I am capable of doing is working hard and trying my best. When I was taking ballet, my teacher told me that I shouldn't do the exam because I'm just not good enough. There was one period of time she really paid attention to me because she noticed that I was improving in my stretches and my pointes. Then I heard from a classmate that she will give special treatment to those she sees potential in, but then if you're not improving at the speed she expects you to, you get dropped like trash. Dance often comes hand in hand with politics and backstabbings, and I had that thought when I first applied for dance here (not that it stopped me but yea...). My previous dance school in singapore is definitely about politics and looking good. Everyone wants to stand out and do something good. So-called best friends are always bad mouthing each other once the other is out of sight. The teacher was good, I don't deny it, but the environment of that place really made me feel like going to dance was a chore.

Coming here, in a total new environment and knowing that I'd be one of the few Asians - and even then, not even a dance or theatre major, I expected there to be lots of shunning and the play of politics all over again. But it wasn't.

It was one of the first few classes that one of my classmates said "this is a judge-free zone so do what you want!" At first, I felt like it wasn't so. Dance majors are more recognized. But then I realized that it was just that the teacher knew only the dance majors but one thing good about people here are they aren't afraid to give compliments.

Today, after class, they were filming the dance we just learnt and I took the camera (I mean what do u expect, I stand on the other side of the lens) and my teacher was like: aww, don't you want to dance?

Since I was helping the other singapore girl film, I just said that it's fine, that I would mess up towards the end.

And she said "but I think you did very well."

I mean she doesn't even know my name but it's like been a real long time I felt like, hey, look, I not that bad at this. And it just makes me so happy to know that, to hear that.

On another note, since I'm taking contemporary, I have been doing a lot of tumbling rolls. Yesterday, after my night dance club thingy, I was walking to the bus stand when I tripped and fell and on instinct I just went straight into a tumble roll and then sat there in position thinking: did that just happen? Looks like all that tumbling does have some use after all.

I'm a very clumsy person I must say. Andrew's roommate was like: you're very clumsy for a person who dances. And yes, I am. When I was in secondary school, I used to always trip over the last step of the stairs and then my friends would just go: again? Seriously?
It's no longer even a surprise for them to see me trip somewhere somehow even over flat surfaces. And that was the period when I ran rather quickly (I lost all my stamina now though) and it just doesn't make sense to them how I can come out top in all the sports meets events and yet continue to fall and stumble when I walk normally.

Anyways, time for bed now. I learned how to write my name in Katakana today~ kekeke.
Today has been a rather good day for me I must say.

Labels: buffalo, daily activities, dance, school

❤ "Things that makes me happy" was Posted On: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 @9:21 PM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

Tick Tock Tick Tock

It has been an entire month since I first stepped into this very campus from which I am typing this post. Well, I usually only write in the comfort of my home where no one can see what I am typing, but since I have time while I am waiting for my group project meeting, I am doing this in the Computer Lab with an almost invisible font (which I will change before posting). But that's another thing.

1 month ago, exactly on the 23rd of August, I stepped into the school for orientation completely not knowing where anywhere is. time seemed to have passed... hmm, it was fast at some points but then again it was slow at some.

In a nutshell, I have joined a bazillion clubs and I'm going for the Dance one tonight. It starts at 8.45 and ends at 10.45pm so I'll probably reach home close to midnight as it is held in the other campus in the South.

I have the greatest satisfaction from Japanese classes, so I have to say that Japanese is my favorite class for the semester. Those classes always seem to pass so quickly especially from Mondays to Fridays when Sakamoto sensei is teaching. It is very early in the morning and I have been late several times but always only by less than 5 minutes. We also have tutorials with Japanese students studying here, and it is really helpful because there are only a maximum of 3 students with 1 Japanese student and we can ask questions we did not get to ask in class or clarify things with them. The amazing thing is that they don't receive any credit and yet they volunteer to help other students taking Japanese. We also get extra credit if we attend a certain number of tutorials so that is a major motivating factor.

I am really bad at making friends and I think about a lot of things before I even call someone a friend. So if you ask me if I have made new friends here, I would have to say that I am on friendly terms with some, but I wouldn't exactly call them my friends.

Japanese classes are really interactive so I have spoken to pretty much everyone in the class. I have spoken to some about animes and what we watch. I have spoken to some about general stuff like homework and weekends. I have spoken to some just to practice our Japanese. And then, there is Dance were there is another Singaporean (we are pretty much the only ones there) so we got to small talking and stuff like that. It started out because of a partner floorwork, and my hair color. There are people in my Outdoor Adventure club that I talk to but, again not on the deeper level. We usually just talk about how Singapore is different from Buffalo, and what we see in Buffalo and such. Things like how we do not see deers crossing the roads in Singapore or how lands are reclaimed there.

I have set the smoke detector off once but otherwise managed to make food for myself pretty decently. People party a lot here. Like every week there would be someone partying around the estate.

The weather is getting colder but still kind of crazy where one day it could be 3 degrees and the next it is 22 degree. Internet here is pretty good but torrenting is taken a lot more seriously than in Singapore.

And after the entire month, I still have one more day of the vacation trip we took in US and many more days from the Italy trip because I'm a lazy ass like this. Till next time, ciaos. I'm hungry.

Labels: buffalo, daily activities, school

❤ "Tick Tock Tick Tock" was Posted On: Tuesday, September 23, 2014 @1:25 PM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

Update: I might or might not have just set the smoke detector off in this place and I don't even know how because the ventilator was switched on on high and the heat was only a 5 out of 10. My chicken was no where near cooked.

Gave me quite the scare though.

On the good side though: I went to the DMV and I passed the learner's permit's test!! Hurrah! I'll probably start learning to drive asap before winter comes

Labels: buffalo, daily activities

❤ "" was Posted On: Friday, September 19, 2014 @5:00 PM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

Joy in the little things

I know I have been complaining a lot about many things lately, so I shall write about something different today before I go meet Mr mood spoiler.

I'm not a difficult person to please - I swear. This morning, I woke up early really early just to go to the supermarket. I would have gone yesterday night at around 9pm+ but the roads here are rather dark. I mean, streetlights are not something frequently seen here. Instead, I Googled and found out that the supermarkets were 24/7 here so I told myself to go this morning. When I woke up this morning, I almost back out of my plan in light of more sleep.

But lo and behold I managed to get up and take a shower before grabbing my wallet, phone, keys and jacket, jumped on my bike and off I went. The roads were quiet and the sun was just rising. The place was all misty and the grass was wet from that. The pedestrian walkway was practically empty.

I rode down to TOPs, and then started grocery shopping at 7am. And I was just glad for the freedom to look and properly choose the products that I really want, putting back things I don't need. Like I said, vegetables were extremely expensive here but I managed to get myself some lettuce. And 2 boxes of 12oz white mushrooms for $5. I even got myself some emergency supply of cup noodles because, hell, they were only $1 for 3. I got my whole gallon of chocolate milk, got mayonnaise and pasta sauce; I got canned mackerel and 10 different small packed snacks that I can bring to school plus two party packs of mini kitkats supposedly for Halloween celebrations. I even got a broiler tray for $6 (how on earth the boys bought that at $20, I don't understand.) I got baking materials and vinegar. I got even got bacon and corn starch.

And did I have trouble getting home with all that stuff? No. I got home by my own, happy with my purchase that I quite nearly skipped to school. And the best part? I was still early for class then (class is at 8.30 with 30 min shuttle to get there. If I cycle it would be like 10 minutes because waiting for the bus is a chore. I took the bus though cause I'm going elsewhere later). The weather was cold. It was 2 degree Celsius into the night and 6 degrees when I went out (although the meter says that it feels like 3 degrees)

And it's just little things like these. I don't need extravagant stuff to make me happy. Instead, those things don't make me happy. It's the little things that brings joy

❤ "Joy in the little things" was Posted @4:58 PM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

When No actually means (surprise surprise), No.

It gets to me a lot when people just don't understand the meaning of a simple 2-lettered word, NO. If you think this is relating to the previous post I have written about, it's not even that. It's simple things like

"No, I don't want to go."
"No, I'm not giving you that."
"No, I don't mean that."
"No, I'm using that and I don't want to lend it to you."

Or when the context implies a "No" like

"Stop wasting my time, give it back to me."
"I refuse."
"I don't want to."
"Go ahead, do it on your own."
"Stop playing with that, it will damage it."

And people just carry on what we just refuse or they insist on their way hoping that a YES would come out of you. It's like people just can't respect your decision where you have already said no, and think that they can make the decisions for you. When I say No, I mean No. Saying it once, okay maybe you might have thought it was a joke. Saying it twice, is pushing the line. Saying it thrice is too much. Why is it that some people have to repeat the question or action so many times till someone snaps before they realize that : Oh, when they said "No," they actually meant (surprise surprise) NO!

And taking my stuff when I have obviously said no, I refuse? Not cool. I buy my own groceries. I try to draw the line very clear and pay for my own stuff. You don't just come over and take them all for free. When I say "no, go and buy your own", guess what I really mean? "No, go buy your own." Oh boy, that was such a tough question! No wonder you didn't get the answer. When I say "Stop wasting my time, just give it to me," I mean "Stop god damn wasting my time and give it back to me" not "Wait till I slam the door in your face before you finally realize that I'm not playing around, then maybe you can chase after me to give it back because yea, that SO makes it up for it."

It's just simple stuff like these that really annoys me and it doesn't happen just once but people just doesn't seem to get it. And it isn't even a huge thing. Referring it back to the previous post, people say NO, and it is because of these people who doesn't think No, means No, or choose to ignore that No, means No, that things like these happen and it just pisses me off to think about it.

Labels: no, rant, things I can't stand

❤ "When No actually means (surprise surprise), No. " was Posted On: Thursday, September 18, 2014 @1:51 PM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

Rape Culture

So, today, for the first time, I heard about a rape case. I mean, I have read many accounts, have heard of people cautioning us about these happenings, but it just never felt as real as it did to me today. I do know it happens, I do know it is real, just that it suddenly felt so much nearer than I thought it was.

We were having this business club meeting when half way through, one of our group members read an SMS from her roommate that said that her roommate's friend was raped. There was an American in our group so we asked her some questions about how things work around here and it was like as if it was kind of normal to happen. Like no one exclaimed "What?!" or "Stop kidding, it's not funny." It was just "Oh shit."

And one of the things Danielle (I think that's how you spell her name) explained to us was that everyone here knows not to walk alone (bad example right here, I know) and that these things happen to anyone - boy, girl, big-sized, or petite (in her words, even if you are sumo-sized, you still can be a victim). She also said that Buffalo, and especially Amherst (where I'm staying) is counted as one of the safest cities in the state and maybe even entire country and yet these things still happen.

The girl who received the SMS was a China Chinese and she was like: China is so much safer than here.
I mean, we have to admit it. China has some bad points that many Singaporeans like to point out on - be it that they are loud and rude, or that cut queues and take too many samples. Yes, but you have to say that she is right that. China is safer than it is here in those terms.

It just doesn't make sense to me, you know? Such an established nation, who claims to be the best one around, and these things happens as part of a normality. Underground sex-trafficking has very little information (duh) but yet, when I did some reading around, many pointed back to this very nation. What is it that they are doing wrong that other nations are doing right?

Labels: buffalo, trigger warning, tw: rape, USA

❤ "Rape Culture" was Posted On: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 @7:12 PM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

20 Things that are different here

1. People actually say 'bless you' if you sneeze (like if I'm in class and I sneeze, at least 3 other guys will just say bless you when I don't even know them.)

2. Practically everyone tells you to 'Have a good one/day/night'

3. People actually make small talk like, 'I like your headphones' or 'You're back again' or 'I like your mismatched socks!'

4. They do not have the repetitive 'Thank you's that we have when we collect our stuff after paying. (They tell us to have a good one instead)

5. Anyone is a potential friend - in the toilet? Stopping at the traffic light? Browsing the store? Waiting for coffee? They can just talk to about anyone about anything

6. Most stores closes really early (the mall near my place closes at like 6pm)

7. Practically everyone holds doors open for the next person (I mean, we do that too, but it's really nearly everyone I have come across here does this.)

8. People trust their bikes not to be stolen. Dozens of bikes in school isn't even locked and sometimes I go to stores, I just park it outside for a while while I grab my stuff. It's like, in singapore, even if you lock your bike, it will probably get stolen sooner or later.

9. Vegetables are extremely expensive here. Like one napa lettuce in wegmans can cost US$13 and it isn't even organic - I just don't understand the pricing.

10. Meat, on the other hand, can be gotten for rather cheap. I just got 4 huge chicken thighs for about $4 and there are still even cheaper options around.

11. Macdonalds isn't 24/7, nor do they deliver.

12. Speaking of which, I have not seen a single KFC around so far

13. Campus newspaper actually provide useful information and are interesting (idk, it seems like all the newsletter we get in singapore are just speeches by directors and such)

14. I don't know if it just me, but I have not heard a single car honk so far

15. Freedom of speech - random people can come to campus, draw with chalk across the floor saying "you're all slaves" or the like, and make speeches about religion and it's totally fine (I think)

16. Facebook is like a must here; one of my course even needs us to have a Facebook to keep updated with events. "How can she not have Facebook?" one of my Japanese course classmate asked when we were looking for another classmate.

17. People here use snapchat the way we use Instagram

18. Football is a huge thing here (sounds like a redundant fact but we don't even have football) and there was a match in our campus stadium and it was almost like the talk of the school.

19. My campus has a freaking lake. We get to do kayaking, canoeing, rowing, paddle pops, and other water sports for free there (weather permitting).

20. I have carpooled twice, and both times one of the first questions asked was "what music do you listen to?" because they want to put on music that would suit everyone's taste in music in the car.

Labels: buffalo, USA

❤ "20 Things that are different here" was Posted On: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 @10:41 AM | 0Omnomnomnomnom ✿

Canada - Ontario, Niagara Falls

On our 8th day, we were back on the road once again - this time, between Boston all the way up to Niagara. We had a stopover in between to get some brunch:

Their pizza was really oily though. Like it was really dripping with oil but the good thing is that it was all served hot and fresh.

Once again, sky shots. I really love the blue skies. With the currently dropping temperature, we see less and less of blue skies as well. It's funny how throughout our vacation, we did not exactly meet with any downpours or even rain.

So we drove for quite a long while and crossed the border to Canada. Apparently we were considered to be lucky to even be able to go through the border because we learnt later on in school that we should wait for 30 days before crossing the borders because they might make us get another document in order to cross. But we crossed borders without any problem and checked in the apartment. It was owned by this polish lady with 4 dogs. Andrew didn't like this place though, because there were many clowns and dolls placed as decorations around the place.

This one, with the doggy towels were liyen's and my room.

So, this marks my first official time in Canada!

The famous Niagara Falls. I have been wanting to come for a long time now. I can't even remember when I first heard about the falls. I think it was in primary school when we learned something related to it, and since then I have always wanted to see it even though I didn't know where it was at that time.

We were even lucky enough to be there during the period where there were fireworks!

Spot the rainbow!!

The first thing someone said when we saw this was ''Changi Airport!". Someone else protested saying that we flew for 23 hours and drove all the way here only to see the airport we have back at home.

That is in fact a revolving restaurant overseeing the falls.

These looks like specks of dirt on the computer screen, but what I was trying to capture was the dozens of birds flying round and round in circles above the falls.

The birds braving the falls

Maid in the mist - the hornblower that goes as close to the falls as it can.

We were getting wet even from this distance where we were still on the walkway.

Before the great fall

I read somewhere that we should reduce the shutter when taking waterfall pictures to make them come out foamy and smooth like in desktop pictures, so I did.

They were shooting lights on the falls to make them colorful (I can see where Marina Bay Sands got their idea for their laser show).

We found a spot on the grass to sit, not knowing where the fireworks would appear. Coincidentally, we sat right beneath it and it was really spectacular to watch it bursting right in front of you.