Sunday, December 23, 2007

The Body, Italy, Baking

1. Today was "family day" with the Parents. My mom got us tickets to an exhibit at the Tech museum in downtown called "Body Worlds". This German doctor invented this method called plasticity which preserves the human body. In his displays, he shows the muscles, skeleton, and nerves all preserved in their natural state. Various organs and bones are on display which you can see in their various states from birth to old age. I know it sounds a little creepy and at first I was like, "Huh??", but it was actually a very fascinating and educational exhibit. This guy has brought science to a higher level and there's so much more possibilities we can see and learn from this kind of preservation. Check it out if you can!

2. After, we went to dinner at this Italian restaurant owned by this guy from the Tuscany area of Italy. The outside is beautiful walking up with vines and small fountain out front. Inside the place is very dimly lit so that you can barely see. The theme of vines and paintings of Italy are all throughout the restaurant with brick flooring and wooden chairs and tables. This is a very upscale expensive place with delicious food! When we first arrived, I thought it would be just like any other Italian restaurant catering to the American palate. However, I couldn't understand our waiter too well due to his VERY thick Italian accent nor could I understand the owner with the combination of English and Italian he was speaking. The waiter grew up near the same village where my grandfather was from so I thought that was cool. I figured this was about as authentic as you can get! The food was very authentic and prepared in a way that I had never seen before. My mom has visited Italy before and she said this was the same kind of food she had while she stayed there. I would love to go back there again someday!

3. I got the last of my baking done for Xmas. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with the leftovers but I think I can find some hungry friends who would want it :)

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Pizza, Cooking, Crab

1. Ah, Angie's pizza with good friends! What can I say? Angie's makes THE BEST pizza I've ever had. Or maybe I've been eating the school cafeteria pizza for so long that any pizza tastes good? Not at all! Angie's has always had the best pizza. Sharing it with good friends makes it taste even better! I'm so lucky to have loving friends! :)

2. I cooked a huge meal for my parents and friends tonight. I was so glad everyone was able to come by. It breaks up the monotony of it all. It was great cooking for everyone and having good conversation. I made too much food though and now I"m stuffed!

3. My mom bought these HUGE Alaskan King crab legs to go with my dinner tonight. I haven't had crab like that since I lived in Japan. It was a very nice treat for me and it did take me back to those Japan days for just a little bit.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Taqueria, Friends, Mom's cooking

I'm home in California!

1. Tacos Morenos!! Oooooh...Yummy!!! The best little taqueria in all of the bay area located in the heart of Santa Cruz! There's no better place for true Mexicn food then here! :D

2. Seeing my friends. I can't believe how much they mean to me! I miss them so much and it's been great hanging out with them all! Being around people who know and understand has been very comforting. I can truely be myself again. Seeing my best friend makes all the differnce in the world.

3. My mom's cooking has been awesome. It's so nice to have a fridge stocked with real food 24/7 with all my favorites! I'm gonna enjoy all this good food while I can!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Work, Breakfast, Peace

1. I worked all day today! I'm so exhausted but I have a good team so we all did well. Together we were able to get everything done on time! Gonna miss them over the holidays.

2. My supervisor made us an egg casserole for breakfast this morning. It was so good and a nice treat!

3. The dorm is so quiet with everyone gone. I'm gonna have a good sleep and catch my flight to California tomorrow.

My parents hooked up a router for me so I can use my laptop. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this blog. If not, then I guess my next entry will be January! But I doubt that

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Party, Finals, Homework

1. We had our end of the year/holiday party tonight at work. We went to Cheesecake Factory for the night. I love that place! I love the atmosphere and the food! I ordered my usual eggplant sandwich. During dessert, we exchanged our secret Santa gifts. It was funny to find out the person I got also got me! We had a good laugh over it :)

2. Finals are over!!! Whoohoo!

3. No homework tonight for a change. Geez, this feels weird!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Sleep, Bday Cheer, Studying

1. I slept really good last night! I think it was because I went to bed very very late and was so worn out from working on my last paper. Mental exhaustion, fatigue, and stress will make anyone tired. I had a very hard time waking up and was in a sleepy state for a few hours. However, I'm now wide awake and ready to pull another all-nighter!

2. I got two birthday cards in the mail today from a good friend of mine. One of the cards was very cute with a kitty on the front. The other...hmmm...took me a while to get the joke but now I have a feeling it's something that's gonna be between us now ;) It's nice to still get birthday cheer even if your birthday is over. Makes it feel like your birthday is not only just a day but a week long!

3. I'm studying all night a with The Gov tonight. He's a really good friend of mine which helps take the pressure off. Studying with him will keep my motivation going for the night. That and can of diet coke loaded with caffeine will do the trick! ;)

Monday, December 10, 2007

Photos, Work, Card

1. I had a group of friends help me out with my paper that's due on Thursday. I have to include pictures with my paper but the problem is that I also needed people to pose in the photos. Luckily, one of my friends contacted his friends and organized a group at the last minute. Whew! The pictures came out really nice so now my paper is slowly coming together!

2. Work went by pretty quickly today considering it was slow. Sitting at a desk is really no fun but if it's not for a long time, I can handle it.

3. I got a birthday card from my grandmother. She sent me a Lucy card, you know from Peanuts? We also send each other Lucy cards since that's her favorite Peanuts character. It's kind of like an inside joke for us. :)

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Happy Birthday to Me!

What can I say? I had a great birthday! :D

1. Thank you to all the many many emails, phone calls, and text messages, and AIMs I received from all of you. I was touched that they started rolling in around 2am and didn't stop all day! You all are the best! I even got to VP with one of my friends today which was very touching. Today made me realize all the friends I have. It was the best feeling hearing from everyone! :)

2. I got a beautiful red sweater from my parents today. It's so soft and very warm. I wore it tonight at dinner. I love it!

3. A group of friends of mine and myself all drove over to IHOP for dinner. I felt so bad that I got everyone lost only because I wasn't paying attention to the signs or road but we still made it. I ordered a patty melt and strawberry crepes. They were so yummy and I ate the whole thing! After, we all headed over to a bar where I had 4 Kamakazi shots! I'm nice and drunk now and feeling very good. :) There was a lot of joking, laughing, and good memories to not be forgotten. I'm glad my friends were able to join me tonight. It was the best birthday I've had in a while :)

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Paper, BFF, Surprise

1. Worked on my last paper of the year! I'm nowhere near done but I made a lot of progress on it which is gonna help.

2. I got to talk to my best friend today. It's his birthday today so I called to wish him a Happy Birthday. It sounds like he's gonna have a good day.

3. I got an early surprise birthday from Jersey tonight. She surprised me with a homemade birthday cake that she made herself. She also gave me a card and a very beautiful handmade blue scarf. She didn't make scarf herself but it was handmade by a deaf woman. It was such a sweet and very thoughtful surprise. I was so touched by it all that I really didn't know what to say except "Thank you" over and over again. I'm not really used to people giving me gifts or doing special things for me like this so I never really know what to say or how to act. I don't remember the last time someone was so nice and thoughtful to me in this kind of way. Well, I can think of one but it feels like it's been in a long time. I'm lucky to have such a good friend. Thank you Jersey! :)

Friday, December 7, 2007

IRB, Surprise, Cartoon

1. IRB (Internal Review Board) FINALLY approved my thesis research! I've been battling with these guys all semester and they finally approve it the last week of school. Means i will have to haul ass on my research now! At least they approved it though.

2. Jersey has something planned for me for my birthday. Hmmm...I wonder what her sneaky mind is up to ;)

3. One of the old Christmas cartoons was on tonight. You know those ones with that look like they're made from clay or something. I used to watch them all the time when I was a kid. It was nice seeing them again :)

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Cake, Party, Card

1. Tonight at work, my co-workers gave me a card and a red velvet cake! It's was very sweet but sooooo yummy!!! :D I thought it was very sweet of them to do that. The card was really nice and I plan to hang it on my wall.

2. My department had their annual holiday party. I got to chat with some of the other instructors who I normally don't get to see all the time. The party of course was low key with snacks and eggnog. My classmates are so hilarious! I love them!

3. I got a birthday card from my parents! The card had a cat looking down into a fishbowl. It was really cute :)

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Laptop, Cards, Snow

1. I finally got around to getting my butt to the computer help services in order for them to install power point and a bunch of other Microsoft stuff. I've been putting it off since I got here only because I didn't want to part with my laptop. How lame is that! :P

2. I handed out my holiday cards today to all my friends. I attached a little hand made snowman ornanment to each card that I made. All my friends seemed to really like it and appreciated the comments I wrote in each card :)

3. It snowed today for the first time! The snow reminds me of my days back in Japan. I think it's the only reason why I don't mind snow nor does the snow bother me. Even though it's cold, I wouldn't mind living in a place that snowed every year. Japan was the best time of my life and the snow brings back all those cherished memories.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Sleep, Bank, Dinner

1. I think I'm finally on my regular sleep schedule again. I can't believe I used to pull 4 all nighters a week last year! I think I'm getting old! :P

2. I finally got around to going to the bank and opening up a savings account. I'm using that account to pay off my student loans for after I graduate. I've been meaning to open this account for a while. I'm such a procrastinator!

3. Jersey and I went to a hamburger place called 5 Guys for dinner to celebrate the end of the semester. She's one of the few people who I can have in depth conversations about Deaf Studies and Deaf theory only because she grew up in the culture. I find that I really need to be around people like that. She's a good girlfriend to have too. Anyway, I ate too many french fries and now I'm stuffed! :)

Monday, December 3, 2007

Nap, Laundry, Finish

1. I took a very long nap today since I've been up for two days straight. The dorm was nice and quiet which was relaxing.

2. I finally got a chance to do laundry. I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance. I finally have clean clothes again!

3. My Deaf Theory class is over! Done! Finish! Whoohoo! I have one more paper for another class and then I'm done for the semester!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Paper, Pizza, Friend

1. Paper is finished!!! Whoohoo!!! I plan to take it easy tomorrow and not think about homework for a change.

2. Jersey ordered pizza for the both of us. :) I thought it was sweet of her to think of me especially with how stressed out she is with her finals. What an awesome roommate!

3. While I'm finished with my paper I still have some changes to be made. Hanging out with one of my friends while cleaning up my paper is comforting. It's always nice to have a good friend around. :)

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Discipline, Salmon, Motivation

1. I'm staying disciplined by getting up early and working on this paper that's due Monday. I can't wait to finish it!

2. The cafeteria has baked salmon and potatoes for dinner which was actually pretty good. I like salmon and don't get the chance to eat it often.

3. Red and I are keeping each other motivated by working on our papers together. It's been great having him around to hang out with and keeping me company. I think it's been very beneficial for him as well.