Alive!...sort of...in Phnom Penh

Yeah, just a quick note to say I'm not lost in the jungle that is Phnom Penh. So, so much is going on, I can't even keep up with everything being thrown at me. I've had to move to a new place 2 days after getting into Phnom Penh. Language classes are going at a fairly fast pace. The field trips in the afternoon and on Saturdays are interesting but so very exhausting (having to wake up at 6.30am everyday and having late nights does not help). Food poisoning is the bane of my life right now (i got like  an hour and a half of sleep last night, I was so busy running between the bed and the toilet) and to add to that, boy problems I didn't want to deal with but kinda expected have popped up. Otherwise, having an absolute blast here! :D I'm living with two Brits so my accent/English has kinda shifted to mimic them. lol. It's actually kinda funny. But we've got a great group of people, both in the CKS and ASK programs and it's shaping up to be an awesome, awesome summer!!! Or at least it will be once my stomach decides to stop rebelling and my lifelong random/dirty-food/things-in-my-mouth training kicks in. I'll update more once things have settled down and I feel better.

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why does grad school feel like grade school sometimes?

lol. just got my co-editorial position revoked in a random apologetic and rambly (is that a word?) email. i know I should probably be pissed but personally, I think it's hilarious and I don't mind at all. Fact is, I never did anything at all....mostly because the main guy in charge who elected me into that position (notice I didn't actually volunteer for it) didn't delegate. And now he thinks it wouldn't be fair to the others to allow me to be credited as such. But I will be credited accordingly for the work I did do. lol. dude, seriously? I'm not gonna be butt hurt about it so quit with the lame apologetic email. Sometimes I feel like I'm in grade school and not grad school; gotta be oh so careful about other people's feelings and egos so as to not stunt their development and all that crap. Honestly, I'd prefer not to be credited at all. I don't want to be mean or anything but I was talking with one or two of the other staff editors and we all agree that we are slightly ashamed to be connected with this years publication in the first place because the editing jobs were horrible (seriously, you couldn't tell that some of them had been edited several times or at all during the final edits!) and I thought a lot of the topics were kinda lame and not very well written and we didn't weed them out enough (accepting more mediocre papers because it's an online publication  and it'll help these students get published doesn't justify lowering standards). But that's just me. lol. Frankly, at this point, apart from my grades, I really don't care about anything school related anymore.

2 more days till I'm done and 3 more days till I'm back in the Bay! As much as I've come to like Hawaii this semester, I'll be glad for some time in the bay with friends and family.

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success! fridge space, come back to mama!!

how sad is it that my fridge space is a priority in my life?? (over school work and a social life......)

how much sadder is it that it took me a week and a half to get it back??

hahaha

honestly though, i had like 3 or 4 passive aggressive ideas right off the bat (useful but not a long term solution).....it was the plotting of the "accidental non-confrontational confrontation" and trying to catch my housemate when she was home that took so long. why do i make my life a gazillion times harder than it actually is??

classes are taking off; i'm actually going to spring for ALL my books tomorrow (yes, all of them)....I think this is the first time in my college career I've ever bought all the books for every class I'm taking. I feel absurdly proud of myself for being so responsible.....haha... if buying them a week and a half into the sem (after faking my first assignments) is responsible. Maybe a better word is accomplished. I'm not sure why I'm bragging about feeling accomplished when I haven't bought them yet.....perhaps it's so I don't start crying over how insanely expensive they are when I actually have to pay...

bioarch: $130+$30+$22; historic preservation: $50+$30+$35+$42; cambodian: $50; etc, etc, etc

feeling like a good student: priceless

lol

maybe my "studious asian" gene is kicking in? I really hope it is. I think I might need it.

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be careful what you ask for

So, I wanted something to keep me busy this semester and man, I shouldn't have even thought about it.

If last semester was a breeze where I lazed around and baked/went grocery shopping a lot (A LOT. seriously), I'm now....

Overcommitted

OMG. How the heck did that happen??

My little plan for 3 classes, a dance class/hobby and an internship has become 5 classes, an internship, a part-time job, 3 extracurriculars and a editorial position I forgot I had. oops. (maybe, just maybe, I might have been a little excited about the new year and new start (read: gone a little overboard with the whole "my life is stagnant and I should grab life by the balls" resolution thingy)

Also, I apparently have to hang out at my newly given office (yay office space!!) at least 10 hours a week in order to keep it (boo. can you tell i like the idea of it more than actually having it??)......I dunno if it's worth it.....it's got four people squished in, looks like a harem decided to throw up on the walls (to complement the 50s decor, of course) and kinda smells like an ashram. lol. On the other hand, it may come in handy since I've now got 9 (yes, NINE) housemates and I foresee a lack of peace and quiet. Why? Nothing super big or anything (apart from having 10 girls in one tiny house) but the two new girls on my floor are pretty noisy: one of them likes to have very long, very loud eastern european hysterics on the phone (I could hear her from outside the house) and another likes to giggle in that high-pitched-haunted-house/chucky kinda way. Seriously gives me the heebie jeebies.... especially when she laughs at night.... I've never been more thankful for the annoying streetlights and the lack of curtains if it means my room isn't pitch black when she randomly laughs. lol. it's funny and creepy at the same time.

Well, this semester is shaping up to be a super busy one (can't believe I'm only two days in and already dreading how stressed out I'll be) but I think it'll be fun.Wish me luck!

p.s: I still owe the last two weeks of Cambodia and the highlights of life in the aloha state. I promise they will come. soon. with pictures even.

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getting settled in

It's been about a week and a half since I got here. Slowly getting settled in but this grad school in Hawaii thing...... it doesn't look too bad :)

Found a place to stay. It's probably the most rent I've ever paid (because I'm super cheap and used to willingly live in sketchy/dinky little places) but for the price i'm paying, it's waaaay bigger and cheaper than prollly 90% of housing offered on craigslist in honolulu (and other places I've lived in). Plus, the landlord is nice and there aren't a lot of strict rules. I've got 7 housemates...which is a lot but definitely less than the 39 girls I lived with in my co-op so it's not too bad. Also, I managed to talk my landlord into giving me a discount in exchange for helping to "manage" the place because I'm apparently a "responsible" grad student. Hahahahaha.....the wonders of putting the word "graduate" in front of "student"....man, should have done that sooner....like years ago...at Cal... What's great about the deal is that I really only have to make sure the chores get done, make sure the trash goes out and complain to him if the other housemates get too noisy or dirty. Seriously?!? I'd do that anyway but if it means a Ben Franklin gets taken out of my rent, I'm not about to tell him that! lol. 

Classes started on Monday last week and I've only just sorted it out. Managed to get all the classes I wanted and it's not too bad a load for the first semester. Still have to deal with all the red tape bs which is driving me crazy and sorting through it is very trying but it doesn't seem to be all that bad now that I'm right in the middle of it. I do have to say that the student health center here is much better than Berkeley's (where I've never had a good experience because they charge too much and some of the doctors there are horrible).

Hawai'i is pretty darn amazing but it's definitely a lot more expensive than the mainland. Housing, food and even the bus costs more yet most places only pay about $7-9/hour. How do people live?? Gah! Gotta start looking for a job soon :/ Other than that, Hawai'i is very nice....the people are really friendly and super helpful. The scenery is great too - both the landscape and the people. lol. The only thing is the weather. It's been fairly nice and it is not as hot as I thought it would be due to the breeze but it keeps raining suddenly while the sun is shining and there are barely any clouds in the sky! Crazy!

So, school is on track (including getting the advisor I want), medical clearance should be taken care of by the end of this week, I'm not homeless, rent is miraculously cheap (even by mainland standards), I'm slowly making friends (I think) and chocolate covered macadamia nuts are on sale. Now, I only have to worry about studying - it's a lot harder than it looks (my sister makes it look so easy) and getting a rug big enough to cover the ugly stain on my floor. Apart from that, life is good :)

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My Life In Ruins: Honduras, part one

***Imagine a cute postcard with a cartoon of Honduras that will be here when I can find the damn thing***

I was only in Honduras for a month but this is gonna be split into a couple of posts because I'm long winded like that.

The year long holiday started off in Honduras. 

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i saw boobies! and my professor. But not together!

Van's debut in the world of burlesque was interesting. I have to admit that I didn't really get to see most of it since I was trying to make sure I got it all on video but after reviewing the vid, I think it's hilarious :) There was stripping, boobies, feather boas, tassels, overeager co-performers, great hair and a close call when she nearly tipped over taking the panties off. haha. it was brilliant! I can't wait for the solo. Seriously, burlesque was made for this girl. As for me, the classes sound tempting but I don't think I'd have the balls for it; I'll stick with bellydancing, thank you very much.

I also managed to track down a professor of mine for reccomendation letters and advice. I was super worried about it since one of my applications is due in about a month and I hadn't heard back from her. To my relief, it wasn't because she hates me (which scares me since she may look like a sweet little old grannie but I know that she is/can be a fierce alpha female with slightly evil tendencies if crossed). As it turns out, it was all a misunderstanding - she put it in her 'recs to write' folder but forgot to reply to my email and set up an appointment. I ended up waiting a reeeaaaaallly long time to see her but it was worth it since I managed to get her undivided attention for an hour and a half and almost everything is squared away now. Man, I have never ever met with a professor for that long. And to my utter surprise, I was super comfortable talking to her the entire time. Which is a good thing since I am pretty much terrified of her and am always surprised by the fact that she even recognizes me. Haha.

My sis left for NY today to spend the week with some friends before they graduate and go home. Not fair. *looks wistful* I wanna see the east coast too! I made her cookies to take on the flight (yes, I am an auntie) and even though I know she'll give me sad, disappointed looks for making yummy things when she's not here, I'm itching to bake something, anything! Especially with thanksgiving approaching soon. We'll see what happens.

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