The trip

Alright. Big update time. These past few weeks with limited internet access have been painful (except for the last week--more info later).

On the plane I sat next to a rude, middle-aged Vietnamese woman. She didn't know how to speak English or else I would have just yelled at her. She took off her shoes and socks and stuck her foot onto the magazine of the chair in front of me. For those of you that know me, you understand that I have sanitation issues. Everything needs to be clean. When I saw her crusty toes with flakes of pink nail polish chipped off I felt like throwing up. When I sit on the plane, I always like sitting next to the aisle because I hate crawling over people. The people that choose to sit near the window or center tend to not need to use the bathroom a lot, or they wait until the person in the aisle seat gets up and then they follow them. However, this lady... I was about to rupture my non-existent aneurysm. She woke me up by shaking me, grabbed my backpack that was on top of me, and motioned for me to move out of the way. So rude. See what she's done? Even though it's not true, I now feel like every middle-aged Vietnamese woman is like this.

Anyway, my aunt was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and my cousins were really happy to see me. Their first question was, "So, now that you're back what are we doing today?" Ridiculous. It was then followed by the second question, "What did you bring us?" Man, is that all I'm here for? Chauffeuring and Santa combined into one (I got the stomach part down at least).

Last time I updated I had just gone to the Taipei Flower Expo. After that day I shopped and shopped and shopped. Nothing was interesting until the 23rd when the prodigal son returned. That was a really bad analogy. She is neither a son nor is she prodigal. My aunt and I picked up S at the airport. I haven't seen her in two and a half years. I think that's way too long. The rest of the week went by really quickly. To summarize everything in a nutshell, all we did was eat, shop, and sleep. This is why I am fatter than I already was before. I feel like my face has puffed up and it could probably parallel those of chipmunks. Everyone says it's allowed because it's vacation, but I still feel guilty. I must get myself to a gym asap.

My grandma was crying when I left. Whenever I see people cry it makes me want to cry. But, I had to hold it in because my aunt said that if I cry then my grandma would cry even more. So, I was a big girl and I didn't cry... that is, until I was by myself in front of my boarding gate. That's when I started leaking tear water all over the new seats. I think out of all departures, this one was the most depressing. This is mostly due to the fact that I have no idea when I'm going to see any of them again. S included. I'm so sad.

My hands are extremely cold and my personal heater is off in Japan, so I guess I'll end this here and perhaps do some online shopping to force myself into a better mood.

make tea & open packages <3

Poppin bottles

Alright so as you can tell, this house is pretty ballin'. It looks like a high class hotel right? Minus the kid toys and whatnot. Sorry about the horrible picture. The angles are all wrong, there's no depth, and there's no focus, but I had to take this really fast in case someone sees me. I want to put up a picture of the bathroom as well because it looks amazing but we're going to have to see about that... I feel wrong posting up pictures of someone else's house without their consent. Especially when my aunt is literally sitting 5 feet away from me. I feel like she'll look at my screen any minute now and say "wtf isn't that my house?" Anyway, as you can see, I have a very comfortable spot on the couch. They offered me a room, but I refused because I like sleeping on the couch. That way I have the whole living room, kitchen, and bathroom to myself; you know, to run around naked and whatnot. The usual.

Let's see what did I do today? I went to this flower place (refer to picture 2). I think the full name is Taipei International Flora Expo. It's super crowded and the only things there are flowers... and leaves. I mean, I suppose they placed them in such a fashion that it was pretty and such, but there were so many people that I was more concerned about someone stepping on my shoes than I was the beauty of the flowers. I guess this would be due to the fact that it's a tourist attraction and they recently opened in April of 2010. Then I went to the Hello Kitty Bakery. Yum. Baked goods shaped like Hello Kitty taste better than normal baked goods. Don't even try to tell me this isn't true. I know you guys feel the same fulfillment I do as you're biting down on large cat heads (ugh I hate cats).

Being here has been really nostalgic. Actually, it always is. Every time I come back my relatives always tell me stories from my childhood. I was a pretty strange kid (what else is new right?). When I was one my grandpa's brother's wife went to take a nap and left me in my little bed, but I didn't want to sleep, so somehow I managed to crawl out of my bed and wander up to her bathroom. When she woke up she couldn't find me and she was really scared, but she later found me in the bathroom. When I turned around to look at her my face was covered in red-- lipstick. Her makeup was scattered everywhere. The mirror, the sink, the ground... and her makeup brushes were in the toilet. Then in front of her was little me munching on a mascara brush. She said she sighed and laughed. I must be naturally charming (haha, yeah right). I think that's ridiculous. If I were in her position I would have been angry. Oh, let me add that all of her makeup was either Lancome or Shiseido (she's from Japan). That's probably 500 dollars worth of makeup wasted by a little kid. How these people put up with me I still don't understand (everyone here has to deal with my spontaneous elbow grabbing and constant bothering teehee). Also, I just thought I should report that my red envelopes are coming in. Muahha!

Okay, this is really random, but this has been bothering me for a while. Women's restrooms (in America) have these little dispenser things for when you're on your you know. One of the labels says tampon and the other says napkin. The one that says tampon I understand; however, the one that says napkin is a bit questionable. When one thinks of a napkin, the preconceived notion tends to be a thin cloth used to wipe one's mouth. Then does that mean that that is indeed what is going to come out of the dispenser? Fortunately, I have never been so desperate to have to put in 50 cents to use a "napkin," but I'm curious... so, if anyone has ever used one before let me know because they seem really shady to me.

Tomorrow is going to be amazing. I hope everyone is having fun. I think we all deserve it. Well... some of us deserve it at least...

stab pineapples & pop balloons <3

Long time no?

Sorry for not updating in so long. This time it wasn't me neglecting my blog, instead it was me not having internet. So, this time I actually have a legitimate excuse. For those of you that don't know... I'm in Taiwan! Surprise! I'm going to take a few pictures and post them up in the near future, but before I do I'm going to tell you guys what I've been doing for the past week or so.

I got off the plane at LAX-- NOT. That stupid girl. Anyway, the flight here was long and gross and my stewardess was rude and ugly. Thirteen hours is seriously too long for a flight. I need to learn how to be a jumper (I can marry Hayden Christiansen while I'm at it).

I'm getting fat. Really fat. So fat that no one is going to be able to recognize me when I get back. I ate a five inch tiramisu cake by myself the other day. I couldn't help it. It was soo good. I think it was probably better than the tiramisu at la pastissiere and paris baguette combined. I was about to die of happiness. Then a few days ago my aunt bought me bread for breakfast. I hate bread, but she forced me to try it because she said that she stood in line for an hour to buy the bread at this famous bread shop. I took the bread and ate it and finished the whole thing. I really hate bread, but this bread was the most delicious-- wow, just wow. Amazing. There's so much good food here I can never decide what to eat. I keep forgetting to take pictures because I devour everything before my brain remembers to tell me to get my camera out.

Relatives. More specifically relatives on the dad-side. They're all freaking crazy (minus a select few). My grandparents on the dad-side have the largest house ever. Five stories. However, it is probably also the dirtiest house ever as well. I suppose that would be a given because two old people can't go around cleaning everything, but seriously it shouldn't get to the point where it's so bad that I have to buy a stool to stand on so that I won't have to touch the ground in the bathroom when I attempt to take a 'shower' with a plastic cup and the sink because I'm too afraid to touch the actual bathtub. Overly sanitary person in a dirty house? Doesn't work out too well.

I'm currently in Taipei at one of the dad-side relatives' house. This one is actually not crazy. I really like her husband. I should pull an "Esther" on her; just kidding, that's really gross (Orphan reference, if you haven't seen Orphan it was super good so watch it). Anyway, my point is... they're rich because they're both bankers and their house is super nice. I also need to take a picture of their house and when I take one I shall post it. I'm going to be here for three days because I have some major shopping to do (although I shouldn't...). I've been really bad about the whole shopping thing. I spent near 500 dollars on my first day here. But can you really blame me when there are a bunch of malls right next to each other all within walking distance? Yeah, yeah, you know you would do the same.

I'll update more tomorrow, hopefully I'll have a few pictures up too.

drink water & wear clothes <3

Good life

I wasn't even back for over three hours yet and this is what happened:

aunt: You're so ugly and skinny now! Stop losing weight!!!

cousin#1: What are you talking about, she's still fat!!!

cousin#2: I agree, now can you bake? Or make something really good? Pleaseeeeee?

Yeah, glad to be back guys. I feel so welcomed. All I've been doing recently is hanging out, catching up on television shows (I'm so behind), eating, shopping, and sleeping. That's actually a lot considering I've only been back for two days. Good to see you guys though, and as for everyone that I haven't seen yet, I come back on the 29th, so leave the days after that unoccupied and we'll go do something.

It's great not being at school. Life is even better knowing that I get to go to Taiwan again to see my grandparents and my aunt. I feel like I was just there (probably because I was...). I'm not sure if I mentioned the fact that I'm going to Taiwan on here. I'm pretty sure I have a while back, but if you've seen me in person I've probably mentioned it. Anyway, it's because my grandpa is turning 80 so he wants everyone back. See? The benefits of talking to me in person rather than stalking my blog. You get to know information way before other people. Then again if you stalk my blog you won't have to see my face... trade-offs, right?

Finals were okay. I'm waiting for Biology grades to come out. This quarter was too much. I kind of thought everything was fine and that I could handle everything... that is, until finals came around. That's when the whole 19 units thing blew up in my face. I'm never doing this again. Lesson learned.

My rich aunt from San Diego came up today. For some reason whenever I drive to San Diego it takes me around eight hours. Whenever she drives up from her house, it only takes her six hours. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that she drives a Mercedes. I wouldn't be surprised. Anyway, she cooked a turkey and we all went to her hotel to eat. It was pretty fun (in part because her hotel room is so big). I never know what to say to my uncle. He's so socially awkward. I guess smart, rich, white-guy biochemists tend to be that way.

Anyway, I haven't started packing yet and I probably should. Let's hope I don't fall into the Pacific Ocean. I'll update you guys when I can and I'll bring you guys back some random trinkets (I hate this word, but not more than crust) and whatnot. Have a good break, but don't have too much fun without me :)

listen & learn <3

Venting...

I'm immensely irritated right now, so I must vent and subsequently get on with my life or else I will go insane and be unable to adequately study for my finals.

I finally stopped being such a useless person and expressed my distaste and irritation for my housemate's constant talking as she reads her notes out loud in the living room/dining room where I can hear everything because the walls are paper thin. I felt relieved. It felt like a great stress had been lifted from my shoulders. After I told her, I went back to my room and realized I was shaking like crazy. Why? Well, because I don't do confrontations. I can't handle it because I am a chicken. This is then why I am always the silent victim in every situation. I wish I could be more like other people who can say whatever is on their minds (or at least find someone here that would be willing to do that for me). Well, this was a big step. She stopped talking for the rest of the night. I got a lot of work done, and I was able to concentrate. Life was amazing.

Now, today. Guess what? The talking resumes. What the -bleep- right? That's what I said. Perhaps there was miscommunication somewhere in the conversation. However, I am rather certain that I did not say "Do you think you could be quieter just for today?" it was more along the lines of... "Hey, so... I didn't say anything this whole quarter because... yeah, but I can kind of hear everything out here in the kitchen and the living room from my room. To this she asks "What do you mean?" Okay fine, so I explain. "Well, I can hear every conversation that goes on, everything... and I've been trying to drown it out with music, but it's not working and it's really hard to concentrate so... do you think you could whisper or something.. heh heh?" She said yes, by the way (hooray!). Well, look what happened. I know. Maybe she forgot? Maybe she thinks I can't hear? Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. Perhaps I wasn't specific enough. Perhaps I should have defined the "sounds" as the ones coming from her vocal cords. Perhaps the problem was the fact that I wasn't assertive enough. Perhaps the conversation should have gone like this, "YO selfish B*&%$, STFU cuz I'm trying to study. You're F*#$&$* annoying. S*&#." Okay, I'll admit the last one wasn't necessary. However, you guys get my point. I'm not the type of person that would do something like that because it's rude. Heck, it was already hard enough for me to tell her anything as it was (it took 3 months and the stress of finals to get me to open my mouth; pathetic, I know). So, yeah this is what happens when you're me (fated to be a squisy marshmallow). Learn from my mistakes, be more aggressive... and then come and help me out because I'm miserable. I refuse to repeat myself.

I rarely make any sound at all unless I get up to use the restroom or sit down on my bed (it creaks apparently). The only time I play music is when people are being annoying and I'm trying to block out sound; this noise is intentional, but no one seems to get the picture... I'm so useless. I just don't understand. Is mutual respect so much to ask for? Apparently so in our society.

Ugh. Okay, I'm over it. After all, people are doomed to be people (it's what I learned last year - which is why I'm so pessimistic) and I can't do anything about that, so I might as well just think about something happy... like gingerbread men. Must get back to work. Hope no one else is miserable~ Don't die guys; almost there!

bang head against wall & cry <3

Just 3

This weekend sucks-- and it's not even because it's finals week. I ended up choosing to study in my car for nearly the whole day today because it was too loud and I couldn't take it. How would I describe this in one word? Annoying, I guess. This weekend was just annoying. On the bright side, there are only three days until everything is over. Three days closer to going to see my grandparents and aunt, three days closer to seeing Saori, three days closer to shopping like a psycho. Yeah, life is going to be good after these three days (okay, minus the 13 hour plane ride times 2), though I have to survive them first.

I don't know if anyone else gets this in winter or if it's just me. My hands are so dry and nasty. I guess it's not as bad as I'm making it sound. It's probably just the fact that my knuckle started bleeding today... it kind of looks like a paper cut, but not. Time to put on another Hello Kitty bandage. Hey, don't judge me, they were on sale at Target. I think I go though bandages a bit too quickly though. I've used up nearly forty since I've come back to school. I'm telling you there's something about being here that makes me accident prone. Either it's that or it's merely the fact that school is painful. Agreed? Agreed.

I've kind of been neglecting everything else and studying for Chem. I feel like it's always harder to get an A in Chem than it is with other subjects. Everything else is BS, but Chem is like that bag of broccoli you store at the bottom of the fridge, if you leave it there it's going to rot and trying to save it last minute is futile because you can't reverse rotten broccoli. That was probably the worst analogy I've ever come up with, but hopefully someone out there understands me. What can I say I'm delirious again. Average daily sleep is around 2 hours, but it's not because I'm always studying. My sleep deprivation has resulted from a combination of loud people, cold wars, and procrastination by playing Ovenbreak.

I got chased by a chihuahua wearing a tiny black sweater yesterday. I ran really fast because it came out of nowhere and I thought it was going to bite me. Then I thought to myself, "What the heck? Why am I running?" I turned around and I decided to use this tactic that I learned from my friend. I looked at the dog, pointed out a finger and said, "No... NO!" You know, as dumb as this sounds, it actually worked.

I've had 2NE1's Don't Stop the Music on repeat for three days now. They're so cool. You know my thing about not liking things that are perfect? Okay, this is weird. I'll explain. I don't like it when people look too perfect because then they don't look real, so I like it when girls have that one incisor that's growing too high (guys must have perfect teeth-- sorry, sucks for you guys out there, but to compensate I like guys with slight underbites). It's not all about teeth though, there are other things (like awkward elbows, I like skinny arms). I just don't have the time to explain them all or else we'd be here for ages. Ironically, it would probably drive me insane if I had any teeth that were crooked or if I had an underbite. My thing for imperfection also holds true for celebrities. I like it if celebrities don't look like they're on the verge of being anorexic or if they don't look like they have 20% of the world's plastic in their body, which is why I've been 2NE1 crazy for a while now. They're so cool. CL, Dara, and Bom! (not too crazy about Minzy) I mean, I'll admit to liking 소녀시대, but that's because they're freaking hilarious, not because they look like twigs and are portrayed by SMent as these "perfect" idols. I kind of went on in a tangent there and forgot my point. Oh, well.

...I'd like it if my tests looked perfect though.

caffeine & chocolate <3

Ride the pony

This morning I was eating cereal in Bio class 1. to prevent myself from falling asleep and 2. because I'm always hungry at 10:20am for some odd reason and I dropped a giant flake down my shirt and into my bra. Wow, ridiculous. It was so freaking uncomfortable and itchy, but I wasn't about to reach down there and dig around trying to find it... people would have probably gotten the wrong idea, so I just sat there with cereal in my bra for the greater half of the fifty minute lecture. I know, attractive right? Well, I got it out an hour later before COM class. Just saying.

You know, I think I'm going to be sad. Only after my last Chem lab on Monday did I realize that I'm actually going to miss having lab. I mean I know it's dreadful and it eats up several hours of my day, etc. but the people in there have grown on me. Actually, I've been really fortunate this quarter because people in my Bio lab are really cool too. I guess essentially, if people in your labs are cool then it makes time go by faster and you don't feel like you're about to die while waiting for water to boil or counting species on a nasty aquatic habitat-plate-thing. Hopefully, next quarter can be amazing too. I speak like I'm done with everything-- ha, I wish (don't we all? ...if only we could skip the next week and go straight to break...).

The other day someone said this to me, "Oh my gosh Joanna I feel like I don't ever know what's going on in your life, but you know everything about mine." I laughed and didn't say anything, but in my mind I was thinking "Well duh, you never ask." I guess I assume that if people don't ask then they don't care. Generally people like talking about themselves so I'll let them talk and I'll just listen. I mean I'm not going to start dumping my life onto your shoulders right when I see you (ahem... unless you happen to be one of the unlucky few that are my PEOPLE hehe then you're doomed to put up with me for the rest of your lives, but I know you all love me so it's okay) you know what I mean? Just saying again. I really should be studying for the Biology lab practical tomorrow but I can hardly keep my eyes open. Perhaps I'll just wake up tomorrow morning and review a bit. Seriously this internship is tiring to the max. The nurses are hilarious though. Today they told me not to "ride the pony" or else I would end up like her as they point to a pregnant nurse. I love hospital drama. I'll tell you about the nurses some other day. I have many stories.

Since you guys read my blogs I guess this will be exclusive inside information. My weird habits. Over Thanksgiving I went running with a friend and she told me that when I run I smile. Not so much as to where my teeth are showing (creeper status), but I smile so that my dimples show. I think that's weird. I wonder why I've never noticed that. What I remember is when people in PE would run with their mouths open. I thought that they all looked like hungry cows, so I forced myself to close my mouth. I suppose this smiling dimple thing must have developed as a consequence. Another thing that I've noticed lately is the fact that I keep grabbing people's elbows. Oh well. I hope no one minds me doing this... it's automatic now. Great, now everyone is going to go buy elbow pads to prevent infection.

Anyway... I need to shower, but taking off my clothes requires too much effort. Maybe I should go in with my clothes on? By the way, the headaches have come back. Not too sure if it's related to finals or if it's related to... other things.

eat grapes & steal oranges <3