hello this is my study abroad blog :-)~
***i will upload pictures to my blog posts whenever i have the time (might be at the end of the semester tbh) so bare with me :(
-travel outlet adapters (borrowing 2 from jeffrey!!)
-PASSPORT PICS (for ARC!)
-laundry basket
-deodorant!! (unsure if korea has the same selection as the US lol)
-5 hangers (should have brought like 2-3 more extra)
-bandaids
-towels
-pillow & cover!! (just in case the pillow provided isnt comfy :( )
-TAKE THE SLIPPERS FROM THE AIRLINE!!!! (for inside the dorm hehe) #many regrets
~~everything else u can buy, but i would like to have brought as much as i could have, considering the fact that my luggage was still under the weight :[)
-transfer money to Charles Schwab account
NOTIFY phone carrier, credit card company (luckily tmobile provides free messaging and date :`) )
bio final, TCS essay, and a resting day before i embark on my next trip hehe
dec 13: we arrived back in the morning, so i just headed back to my room, and studied the day away :(
i ate dumplings and got boba with kat and leon before i separated myself back into chi wah and then my room to study more!! like until super late at night...
dec 14: woke up from my ‘nap’~~ only to be really scared lolz....... i cri
took that final
3 parts, T/F, MC, long & short answer.. i cri :(
after, i went to get korean food with leon and dom on Kimberley Road, before departing to finish the TCS essay with kat!! (it was very hard.. we finished in the last hour.... well kat finished like 5 minutes before SMH)
then to reward ourselves, we went to HO HO DIM to celebrate~~~
the waiter told kat to translate the menu for future customers who cant read chinese (aka students like us maybe??? lol )
then annica, leon, jose, and dom came by to deliver kat some YEUNG CHI GUM SAI MA LO
and annica told us her wild 48 hour story of thailand !! (she booked the tickets one day before and was wildin’ out w back-to-back itineraries)
dec 15: ate brunch at the duck noodle place outside exit HKU exit B2 (v good!!!)
then leon poon productions lol spent the whole day accompanying him filming after i went to the apple store to see what was up w my phone
-i needed to backup my info bc the guy wanted to reset the software..
we went around central/soho --> happy hour at brew dog = :~) im an adult?? lolz jk
then we met up w kat to eat at Yat Lok !! soy sauce chicken = gewd
then to the DING DING all the way to north Point (nothing rly there lol i cry) !!!!!!!!!!! for years.. to get the right footage.... smh
dec 16: more footage!! in the day time
and then korean food with katleon
and then SHAM SHUI PO !!! for more footage and bucketlist items keke
then an eggtart for jose!! and a bun for kat!!
then CATSEYE in Wan Chai for omu rice before i depart for flight
-literally cutting it close bc i needed to shower and pack and meet crystal at mcD at 11:30... but eating at 9 PM..... i cri
when i was rushing home... turns out she just wanted to take the MTR to tung chung and then taxi it to the airport...
so we did that = gave me more time to pack and relax ... but then we got ripped off by the taxi driver because he found out we were from america and asked for tip + baggage money smh !!!!!
slept at the airport = SUPER COLD and not comfortable !! would not do again unless i was wearing appropriate clothes smh
dec 10: flight to taiwan!! we arrived at night, and waited for a bus to take us to the city.. it was delayed an hour :( and it was windy and rainy .. but thats ok~~
we went to the airbnb and then headed to the shilin night market at like 11PM (almost closing time :( )
we had this beef bone soup and then proceeded to check out whatever was open in the market (almost nothing lOL )
dec 11: we went to the national museum because tiffany mentioned a jade cabbage.. so why no!t!!1
my phone screen broke........ waht a way to capture taiwan lolz..... so sed i cries
we then proceeded to walk around shilin, and then xinbeitou!! there were hot springs but it smelled like sulfur :( but thats ok!!
we then went to (i forgot the location but it was near NTU) and we walked along the harbour, looked through the food stalls, bought a lot of boba and food for HELLA CHEAP!!!!!!!! IT WAS AWESOME :)
we then went back to the airbnb and did normal stuff lol .. i studied
we watched videos, mitchell and blaine played instruments, tiff was facetiming her bf
dec 12: we went to eat at the Modern Toilet!! the food was ok... the price was cheap (when converted back to US) so bless up
then we went to ximen to walk around and check out the place!! (its like myeongdong hehe)
then we went to the chiang kai-shek memorial hall and omg!! its so big and beautiful i love it so much :’~)
after, we went outside taipei 101 (observatory desk was closed :( )and then to find eslite’s 24 hr bookstore
we headed back to the airbnb and packed because our flight was at 7 AM the next day = pack up 2night!! and then nap until the taxi comes to scoop us
--
to sum up:
taiwan: super cheap food ( ~30-35 TWD = $1), foods can range from 30-120 NTD = $1-$4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and they are normal portions too!!! enough to fend off hunger and more!!!
people are super nice!! and they want to converse with you!!
-taxi drivers, convenience store workers, and more wanted to help us out :’)
-mandarin is the main language, but theres also several taiwanese dialects, and english can be used too!
the MRT stops were a bit inconvenient, but that allowed us to explore the surrounding area (which should be explored!! very beautiful and refreshing to see life compared to hong kong)
so i basically just napped, ate dinner with kat and did work until the night was over lol
but pop culture final is done YEE HAW
dec 8: STUDYING FOR POP CULTURE WITH POP CULTURE CREW !!!
i went to chi wah first to go over the notes, headed to eat OPPA CHICKEN with kat, then headed to the Grove to continue studying!!! WE GOT THIS
-YUI AKIYAKI (ARAGAKI), LESLIE CHEUNG.... ANDY LAU AND TONY LEUNG!! SAM HUI = ALL WE LEARNED IN CLASS
dec 9: the final was alright... it was p similar to the past exams in terms of difficulty, but it was gewd~~~
after the final, we went to Sun Hing (3 AM dim sum place!!) very delicious!!! and then we went to exchange money for taiwan!! laura went to exchange for RMB
and then we all returned home!! for a break
dinner at temple street spice crab for LKF sqwad’s last formal dinner together :(
it was delicious~
then we went to mongkok to take the street pics!! they turned out rly cute :’)
and then we all parted our ways bc laura had to go to china, crystal has her final, emily was heading out to taiwan first, etc ~~
i need to hurry and update this blog so i can work on my essay omg im like almost halfway done.. i dont want to write it during taiwan lol help
DECIDED TO GO TO LANTAU
-HAD JAPANESE PORK BOWL THE NIGHT BEFORE, NAPPED AN HR, THEN CONTEMPLATED MY DECISION AGAIN BEFORE APPROVING MY ORIGINAL DECISION TO GO
-took the MTR to tung chung, found a bus to go to TAI O, got off at the base of lantau peak trail and hiked!!!!
-it was all rocky staircases. it goes up hill for a while, but there are resting spots
-it becomes flat for a while and there will be periods of staircases for a few minutes
just take your time and go at your own pace because it honestly took us like 1.5 - 2 hrs to get to the top... and trust me.. u will want to take ur time and spend as little time at the top as possible lol
-its very quiet and dark and calm but windy so yeah :)
the top was SUPER WINDY so PLEASE pack a lot !!!!!!!!!!!!! blankets are rly good !! beanies, bring ur north face jackets, warm pants, thick socks, gloves!! face masks! whatever u need to survive like 40 F temps with winds going like 30 mph!!!
theres a shelter up there, but theres like a hollow space separating the roof and the building, so there was wind blowing everywhere...... we were up there for like 3 hrs , thinking about how we were all going to die
but then the sun came up (it was a little cloudy so we couldnt see much...)
it was more windy outside.. unbelievable i was dying
but everyone else looked fine and calm and i was like ???!!? must be a socal thing lol
after we took pics real quick, we started hiking down the Pak Kung Au way
very pretty when u first get off bc its like wheat fields, with grass, with the ocean, with rocks... unreal i love it
but then u get down and its just a normal hike with trees everywhere
-it was literally steep down hill rock steps for 1.5/2 hours... i hated it so much
i still feel the pain 2 days later ugh
but massage ur legs
we ended up at the wisdom path --> walked outside and took a taxi from ngong ping back to tung chung!!! then i took a shower, ate lunch, headed to my korean final and waited until it started
-it was an ok test..maybe a B ... :( but ti was OVER !!!1
i cant believe i hiked it and then headed to my final right after wtf who am i
finals are almost over!! im a little over halfway, but im leaving tomorrow for taipei so... i gotta get on it..
i also have been spending a lot more than i usually do... so... my money is just flying out of my pockets lol
nov 28: last korean class :( so sad
i dont really remember waht happened this day but im p sure i just ate lunch with kat and mitchell, went to class and then i took a pic with seonsaengnim !!
-she also taught me about korean dating because i looked confused during her tangent.... omg i miss her :(
then i probably went to either chi wah or went home to do work
hehe
nov 29: last tuesday class!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i also presented for TCS, so that class is done-zos hehe HAPPY TIMES ?!!!!!
-after, since it was my bday celebration with LKF, we did that!!
i waited in kat’s room until it was time to go to whampoa
-from there, we ate at School Food and they paid for my meal <3 _ <3 i got the pork fried rice, kimbap, and a coffee jelly ‘patbingsu’ to share with everyone and i got a mango pudding cake from Hui Lau Shan :~)
so gewd, i love mango
then i got ice’d....... and then we went to bowling, but then half of them went home while half of the other half didnt want to bowl... so there was no point HAHA so then we just didnt bowl
-we took the star ferry back to central, took a picture by the pier with those pier photographer people
-we were able to bargain for the 4x6 to $30 because kat kept insisting to pay for the $20 2x4 pic... so if u want a 4x6, keep asking for the smaller size
that was also my birthday gift :~) along with like 5 colorful worm balloons
i love it~
nov 30: last class forever!!!!!!!!! after i went to eat lunch and then returned to chi wah to do some work...
glendy made me a cake from cheese crackers and a fruit tip... lol i love it
and then like all of us crashed SCS’s high table :~)
the guest speaker was Emily Lau, and q&a session was pretty heated.... politics is very real here in HK and thats refreshing bc no one back home would be this involved
then after, we went to LKF to celebrate my bday for ladies night
-we got free drinks and club-hopped... it was p empty so we went to mcd and bounced
dec 1: doing pop culture essay in chi wah!!!! i had blaine help me and so i scraped a majority of my essay because it wasnt making sense... but thats ok because what does make sense????
practically stayed there the whole day.. i dont really know what i did,, but i know i wasnt being productive
dec 2: went to see Alan for help on my project.. he led me to a good direction but that meant revamping what i wrote yesterday... but thats ok.. and then after i left his office hours, i forgot a majority of what he told me to do.... so i had kat help me retrace my thoughts for like 2 hours... and then i got it :D~~
so i became productive but then it was time to go to Mongkok to eat at Teawood and then do the photo street taking thing near by
-very cute pics i love it so much :’)
dec 3: $1 MTR day!!!!! last minute decision to go to yuen long!
-me tiff and jane went to get Big Star, egg waffles and then we headed to yuen long to go do the Heritage Trail
-it didnt really feel like a heritage trail because it just looked like a alley-residential area.. but i think thats the point??? there were temples surrounding the area. then we went to eat dessert at B jai, and we headed back home
-later that night we went to LKF because leon was going to bring his brother out
-so me and lkf club hopped, met up with them at leon’s cousin’s bar and then hopped more and headed back
-lol leon’s brother’s dances were lit... ridiculous lit.. but i can tell he was having fun HAHHAHA
dec 4: i said goodbye to my roommate Karen because she did not have finals this semester so why not go home :(
-and then i stayed in chi wah all night to finish pop culture essay and
also watch The Return of Superman to practice my listening skills
dec 5: finished the korean oral test... omg so scary LOL i hope i did well on it.. but i messed up a lot.. the endings, i didnt say much,,, ugh
its ok ... i worked on the rest of my essay
-went to eat laksa with kat and cindy
then finished up the essay and submitted it with like 20 minutes to spare whew
dec 6: treated myself to mcdonalds and turned in the hard copy for the essay
then sat in chi wah to start on TCS essay --> i was debating whether or not i should go to the Lantau hike........ because i had korean written the next afternoon...
-PRO: get to hike it// spend time w friends// im in hk, why not!!
-CON: might be tired for final// losing time on writing TCS (ironically, im sitting here in the future, procrastinating on it by updating this blog)// lose sleep
so soon omg i need to go to sleep its 2AM and i ahve class at 11:30 :(
not that bad actually but considering the fact that im needing like 8 hours of sleeping now... aiyah
i have to:
-TCS presentation
-pop culture paper (STILL)
-study for bio, korean, and pop culture
nov 26: DAE SQUAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i met up with jeffrey in CWB to go to the HK Pride Parade at 1:30... turns out the walk didnt actually start until 3:30... but we stayed, walked around and just talked!! it started raining halfway... so luckily jeffrey brought his umbrella hehezzzz we aint gonna get soaked
we walked for about 15 minutes before the rain got heavier so we took shelter in the Hysan Place and ate at the korean place
then we walked to Times Square and got a Mister Softee bc jeffrey has yet to try it = delicious and rainy too
we then went to cong sao bc jeffrey has been to times square
-we went to times square anyways because the rain was getting wild and the winds were blowing and my cardigan was not keeping me warm
we wanted to go to ladies market so jeffrey could buy an iphone charger but we decided to head to HKU bc the weather was against it
-HKU tour!!!!!!!!!! and then jeffrey walked me halfway back bc i had no umbrella
the rain was getting lighter by the time i reached my dorm so it was all good...
but i was freezing bc the wind and my cardigan so i just sat in my room and watched 5 Centimeters Per Second because my roommate rec’d it and it was only 1 hr.. it was ok.. i didnt really get it so i wouldnt watch it again.. but when i read the youtube comments i realized how unfortunate it was :( oh wells~
then i took a nice hot shower and realized that there was no cold water in the sinks.. and i felt nostalgic about hot showers
-i remember taking hot showers back home in high school during the cold winters and how revitalizing they were... being able to have a heater at home
-irvine isnt as cold because its constantly 60-70s so its bearable cold: and my apt would always be warm so it honestly wasnt bad
then kat went to pick up her stuff from me but i told her to come to my place bc i aint walking over there for her stuff! (i should have though... her lobby is more comfy LOL)
-we just sat on my lobby couch and talked for like 2 hours
-i was wearing shorts --> i didnt realize how many people would walk in and out... my legs were freezing >:(
we finally parted ways and i could feel my cold legs
-when i got into bed, i burrito’d myself because my bed is not good at insulating heat
i miss my bed i cri lol
nov 27: LAURA’S BIRTHDAY!! we all made brunch for her!!! scrambled eggs, crepes, potatoes, fresh fruit, mimosas!!
-crystal pampered laura and blaine and then we surprised her with the food by having mitchell play butler and deliver the food to her!!
but she wanted to eat with all of us so it wasnt breakfast in bed (We improv’d that bc we were way behind schedule and we didnt want to keep laura waiting)
then we all gathered back in the kitchen sans kat bc she was busy feeling nauseous and just had a nice and lovely breakfast with the clear and sunny hong kong skies as our window backdrop~
after, we cleaned up nicely and i headed to chi wah to work on the TCS presentation.. (omg i hate it)
-this meetup consisted of me annica jose glendy and tiffany sitting in chi wah doing our own thing, finishing our parts, me procrastinating... (i still am) on my part
-im supposed to do the “proposed method” part but i honestly dont know what im supposed to be proposing.. is it really just as easy as it sounds?? idk ...
i delivered mcdonalds~~ and annica showed me her veggietales videos LOL
and then we had convo about everyone leaving and it makes the end of this study abroad journey so close :(
nov 21- nov 25: the almost final academic stretch!!
recap pt.2!!
as the skies are getting less sunnier, and temperatures are starting to drop, i am finding it harder and harder to wake up exactly at my alarm... :( im always over sleeping and i can only find myself waking up on MWF: when my alarm only gives me like 1 hr to get to class lol i cry
i just want to curl up in my bed and stay there until im tired of it :(
nov 21: your normal mondays~~ go to bio, eat food, go to korean, and then go back to my room/go out lol
-my bowels have not been releasing anything so i thought it was a good idea to get something going.. since i started to introduce more and more flavors and foods into my diet.. i thought something was going to happen but it didnt... so i ate chocolate muffins and drank coffee.. still nothing :(
but then i went to AYCE sushi with pokfield in TST~~ Daikiya!! 262 HKD for AYCE and AYCD!!!
-i just had sashimi and stuck with Kagome’s Mango Juice and the barley oolong tea to be safe hehe
-glendy booked a reservation saying it was my bday celebration and the restaurant gave me a cake!! wowzas!! it wasnt a great cake but it wasnt too bad :~)
-i would go to Daikiya again --> the sashimi tasted pretty fresh and the food came out in a reasonable amount of time! the ice cream wasnt too great but its free ice cream whatever LOL... they also have macarons, so i pounced on them hehe
i was able to release something that night :~) my bowels are working again??
nov 22: typical tuesday: went to class and then eat after class... head to either chi wah or home!!
-me glendy jose and dom went to Soo Viet in Sai Ying Pun and it wasnt too bad!! i had the com tam suon and it tasted really good!! there wasnt nuoc mam but there was a soy sauce-like sauce to go with it :)
after we went to chi wah and i watched Your Name with glendy and its SUCH A GOOD MOVIE OMG I LOVE IT !!!!! it was a little confusing to watch because of the plotlines but then it explains itself towards the end :’) i would watch it again!! maybe in the theaters when it comes out in HK officially!!?
nov 23: OOO early wednesdays!!!! typical wednesdays: go to class then find something to do after because i have the whole day
-me kat and leon went to Nabe 1 in TST for AYCE hot pot!!!
-we went for the 90 min lunch AYCE for 118 HKD --> SUPER GREAT DEAL
everything was self served (AYCE & AYCD); if you wanted more meat, just ask!!!!
-there was also dessert aka frozen yogurt but it was good so whatever idc
-the largest amount of vegetables that i have ever consumed during my timein hong kong omg
then i wanted to buy my birks so we went to get money ... but then my backpack zipper got caught.... and i made it worse................
-SOGO didnt have the ones i wanted because those were the summer fashion and they had their winter collection so :( i just went to buy another backpack because we really couldnt get the zipper free from the fabric.... i bought a kanken because i thought it was cheaper in HK than the US (its a 17 USD difference :( ... and kat happened to fix my backpack when we went back to chi wah so :( :( :( but its ok bc i love my kanken :) )
-so after, we all went back to chi wah because time was flying and why not
my wallet cries.. 2 AYCE places and a new kanken ... wah
nov 24: THANKSGIVING~~ typical thursday: late start = sleep in a little and then head to class. go somewhere with kat after lol
-we went to wellcome to pick up something for friendsgiving because we didnt know what was happening and we wanted to contribute!! so we bought cheese and crackers hehe
-literally so gr8 :’) cindy and laura made chicken with apples, rice pilaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pies, a vegetarian dish i forgot the name of, glazed carrots, salad, mac and cheese, broccoli, deviled eggs, and pomegranate seeds!! we also had white wine, merlot, and cabernet so yayzzz a very cozy night :~)
i am thankful for my LKF sqwad and i am so so grateful to have found a home with them. home is where the heart is!! (when physical home isnt around!!)
-we taught cindy the cup song
-is this the last kickback? im not sure... we’ll have to see this thursday.. it would be the first day of finals studying. the first day after classes end.
nov 25: crystal’s birthday celebrations~ typical friday: class and then go oputto play after~~
-ate lunch w kat and daniel (The variety wow!!) dont go to CYM and get their red bean ice.. not good.. the beans are hard and the coconut tastes like nothing...
-went to kat’s after class to wait until the plans start
-went to ktown for genki sushi and HO HO DIM for crystals dinner~~ before we go out to party
we busted out our LKF shirts before heading to LKF heh
-me and laura experienced a dilemma bc not everyone wanted to go but then we convinced ourselves to go ... its crystals birthday yo!! why not
so we all went to LKF!! they went to levels (me winnie and laura stayed back bc we werent feeling it.. and none of us were really dressed to enter a club lol)
then we met up with blaine and went to that “10 shots for $150″ place!! wowzas :~ )
and then me winnie laura and cindy headed back home (VIA MTR!! FOR THE FIRST TIME LOL) while the rest of them were to go wild~
-they were wild alright.. the group chats,, they lost each other and crystal got stuck on a fence lol
we are in the last week of school and its unreal how quick the time has gone
i was aware that it was going to fly by but i didnt think november would come to an end so quick :(
things are becoming routine here and im getting a little sad as i realize that ill be gone from this city... but in other news, i got accepted into yonsei a few days ago so that doesnt mean this study abroad journey will end... yet!!
recap pt.1!!
nov 14: a typical monday: go to bio, eat lunch w kat, go to korean, then go back to the dorms to pretend to do homework or something
-i did a VR experiment during my break but got a little nauseous :(
-we went to udeli (LG/F, student union next to the starbucks!!) they only had their seafood noodles so i ate that
after class, i went to wan&bao to get their spicy cold noodles
-i ate them, but then i threw up :~( darn ......
-glendy was doing her laundry too so it was a little difficult for me to socialize without having the feeling of vomiting every 2 minutes .. its ok because i felt better like 1 dry heave and 1 vomit later
nov 15: went to the doctors, bought crackers, gatorade, and congee for me to munch on the whole day so i can make my stomach feel better... class was gr8 but boring as usual :( whats new
-my bland diet day 1 = killing me
nov 16: high table!! i dont remember what i did on this day but apparently i went to park and shop... i know i had class.... i didnt eat much that day because i had high table...
-last high table for the semester!! we went to loke yew hall so that means we got to wear the harry potter robes!!! lol!!!
-3 course meal: salad with pork belly??, chicken with pasta OR fish, chocolate mousse, coffee or tea
-i sat with joseph, abiel, and anne and it was cool bc i got to know them better and stuff!! it was still a boring dinner but it went by quicker because our guest speaker was quick so thats good i think
after i just went back and did ~work~
nov 17: i threw up in the morning again, booked another doctors appt right after
then i experience diarrhea and bless laura for giving me some of her anti-diarrheas
-it would be like every 2 minutes i would need to go, but each time would have less so i was like ok i think i can go to class
luckily i start later or tuesdays so i wasnt too worried.. but i still had my doctors appt so i needed to book it over there.. i remember preparing my body and walking really fast from LSK to the health center... mapping all the bathrooms in my head just in case i had to go..
-fortunately on my walk to campus, i only had to go once (my last time!!)-- right when i arrived so awesome possum
-i continued to get back into the bland diet: bread, bananas, congee, and aquarius but i didnt have much of an appetite
it was also kickback night so i just sat there, ate a banana, and drank water and aquarius all night :( BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BLAINE~
nov 18: class, more bland diet, still no more diarrhea so yay! after class, we went to j3 so continue blaine festivities~~ me and laura didnt participate because she had a presentation the next day and i didnt want to have a diarrheal incident in the middle of LKF... so yes
-i started to introduce flavors into my diet: fish ho fun!! i didnt finish it all :( so im sad but i didnt eat any chili oil with it so im proud of myself!!
nov 19: everyone said they had a great time which was good because i wanted them to!! me kat blaine winnie justin went to Australian Dairy Company, then to SOGO
-i was gonna buy birks but there were too many people (actually.. too much people, shoulder to shoulder ridiculous) so we all got overwhelmed and left
we took the star ferry to central, relaxed our senses and went to LKF to visit the festival (thanks jeffrey for telling me that there was one LOL
-we walked around and it was really nice!! i tried a sichuan potato wedge (hehe) while watching the spicy food eating contest (i was so sad because they were looking for volunteers but i couldnt participate bc i didnt want to upset my stomach any more :( )
it was just me kat mitchell and cindy so we walked around to the game booths and had fun with the VR hehe it was fun :~) then we headed back !!!
nov 20: blaine asked me to accompany him on his ~HK showcase~ to vicky and her (yonsei) friends!! yay for spop!!
-we went to mongkok to eat at Kam Wah
-to central because Blaine wanted to buy a jacket at TopShop, vicky wanted to do a facebook live, and christiana&annie ended up at the LKF carnival during the meantime!!
-they all mentioned how overwhelmingly fast-paced HK was and how vicky is amazed at how me and blaine are doing so well with it
we then went to causeway to go to Eslite book store/library to check it out and to also have them try ten ren’s ice cream!! we then parted ways on the way back because they had an AM flight
i faxed my ballot but idk if the LA Registrar received it
~if you are going to vote: please register your absentee ballot before you leave the US and go to the consulate like.. one month before the election in order to receive a ballot and you can just mail it or something...
im not sure how i feel about the election
angry yes
scared to go home yes
-maybe.. because im from diverse socal... but then again things happen and nowhere is perfect
all i know is that im ready to leave for Yonsei
ugh
im over this
i had tears fall a couple times
waking up and reading the racist accounts that people shared on FB breaks me
its weird how no one in HK really worries about the election.. but they were so built up on it before it happened...
school work is starting to pile up because its all projects/final essays at this point..
1) pop culture presentation
2) pop culture final project
3) trad. chinese presentation
4) trad. chinese final essay
5) study for bio!!
6) KOREAN SPEAKING AND LITERARY FINAL !! (PREP!)
7) pop culture final
i’m glad i dropped my common core class because i would not have as much time to do adventuring AND study at the same time lol
nov 1: normal day--> go to class, eat dessert after, then attempt to study
nov 2: my mom’s friend came to HK to visit and to also take me out to eat so yay~!!
-we went to Yuen Long (new territories) to eat seafood in one of those seafood markets where you buy your food and bring it to a restaurant to cook it
- i had pissing shrimp (lai liu ha!!) aka mantis shrimp!! kind of scary bc i was given the opportunity to peel my own... it was like.. an insect :( i hate insects but very good!! extreme shrimp lol
-after, we went to eat dessert in the city!! Ｂ仔涼粉
- i had mango cheung fun (not actual cheung fun, it;s a coconut jelly or something) very delicious~
nov 3: after class talks with kat and justin before i had to peace out to eat hot put with AH YIIIIII KRISTINE
-we went to causeway and it was delicious :~)
-after, we walked around and got leung cha (in order to relieve the internal heat we had from eating hot pot) and we bid adieu~ (i missed snack night for this lol i cry)
nov 4: after class, i bounced my way to TST to eat at Serenade, a chinese restaurant with ah yiiiiii
-then we went to ladies market to buy aunt sylvia a qi pao!! but i got one for my mom and a jacket version for my dad, while kristine got herself one lol
-then we all got tired from walking so we bid adieu~
nov 5: $1 MTR FIRST SATURDAY’S!!! i tagged along with justin and winnie to go hike dragon’s back because YAY FOR HK BUCKETLIST~~ we left at around 6:30AM, and arrived to eat in Shau Kei Wan (we had morning noodle breakfast set)
-we ended up in Big Wave Bay at around 10AM and went to Shek O until noon and headed back
-i met with auntie kristine!!! and we went stayed in TST to eat pigeon at a Macanese restaurant and walked around to satisfy her shopping desires
-she bought me instant noodles for the days when i get hungry in my room but am too lazy to go anywhere~
-we also had a traditional coconut pancake candy!! delicious, but the pancake skin was too thick :( but thts ok!!
-we then bid adieu
nov 6: me and kat went to Whampoa because FOOD and new things!! we went to this burger stand outside exit A (on the corner of Mammy’s Pancakes)
-i had the meatballs = very good !! crunchy outside and tender on the inside while kat had the Inferno burger (HUGE PATTY.. MAYBE LIKE 3 IN THICCC) and delicious too
-we went to the whampoa world cruise ship and stayed there until i had to leave for my final dinner with AH-YI KRISTINE
-i met her in causeway to have thai food
-so delicious: Sweet Basil Thai (i think thats the name)
-bittersweet when we left because it was like saying goodbye to my mom :( but thats ok because i will hopefully see her again back in the U.S.!! but for now, time to focus on what i have here
nov 7: cooked food centre in CWB and then CONG SAO DESSERT !!!
-cooked food centre: what u expect a very local HK food court to look like: family style food
-cong sao: like a 5 min wait, i had the mango+pomelo tong sui = good :~)
nov 8: class --> went to exit B to eat the cold noodles!! only 12HKD (wan+bao!! its next to a tofu fa place) and chi wah fun timezzz
nov 9: bought a post card for lissa and sent out the ones for jayleen and crissy! hopefully they receive it bc i paid $3.70 intl postage.. i hope thats the right amount.. and CWB for ramen with crystal and emily
ELECTION DAY POOPS.. i will have to brief on this later
nov 10: went to glendy for travel advice~ went to class and then met with her, dom, and annica for Panda Dessert in Austin/Jordan.
-the mango+pomelo tong sui wasnt as great.. but i got it with tofu fa... hmm i just wont get it with tofu next time
-got 12HKD noodles from wan+bao again and made it back to snack night (pasta + pear pie night) for some election de-briefing
nov 11: some winnie one-on-one time!! went to eat North Vietnam Pho in Sai Ying Pun/HKU and had che ba mau!! all for 44HKD during the lunch time, student discount hour ~
-then after class, me and kat went to find a phone case --> going to PMQ with jinnie (justinwinnie)+ emily and then ending up at 可可店 for some dessert
-good looking athletes were there again sigh why do i always look like trash
nov 12: 10,000 buddha monastery in SHA TIN
-steep uphill, a lot of buddhas (what do you expect), but not a hike!! 加油!!
-the food at the top is pretty expensive: me and kat each had a beancurd sheet and a lo poh cake (10HKD each = 40 HKD for our snackies)
-then we went to the ikea for sum fewd and meatball lovin
-mitchell had to leave for his choir concert prep: so me kat and jinnie went to mong kok/prince edward for kat’s phone case and bc why not.. we in the area hehe
-found kat a phone case, but when we split up at the end of the night, me and kat found this rly cute phone case for iphone 6 :( it was like a ramen noodle branding case.. ugh should have got it but its ok BC i dont really need it
nov 13: woke up past my alarm AGAIN sigh lol i need to be productive
-went to Northern Dumpling Yuan (i will be back to try the rest of the dishes!! the fried dumplings noodles are so home-y!!) central (zara/topshop) for kat to buy her jeans... she got them at zara but i will let u know how the quality is..
-then back to mong kok we go for shopping for me!! f21, h&m! and Kam Wah Cafe for the egg tarts and bolo yao
-i got a jacket from hm, 20HKD(!!!!) braided t-strap sandals & a shirt (HKD79.90) from f21!
-then headed to JV3 just in time for mitchell’s choir conert!! i cri!! so beautis
-went to k-town to eat at Kam Kee Cafe (bing tong!) for din din!!
-everyone gave me and kat their leftovers = we are trash :”(~
-here i am.. sitting and updating this blog instead of studying for bio or researching for my pop culture essay.. lol
~im starting to realize how fast time is going by .. theres like 2 weeks of school left and i booked my trips for december :(
im supposed to be preparing for my presentation in like 11 hours but i have been itching to update this blog
so far everyday has been pretty consistent:
wake up --> go to class --> eat and try to study in between --> go to chi wah and talk 2 friends --> grab dinner --> make it back home by like 10 PM = time to shower and relax and actually start homework at like 11:30 PM or something lol --> sleep
repeat!!
thursdays are still our usual snack night so yay~ :)
oct 28: MCDONALDS NEXT IS LIFE CHANGING !! its in admiralty, exit A!!
-BYOB burgers and salads, dessert waffles, table service, phone charging ports, modern interior, LUV
oct 29: glendy took me to mong kok to go shopping at the argyle center!! and also to eat cheung chau mango mochi!! and fried chicken!! and this street that was similar to ladies’ market but was wider and less crowded !!
THEN LKF THAT NIGHT FOR HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES!!
-me and kat didnt go into any clubs because we didnt have enough money to go inside and pay a cab :( [cover fees were ~300 HKD, graffiti was 100 HKD + 1 drink but that was still out of the budget lol ]
-taxi lines take forever!! if you are up for you (which you should be) you should walk to a diff taxi stop away from LKF
-i went to the Mandarin and caught a cab... you can also call an Uber!!
oct 30: the first time i stayed in my room the whole day!! i was trying to do schoolwork and it sort of worked.. i ended up facetiming jennifer before catching dinner with winnie, blaine, mitchell, laura, and cindy at the Hysan in CWB!!
-try the ice cream at the ten ren’s :~) delicious !! i got an oolong tea ice cream cone for only 20 HKD and it actually tasted like tea ugh sho good
oct 31: HALLOWEEN!! didnt do much but i think my hall had a haunted hall at like .. midnight. or something..
it was basically just me working on my presentation no worriezzz
nov 1: TACO NIGHT :~) i finished bio so i have my presentation to do for now..but im obviously not doing that but its chill bc i think i did it!!
-tiff started the ppt yesterday night and we dont have much to it but its just enough.. i just gotta work on what ill be saying
tacos are possible to make here in HK... you can buy tortillas at the wellcome at the Westwood.. but they were on the bottom shelf in a small area of mexican food ... sigh
but yummy TY JOSE FOR COOKING :~)
--
sometimes i forget ppl here speak cantonese :(
some old man in the canteen was saying “excuse me” behind me and i wasnt paying attention until he repeated it several times
i moved after that but he gave me the dirtiest look and i was like wtf chill bro u could have walked the other side tbh
and when he walked by me again he mumbled something about me being deaf
-i wanted to smack him the face bruh what if i was actually deaf
-i also wish i looked foreign here
-for a while, it made me miss home because it was such a diverse place, everyone understood that not everyone could be from there... but here .. if u look asian then you’re automatically from here and you know everything there is
-u get chastized for knowing how to speak but not how to write/read
-u get chastized for not knowing how to speak even if you look asian
from the 10th to the 14th, it was mainly just trying to finish the traditional chinese society paper (which i did so yay!!) and just trying to make sure i completed my work before heading out!! aka very boring and slightly productive
for reading week: seoul 15th-18th, then tokyo 18th-22nd
-ill make a post for that after i complete more schoolwork
oct 6-10: chung yeung weekend and hiking lions rock!!
omg im so tired im trying to write a 10 page paper and complete my scholarship essay in less than 1 week bc reading week is next week and they are both due during RW aiyah save me lolz
oct 6: snack nite!!! and my throat was still hurting so i ate at Super Super Congee on campus (its behind the alumni brick wall)
-not a lot of flavor :( and i ordered the you tiao cheung fun thing... why are they always cold and soggy :(
oct 7: going to Jordan after class bc WHY NOT!!! we ate at this japanese place bc the OG place was crowded and we were all starving!! luckily the lady at the place we went to said that if we ordered specific items, they would be $25 before 8 PM so heck yes
-i shared the tokyo fried chicken udon w kat; it comes with a hot drink (i got hot aloe tea!!! so gud i cry) for 25!! (OG $ 48) but since we split = 12.5 for dinner =D wow!!!
then we went to the McD bc ovaltine cones!! = i got the ovaltine sundae and it tasted like Whoppers!!! (i’ve never had ovaltine so this was an experience)
and then kat was feeling sick (oops must have been my fault) so we MTRed it back home :~(
oct 8: HIKING LIONS ROCK!!
-this was the worst hike = worst = a lot of exercise.. i didnt know what i expected..
to get there: take MTR to Wong Tai Sin, exit B3, and then u walk out and go along the construction going uphill (ok google better directions please i am no help)
basically : getting from the MTR to the actual mountain base is all uphill.. its maybe a 20 degree incline.. but it increases the closer you get to the mountain
then once you actually ~get to the mountain~ its like a 45 degree incline for what felt like HOURSSSZZ but we saw a mom monkey and her child feeding so that was a good break ....
and then after like 30 mins of uphill walking, youll hit the lions rock sign (theres a convenient store if u continue going up the road!! you’ll see it)
-right when you start the trail.. its all staircase.......... i swear i thought my thighs were going to die
after a while it starts to level off but then you get some really steep down stairs steps... the toll its gonna take on ur knees.. i cry..... and then it levels off and theres like more uphill
-and then when u walk more.. ull see like a section of signs that say “beacon hills” and like some estate and other directions... keep walking bc u should eventually hit the lions rock trail sign
-at this point.... its like 0.03 miles to get to the actual rock... easy right?? NO!!!
-AT THIS POINT, IT FELT LIKE A 90 DEG INCLINE VIA STAIRCASE!!!! AND THEY ARE STEEP STAIRCASES TOO!! NO MERCY!!!!!!!!!
i thought i was going to have to give up right there... no resting stops.. just straight up stair cases.. during this whole hike everywhere was sweaty.. i have never felt as sweaty as this before (when i first arrived, i was p sweaty, but not pouring.. i was raining)
when u reach the top, its not quite lions rock, but the views are generally the same.. in order to get to the actual, you just go right and follow the path (this involves some rock climbing = fun stuff) and then u can chill at hang out yay u made it!!!
to get back down.. u should ask someone to help show LOL.. but i know u get off the actual lion rock peak and u make a left instead of going back to where u came from.....
its all downhill at this point (very tiring and its pretty steep too... the ground starts to become easier to walk on (it becomes like those tile rock floors) so u can run downhill :~) )
beware of monkeys towards the very last 1/4 of the trail... u will know when u see railings (u are close to civilization!!!)
-when we were done, we went back to the Temple Mall (where we ate brunch) to eat din and then we headed back yee haw never exercising again
oct 9: ESSAY TIME!!!! literally in chi wah for a majority of the day working on our Traditional Chinese Society essays
- we went to get chirashi and bakery bread so thats good w me too :~)
-i also facetimed my fam so yay~~
oct 10: (today is holiday for the day after Chung Yeung) i skipped out on the gudetama lazy walk to continue my essay :( but my progress today was worse than yesterday... not even 1 page single space... (but im only like 5 lines away from the next page so maybe when im done w this blog post, ill be inspired)
-dont forget to keep in touch with your family!! i try to message my mom everyday, or at least every other day to let her know im doing well :~) i also send her pics of what i have done etc so i can show her a bit of hong kong too!!~~
-im currently trying to drop a Common Core course.. its currently after the Add/drop period.... its a lot of emailing and bothering professors and departments.. (not really a lot of bothering, just emailing my faculty and the CC office and my professors/TA)
--if you really dont need the class, consider dropping it. (im taking all of my courses for a letter grade and i wanted to take a class for fun..)
---i wanted to keep the course because it was an interesting one (Contagions: Global Histories of Diseases) but i actually didnt need the units for it. after realizing that i am cutting it close to graduation with the units, i decided:
1) it doesnt count for any degree reqs
2) i want to use my remaining units for actual major courses
3) i want to focus on the classes that DO count
4) i want to explore more of hong kong!! (wednesdays would be the only days that i get off at noon)
5) wednesdays are apparently free museum admission days so... :~~~~)
BUT
if you decide this after the add/drop this is what i did:
0) emailed UCI’s PH office and Intl Studies office asking if the common core can count as an upper div/functional focus
a) PH: still waiting on response, but CC is an intro course...
b) IS: if CC is considered an upper div then yes..
---
1) talked to my TA (i realized i wanted to drop it during the tutorial lol sorry Dr. Tsang :( ) who told me to:
2) email the professor. he responded back to me and told me that he was going to forward this email to his colleagues (which i assumed was the CC Office) so then i:
3) emailed the CC Admin Office and told them that the course would not be beneficial to me who then referred me to my own faculty (socsci) so i
4) emailed them and they told me to fill out an application and
5) turn it in (the app) and one of the employees told me to forward her the emails from UCI saying that the courses dont count so i did that
6) add a short message when you send the email!! i sent it right after i left the office (MONDAY) and i was wondering why i didnt hear anything back yet so i forwarded them the email again using my HKU email and attaching a short message [after my brain settled the situation in my head] today (THURSDAY)
7) i talked to my TA again to ask about the time frame, but she wasnt sure and told me to keep in contact with SOCSCI and CC so i
8) emailed CC and they said they sent the request back to SOCSCI so i
9) emailed SOCSCI asking what the time frame would be
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