And we're back. I suffered from chronic incompleteblogposts-itis over the past few weeks, and so I have a few halfway-done drafts and am starting afresh (again). Who knows if I'll reach the end of this one.
A lot has occurred since the momentous event documented in the post below. First, I have completely forgotten how to drive. However, I do have a license and look very happy in it (they took the picture immediately after the test). Other events of note:
1. Finding a church I can call home. I'm happily settled in Gracepoint Fellowship Austin and I know it's a place where I can serve and grow. Two years of church-hopping wasn't easy, especially having gone to the same church for 21+ years in Singapore, so thank God for these guys.
2. Hanging out with work friends. I love my fellow Peer Academic Coaches! That's me in orange... heh. A few of these people share my passions for The Office, cute movies like Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and molten chocolate cake from Chili's.
3. Austin City Limits. Hot, dusty, crowded, smoky, weed-y, sweaty and a ton of fun. Was introduced to new bands and got to swoon over familiar ones. Highlights: Foo Fighters, Gogol Bordello, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss and The Raconteurs. Was stupid enough to forget to put on sunscreen all three days, and so...
4. Fell sick for a week. Super-duper-schedule-messer-upper. Do NOT fall sick, ever.
5. Teaching a sixth grade class at Kealing Middle School, a great school in a bad neighborhood. Austin is divided by Interstate-35 and everything east of it is a whole different world from our university bubble. The bus journey to Kealing is quite an eye-opener. However, my teaching experience has been rosy so far, because my cooperating teacher is amazing. She manages to be totally stern and yet cool, funny and warm at the same time. And I love how she incorporates film, music, audiobooks, real life simulations and even food into her lessons. Am learning a lot.
6. Watching UT football games on Saturday for the past three weeks. I've only just begun to understand the appeal of the game, and it helps that UT is THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY! HOOK 'EM HORNS! Wow, I'm surprised that blogger does have burnt orange on its color palette. Nice.
7. Putting together my Halloween costume. Will not say what it is right now, but I will say that all I'm missing is a black beret.
8. Watching Margaret Cho's performance at the Union, which was almost entirely about sex and made me realize what a prude I am. I was under the impression she was going to give a lecture on Asian-Americans.
9. The upcoming election. Seeing people sporting 'I Voted' stickers or Obama or McCain buttons is making me more excited than ever for the outcome. I'm thankful to be in the US at this momentous period of time. But the best thing that's come out of all of this, IMHO, is Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impressions on SNL ("I can see Russia from my house!").
I will stop here, because nine is the square of 3 and is therefore cooler than 10.
Until next time!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Someday I'll look back on this and laugh
I failed my first driving test today in a hilariously humiliating way that isn't so funny just yet. Man, it stings...
Second chance: Wednesday!
** Edit: I PASSED!!! ** :D
Thank you for all the encouragement, guys!
Second chance: Wednesday!
** Edit: I PASSED!!! ** :D
Thank you for all the encouragement, guys!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
East Coast Trip Special Feature: Red Door Series
Fifth Avenue, New York City
Somewhere near Soho, I believe...
E 63rd Street, NYC
Beacon Hill, Boston
Georgetown, Washington DCThe Amazing Adventures of Bill and Jeff, Part One
Meet the team:
Bill...
... and Jeff.After dumping a bunch of stuff in Austin and getting our fill of Einstein Bros. Bagels, we set off on our much anticipated East Coast Adventure. First stop: Noo Yawk City. Guess who was on the same plane to NYC:
Yup, it was Jennifer Hudson! Wanted to ask her to autograph my bag of mini pretzels, but didn't. Then our plane was stuck on the ground for two hours, so we struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to us, a sculptor of very large pufferfish and other marine animals. We finally arrived in New York City around midnight and promptly crashed into bed at the very nice and well-located Big Apple Hostel (see picture below).
Yup, it was Jennifer Hudson! Wanted to ask her to autograph my bag of mini pretzels, but didn't. Then our plane was stuck on the ground for two hours, so we struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to us, a sculptor of very large pufferfish and other marine animals. We finally arrived in New York City around midnight and promptly crashed into bed at the very nice and well-located Big Apple Hostel (see picture below).
Special K with Red Berries in the morning.
Times Square: absolutely essential but ultimately overrated.
Jeff Koons' exhibit on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - a stunning location.
Famous Magnolia cupcakes at an outdoor foodfest - yum!
Pizza - our best friend for the next few weeks
In an attempt to be unconventional, we took pictures with the Naked Cowgirl instead (see the famed Naked Cowboy in the background?)
Making the treacherous subway trip to the Whitehouse Hotel - a smaller, shadier but more endearing hostel on the Lower East Side.
Despite the crazy narrow corridors, cell-like rooms and lack of any real ceilings, we grew very fond of the place
Barry, architecture-loving friend and bodyguard who helped us fall in love with New York and taught us the meaning of "prefabrication"
Sampoorna aka Pony, our trusty tour guide, lover of peaches, partner-in-dessert-crime and SATC movie buddy
Grace, food connoisseur who brought us to the yummiest ramen dinner in Little Tokyo
Tired but triumphant after the walking part of the Brooklyn Bridge
Guy chopping up nougat in Little Italy
Posing outside Serendipity 3, where they shot the movie of the same name
Their famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate immortalized on screen
Wandering around Columbia University
Our unwitting model outside the New York Public Library
Esquire covers at the MOMA
Getting my molten chocolate cake with sea salt and pistachios at the Dessert Truck
Katz Deli, shooting location of that infamous scene in When Harry Met Sally
Yellow Fever outside Yonah Schimmel's Knishery
Life imitating art in Brooklyn
Brooklyn had a charm all its own
The team
Posers (Oh, Rainn)
Onward to Boston!
Famous Magnolia cupcakes at an outdoor foodfest - yum!
Pizza - our best friend for the next few weeks
In an attempt to be unconventional, we took pictures with the Naked Cowgirl instead (see the famed Naked Cowboy in the background?)
Making the treacherous subway trip to the Whitehouse Hotel - a smaller, shadier but more endearing hostel on the Lower East Side.
Despite the crazy narrow corridors, cell-like rooms and lack of any real ceilings, we grew very fond of the place
Barry, architecture-loving friend and bodyguard who helped us fall in love with New York and taught us the meaning of "prefabrication"
Sampoorna aka Pony, our trusty tour guide, lover of peaches, partner-in-dessert-crime and SATC movie buddy
Grace, food connoisseur who brought us to the yummiest ramen dinner in Little Tokyo
Tired but triumphant after the walking part of the Brooklyn Bridge
Guy chopping up nougat in Little Italy
Posing outside Serendipity 3, where they shot the movie of the same name
Their famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate immortalized on screen
Wandering around Columbia University
Our unwitting model outside the New York Public Library
Esquire covers at the MOMA
Getting my molten chocolate cake with sea salt and pistachios at the Dessert Truck
Katz Deli, shooting location of that infamous scene in When Harry Met Sally
Yellow Fever outside Yonah Schimmel's Knishery
Life imitating art in Brooklyn
Brooklyn had a charm all its own
The team
Posers (Oh, Rainn)
Onward to Boston!Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I Was There!!
John Mayer concert, 08-02-08, in Houston, TX, with Beth, Zach and Meiyan. Amazing stuff. I think we all left madly in love with him that night.Some videos of my favorite moments, stolen off YouTube:
1. He made a surprise appearance in the middle of Colbie Caillat's opening act.
2. He then re-appeared for the main part of the show. SHIRTLESS.
3. He played U2!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
#120
Confession: Sometimes I deliberately put off blogging in hopes of appearing really studious to you guys. Or to make it look like I'm caught up in an exciting whirlwind of mind-broadening and horizon-widening activity, when in reality all I've been doing these past few weeks is eating, sleeping, going to school and reading.
Whew. Glad I got that off my chest :) I'm in the Presidential Lounge of the Texas Union now - a great study spot because it's perfectly silent. Sip your Frappuccino a little too loud, and you get shot dirty looks. But the lounge is also adjacent to the Union Ballroom, which is currently the venue for a dance rehearsal, so we've been made to listen to Lifehouse's "You and Me" three times so far... What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive... Not that I mind. I love that song.
This week I had to register for next semester's classes. I am a true nerd. Whenever the new course schedule comes out, I feel like a kid in the candy aisle, giddy with excitement. Which English course to pick this time? Which professor got the best ratings on pickaprof.com? What books are they teaching? I initially signed up for beginner's Italian on a whim (Spanish would've been the more practical choice) but later dropped it for Czech Literature, because I want to be able to say I've read Crime and Punishment. Also registered for The Social Dramas of Henrik Ibsen, because I got a taste of his works in NUS and really like A Doll's House. I only get to choose two classes next semester, because the other three are mandated by the UTeach program: Advanced Methods in English, Adolescent Literacy and The English Language and its Social Context. Not looking forward to that last one... I'm not big on linguistics.
Found a cool artist on etsy.com: Liza Corbett. So gorgeous. This is my current wallpaper, and I so want to buy this to hang on my wall. I'm thinking of taking a beginner's drawing class at Lasalle when I get back, or at the Austin Museum of Art next semester. I desperately want to get past drawing angels and flowers, but can't.
My pop song of the moment is Kylie's "All I See." It's so darn catchy! Original, acoustic, remix version... all good. Give it a listen and see if you don't find yourself tapping your foot.
Three weeks to this (Sorry Mom, I guess you were taking the picture):
Green curry, pineapple tarts and Pokka green tea around the best dining table in the world.
Whew. Glad I got that off my chest :) I'm in the Presidential Lounge of the Texas Union now - a great study spot because it's perfectly silent. Sip your Frappuccino a little too loud, and you get shot dirty looks. But the lounge is also adjacent to the Union Ballroom, which is currently the venue for a dance rehearsal, so we've been made to listen to Lifehouse's "You and Me" three times so far... What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive... Not that I mind. I love that song.
This week I had to register for next semester's classes. I am a true nerd. Whenever the new course schedule comes out, I feel like a kid in the candy aisle, giddy with excitement. Which English course to pick this time? Which professor got the best ratings on pickaprof.com? What books are they teaching? I initially signed up for beginner's Italian on a whim (Spanish would've been the more practical choice) but later dropped it for Czech Literature, because I want to be able to say I've read Crime and Punishment. Also registered for The Social Dramas of Henrik Ibsen, because I got a taste of his works in NUS and really like A Doll's House. I only get to choose two classes next semester, because the other three are mandated by the UTeach program: Advanced Methods in English, Adolescent Literacy and The English Language and its Social Context. Not looking forward to that last one... I'm not big on linguistics.
Found a cool artist on etsy.com: Liza Corbett. So gorgeous. This is my current wallpaper, and I so want to buy this to hang on my wall. I'm thinking of taking a beginner's drawing class at Lasalle when I get back, or at the Austin Museum of Art next semester. I desperately want to get past drawing angels and flowers, but can't.
My pop song of the moment is Kylie's "All I See." It's so darn catchy! Original, acoustic, remix version... all good. Give it a listen and see if you don't find yourself tapping your foot.
Three weeks to this (Sorry Mom, I guess you were taking the picture):
Green curry, pineapple tarts and Pokka green tea around the best dining table in the world.Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Shed some light on me please
Meiyan and I took a nice long walk to Stubb's last night to catch Feist in concert.
The opening act was a Canadian dude named Hayden, who was pretty charming even though he seemed to be closing his eyes the whole time. He played the harmonica, which was nice. I really like his song "Bass Song." Check out his MySpace page.
He played for an hour, we waited an hour and then Feist showed up.
Gotta admit I left with mixed feelings. I had high expectations for this concert, and yet I didn't have as much fun as I did in Brandi Carlile's show last year.
Highlights:
1. Feist looked hot. She makes me wanna get bangs.
2. There was a very cool shadow-play thing going on on the projection screen overhead. Like a mini sideshow. Using a glorified overhead projector, a lady on stage used paint, stencils, light, prisms and her own hands to create a pretty scene for each song.
3. Feist stopping mid-song to take a cell phone from a girl in the audience who was CHATTING DURING THE CONCERT... gasp! After a minute or so, the girl realized the error of her ways and screamed, "I'm sorry, Leslie, will you forgive me?"
4. Her band members, who were clad in all white.
5. Opening with a haunting rendition of Honey Honey.
6. Her awesome performance of Sea Lion Woman, which gave me the chills.
Lowlights:
1. TOO SHORT!!! She played for a little more than an hour.
2. My fault: I didn't do my pre-concert homework, so I didn't know half the songs.
3. Where was One Evening, Inside and Out and Secret Heart?? Sad omissions.
4. Lack of audience banter. Hayden talked more than she did.
5. Standing in the same spot for 4 hours nearly killed my feet.
6. My pictures are all blurry!
Okay, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all. I just really wished she had sung a few more songs... it seemed a little rushed.
***
Next topic: the Austin City Limits lineup! Check it out here. Again, a leeetle disappointing because I was hoping against hope that Coldplay would return this year (after headlining in '05) and others like Death Cab, Ben Harper, The Shins and Rachael Yamagata. But of course Coldplay's too mainstream for hip ol' Austinites. So I have mainstream tastes. I don't care. The list is definitely growing on me, though. Foo Fighters! I've loved Alison Krauss' voice ever since I heard her on the Cold Mountain soundtrack, so yay. And I've been checking out her stuff with Robert Plant... it's really good! And look: The Raconteurs! Erykah Badu! Tegan and Sara! Iron and Wine! The Swell Season (bet you're jealous now, Charles Lim)! and further down the page... Jose Gonzalez! I love him! And I have from now till September to check out the rest of the bands so I can plan my festival schedule. Let's hope none of my favorite acts clash.
The opening act was a Canadian dude named Hayden, who was pretty charming even though he seemed to be closing his eyes the whole time. He played the harmonica, which was nice. I really like his song "Bass Song." Check out his MySpace page.
He played for an hour, we waited an hour and then Feist showed up.
Gotta admit I left with mixed feelings. I had high expectations for this concert, and yet I didn't have as much fun as I did in Brandi Carlile's show last year.Highlights:
1. Feist looked hot. She makes me wanna get bangs.
2. There was a very cool shadow-play thing going on on the projection screen overhead. Like a mini sideshow. Using a glorified overhead projector, a lady on stage used paint, stencils, light, prisms and her own hands to create a pretty scene for each song.
3. Feist stopping mid-song to take a cell phone from a girl in the audience who was CHATTING DURING THE CONCERT... gasp! After a minute or so, the girl realized the error of her ways and screamed, "I'm sorry, Leslie, will you forgive me?"
4. Her band members, who were clad in all white.
5. Opening with a haunting rendition of Honey Honey.
6. Her awesome performance of Sea Lion Woman, which gave me the chills.
Lowlights:
1. TOO SHORT!!! She played for a little more than an hour.
2. My fault: I didn't do my pre-concert homework, so I didn't know half the songs.
3. Where was One Evening, Inside and Out and Secret Heart?? Sad omissions.
4. Lack of audience banter. Hayden talked more than she did.
5. Standing in the same spot for 4 hours nearly killed my feet.
6. My pictures are all blurry!
Okay, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all. I just really wished she had sung a few more songs... it seemed a little rushed.
***
Next topic: the Austin City Limits lineup! Check it out here. Again, a leeetle disappointing because I was hoping against hope that Coldplay would return this year (after headlining in '05) and others like Death Cab, Ben Harper, The Shins and Rachael Yamagata. But of course Coldplay's too mainstream for hip ol' Austinites. So I have mainstream tastes. I don't care. The list is definitely growing on me, though. Foo Fighters! I've loved Alison Krauss' voice ever since I heard her on the Cold Mountain soundtrack, so yay. And I've been checking out her stuff with Robert Plant... it's really good! And look: The Raconteurs! Erykah Badu! Tegan and Sara! Iron and Wine! The Swell Season (bet you're jealous now, Charles Lim)! and further down the page... Jose Gonzalez! I love him! And I have from now till September to check out the rest of the bands so I can plan my festival schedule. Let's hope none of my favorite acts clash.
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