*Argh*
Overload... SENSORY OVERLOAD!
I'm suffering from severe sensory overload. My head is throbbing from the excessive noise coming from all directions in this extremely loud city. New York is loud, but people don't shout at each other when they're talking. Here, EVERYONE speaks several decibels louder than necessary... My head hurts so much from it all.
I'm desperately waiting for this year to be over now, only because after the new year, things will calm down a little. It was insanely crazy today, because we had to make one last trip to our old place to check that the movers had packed everything, run to the post office to send stuff off to my place in NYC, pick my sister up, then dash to the golf course to practice for a competition we're playing in on the 31st.
Grrr.... I really want "alone" time right now and to get away from this really noisy city. I don't even feel like shopping! I've used 300 HKD in the last week (38USD), of which 150 was to get home from the airport. The rest has been spent on food. THAT'S how depressing this city is making me feel... *pout*
Must sleep. I need to shut down the senses for the day. Hope you're all doing well out there!~

*Hilton Sisters*
Sarah and I have begun our reign as the "Hilton Sisters" - Hong Kong style...
We officially moved out of our old home today, and we've moved into a hotel suite for the time being... until our new place is ready.
We have a penthouse suite that has a phenomenal view of the Hong Kong harbour. Yes Mike, you were right about the Hilton sisters thing... The way the room is set up, my bed is set right by a window and it looks as though I'm sleeping under the sky. It's really beautiful...
Anyways... It's not really all that great. The suite's really small so it's NOT quite the Waldorf...
Our home looks really bare. It's really sad. I didn't really like our old place, but it was spacious, convenient for work and ultra-snobby so it made do for the past 7 years. (I'm such a snob... heehee...)
I haven't had a chance to go out since coming back. I popped down to the convenience store for some peach tea just now, and it felt really weird going out by myself in Hong Kong. Odd, huh?
Gotta go nite-nite now... Ta for now.~

*Pause*
I received news on our New Year's Eve plans today... that gave me pause. My family as usual, will be ringing in the new year at the club. This year, it's going to be a big shindig, because we're joining family friends at a huge table... I love them, but...
Anyways... Don't know when the next post is going to be, because the movers are coming in tomorrow (for 3 days) and we're moving to the hotel tomorrow... I'm going to miss our old place because this is the longest we've stayed at any of our "homes", but the new place really does rock.
Right... Merry Christmas. Happy New Year... I love you all and I hope you're all doing well. *smooch*~

*Ho Ho Ho*
Christmas day came and went as usual. My family has somehow "lost" Christmas somewhere along the way. Christmas day is just a regular day for us and today was no different. We had our Christmas-Pizza-Hut-delivery lunch, met with our interior designer and then went shopping for our new home...
Boxing day is another story. Although we don't really celebrate Christmas Day, Boxing day is a BIG thing for us. It's the day we head to the golf club and have our annual family brunch. I suppose this is the highlight of our holidays because we always end up vowing NOT to eat so much the next year... but we always end up forgetting that vow. We take loads of photos of us wearing all sorts of ridiculous christmas headgear and clothing... I usually go all out on this occasion (of course).
Feeling a little sad. I'm missing a lot of people right now, and I'm not really feeling the holidays this year. I've somehow managed to entirely miss the run-up to christmas and missed REALLY shopping for my friends. It must've been the late end to the semester... yeah... I think that's it.
So... yeah... I really miss y'all! Here's my holiday wish... Call me??
Kisses for now... Must help the 'rents pack. Feliz Navidad!~

*Hmph*
Jet lag is really getting to me...
Had a very blah sorta day today. I went and saw our new place today, and I must say that my mum and dad did well in choosing this place. It's bright and airy, and the back door opens out to an open fire escape that overlooks the trees and mountain slope behind us. Sarah and I are already planning on having our morning cereal sitting on the back steps and listening to the birds every morning...
Not much happening here in HK for the moment. It's going to be crazy these next couple of days because the movers come on Saturday, and I have a golf competition on the 31st to get ready for. The family's playing in the annual Texas Scramble... and we're determined to WIN. We're super competitive and we've got a game plan in place already...
I'm so tired... Must crawl into my nice, big, comfy bed now. It's SO great being able to have a queen bed to myself... such a difference from my twin bed in NY... Zzzzz...~

*Only in HK*
I MADE IT! 16 hours in a bloody tin can - halfway across the world...
The first thing I heard after setting foot on Chinese turf?? A big, burly American gent saying:
"I could do with a burrito right about now. Where's the Taco Bell here?"
My question is this - Who flies halfway across the world looking for Taco Bell?!???? Jeez...
It was one MAJORLY weird day. I ran into a friend I haven't seen in 6 years! We were on the flight from Newark to HK together, and it was so strange! We took some time to catch up and I think we're going to make more of an effort now to keep in touch... After I got into the HK airport, I waited for Sam to get in from Toronto via Chicago... and while waiting, I called Connie and Michelle. The next weird thing that happened was that I got Michelle's brother instead of Michelle on the phone. I haven't spoken to Mark in 8 years. THAT was strange too...
Next, as I was getting off the train in the city... I ran into an old colleague of mine from ESF. Seriously, all this running into people has freaked me out a little... But it was good, because it's psyched me up a little about this holiday season. Maybe it won't be so bad afterall??
I hate that when I got home and jumped into the shower, the bathroom was FILLED (literally stuffed) with all sorts of "weight-loss" lotions, shower gels and gadgets. I REALLY hate sharing a bathroom with my sister, especially in HK where all this crap is so accessible. I'm reminded again that I'm not "slim". *gag*
Right... need to sleep... I'm going to post more about how unfair life is... Here's a hint: My parents know NOTHING about techie gadgets, but...~

*...*
I'm sad. I don't want to leave the city. I already miss my friends, and I haven't left the city yet.
Looking back, I think I had a great year. It started out rocky, with SARS, my work, my post-grad and my practica... but when September came around, it got so much better. I don't think I have ever made so many good friends in such a short period of time. I'm going to miss each and every one of them for their uniqueness and for what they have taught me in the last 4 months.
I spent my whole entire day with my favourite friends today. We just went walking and eating all over the city. Bonnie came and joined us towards the end of the day... We had such a lovely time, I didn't want it to end.
2003 was definitely better than 2002. 2002 hurt too much and caused me to shed too many tears. As 2003 is coming to a close, there are more tears rolling down my cheeks... but this time, they're tears from happiness... because I had such a stellar final third of the year. This master's program is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love my school and I love my new friends... and I LOVE NY!
I jump onto a plane to fly halfway across the world in 11 hours. Although I'm going to miss NY terribly, I get to see my best friend!
So until my next post... Happy Holidays! And kisses all 'round. *SMOOCH*~

*Bagels*
The best thing about NYC is the 24 hour Bagel Factory. After 3 cocktails... a fresh raisin bagel is exactly what you need...
Potion was great tonight. I had a lot of fun, and I'm definitely going to go again. The best thing is that it's on the Upper West Side! I LOVE NYC!~

*Wow*
I just wrote my first "holiday ode", a collection of wishes to my friends here in New York. Surprisingly, it only took me an hour to do and it was so much fun! I think Amy's passion for writing is rubbing off onto me, though, I don't think I'll ever write as well as she does...
Right... time to catch some shut-eye... Loads to do today!~

*SOB*
I'm depressed... I did NOT expect the letter grade I received from my phonology course. I did well on my project, labs and the midterm... but somehow... my final grade didn't reflect it. WHY??????
I'm going to go drown my sorrows now with booze... I'm glad I have a large bottle of rum in my room...~

*So Awesome!*
The replies to our party has been FAB! The list is sitting at 63... of which bloody friend of mine has messed up with his reply of bringing 44 guests. But he's going to pay for that...
Before I leave for HK, I want to go out with friends... so I've reserved a booth at Underbar on Saturday night. Come join us if you're still in town!
Right... gotta go get more food... Ta!~

*You know when...*
Someone said something today that's bothering me. It sparked something in my head that set off alarms...
Have you ever been in a situation where someone says something, but it actually means something else? It was just a comment someone made, but it made me think - Why did this person notice this little thing?
Ugh... It's bothering me... Time to get a drink...~

*Geek*
I never thought I'd EVER get this geeky... but I'm actually laughing at all these "linguistic" jokes my friends and profs are throwing at us. Linguist jokes are all puns (play on words)... The latest??
METAPHORS BE WITH YOU.
Get it?? Haha...~

*SCREAMS*
T minus 2 hours... 18 chapters of 22 covered...
Who gives finals based on TWENTY-TWO CHAPTERS full of grammar?????? My head is throbbing and my hair is frizzy from the rain.... I want to SCREAM! Ok... the hair has nothing to do with the grammar final... but it's FRIZZY!
I'm so dead... I have all this information in my head, but it's now gotten to a point where it's all so jumbled up, I can't make heads or tails out of it. Drawing those grammar trees is also pissing me off, because I can't draw the simple trees anymore... I can only draw the complicated ones... grrrr....
Right guys... Time to get back to work. By the way, you're supposed to REPLY to the Evites! We didn't make them just to look pretty! We seriously need y'all to reply to them so that we know who will or won't be coming... and to get y'all on the guest list!
Gotta go... I'm starvin' marvin... and totally toast.~

*AWESOME!*
The evites are out... It's really going to happen! It's so exciting!
Still haven't decided on the spot yet, that's going to be finalized this weekend... We're so excited to be doing this. Actually... I think some people are more excited than us about this bash.
19 hours until FREEDOM! I can't wait to get this last final out of the way... I want to experience Christmas in the city! I didn't really feel "Christmasy" until this afternoon when I got a Christmas card from Chap... Thanx pal!
Right... time to get a'crackin' with the studying again... I'm so excited!~

*Snob*
I'm sure I've said this before... I'm a snob. And the worst part is - I know it.
I'm not snobby about EVERYTHING... just SOME things... heehee... just snobby about the things that matter...~

*Phew*
One down, one to go...
That final was a little too easy for comfort. I finished it in 45 minutes and was out in an hour after checking it over 3 times. The rest of the class took the entire 2 hours though... was there something I missed??
Marathon TV watching tonight before studying my bee-hind off for my major MAJOR final on Wednesday... happy-happy joy-joy.~

*Sign up!*
Will more girls PLEASE sign up for the Sociolinguistics in Education course with me? I swear that every "male thing" in my department has signed up for this course... goodness knows why. It's very strange to see a class that's predominantly male here! It's freaking me out a bit... is there something I don't know about this course? Seriously, the only people I know in that class are all guys... It's a very strange thing for me right now...
My studying is NOT going well. I'm completely in procrastination mode, and I'm not even procrastinating productively! I think I'm at least going to get my dishes and laundry done... yeah... that's it... I'll get my cleaning done.
I'm still thinking about the whole going to Japan thing in January... What is there to do in Sendai??
Anyways... I must get going with the procrastinating. The exam is tomorrow... *yikes*~

*Bash*
My friend Rita and I (Rita-squared) are co-hosting a joint birthday bash for each other when we get back from our hols (our birthdays are a week apart!). The guest list is currently sitting at 40 people, and we're going to hold the bash at one of the following places:
1. China Club
2. Underbar
3. Suede
4. Tiki Room
Give us some input! Tell us which you prefer. I can get us all on the guest list for Suede and Tiki Room... And I think we may be able to pull off getting into the Underbar... Does anyone know anything about the China Room situation??
We're totally excited about this, and it's going to be so cool! I hope everyone'll bring their other halves (looking forward to meeting some of the newer "editions"). We're going to ROCK the city!
Right... gotta get back to studying. I'm a bit worried about my Final on Monday. I really want to ace this final and whoop someone's bee-hind. Y'all know that I'm uber-competitive... right?~

*Curveball*
As if my heart isn't confused enough... Life throws me a curveball...
I don't even know how it happened. I'm still trying to digest what happened over the course of 15 minutes. You know when something BIG happens... it all happens in slo-mo? Those 15 minutes were the longest 15 minutes in my life. It felt like hours...
Grrr... I'm definitely more confused now than before. I don't know what I want. Maybe I should take a risk and go for it...
Oh... I didn't realise that I had to write a proposal for my masters project (thesis)... This is going to be one HECK of a Christmas break...~

*Confusion*
I'm confused... my heart is confused... I don't know what I want.
Anyways... gonna be busy for the next week or so... I have 2 finals next week. *pout*~

*Holy moly*
I spent well over 12 hours at school today, 8 hours of which was in the media lab. It took me bloody 8 hours to edit an hour's worth of footage into a 9 minute and six seconds segment. Dave and I put so much friggin' effort into this presentation. Honestly, except for that history presentation Connie and I put together in Grade 11... I don't think I've done so much work for a presentation since. Even that wicked business presentation done in my days of undergrad biz class compares to this video. I'm mighty proud of it though... and boy oh boy... am I going to keep it for the rest of my life. I'm definitely going to show it off a bit... It's edited with subtitles, captions and all sorts of funky sound clips added to it. Way too cool for words.
I may not have learned anything from the seminar portion of this practicum... but I'm glad that I at least learned to use media editing tools for this final presentation... granted it's only worth 5 %!~

*Dilemma*
Here's my question of the day - How much effort should one put into a 30 minute presentation that's only worth 5% of the overall grade?
I'm still up at 4am in the morning, pulling articles upon articles off the net and actually READING everything... when this presentation is only going to be worth 5%. No one in my class is taking it seriously. We're all presenting on Wednesday, and everyone's only starting it tomorrow. Is there something wrong with me?
This course that I'm presenting has been the biggest waste of time and money. I can honestly say that I have learned nothing in this course, and all the work (an insane amount) has been pointless.
*yawn*... Must sleep... Gotta edit the video footage in the morning... I can't wait for Wednesday to be over...~

*Decisions*
We go through life living with the consequences of our decisions. Sometimes these decisions were good, but more often than not... they were poorly thought-out.
I've made my share of bad decisions. I'm not ashamed of these decisions and I'm very open about them and sharing them with my friends... I guess to help them see what could happen if they made similar decisions. I love that my friends feel the same way and are always ready to share their experiences and bad decisions with me.
In the past 2 or 3 years since that year I experienced the greatest highs and lows in my life, I think I've made pretty sound decisions. These decisions haven't necessarily made me any better or worse, but they've put me in a better position to discover myself and to feel more comfortable with myself. I'm not so insecure anymore, and I feel like I can do anything.
I don't know if I regret pouring all my heart into that ill-fated relationship 3 years ago. I just know now... I think I'm ready to open up again. Only thing is... I don't think I have the time to get to know another person... All I want to do is sleep!
I made my decisions... and I'm sticking by them. I refuse to be short-changed or hurt again... ever...
I love where I'm at in my life now. Granted, there are areas that could be improved upon... but I'm happy... I have good friends to share this time with... *smooch* to y'all!~

*Bugga*
I love my Phonology class. It's the most challenging class for me, and I love it because it's so challenging. I've noticed something about myself that's quite quirky. I'm "loud" in classes that I'm bored in and I'm quiet in the classes where I feel challenged. I suppose it really depends on a person's personality. While in undergrad, a lot of the loud-mouths were the ones who were having a difficult time but wanted to disguise it... Eh... just an observation.
I'm stuck at my desk at 4:30 in the morning... because I can't bloody articulate a phonological rule for the life of me! I've finally figured out the bloody rule, but I can't generate the written rule (sorta like a formula)... gosh darn it... at this rate, I'm never going to sleep.
Ha... I've just made up something... I think I'm just going to sleep now... and hopefully it'll come to me in my dreams. Gotta be optimistic!
Yeah... My unkymood icon is depicting Ollie-Lollie as feeling lonely... I am... probably because I watched a really sad movie tonight... and I started crying about everything that has made me feel awful my whole life. It was very therapeutic... I feel like I'm ready for more of what the world has to offer now... woohoo! BRING IT ON!~

*Wasted*
I don't think I've had this much to drink in a while... I'm completely GONE right now... but it's all good........
I had a great time tonight. I think Amy had fun too.... I lost my mitt! ONE mitt! The cab driver took off before I could retrieve the other one... I'm sad.... I want to cry... I want my MITT!
Love you all... I had fun tonight. Next night out is Wednesday night! I love NY!~

*Friends*
I have really great friends here in New York. We've formed an informal "Friday Dinner Club", where we go and try different restaurants around the city. It's really nice to look forward to these Friday dinners and just hang out and eat good food. We had vegetarian food last night, and it was so good!
The city's covered with snow... And I'm heading to Brooklyn this evening for a friend's art exhibition... then it's onto ringing in Amy's birthday... Hopin' for lotsa fun tonight...
Must go... my hair's still drippin' wet... Ta!~

*Let it snow, Let it snow...*
It's finally snowing in the city. It's so beautiful. The snowflakes are HUGE! Everything is being dusted with this white powder.... and it's so gorgeous. It's snowing as hard as it does in Whistler... I miss Whistler so much...
Right... gotta go and get some video editing done... bye for now.~

*Chaos*
My life's been thrown a little off-whack in the past couple of days. Actually... MY life is alright, but outside factors are really starting to affect me and that's NOT good.
I'm really trying to learn how to distance myself from certain things and trying hard not to let things affect my life. This of course, is easier said than done. I have to work really hard to focus on myself and be selfish and not deal with other people's issues (that I probably can't solve) until I'm done sorting out my life... does that make sense?
My priority right now is school and my life here in New York. I'm trying to get myself to see that everything that happens outside of my little world right now is "out of range". Grrr.... Those things still bug me though...
I actually DID end up going to see the tree at Rockefeller. It's probably the most beautiful tree I've ever seen. There's nothing super special about it. It's just lit-up and really bright. I think it's just how it's set in front of the building and with the skating rink at the foot of it that makes it somehow... magical. This weekend, with the FOOT of snow that we're expecting in the next 48 hours, it should look "complete".
It's funny how a foot of snow is causing a frenzy here in Manhattan. It doesn't seem that big a deal to a Canadian like me... right guys? I mean... it's not as though it's just all going to come down in one go. It's the accumulated amount over the weekend that's going to be a foot high... seriously... I don't see the panic in that.
Right... time for bed. I'm in the gym in the morning... I've been really bad with the whole training thing lately. I'm starting to get into hibernation mode... Zzzzzzzz.....~

*Sweet*
I love how under pressure, I can do so much! I didn't even have to give up on sleep! I slept my usual 6 hours, and still managed to get through the stack of things due today... with time to spare! sweetness...
Not a cloud in the sky today. It's beautiful outside, but of course it's Wednesday... the day that forces me to stay indoors all day. It's not fair... I can't make it to Rockefeller tonight to watch the lighting of the tree. I'm definitely going to have to go next year. My friends are taking their class on a field trip tonight to watch the tree-lighting... *sob*
Anyhoo... I have a little more running around to do before I head in for my monster-class-marathon-wednesday. I need to write about some more profound thoughts...~

*So Toast*
I'm in so much trouble... I am completely NOT motivated to do any work. I'm still getting over the horrendous end to my Thanksgiving weekend, and I'm turning to food for comfort (NOT good). I have stacks to do for my classes tomorrow AND I have to pick my courses for next semester so I can register on Monday. I'm just a TAD stressed out...
I'm glad to be in New York... I really love it here. I haven't really been out of a 10 block radius since I've been back, but I really am glad to be back. I love that I have great friends here, and there's always something to do with them here...
Eh... no more procrastinating... Gotta get my work done. Ready, set... GO!~

*Stuck*
I was bloody stuck in Toronto overnight. I didn't make it back to the city until this evening. Apart from being able to see my sis and my friend Sam... This Thanksgiving has got to have been the WORST Thanksgiving EVER.
You know all those Thanksgiving horror stories that are shown on TV shows and movies?? Well... They ALL happened to me over the last 24 hours. It has been HELL trying to get back here. I am NEVER going to travel between the states and anywhere else over Thanksgiving break... EVER.
Grrr... It's a long story. Let's just say that I'm short about a quart of my things, my suitcase is a write-off... and my nerves are fried...
I need to sleep... How did a 50 minute plane ride from Toronto to New York turn into a 24 hour nightmare??~