checking my list

today has been a busy but productive day. i can tell because almost all of my items on my “to do” list have been checked out. yep, i’m one of those type-a people that likes to make lists and schedule her week in advance. i have a bad memory so this helps me be not too scatterbrained.

cancel contracts with wedding vendors. check.

call landlady and have locks changed. check.

lunch with friend. check.

copy friend’s house keys. check.

rob a bank. check.

groceries and drug store. check.

and so on.

i am going to start looking for a new apartment soon. probably a studio or one-bedroom. honestly, my last roommate spoiled me, we got along fabulously and i don’t think i’ll find another roommate i’ll gel with as much. . .
i’ve had a problem with runner’s knee the past couple of weeks. there are some exercises you can do that are supposed to help, but i think diversifying my workouts would also be good. . to that end, one of my friend is offering to give me his old bike, the only problem is that one of the pedals has to be replaced. another friend has gotten into swimming this summer, so i’m going to start going once or twice a week with him.. . .can’t wait. . should be lots of fun.

crashing with a friend

right now i'm staying with a good friend. . while i love being at home, playing with my a-dorable niece and nephew, running errands with my sister, and keeping my mom company. . .i was starting to go a little awol.

my friend has a good way of putting it, basically when you are at home, you are on family duty 24/7. it's nice to just be responsible to myself. maybe that's a bit selfish. but i think i need it.

in any case, there have been some new developments to the hampton roads scene. a few centers with non-chain restaurants, cute coffeeshops, nice stores, etc. . i guess families with more money are moving in and there seems to be an economic shift towards more high end tastes. while i can't see myself ever moving back to newport news, i'm excited about the changes and the opportunties they will bring for my brother and sister who live near my parents.

dog street

yesterday i met up with two of my college friends in williamsburg. we went to the cheeseshop (which still has the BEST veggie sandwich i've ever had), dessert at baskin robbins, and a walk down dog street.

williamsburg seems quaint now, maybe i didn't appreciate it enough as a college student. . but there is something a bit surreal about going to school in a tourist town, especially one that is a living history museum. there are some fond memories too.

we walked by the old shops where people are dressed in colonial clothes, dressmakers, a bakery, a silversmith, etc.. one summer, i actually worked as a hostess in one of the taverns. shields tavern. i had to wear the whole outfit. full skirt, a long white shift that i tucked into the skirt, an apron, and a white bonnet. black shoes and long socks completed the outfit.

one memory has always stuck by me. . it was an afternoon and a couple of tourists walked by. i was hanging out by the gate, waiting to seat customers in the back patio. one of them came up to the gate, looked at the menu that was posted up, then proceeded to look at me up and down. . then commented, "didn't realize there were asian folks back in the colonial times"

looking back, i wonder if the man realized how stupid his comment was. . . did he seriously think he was being funny? or that i would say, "gee, your right, maybe i should go get a job at a chinese restaurant instead." of course, i needed the money and couldn't really tell the guy off. .so i just smiled politely.

anyways, there's some exiting news hitting the burg. . .this past summer colin farrell was filming the movie "columbus" and now it seems there will be an HBO miniseries about john adams (a tom hanks production http://www.dogstreetjournal.com/story/2629) there. . . i am glad to hear that there will be some more money and business pouring into the town. . . hopefully it'll spillover to the college.

hanging out with the clan

so i have a large family. very large family. my brother is the fifth of a family of eight children. most of the brothers and sisters have had at least two children. needless to say, i grew up with lots of cousins.

a fond memory is of our "band", aptly named the "third generation". my brother and i had matching red leather jackets and i recall lipsyncing along to thriller and other jackson hits. it was a good time and probably the last time in the past twenty years that all of us have hung out together. as with many asian families, there have been moments of drama, conflict between siblings, etc. we've all grown up and sadly apart: some have married and have children *the fourth generation*, gotten jobs, some have moved away and others moved back to the good ol VA. but recent tragedy (the death of my grandfather) have seem to brought everyone close together.

last night, after the funeral, we all made plans to meet up at the rivah cafe in yorktown beach. our clan literally took over the bar. over martini's, sambucca, wine, and good crabdip, we laughed, talked, and caught up on each others' lives. it was really a wonderful time and i hope that it is the beginning of closer family ties.

new beginnings

fate has a funny way of throwing you curve balls. . .i left los angeles in june as an affianced woman, planning on getting a lot of research done on my dissertation in china. and i will return to los angeles as a single woman (for the first time in five years), with a lust for life, eager to rediscover myself, and excited to find and pursue my passion.

i think somewhere in the early part of my twenties, i began to lose myself in a relationship. i suppose that is easy to do, perhaps especially as an asian woman- often eager to please and give into another person's preferences. what i had not realized, is that i was no longer pursuing a career or life that i was interested in. . more importantly, i had forgotten just what that was. in general, i try not to regret anything in life and believe that everything happens for a reason. during the past five years with my ex, i have learned a lot about myself, about relationships, and about life. we had a lot of great moments. and i will treasure those and try to learn from my mistakes.

i have decided to take a year off of graduate school. . . and figure out what i want out of a career and decide what steps are necessary to get there.

while i have grown to love life in LA, i am not sure how long i will stay here. . i think the east coast is beckoning me, and i have always dreamed of living in manhattan. . .but i think i'll just play things by ear, see how life unfolds, and share my stories with you.

i suppose that the new blog is somewhat symbolic. . a fresh start. . .once things settle down and i have time, i will upload all the posts from the previous blog here. until then, be patient while i get this blog up and running.

MIA

to all my readers, sorry for being MIA these past few weeks. . and for those that have emailed me, thanks for your concern. i am a-ok and will fill you in individually, through email or in person.

i'm back in the states, a bit prematurely, to deal with some issues on the home and personal front. i will not be back in beijing this fall. *sorry for my readers that find my life in beijing more entertaining than my one in sunny so-cal*

i'm on the brink of making some big decisions and while this is a confusing/trying time in my life, i am excited by the potential and promise ahead. sorry if this sounds a bit mysterious or vague, i'm just a girl trying to figure things out, so bear with me.