holland, 1945

231209 (any which way the wind may be blowing)

2009-12-23T19:11:38Z

(click for larger)

Hey all, I'm currently in the San Francisco airport taking advantage of the free wifi! I'm still recovering from the hot mess that was finals week, but never mind that, I finished my last exam last night and still managed to pack up, do laundry, mail packages, order prints, grab dinner with my friend, wrap presents, say my goodbyes, and save a little room for dessert -- all before I left campus at 3am to catch my ridiculously early flight.

Anyway, thank you for the wonderful cards and gifts. If you're expecting a card from me, I probably won't be able to mail those out until after I return to the US, on the 17th. I'm terribly sorry that I haven't been able to comment or reply to anything. (If it gives you any idea, I think I clocked a grand total of 12 hours of sleep this past week? Sleeping on library chairs and desks for a week? Don't recommend it.)

Well, I just wanted to say a quick hello and happy holidays before I left for Thailand! Hope the holidays are lovely for you all!

141209 (stuck together with paste and glue)

2009-12-15T03:59:06Z

Hey all, I'm smack-dab in the middle of studying and finals right now, I'll be leaving for Thailand next week, I won't be back in the States until mid-January, and I haven't the foggiest idea if LJ is banned in China, so I'm terribly sorry if I go AWOL within the next few weeks!

Anyway, over the weekend, I went to the WIRED Holiday Store, which is this showcase hosted by WIRED Magazine featuring the latest and funkiest gadgets, plus a bunch of nifty toys, clothes, games, etc. It was totally worth the trip to the Meatpacking District that I had to post photos!

Exhibit A of Niftiness: this citrus-powered digital clock. Yes, a clock that runs on a lemon. No joke!

Psst, thanks for the lovely responses on the love meme -- I want to give you all a big hug and bake you cookies now! GROUP HUG PLEASE.

---

2009-12-14T04:55:38Z

holiday love meme ♥!

281109 (third time's the charm)

2009-11-28T19:53:11Z

tigerbow
tigerbow
tigerbow

My new icon journal is up! If you'd like to add the comm to your flist, that would be super! I'm also up for some affiliates, so talk to me if you've got an icon/graphics place of your own!

In the meantime, I am currently prepping for finals and mourning the untimely ~~malfunctioning~~ loss of my tablet. The flimsy thing won't work on my computer anymore, so I now have the World's Most Hypersensitive Keypad™ to navigate around my laptop, cheers! Technology is not working out in my favor this year. In the past 30 days alone, I've had to deal with:

◑ A laptop short-circuiting the night before my midterms
◑ The loss of my camera battery charger
◑ A tablet malfunctioning just when I had a bunch of sketches scanned

TECHNOLOGY GODS, WHAT THE ...?!

( blah blah blah blahhh )

Anywho, it's back to NY tomorrow -- I should probably get started on all that homework, eh eh?

261109 (the winter winds litter london with lonely hearts)

2009-11-26T18:10:03Z

IT IS THANKSGIVING.

I am currently in Boston with a rather nasty coughing bout, but I am also accompanied by pie and turkey and New England foliage, so all is not lost! Anyway, have a lovely meme nabbed from celestialsoda and vivier!

Comment with a favorite song of yours (no, you don't have to upload it) and I'll reply by uploading a picture that reminds me of you.

231109 (i can see widows and orphans through my tears)

2009-11-24T04:28:51Z

• Would anybody be interested in a Harry Potter Marauder-era writing community? There'd be some roleplay and writing prompts/exercises, and there's no forced posting requirement! I'm looking for a few people to take on some Marauder-era characters. Let me know if you're interested! It's going to be a really casual, small writing group that's totally canon-compliant (James/Lily, Frank/Alice, etc). I'd love to invite you!

• I'm going to Boston for Thanksgiving weekend. And I recently booked my tickets for Christmas -- I'm super excited! It'll be so nice to hightail it out of here, especially since I have 3 exams lined up for December 22nd, my last day of class. 3 exams followed up by 17 hours of flying and a 12 hour time difference? Oy.

• Please link me to your wishlists and card posts! I'm trying to keep tabs on all of that, so if you've got a post or a wishlistr or something of the sort, link that shizzzz!

• My last.fm is erring on the side of repetitive. :( Recommend me some music? My earbuds (and I!) will be eternally grateful!

egypt and turkey: day ix

191109 (junior year blues and all that)

2009-11-19T20:17:26Z

So here's what spring 2010 will look like academically, more or less.

M/W
9:10am - 10:25am: Simulation
11:00am - 12:15pm: East Asian Civilization: China
1:10pm - 2:15pm: Law and Economics*
4:10pm - 6:00pm: Seminar in Human Factors Design

T/R
9:10am - 10:25am: Production Planning
2:15pm - 6:00pm: Advanced Computer Modeling

* = The seniors got precedence for the 45 spots, but I'm going to see if I can weasel my way in. Out of all the econ electives they offered this semester, it's the one that's Really Freaking Relevant to my major. And the one that I'd actually want to take on a voluntary basis. Oy. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, academic self-assessment time. For the past 2-3 weeks, I was down in the dregs of midterms with harsh bell curves and never-ending problem sets. I just finished my last midterm for the semester, and now my brain feels like a fried egg, sunny side up.

The bright side is that I have a couple plans for this weekend, next weekend, and winter break. This semester has been absolutely dull. I haven't had an actual weekend in the city since September? I feel like I've been missing out.

-----

Alright, alright. Second-to-last photo spam from Egypt/Turkey -- cross my heart! After this, all of my photos will be posted in a more er, timely manner. Timely as in not three months behind. Real time, what is that!

egypt and turkey: day viii

Somebody explain. Just --- yeah.

151109 (i must become a lion-hearted girl)

2009-11-16T01:38:52Z

If you haven't already, fill this poll out! Oh, and if you have holiday wishlists/card posts or a ~~subtle~~ gifting hint to drop, hit me up.

egypt and turkey: day vii

ZOMG PYRAMID!!!!JK!@#J!@!!!

(Back in early August, I went on a 9/10-day trip through Egypt and Turkey. Just like London and the road trip, I'll be posting photos divided by day. Photos from the trip will be updated at my Flickr as well!)

(8/14): Woke up. Packed my bags. Visited some pyramid. Saw a sphinx. Flew to Istanbul. The end.*

* = Er, right. That was the Sparknotes version. Or the Cindy-is-sleep-deprived-that-she-can't-be-arsed-to-write-something-more-substantial version. Anyway. I did wake up and pack my bags for the flight later that night. And then I went to Giza, with the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, which speak for themselves. Ah, the pinnacle of manmade architecture! The pyramids themselves are unbelievably imposing, but the history increases their presence tenfold.

That afternoon, I flew from Cairo to Istanbul and arrived in the late afternoon. After checking in the hotel, I took a walk around the city and bought lots of figs and Turkish delight for my omnomming. I then reached shoreside just in time to catch the sunset. I loved Istanbul -- the weather was so lovely and breezy and it was nice just strolling around as opposed to rushing from point A to point B.

And then I went back to the hotel. I went to the bathroom to pee, but er, I couldn't find the flusher. I spent a good five minutes trying to find anything with a remote semblance to a lever, and found a small lever near the pipe. A-ha! I tugged the lever backwards. No luck. Tugged it to the right. Nope. The left. Natch. I pulled the lever towards me, and I was promptly sprayed full-on-the-face by a jet stream of water from the toilet bowl. Turns out it was the bidet.¹ The bathroom floor and door -- and I -- were completely soaked with bidet water. And that, ladies and gents, was my introduction to Turkish toilets. Cheers.²

-----------
footnotes:
¹: A bidet is colloquially known as the "vag/butt-crack cleaner." Make of that what you will.
²: That night, I also managed to unhinge the shower door because I pushed it the wrong way. I'm an engineer, and I managed to destruct an entire bathroom in one night. For shame.

click to view the flickr link!

OH, HELLO ISTANBUL.

Er, I like figs?!

Alright, an impending Accounting and Finance midterm is calling my name. More (real-time) updates when I'm less frazzled.

091109 (i got the feeling of love)

2009-11-10T03:00:56Z

a couple updates:
✦ If you're a Harry Potter fan and/or if you need a few seconds to kill, you should totally fill out my Harry Potter poll!

✦ I've probably babbled on 4859 times about how kitsche was published in the LiveJournal Anniversary Anthology, but I received the copy of the book not too long ago. Whoo! Anyway, I scanned the pages -- check it out!

(click to zoom in)

✦ Speaking of kitsche, I updated it for the first time in nearly 2 years. Begone, proverbial dust -- it's back! I'll be posting more entries later this week, so stay tuned.

✦ Do you guys have a NaNoWriMo account? You should add me -- I'm piratecookie!

✦ I'm seeing Hamlet featuring Jude Law tomorrow. GLEE!

✦ I'm going to Boston for Thanksgiving weekend, thus breaking the chain of spending my past two Thanksgivings in Jersey and the preceding ones in Indianapolis. I miss having a break. Anyway, buying my bus tickets now!

... and WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.

egypt and turkey: day v-vi

(Back in early August, I went on a 9/10-day trip through Egypt and Turkey. Just like London and the road trip, I'll be posting photos divided by day. Photos from the trip will be updated at my Flickr as well!)

(8/12-3): Took the bus to Hurghada, a city along the Red Sea coast. Basically, Hurghada's got loads of seaside resorts and beaches, but getting there was a nightmare.

We got lost in the desert.

Yeah. It's one of those worst-case scenarios where you think, "Hey you know what would suck? Being lost in the desert, that's what!" The bus was going in circles and we were passing by the same billboards once, twice, at least ten times. Hot August weather + a bus going nowhere + hours of driving through sand, sand, and more sand + impatient passengers =/= fun times, kids. We made it to the resort pretty late (around 9PM?), and I proceeded to gorge myself at the buffet.

I woke up the next morning at 4AM. (Funny, that's when I go to sleep in NY, ha!) You're probably wondering, "Why on earth did you voluntarily woke up at 4AM?!" Well, I went on an early-morning safari in the Eastern Desert to check out the sunrise at said desert, among other things.

Guys, if there's ever an occasion to wake up at 4AM, it better be at a desert, because:
a.) the COLORS. Absolutely sublime stuff. It's the prettiest I've ever seen a sky look, and this is coming from somebody who has seen MANY sunrises.*
b.) the slight morning breeze is perf.
c.) the sand-between-your-toes feeling? Yeah, it's like the beach except your feet aren't wet so you don't get the sand clinging past your filmy ankles.
d.) running down the hills of sand with reckless abandon? Enough said.

*= Er, most of those sunrises are compliments of my many all-nighters pulled at college. BUT STILL.

Anyway. A few hours were spent at the Eastern desert, and then we visited a Bedouin village, where we had breakfast (Bedouin barbecue!). A camel ride ensued! And tons of pictures. We got back to the resort around 11am, which is normally when I would wake up on a normal day in New York. We chilled out at the beach for the afternoon, and then it was on the bus back to Cairo.

.... and this time, we didn't get lost! Yay!

Instead, we ran out of gas. In the middle of the desert. Worst Case Scenario #2, check. We had planned to go on a late afternoon cruise back in Cairo, but that was pretty much shot to hell. We switched drivers thrice, stopped roadside many more times, and finally set up camp at a remote gas station before the bus was up and running again.

Four hours past our expected time of arrival, we got to Cairo and luckily, we got put on an evening cruise, honestly was a pretty nice way to spend the last night in Egypt, since there were all those city lights and the night sky.

click to view larger!

4:30 AM and on our way to the desert!

Lastly, I'm sorry if my posts are killing your flist. I write too much and post too many photos. 'Tis a problem. D:

071109 (this is the night)

2009-11-07T21:27:25Z

Hey guys, I'm terribly bored, so I did what any bored LJer would do and made a poll! Come commiserate in my state of boredom by filling this out!

View Poll: harry potter harry potter!

021109 (your fairweather friends on a parachute binge)

2009-11-02T15:30:43Z

Hey kids, want to hear a story!? So I had four midterms scheduled all last weekend-- three on Thursday and one on Monday. I talked to one of the profs and got a test switched to Sunday night, which meant that my weekend was going to be filled with fun studying times. Whoo! So it's Wednesday night crunch time, 1AM. I'm typing up my review sheet on the laptop and WHAM BAM my laptop short-circuits and won't turn on. At all. Guys, this is the stuff that college-student nightmares are made of.

So long-story short, I'm laptop-less, file-less (unless I've got a computer to plug my external HD), and sanity-less. My computer's currently being fixed up but if turnaround times are correct, this will probably take 2 weeks. Oy. But hi, I'm alive!

This weekend, I'm currently up in the woods with a few friends of mine for fall break in Gilboa, NY. You know that one break you absolutely need more than anything? Yeah, this is it for me. I have wireless, so I'm going to post the next wave of Egypt photos. Whoo, awesome.

-----

egypt and turkey: day iii-iv

(Back in early August, I went on a 9/10-day trip through Egypt and Turkey. Just like London and the road trip, I'll be posting photos divided by day. Photos from the trip will be updated at my Flickr as well!)

(8/11-2): Took the overnight train to Luxor (ancient Thebes, yo!). Visited several temples, including the Luxor and Karnak ones, and the West Bank Necropolis where they had the Valley of the Kings. Oddly enough, I was reminded of Legends of the Hidden Temple, but alas, no Silver Monkey to assemble. :(

click to view larger!

211009 (forget all your technicolour dreams)

2009-10-21T15:55:21Z

egypt and turkey: day ii

(Back in early August, I went on a 9/10-day trip through Egypt and Turkey. Just like London and the road trip, I'll be posting photos divided by day. Photos from the trip will be updated at my Flickr as well!)

(8/10): Took the bus to Alexandria. By the way, this was definitely my favorite city of the bunch! The Mediterranean location, the weather, the antiquity? Love love love love love. My photos definitely can't do the city justice. We went to the beach, Pompey's Pillar, the Bibliotheca, Montaza Palace, a couple ancient ruins, among other things. All in all, an awesome day trip.

191009 (so what's the altitude, i say it's out of sight.)

2009-10-19T04:26:50Z

egypt and turkey: day i

Back in early August, I went on a 9/10-day trip through Egypt and Turkey. Just like London and the road trip, I'll be posting photos divided by day.

(8/9): Shortly after arriving from New York to Shanghai, I had to take a plane flight from Shanghai to Istanbul to Cairo. Basically, over 24 hours of plane rides. Anyway! I arrived in Cairo just in time to visit the Egyptian Museum. Pity they don't allow photos, because there were some amazing-looking artifacts and things there. (PALETTE OF KING NARMER, cough cough.) Later that day, I shopped around at the bazaar, and then I took some much-needed rest at the hotel. Not a bad start!

111009 (a scenic world where the sunsets are all breathtaking)

2009-10-11T20:00:30Z

ROAD TRIP photos on Flickr!

6/26: New York, NY ► Long Island
6/27: Long Island ► Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA
6/28: Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA ► Raleigh, NC
6/29: Raleigh, NC ► Charleston, SC
6/30: Charleston, SC
7/1: Charleston, SC ► Asheville, NC
7/2: Asheville, NC ► Washington, DC
7/3: Washington, DC
7/4: Washington, DC
7/5: Washington, DC ► New York, NY

roadtrip: days viii-ix (7/4-7/5)

agenda:
⇔ Noodles for lunch at Chinatown!
⇔ Strolled through the Natural History Museum and the Museum of American History
⇔ Met up with a bunch of friends at the National Mall
⇔ Fireworks near the Washington Monument
⇔ Long, long, long drive back up to New York

I can positively say that this was one of my favourite roadtrips! Lots of laughs and new inside jokes and bad music and photo ops and Southern food were had by all. Sometimes I do miss driving. And I miss travelling. Speaking of, this journal's going to get a major whammy of photo posts from my Egypt/Turkey trip along with a couple Shanghai photos.

This is actually from dinner at Rosa Mexicano with Titi (viennawaits) the night before!

Lunch at Chinatown --- om to the nom, yo! :3

I don't know, I have just have this weird fascination with taxidermy.

where I talk about random things:
It's October and I finally moved all of my stuff out of summer storage. My room looks like it just got decimated. Speaking of, I was digging through my boxes and I found the journal with a bunch of entries that I had meant to post in kitsche ages ago but didn't. I'll get to that soon. I really need to update that poor thing. :(

Guys guys guys guys, I love Jim and Pam. Two words: WEDDING. EPISODE.

A couple things I want/have been meaning to see: Whip It (the soundtrack has a lot going for it!), New York, I Love You (it'd be an utter TRAVESTY if I didn't get to see this one). Nine (I love, love 8½. Love love love love.), Coco Avant Chanel (my friend said it wasn't that great but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't insanely curious), A Streetcar Named Desire (the play starring Cate Blanchett -- jaskdfl!), Rudo y Cursi (GAEL! DIEGO!), Hamlet (with JUDE LAW, need I say more.), etc. That's only part of it.

What are you guys looking forward to? I need to start watching more films and reading more books -- feel free to recommend me anything!

♥ ♥

090909 (he had decided that he would err on this side of divine)

2009-09-09T19:01:40Z

Okay. So er, it's been a while, but this entry right here? Last week, I got this one email from LJ...

Hi there,

I just wanted to let you know officially that your kitsche entry made it into the LiveJournal anniversary anthology. We just received a proof copy of the book in our office and we're so happy with it — the book is beautiful and your post looks great. Right now the book is slated to come out in October, so be on the lookout.

ASASKFL8VLskjsdfkg'asDFXLASKL!!!! YOU GUYS! jaskflfjadsklfjl!!! I'M GETTING PUBLISHED IN THE LJ ANTHOLOGY BOOK!!! My stomach did a couple back flips, and I flailed over that email like a madwoman. /incoherency

ANYWAY. Back to your regularly scheduled progamming.

6/26: New York, NY ► Long Island
6/27: Long Island ► Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA
6/28: Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA ► Raleigh, NC
6/29: Raleigh, NC ► Charleston, SC
6/30: Charleston, SC
7/1: Charleston, SC ► Asheville, NC
7/2: Asheville, NC ► Washington, DC
7/3: Washington, DC
7/4: Washington, DC
7/5: Washington, DC ► New York, NY

roadtrip: days v, vi (7/1-2)

agenda:
☼ Left Charleston, headed back north for Asheville, NC
☼ Ate even more Southern food at Cracker Barrel on the way over
☼ Walked around the town and did a bit window-shopping
☼ INTENSE trivia night (and awesomely good pizza) at Mellow Mushroom. I'm totally not lying when I say that it was intense!
☼ Drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway
☼ Had a tremendous freakout session when the engine overheated on the mountains
☼ Ate at Sonic for the 23849th time
☼ Took the loooong drive up to Washington DC, arrived in the late night

Philosopher's Pie at Mellow Mushroom. Steak, portobello mushrooms, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, provolone, feta, and mozzarella on oil and garlic. AKA IT'S REALLY GOOD. :3

200809 (bad kids ain't no college grad kids)

2009-08-19T18:36:32Z

Hey, all. LiveJournal isn't blocked in China anymore -- shocker! I got back from a trip to Egypt and Turkey not too long ago, so once I'm done with these way overdue photos, I'll talk about things like my experience with Turkish toilets and getting lost in the Sahara and all the stories that I happen to remember. Sorry for my disappearing acts. There's a lot on my proverbial and literal plate.

Anyway, first things first.

6/26: New York, NY ► Long Island
6/27: Long Island ► Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA
6/28: Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA ► Raleigh, NC
6/29: Raleigh, NC ► Charleston, SC
6/30: Charleston, SC
7/1: Charleston, SC ► Asheville, NC
7/2: Asheville, NC ► Washington, DC
7/3: Washington, DC
7/4: Washington, DC
7/5: Washington, DC ► New York, NY

roadtrip: day iv (6/30)

agenda:
ϟ Went to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
ϟ Relaxed on the sand at Folly Beach
ϟ Wandered about Rainbow Row (rows of colorful, beautiful houses)
ϟ Walked around the Harbor
ϟ Ate even more Southern food at Jestine's Kitchen

Pot roast, mac and cheese, and green beans at Jestine's Kitchen! I could use some Southern food right about now. :3

270709 (i'll pass almost every penny on to you)

2009-07-28T03:00:04Z

6/26: New York, NY ► Long Island
6/27: Long Island ► Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA
6/28: Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA ► Raleigh, NC
6/29: Raleigh, NC ► Charleston, SC
6/30: Charleston, SC
7/1: Charleston, SC ► Asheville, NC
7/2: Asheville, NC ► Washington, DC
7/3: Washington, DC
7/4: Washington, DC
7/5: Washington, DC ► New York, NY

roadtrip: day iii (6/29)

agenda:
↔ Spend most of the day walking around Raleigh
↔ Realized that most places are closed on Mondays
↔ Visited the Natural History Museum
↔ Visited the Executive Mansion in Raleigh
↔ Drove for the first time in over year from Raleigh to Charleston, SC
↔ Came across a town called South of the Border, where "Pedro" was the mascot. Er, yeah, stereotyping. About that.
↔ Arrived in Charleston amidst heavy rain
↔ Ate good ol' Southern food at Hominy Grill

On the North Carolina - South Carolina border. I kid you not. This town is called South of the Border, and we counted nearly 30 billboards leading up to the place. And obviously all Mexicans are called Pedro. Yep.

Pecan-crusted pork, macaroni and cheese, and collard greens at Hominy Grill. Mmmmm!

200709 (flow sweetly hang heavy)

2009-07-20T20:35:25Z

6/26: New York, NY ► Long Island
6/27: Long Island ► Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA
6/28: Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA ► Raleigh, NC
6/29: Raleigh, NC ► Charleston, SC
6/30: Charleston, SC
7/1: Charleston, SC ► Asheville, NC
7/2: Asheville, NC ► Washington, DC
7/3: Washington, DC
7/4: Washington, DC
7/5: Washington, DC ► New York, NY

roadtrip: day ii (6/28)

agenda:
Ξ Went to Virginia Beach and tried my darnedest to avoid the sun
Ξ Eventually gave in, switched into my swimsuit, and went boogie-boarding
Ξ MET BK quidditchkiss and KT goodbye, basically two AWESOME AWESOME people with 2-letter nicknames!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES, THIS TOTALLY MERITS CAPSLOCK AND EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ξ Left Virginia, arrived in Raleigh, NC by 10pm that night. Speaking of, there was a cop right behind us who put his sirens on, and we thought we were going to get a ticket. We moved over to the right lane to pull over, and then he simply sped up. Close one. Oh yeah, and this dumb driver ahead of us almost caused us to run over a flare.

... er, not me.

My breakfast and lunch source.

BK AND KT!!!!!!!!

CD, BK, KT -- :D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

150709 (i am with you.)

2009-07-15T08:19:02Z

The Burrow scene? No, no, no, no, no. First of all, what the fuck, and second of all, what the fuck. Why was that there? It didn't develop the plot in anyway, it was unnecessary, and you know, if a house like the Burrow got burnt down like that on Christmas hols, you'd think that Ron, Ginny, and Harry would be a lot more upset about it! Instead, the only "reaction" we get is Hermione berating Harry for putting himself in a dangerous position. Um, what. The Burrow is so ... emblematic of the Weasley family, and you'd think that the fire would have farther-reaching effects other than Hermione's scolding. Also, the family had extra Ministry protection from Arthur's promotion, so how would that scene have happened in the first place?!

I had known about the lack of Pensieve scenes (i.e. the Gaunts), but the lack of backstory really bothered me the most in the movie. Half Blood Prince is the "beginning of the end." It's where all the stones are set in place, and it's where we get a lot of those a-ha moments. Sure, it gets a lot of flack of being boring because Harry never one-ups Voldemort, let alone meets him. But when you finish reading Half Blood Prince, you anticipate Deathly Hallows, because it leaves you at the point where Harry decides that he's not coming back to Hogwarts, Snape is either good or evil, etc. I didn't get that same anticipation by the time the movie was over. I'm one of those horrible people that compares the movie adaption to the book, and I felt that the movie missed the point of the book. The book is about guesswork, trying to understand Voldemort as a character, delving into the past to solve the problems of the present, and trying to figure out where Harry stands in the path to defeating Voldemort. It's the point where Harry decides (to paraphrase from the book) to walk into the arena with his head held high as opposed to being dragged in the spotlight.

The movie felt a bit like filler. It had its funny moments, but the focus seemed to be more about who's-snogging-whom as opposed to. Horcruxes barely got a mention, and hello, they're kind of important. It's his mission and the path laid out for him, and there were only a few sentences devoted to the subject? Oh, and the end of the book, where Harry resolutely decides that he's going to continue on the path laid out for him. Er, instead we get a scene of Hermione talking the whole time, telling Harry that Ron approves of him snogging Ginny? And Ron glowering in the background? Whaaaaat? Ron was the one who said, "We're with you whatever happens." And instead, he's just silently sulking there, not really giving two shits about Harry leaving Hogwarts?

I really wanted the hospital and funeral scenes. The hospital scene I wanted because of the reconciliations (even though Bill and Fleur never made an appearance) and proof that love still existed in dark times and whatnot. And the funeral scene, I think, cemented the fact that Dumbledore was truly gone and that Harry would have to fight off Voldemort on his own. In the book, that scene was where I saw glimpses of Harry's bravery and good character. When Dumbledore died, Harry truly felt alone in the world, because he lost the next closest thing to a parent (after Sirius). To lose a guardian like that would be a tremendous blow, and the movie should have emphasized that feeling of aloneness, Harry's realization that he'd have to complete the journey on his own, and the fact that his friends will still be with him whatever happens. Realizations like those really made the book fantastic for me, and I wish I had seen that in the movie.

Random points:
- Is it just me or did Ginny seem awkwardly seductive? Where was the "hard, blazing look" or the feistiness that she had in the book?!

- As much as I am a hardcore R/Hr shipper, the Ron/Hermione "development" was awful. I loved those implicit-but-obvious-once-you-figure-it-out hints of R/HR in the books, and there was none of that in the movie. Ron whispering Hermione's name when he's ill in the hospital? Whut.

120709 (I'M NOT CUTTING THIS)

2009-07-12T20:03:47Z

I ended up joining the screaming crowd of fans for the HBP New York premiere! There were fans who had flown in from the Midwest, fans who had waited six hours only to squeeze into the second row, etc. The red carpet was across from us, and Tom Felton and Emma Watson were the only ones to go off the red carpet to sign autographs. (Bonnie, Rupert, Dan, and Alan did turn around and wave hello after a bit of chanting from the other side, ha.) Aside from the trio + Bonnie + Tom + Alan Rickman, I also spotted a couple randoms like Kelsey Grammar, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Lance Bass (lol whut).

Ugh, this is shitty quality, but I included it because it's Alan Rickman waving hello. :)

and pimping this:
❝the HARRYPOTTER meme❞

060709 (try it again, breathing's just a rhythm)

2009-07-07T02:10:17Z

HI I AM RISEN FROM THE ASHES OF LJ-LAND. After a 10 day roadtrip along the East Coast with the friends, I am finally back in my favourite city. The road trip was so full of new jokes, bad songs on the radio, sand, fattening food, and general merriment. Anyway, expect my next few posts to be filled with road trip-related photos.

Anyway. A brief diversion. Here's what I've been up to besides all the road-trip-related stuff: I saw Metric live, I met goodbye and binary in NY, I bought tickets for Harry Potter and the FREAKING HALF BLOOD PRINCE movie, and I found out that I'm going to Egypt and Turkey in one month.

Okay, switching gears (har har, see what I did thar) to the subject of road trip. This was the itinerary and we actually stuck with it!

6/26: New York, NY ► Long Island
6/27: Long Island ► Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA
6/28: Virginia Beach/Norfolk, VA ► Raleigh, NC
6/29: Raleigh, NC ► Charleston, SC
6/30: Charleston, SC
7/1: Charleston, SC ► Asheville, NC
7/2: Asheville, NC ► Washington, DC
7/3: Washington, DC
7/4: Washington, DC
7/5: Washington, DC ► New York, NY

roadtrip: day i (6/27)

agenda:
◊ Waking up bright and early in Long Island only to clock in eight hours on the interstate
◊ Ate Checker's (Rally's for the Midwest folk), Carvel's, Cinnabon, Popeye's, Burger King in the span of 16 hours --- even before we hit Virginia.
◊ Yelled at shitty drivers who do things like tailgate trucks and stop in the middle of a highway.
◊ Introduced my friends to the greatness that is "Party All the Time" by Eddie Murphy (we made a dance to this; it's amazing and that's all I have to say)
◊ Arrived at Norfolk, VA and marvelled at the abundance of mermaid-related things
◊ Ate at Doumar's Barbecue, which is famous for both the barbecue and the ice cream cones. I had both!

For those of you with Flickr accounts, I post my stuff here. :)

090509 (and they say we got some bad news sir)

2009-05-10T02:43:24Z

In the event where LJ reaches its apocalypse, you can find me at ex.dreamwidth.org. But for now, I'm still here at good ol' bisou and we can build cute little dreamwidth bomb shelters where we've got each other ~~friended~~ Circled! You know, in case of LJ-evacuation. :)

In other news, I am a Chinese Foreign policy paper, a Europe comp. lit exam, and a Macroeconomics exam away from freedom. Halfway done with the undergrad years? I guess the days are long and the years are truly short. Such a far cry from high school where both days and years were dreadfully long.

060509 (one date with the devil)

2009-05-07T04:13:38Z

Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale --- it was actually ... pretty good?! But then again, you're talking to somebody who will go nuts over anything in the green tea family.

bits and pieces of my life:
× I got a ticket to the Dark Was the Night concert, because I worked at the production company. Basically, I saw Feist, Bon Iver, the National, David Byrne, David Sitek (TV on the Radio), the Dirty Projectors, My Brightest Diamond, and Sharon Jones all in one musically amazing night. Win, win, win. Sharon Jones definitely stole the show, for sure. At the end of the show, all the performers got on stage to do an a cappella version of "This Land is Your Land", but then Sharon walked on the stage to interrupt them and show them "how it's really done." Also noteworthy was Feist and Justin Vernon's duet on "Train Song" (Ben Gibbard was absent but the duet still rocked!). I need to go to more shows this summer; I hardly went to any this year.

× A grad student at my university had a case of swine flu, and of course, everybody went nuts.

× I am staying in New York for the summer, which is already wonderful in itself, but I'd like to do some traveling because I'm always itching to go places. If you want to help a girl out, give me recommendations of a.) places that you've visited and loved and/or b.) places that you'd love to visit. Any continent (excl. Antarctica) -- go for it. I need to formalize some kind of places-I-want-to-visit-before-I-die list anyhow. And who's going to be in NY at some point in the summer?

× I have not made a bio post on this journal since 2006, and because much has transpired (offline, online) since then, expect something soon.

× This may change, but the fall 2009 schedule:

M/W
10:35-11:00 AM: Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Korea
6:10-7:25 PM: Introduction to Econometrics

T/R
9:00-10:25 AM: Introduction to Mathematical Programming (Deterministic Models)
10:35-11:50 AM: Introduction to Accounting and Finance
1:10-2:25 PM: Introduction to Database Systems

That's my junior year schedule, which means that I should be "halfway" done with college, but all of my classes are "Introduction" classes, huh what.

× How many of you are actually going to be using your Dreamwidth accounts? No, I don't have one, but if a whole lot of you are migrating and fleeing the Livejournal coop, I'll consider getting a code.

× I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF READING WEEK AND BLAST, IT SUCKS SO MUCH AND I AM BEING EATEN ALIVE BY ACADEMIA. The weather is always crappy and I am always crappy and life is always crappy and everything else is always crappy during this week. Go consistency!

120409 (the crow, he'd mow half the grass on the knoll)

2009-04-13T01:15:01Z

I love her outfit, especially the flowers in her hair!

Yeah, these photos are two months overdue. Back in Feburary, the Met had an exhibit called "Art and Love in Renaissance Italy", but like most special art exhibits, there was no photography allowed. I wish I had photos though, because there was some beautiful stuff!

Anyway, I don't think I've ever posted photos of the Met museum before (I've covered MoMA at least twice). I thought I'd share with you some works that I found lovely/inspiring in one way or another. I feel really lucky to be only a subway ride away from all these wonderful works of art. This reminds me, I need to go again before school ends this year.

I took the required Art Humanities class this fall, and one of the units covered Pieter Bruegel. I had to do a presentation and a paper on his works, and Bruegel became one of my new favorite painters. There's something very off-kilter about his style that I love. And if you're a Fleet Foxes fan, the cover of their album features Bruegel's painting Netherlandish Proverbs. :)

Flamingo lady (as I would remember it)! As much as I love Degas' work on the dancers, his other works are just as awesome.

050409 (train wheels beating, the wind in my eyes)

2009-04-05T21:11:55Z

london: day vi (03/20)

agenda:
¶ Tate Modern
¶ Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
¶ Millennium Bridge
¶ Borough Market
¶ London Bridge
¶ Shopping!
¶ Hogwarts Express at Platform 9¾
¶ Carnaby Street (dinner at Cha Cha Moon)
¶ Chinatown
¶ Covent Garden

See you at Hogwarts! :)

That day, I went to the Tate Modern, which I liked better than the Britain. They had this really cool collection display called "Poetry and Dream" which I loved. They had de Chirico (one of my favorites), Magritte, Picasso, and a bunch of really beautiful stuff. It was a nice day, so I spent some time reading on the lawn outside the museum and walking around the Globe and the Millennium Bridge. I got to London Bridge, where they had Borough Market. I ate fish and chips for the first time this trip. :)

After lunch, I went shopping, but by this time, it was already late afternoon and I was falling asleep in the middle of Primark. Dinner was at Cha Cha Moon (same owners as Wagamama) on Carnaby Street. Since it was the last day, we had made plans to go to a bar or club, but after a long time walking around Covent Garden, we finally found a place that was more for the benefit of sitting down than anything else. By the time we got back, I had to do some major packing before the cab picked me up at 3am (I had a ridiculously early flight). Let's just say that I slept on the floor of the Heathrow check-in desk.

So ends my London updates! I decided to buy a Flickr pro account, though I still consider myself quite noob-ish at Flickr. Add me ~~so I don't look like a loser there~~ because I want to see all your pretty photos. :D