Georgia Risa

https://www.instagram.com/_takashiyasui/

You can’t do it, but you will do it. There is a paradox in you. A huge part of you that doubts yourself and a tiny part of you that trusts yourself. Hold on to that trust because your whole life depends on it.

juansendizon (via shareaquote)

Nostalgia. If you look back on the origins of it actually combines the greek words return/nostos and the greek word suffering/algos. Which in the end it means you’re suffering for the return of something. How funny that is. You don’t think of it that way at first. You walk into your childhood home and you can smell your parents cooking. You can almost see the memories. Whether they be good or bad. It’s so close and you don’t quite understand why you’re sad. Why you feel that tugging in your chest. Sometimes it’s a song. Or most commonly linked to memory is smell. How cruel it is to be able to yearn for something that no longer exists. Nostalgia is a real kicker in that regard. But then how could get to where you are if you don’t know the past. Nostalgia in a sense is a reminder of who we are. What we came from. What we are made of. Maybe it isn’t all so bad after all.

Bri.B.Collard, writing Prompt # 34: Write about nostalgia (via wnq-writers)

“So, how much love is enough?” “Love, you say?” He looked at her, “With the wrong people, it will never be enough.”

Lukas W. // Forgotten Words #170 // Love alone cannot be enough (via somepiecesofmyheartandsoul)

There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice.

 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Nothing mattered. But somehow you did.

unknown (via sixrealwords)

Flowing through the wreckage of despair, Thailand, Lek Kiatsirikajorn

First Day Back

Originally, I had two classes today, but the second class was practically cancelled, since it was a discussion class - and it’s impossible to have discussion without a lecture. So for my first class, I already can feel the seriousness of the class creep up to me ... ON THE FREAKIN’ FIRST DAY! It’s filled with upperclassmen and whatnot and those who come from very serious political backgrounds. It’s sorta intimidating if I had to be honest with you. 

As for the “canceled” discussion, our GSI (Graduate Student Instructor) didn’t tell us students shit about discussion being cancelled. So like the “good” students we were, a few other people and I waited outside the class for at least 10 minutes, for proper reassurance. Those 10 minutes were somewhat bearable though, since we were cracking jokes and all that to fill in the time. 

And for the first day back, I met more people than I thought I would. I saw Cindy, Will, Amanda, Thuy, and Dustin out of pure chance. And then I also met up with Deon, Christina, Jasmine, Melody, and Ryan for dinner (we worked on club logistics afterwards). Honestly, I didn’t know why we worked so long for logistics, I thought Deon and Christina made it more complicated than it needed to be, but it was still okay in the end. 

I also went plant shopping with Jaeyoung and Anna - which was pretty cool, if you asked me. I was really looking forward to it the whole day. Got my clipper card - which is like our ticket to the bus - for the school year. And finally had a talk with the apartment on housekeeping rules. Worked out in the morning with some cardio.

All in all, nothing out of the blue happened the first day, but it was nice finally meeting people, outside of my apartment, after settling in Berkeley for the first time. I had a great time and felt like I got things done today. I say, this was a good day. 

Movin’ In

It’s my third day in the new apartment and I’m absolutely lovin’ it. Somehow, the new place feels oddly familiar for a space I just moved into. 

House Mates

I love the people I’m living with. Jaeyoung seems like a pretty high maintenance person who shares the same pet peeves as me, so I’m okay with that. I feel as if the connotation that goes along with being a high maintenance is always so negative, but it’s totally not a bad thing at all! I feel like high maintenance people usually set pretty clear rules, so I don’t have to go out of my way to see what pushes their buttons. And we share common interests too, so that’s another plus! She seems really cool! 

As for Anna, I’ve lived with her before, and she’s still so considerate and self-sacrificing. I have to treat her to something one day. I just like her that much. She literally is the most understanding person I know. Just so chill. 

Tran seems to have kept the same bad habits, but I don’t seem to mind it as much anymore. Especially when I hear about how Jaeyoung and Laura have reacted to it. I just think that Tran goes out a lot, because she’s more involved with Klesis now, and because of that, she doesn’t take time to prioritize house-keeping.

Laura seems very capable of living by herself. She’s been taking care of the finances and has been cooking meals for herself too. So impressed. And her boyfriend, Ryo, is here for one-two more weeks, and is really nice! He’s a bit older than us, like a year or two older, and even brought stuff from Canada for us, which was so thoughtful of him to do! I get to happy seeing them together. 

Thoughts & Feelings

I don’t like being at home alone. It feels so lonely with just me in the space. I like it when at least another person is in the room with me. But apparently, home is usually pretty empty. Maybe I’ll just invite friends over or something. I’m such a home body. 

It’s hard to exercise in my apartment since I’m trying to be mindful of all the noise they face downstairs because of it. I am able to control the impact of my weight underneath my feet as I exercise, but it takes more effort. But still, it’s do-able! I don’t feel like it’s a chore to exercise anymore! I see it more as a challenge! 

Cooking-wise, I’ve done nothing to sustain myself. I’m so glad my mom cooked meals before hand and froze them for my connivence. What would I have done without her home-cooked meals! She’s the best! And my dad too, for thinking of all these things I would need in my new apartment life. I can cook, but I just don’t like to do so. It eats up so much time. 

Chores. I love doing them - I always have. Unless if it’s folding clothes, then count me out. I just started rolling my clothes. I’ve been meaning to take out the trash and all, but I don’t know where or how to do so yet. I’m still getting myself situated. But yeah, I’d usually take care of that ASAP. 

I still have a hard time talking to Tran though, because I still find her condescending. Like just today, I was saying how I just woke up from a nap, and she responded, “You really must like napping huh?” as if taking naps reflect how unproductive/lazy I am. First of all, naps aren’t bad. And secondly, school hasn’t started yet, I am not obliged to do anything yet ... so what’s wrong with resting up until then ... And third, I have been working on stuff. I might have not been handing out flyers to freshmen, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only work to be done. It’s just tiring to hear her talk. 

New apartment! Here’s my workspace! Pretty cozy, eh!?!

More photos of LACMA/CAFAM

          Now onto my adventures at LACMA.   I finally got to see what the hype was all about.   This museum is HUGE!   I didn’t expect there to be that many exhibits.   I’m pretty sure Kevin and I didn’t get to explore some parts of it, but we wanted to beat traffic and vote and all that too, so we left LA a bit earlier.   The pieces inside the museum are absolutely spectacular and just quirky.   I liked this museum a lot.   There wasn’t a part that I hated it.   The only part that bummed me out was the lamp posts.   I think they were undergoing some sort of maintenance, so they closed it off.   You can still take pictures with the lamp posts, but out from the outside.   You can’t go inside the maze of lamp posts.   More photos to be shown.   Absolutely amazing!

          Adventures from the Craft and Folk Art Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits.   More photos to come!

          The Craft and Folk Art Museum is only 3 stories high and comes as a really easy visit.   Their exhibitions are smaller than most museums I’ve been to and only takes an hour at most to get through all the art pieces and whatnot.   There were two exhibits displayed there when Kevin and I got there: “Gronk’s Theatre of Paint” and “Windfall by Box Collective.”   The pieces in there were really interesting and unconventional, and were things to marvel at for hours, truly.   I couldn’t get a good picture of the museum itself from the outside, but it’s a building that you wouldn’t be able to miss.   The exterior is extraordinary! 

          The park right across from the museum was also fairly large and connected directly to LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pit Museum too.   We were lucky to have nice weather!

          Met up with Vincent and Christina today.   Originally, I think Vincent invited Christina, but then since I’ve been meaning to borrow some books from him about Asian American culture, he said that we all could just have a hangout.   Apparently, he had recently went to a mall that was having a book sale, so he bought these books for me.   I’m very grateful for having an upperclassman who cares about my education with these topics. 

          First, we went to get some ramen at Kairakutei.   The service was really nice there, but the ramen I got was a bit too salty for my taste.   And just when I said I had enough salt for brunch, I went over to the Almond Haus Cafe to get myself a sea salt iced coffee.   The saltiness of the drink was really smooth!    I wished I had bought another, but instead, I bought some boba for my sister and cousins.   And then we headed over to Bolsa Grande to take a quick look at Vincent’s high school.   Much different from my high school, but somewhat similar to the layout of my middle school.   It was just a nice and relaxing day.   I honestly didn’t think that I would go out this week, but I’m glad that Vincent and Christina invited me!

          Yay to my two other cousins on receiving their 1st communion!   Nothing more to say really.   Just happy that these two munchkins were given their first tastes of what Catholicism has to offer. 

          It’s been a while since I’ve been to a swap meet.   When I think of swap meets, I’m reminded of my visit to Vietnam, back when I was 8 years old.    I remember the streets hustling with customers and pedestrians and all the small shops holding their goods on display in hopes that they’d catch the attention of a nearby onlooker.   It’s strange to see how a similar culture exists here in American too.   It’s sorta nostalgic, really. 

          I’ve been meaning to go to a swap meet, to see what unique trinkets they present.   There were lots, but most of them were a feast for my eyes, and not for my wallet.   I didn’t walk out with much - just two books - but there were so many things that I wanted to purchase (I didn’t know where or what I would do with those items if I bought it, so I put them back).   But it was good to spend time outside of the house with my family; it’s a rare thing you know, a day where all family members are free. 

I saw my suffering for what it was, finite and insignificant, and I was still … Life is a peephole, a single tiny entry onto a vastness - how can I not dwell on this brief, cramped view I have of things? This peephole is all I’ve got!

Yann Martel, “Life of Pi”