11/30 - my Thanksgiving was nice & relaxing--unlike any other.  i spent most of the day chillin' @ home 'cause the restaurant was only going to be open for half a day.  like many others, i spent my morning watching  the Macy's Thanksgiving parade on t.v..  damn, it seemed very cold in New York.  anyways..when my parents came home my family & i went to eat @ a Chinese restaurant in Kapahulu, & then checked out my dad's friend's Vietnamese restaurant in Waikiki.  yups , that's 1 way an Asian family can spend their Thanksgiving Day .  we usually spend the day @ home having a little feast that includes peking duck or chicken, but not this year--instead we treated ourselves w/ very yummy Chinese food (the food @ the Vietnamese place was yucky!).  then today i got a day off 'cause my younger bro was working for me..hee hee .  i was watching the UH-Alabama game on ESPN earlier.  soo sad ..UH lost, but it was a good game nonetheless.  there's 2 games left for UH.


11/28 -                        


11/26 - MMmm...i just ate some very delicious  coconut-flavored sorbet called haupialani from Tropilicious.  wow ..i'm definately feeling very good  & ready to study for my Chinese tests now.  earlier i was @ the restaurant working & then the library researching for my linguistics project.  when my older sister came to pick me up she had cravings for some cookies 'n' cream ice cream, so we went to get some.  but when i saw the the haupia sorbet...my mouth started watering, hee hee ! then there's the bench-clearing brawl that occured last week Saturday @ the UH-Cinncinatti football game @ Aloha Stadium after the game finished between the teams.  it's still being covered on local news, & i think it's Cinncinatti's fault.  the whole thing is kinda funny since it was the only game i never finished watching on t.v..  i didn't even learn 'bout the fight until the next day when a customer left the sports section of the newspaper on the table after he left.  wow , i don't think  a brawl involving the Warriors had ever occured during my lifetime 'til now.  i feel Cinncinatti is being an a$$ 'bout the entire thing.  they keep complaining  'bout the fans hassling them, but that's part of the game.  the tackle that injured our most important player on the team, quarter back Timmy Chang, looked deliberate, so the fans got angry .  Cinncinatti even got penalized for it, too.  the whole game was close, & was very emotional to those playing & watching.  yes  it was wrong for the fans to throw objects @ the Cinn. players while they were heading into the locker room, but heck it was the Cinn. players that threw the punches 1st.  boy did the fight look vicious  in the t.v. clips.  there's like 200 football players @ around 200+ pounds punching, kicking, hitting, & throwing helmets @ each other.  scary don't you think   now i wanna mention the movie Mansfield Park--it's based on the novel w/ written by Jane Austen, which is 1 of my fav. books.  i wouldn't have read the book if i hadn't seen  the movie on the plane to Vancouver, B.C. spring break 2000 w/ the Science Club.  however, i woke up halfway through Mansfield Park, & have been trying to watch  the entire movie ever since.  then i recently found the dvd @ Blockbuster while browsing through the aisle.  the movie was great , but it doesn't follow the novel entirely, which i don't know if that's good or bad.  nonetheless, i enjoyed the movie--i just love 18th-century England & Jane Austen's novels.
   Synopsis: 10 yr. old Fanny Price is sent by her poor parents to live w/ her aunt's family @ their estate Mansfield Park.  Fanny is a clever, studious, budding writer who's treated as a 2nd-class citizen by her aunts, uncle Sir Thomas Bertrum, & cousins, w/ the exception of Edmund whom she forms a special bond w/.  Fanny has possessed beauty & a keen mind when bro & sis Henry & Mary Crawford arrive to Mansfield Park attempting to infiltrate the Bertrum social circle w/ eyes on marital connections & future inheritance.  Soon Henry appreciates Fanny's understated charms, & proposes to her while Edmund courts Mary.  Sir Thomas promotes the match of both couples, but Fanny's luster for Henry is due to her unspoken love for Edmund.  She rejects Henry & asks him to prove himself worthy 'cause his advances are regarded insincere.  Sir Thomas subjects Fanny to agree to the proposal, but she instead chooses to return to the slums of Portsmouth.  There Fanny assess Henry's character as he surprises her w/ his prescence.  In the end, it's Edmund who must realize his love for Fanny.  (found & altered from IMDB.com & rottentomatoes.com)


11/25 - wow , i just read the letter my friend in Colorado sent me.  it is so wonderful  to hear she's doing so well up there.  what she wrote made me cry , & feel so grateful i have her as a friend.  she wrote all the right things, & cheered  me up from my gloominess.  here's more cheery  things: lately i've been seeing the guys from the UH men's b-ball team around campus. while watching their games on t.v., i always thought those guys were very good-looking  (especially Carl English & Phil Martin), but they're 10x better looking  in person.  all i gotta say 'bout it is...Damn!!  give me a piece of that !!  LOL 


11/22 - it's amazing how much projects, essays, & presentations i must work on this weekend.  i've got an essay, project, & presentation for linguistics, & a final paper for pol sci.  but i also have to start preparing for my final exams next month, & start checking out courses to register for spring semester.  if i come out of it all still sane than it's a miracle.  hours ago i was working on something for my philosophy class, & then i was just watching  Farewell My Concubine w/ my siblings.  my older sis & i had read the book during the summer, & we've always wanted to watch  the movie.  the homosexual content of the movie made me uncomfortable to watch  some scenes.  i don't know...  the character Douxi was totally obsessive over his "brother" & jealous w/ the "brother's" wife...dude your "brother" likes women, not men--get over it.  but he never got the hint.  my older sis thought the movie stayed true to the novel, unlike some other movies.  well, this is what Farewell My Concubine is about:
     Synopsis: The movie adaption of Lillian Lee's novel of the same name w/ 2 parallel, intertwined stories spanning over 50 years.  The story is about 2 stage bros. from their entry as young boys into the Peking Opera School in 1924 to their reunion in 1977, & the woman who comes between them.  The boys endure the rigorous, sometimes torturous, training @ the hands of Master Guan who molds their talents, preparing them for their life-long roles as a concubine & a king.  Delicate Douzi (later Dieyi) is assigned the transvestite role of the concubine, & masculine Shitou (later Xiaolou) is the king in the famous traditional opera "Farewell My Concubine".  Douzi also develops a romantic love for Shitou who can only return a fraternal love, & chose the beautiful Juxian, a courtesan that becomes his wife--creating a dangerous, jealousy-filled romantic triangle.  Throughout their lives they'll be locked into their onstage roles, while their personal relationship somehow survive the upheavals of World War II, the communist take-over of China, & the Cultural Revolution.  (found & altered from Asian Film Connections & IMDB.com)


11/21 - @ first i thought today was a pretty good day for me compared to other days lately, but that  changed an hour ago.  the good thing was, as stupid as it may sound, is that i had a good  hair day.  that's right ...but that's not all.  my friends also came down to the restaurant to eat today.  it was fun sitting & chatting w/ them, especially the phone call incident .  but then i had to deal w/ the many inconsiderate drivers out on the road when i picked my younger brother up from school.  my day got soured  when i had to turn right @ an intersection.  instead of waiting for the cars to clear the road to get to the middle lane, i turned on to the farthest right lane so the car behind me wouldn't have to wait for me.  however, there was a van that was parked it there.  therefore, i turned my signal light on so i could change lanes, but 20+ cars drove on by not giving a damn.  when the van left there was another parked car.  obviously i can't keep driving & need to change lanes.  still people drove on by when i stuck my hand out waving to get on the next lane--can you believe that ?!!  i had to wait 10 mintues before i was able to change lanes when the lane cleared.  i let people change into my lane all the time, but none of those people would.  ugh !!  then a guy who ignored me & talking on his cell phone had the nerve to try cut in front of me while i was driving right next to him. that a$$hole !  hello, if you didn't let me change lanes...why the hell would you think i'd let you get in front of me ?!  those inconsiderate, rude bitches !!!


11/20 - shopping--don't you love doing that?!  i certainly do.  i'm usually a window-shopper, but buying things are such a guilty pleasure .  my older sister & i just did an hour ago @ Kahala Mall.  i'm sure she's practically done w/ her Christmas shopping now...hee hee !  i even got myself 2 cute  tops from Macy's...yes !  anyways, i tried watching  the leonid meteor shower 2 nights ago w/ my older sister outside our house, but was unsuccessful in my attempt.  i kept staring  @ the sky all night, but saw no shooting stars or anything--just the orion constellation.  so my older sister & i just sat outside chatting, which was nice.  now i gotta wait 20 years to get another chance.  well, that should be all..i think .  i'm going to do my Linguistics homework now..


11/17 - i finally finished watching  Chunhyang.  it was a bit boring  @ 1st, but then things got more interesting.  the way the movie was narrated throughout the movie was different from any other movie i've seen.  the narration was done by this man singing the story on a stage--sorta in a Peking opera type of way.  to me, that got a bit irritating more & more into the movie.  the action would take during & in-between his storytelling.  hmm, Chunhyang also dissolved my belief that koreans were very conservative on the subject of sex.  the extent of the love scenes were quite...unexpected .  i wasn't expecting to see  that much skin in a korean movie--i guess that shows my ignorance.
 Synopsis: This epic folk-tale of forbidden passion, devotion, & the glorious triumph of love in adversity is told in the Pansori operatic style--a soloist accompanied by a drummer.  The story take place in 18th-century Korea w/ Mongryong as the privileged son of the Governor of Namwon.  He falls in love w/ Chunhyang, the beautiful daughter of an ex-courtesan.  The couple secretly marries & will keep it secret 'til he passes the state exam.  If his father finds out about the marriage, Mongryong would be disowned & barred from taking the exam.  When his father is promoted to the King's cabinet, he's transferred to Seoul.  Mongryong reluctantly leaves Chunhyang, but promises to send for her when he becomes a court offical.  3 yrs. later, the new Governor of Namwon pursues Chunhyang, & orders her to court him.  Chunhyang, being the daughter of a courtesan, becomes 1 under the law.  When Chunhyang refuses Governor Byun, she's beaten & imprisoned.  Her only hope to be saved is her love & faith in Mongryong's return.  Meanwhile, Mongryong passes his exam, & becomes an emissary to the King, a post which grants him the authority to punish corrupt officials.  He returns to Namwon disguised as a beggar just before Chunhyang is to be flogged to death @ Governor Byun's birthday celebration.  (found & altered from Cinema-scene.com & IMDB.com)


11/16 - what is up w/ today ?  i've been playing taxi lady all day today.  getting in & out of the car, driving--i must've done that a billion times today.  i was either dropping-off or picking-up my older sister, & then also had to pick-up my younger brother @ the restaurant who was covering my shift.  everytime i would get settled in @ home & finally felt relaxed , i'd get a request or a phone call saying i gotta pick them up or drop them off somewhere.  then while i was on the road, i kept seeing  all these police & ambulance cars 'cause of an accident or medical emergency.  then while i was taking my older sister down to the Ward Starbucks, the traffic light @ a 4-way intersection went out  while i was driving past the line.  i had been driving behind this big storage truck & was unable to see  the traffic lights as i drove past the intersection.  @ 1st i had seen  a green light from afar, & then there was no light.  that's right, no green, red, or yellow light flashing.  when we drove back to the same intersection on the way home, the cops were directing traffic.  my older sister didn't believe me 'bout the light when i 1st told her as we drove through it the 1st time.  geez , i'm having quite a strange day..


11/15 - alright, i'm not feeling so much like crap  now.  i'm actually feeling much better now.  it's amazing....i spent 'bout 2+ hours talking  to a friend of mines on the phone, which is so unlike me.  i'm usually not a phone-talker , but i needed to vent  & have someone to talk to.  plus, i haven't seen her much lately (except for last weekend when we              went to The Maze), or talked to her much 'bout stuff.  since were @ the stage where we hardly see  each other now, i'm totally willing to stay on the phone for hours talking 'bout all kinds of things.  sometimes i amaze myself for being able to stay on the phone that long & not feel uneasy  about it.  life for me right now is a little okay .  there's still some surprise  here & there.  lately it's been more drama than anything else.  my only escape from it all is to chill in front of the t.v. watching a movie or something, & run-off w/ my wild imagination.  therefore it lead me to rent more movies @ Blockbuster.  i rented The Mummy Return & Chunhyang <-- a korean movie w/ English subtitles.  i haven't completely finish watching  The Mummy Return--just the the 1st half & the ending.  i have no clue what else happens in-between.  so far the movie is alright.  the action sequences are great , Brendan Fraiser still looks great , & the storyline is an interesting twist of the 1st movie.  but up to the point of the movie i have seen, i don't believe it's as good as the 1st movie in my opinion.  however, it's still enjoyable & good to watch if you're in the mood for some good 'ole action-packed movie.
  Synopsis: It's 1933, 10 yrs. after the events of the 1st film The Mummy.  Rick is now married to Evelyn, & they've settled in London raising their 8-year old son Alex.  When a chain of events find Imhotep's corpse resurrected in the British Museum, the mummy walks the earth again.  Another force is also set loose in the world--born of the darkest rituals of ancient Egyptian mysticism & more powerful than Imhotep--the Scorpion King.  When those 2 forces clash, the fate of the world will hang in the balance.  It'll send the O'Connells on a desperate race to save the world from evil, & rescue their son before it's too late.  They must prevent Imhotep from gaining control of the Bracelet of Anubis, & taking on the Scorpion King for control of the world.  To gain that power, Imhotep & his vicious true love, Anck-Su-Namun, must get to the Oasis of Ahm Shere before the O'Connells, Evie's brother Jonathan, & the mysterious Ardeth Bay.  (found & altered from RottenTomatoes.com, & IMDB.com)


11/12 - i'm feeling depressed  , lonely, & misunderstood...


11/11 - last night was quite memorable....  i went clubbing w/ my friends to The Maze, & i had a blast.  although, there were quite a few incidents of me getting tipsy & tripping often , but i'd rather not get into why or how i became that way--it felt great nonetheless.  it was like i was going through the motions, unable to feel anything but able to move around w/o knowing how.  my lips became quite numb, too...ha ha !  that was the 1st time i felt that way .  The Maze was really packed when my friends & i arrived.  it's funny how i always see the same people @ the clubs i go even though it's a different club all the time.  strange huh ?  the car ride down there & trying to find a bathroom in Waikiki was hilarious .  however, the necklace (which was a b-day gift from a friend) i was wearing yesterday night got caught on my shirt while my friends & i were in the parking lot.  then 1 of them tried to release the snag, but broke  it instead.  hrmph !  it was the 1st time i wore it, & now it's broken.  plus, the necklace totally match my whole outfit, so my effort of trying to look cute that night went out the window .  i'll try fix it later when i've got time, but i'm extremely tired  right now.  i've got a slight headache, & still a bit dizzy  from last night.  but i still have my ling & pol sci homework to do, & study for my Chinese chapter test tomorrow.  bummers .  however, i don't regret what happened last night 'cause it was 1 hell of a night.  my friends & i should do that more often..ha ha   and before i forgot to mention..today is Veterans' Day.  thanks to all the veterans who fought & risked their lives to perpetuate a belief of freedom.  they fought to uphold the free, democratic United States of America, so that their kids & their kids' kids could live in peace & harmony.  because of their bravery & courage, i'm living in a country & leading a life that may not have been possible if it wasn't for them.  Thank you !!.


11/09 - my older sister rented A Walk To Remember & Newsies DVDs days ago from Blockbusters, & my younger brother  & i have been having a blast watching  them.  i finally finished watching  A Walk To Remember from beginning to end this morning before i went down to the restaurant.  wow, the movie is good!  i never saw it in the theaters, but i had wanted to.  A Walk To Remember is a wonderful, romantic, loving, amazing...movie --it's definately added to my list of fav. movies. i'm soo in love w/ the soundtrack, too.  Mandy Moore's acting was great--much more than i expected, & Shane West is looking pretty good  in my eyes now, too.  all day i've been watching  the DVD w/ the commentary & everything while i've been working on a little project of mines.  hee hee ..i think i've seen  it 'bout 2 times completely today, & parts of the movie here & there.  so it could be closer to 4 times.  here's some fun fact: A Walk To Remember is based on a book w/ the same title written by Nicholas Sparks, & it's the only book i know my friend has read & enjoyed.  i actually remember the time she talked to me 'bout it in our English class senior year.  she's not a lover of reading books for fun, but somehow she came upon the book & loved it.  so while i was watching  the movie, i already i had an idea of what the storyline was, but i still enjoyed watching  how everything unfolded.
Synopsis: In the little port town of Beaufort, NC, Landon Carter remembers his senior year of h.s. & Jamie Sullivan, the girl who changed his life.  Jamie was serious, conservative, & the minister's daughter.  She was far from cool as she could possibly be wearing big, boxy dresses & the same sweater every day, but she didn't care what others thought.  Landon hung w/ the in-crowd.  He was an aimless, moody, reckless guy who breezed through school on looks & bravado, & had no plans, no future, & no faith in himself.  When a prank planned by Landon & his friend goes terribly wrong, it lands a classmate in the hospital.  The principal sentences Landon to tutor on the weekends, & participate in the Drama Club's spring play--activities Jamie is involved w/.  In over his head w/ both assignments, Landon is forced to ask Jamie for help.  As they begin spending time together, Landon finds himself intrigued by Jamie who sees beauty in everything & exhibits unwavering faith in people & the world.  Soon, against his own expectations & the scorn of his friends, Landon finds himself falling in love w/ Jamie who possess a passion for life he never imagined possible.  Then the cruelty of life is brought to surface when it threatens Landon & Jamie's love for one  another.  In the end, he stays by her side & does everything he can to make her dreams come true.  (found & altered from AWalkToRemember.com, RottenTomatoes.com, & IMDB.com)


11/07 - only 1 more day left 'til the 3-day weekend...yes  !!!  my friends came to the restaurant to eat this afternoon.  it's been many weeks since i last saw them.  once again they updated me w/ the goings on in their life, & i did the same w/ mines.  they also invited me to go clubbing @ Maze this Sunday.  i hear a lot of people are going down there that night from my Older sister.  a friend is buying our tickets for us to get in without having to wait in the line.  i'm hoping it'll be a fun night.  i'm usually not too excited  to go clubbing, but i'm making an exception since i haven't seen them for awhlie.  plus, i gotta make the best of my 3-day weekend since i've been having too much stress to handle w/ school.  there's projects & essays for me to work on.  next month is the final month of fall sem., meaning final exams are coming up shortly.  my grades aren't exactly wonderful, so i gotta bust my a$$ to get passing grades.  i read in the newspaper that tonight's Friends episode will feature Freddie Prinze Jr.  as Rachel's baby's nanny.  i'm definately gonna watch  it tonight.  i've missed last months Friends episode 'cause i got caught up doing something & forgot to watch  it.  oh well..me & my forgetful brain...


11/06 - i'm on call from work right now even though i was there for hours earlier 'cause my older sister has a sorority meeting.  that's right, she's pledging for a sorority.  i'm also smelling like lemons now, & my hands are stinging  too.  earlier i was juicing a batch of lemons for my mom for the lemonade.  now i've got the lemon smell all over me, especially my hands.  wanna smell ??  hee hee .  @ least that's better than smelling like fish, right   well, i think i got an idea for Christmas gifts.  yups, i'm thinking 'bout that already 'cause Thanksgiving is only weeks away, & then it'll be Christmas soon .  i think i'll be making some of my friends' X-mas gift.  the others i'll have to go shop for i think .  oh well.  plus i went to the library today to return some books i borrowed a week ago, & then i borrowed some more books.  for some strange reason, i borrowed a lot of Chinese, Vietnamese, & Korean folklore, fairy tales type of books.  i guess i'm in the mood to daydream & hear 'bout happy  endings...  [Election Day update: Republican Linda Lingle is the new governor for the state of Hawaii & her running mate Duke Aiona is the lieutenant governor.  i voted for them because i found myself agreeing w/ her ideas of change.  i hope they'll bring the change i'm wishing  for.]


11/05 - it's Election Day everybody !!!  did you go out to vote ?  i certainly did .  i fulfilled my voting duties before i went down to the restaurant this morning.  i'm making a difference w/ my 1 vote hoping it will cause a much need change to happen in this state.  i'm tired  of the status quo & want something different.  all that's left to do now is wait & see the results of the print-outs on who's leading in the gubernatorial race.  i'm sure all the local news stations will be covering the Elections on-air for the entire evening.  for me, i'll be watching  my korean dramas instead .


11/04 - today was quite typical except for the Japanese tourist i encountered on campus.  i was waiting for my older sister to pick me up & drop-off the car when this old Japanese man walked up to me asking me to take pictures for him.  i generously agreed & took a couple of pictures of him w/ the campus scenery behind him.  hey, i gotta help out Hawaii's economy due to our dependency on the tourism industry .  plus i wasn't doing anything important @ the time 'cause i knew my older sister was going to take awhile before she arrived.  he was a very nice old man.  later on i went down to the restaurant, & it was extremely busy when i got there.  but a lot of tips were made.  too bad i don't get to keep it .  tomorrow is Election Day, so everybody (of age) get out there & vote!!  i definately will be doing my civic duty to vote to try make a difference in this state.  wow , ain't i so patriotic ?  hee hee ..


11/01 - it's the day after Halloween & i'm feeling extremely tired .  & to top it off, i'm also getting sick .  i went to school, but only attended 1 class .  hey, i'm not naughty for skipping my Phil 101 class, & my Pol Sci 110 class was cancelled by my professor to give my classmates & i a chance to go down to the state capitol for an essay we gotta write.  but i didn't go down to the the state capitol today.  i'll do that another day.  what i did do today was work @ the restaurant, cut my hair, & do the laundry.  that's right , this "hair-cutting fanatic"  changed her hair-style again.  it's not that dramatic--just 1 1/2 inch shorter now.  don't fret.  i'm trying to get myself out of the short hair phase by having all the short hairstyle i've ever wanted out of the way, & then grow it all out.  i'm young  & still have hair.  i'm taking advantage of all that now, so i won't regret not doing it in the future when i do settle down.  it'll be too weird  for me to try an outrageous  hairstyle when i'm 55 years old.  i don't understand why my friends make such a fuss 'bout me having short hair---it's just hair, right   i like being different.  why should i be be like the majority of young ladies i know who have long hair   isn't it much more fun to distinguish yourself as an individual & stand out from the crowd rather than fade into the background   i think short hair is sexy .  besides that, due to my older sister's recent refascination of the movie Newsies has gotten me to relive our childhood & the movie's songs.  in fact, i didn't know that so many other people have seen the movie, too.  for some reason, i thought my sisters & i were the only one who watched the movie .  i remember drooling over Christian Bale's character Jake  while my sister loved his pal Spot ...hee hee !
Synopsis: In July 1899, Joseph Pulitzer & William Randolph Hearst raised the distribution price 1/10 of a cent per paper, 10 cents per hundred.  The New York newsboys' (a.k.a Newsies) strike is the subject of the full-scale musical set against the stylized back-drop depicting turn-of-the-century New York City.  The newsies are already poor & now outraged by the price hike.  Inspired by the trolley workers' strike, Jack "Cowboy" Kelly organizes a Newsies' strike w/ David Jacobs as the brains of the new union.  Jack becomes the voice of the weak & oppressed Newsies who find the strength to band together.  Through a series of rousing song & dance routines, chronicled is the Newsies struggle w/ publishing mogul Joseph Pulitzer, battering @ the hands of strike breakers, & their eventual triumph over the powerful newspaper establishment--based on actual events.  (found & altered from IMDB.com & RottenTomatoes.com)




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