09/28 - ugh..it's extremely hot in this room, & i've got a major headache.  i was working @ the restaurant earlier, so now i'm tired .  but instead of resting i'm typing this & watching  The Last Emperor on the AMC channel.  i've seen  this movie tons of times before, but it's been made so wonderfully that watching  it over & over again is enjoyable.  now i can actually understand a little of the Chinese that's spoken in the movie..Hee hee !  plus, i've taken an Asian history course & read quite a few books related to china's history since the last time i've seen  this movie.  it's quite enriching how i can watch  this movie now, & understand the situation & the storyline; unlike when i was very young when i 1st saw  The Last Emperor.  having taken the history courses has helped me fully feel the emotions & plight that's being portrayed.  wow, i sound smart w/ all those big words...
Synopsis: A dramatic biography of Manchurian "Henry" Pu Yi who ascended to the throne in 1903 @ the age of 3, & became the last Emperor of China.  He was the object of worship by half a billion people, but was a prisoner in the palace he ruled over while real power changed hands outside.  Pu Yi never comes to grips w/ the idea that the absolute power conferred on him as a child was only a mirage.  The mistakes he made trying to realize that power by collaborating w/ the Japanese during the war, lead him to an obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.  Pu Yi was an anti-hero who finally reaches a kind of peace when he's released back in to public life in 1959, & later die as a gardener @ the Botanical Gardens of Peking.


09/27 - 1st off, Happy 19th Birthday Tara !!!  yesterday i went to her b-day dinner @ the Outback Steakhouse in Hawaii Kai.  that was the 1st time i ever ate there, & boy was the food i ordered yummy !  i believe i order the Aussieland chicken 'n' shrimp, which is fetticcine alfredo w/ grilled chicken & shrimp.  the whole evening was fun & delightful, but i went home early 'cause i had school today unlike the others.  tonight we might go bowling, but i'm not sure yet. besides that, the soccer coach @ UH-Manoa (my school) came to the restaurant this afternoon to eat Pho.  hee hee ...that was cool. that's 'bout all the interesting stuffs that happened as of right now. it's only 3:09 p.m., so we'll see if anything is gonna happen tonight.  hrmph, i missed the 1st episode of the 9th season of Friends !!


09/26 - today is my mommy's birthday!!! soo....
        right now i'm home just after having been @ the restaurant.  i gotta go pick up my younger bro & older sis in a couple of hours.  than later around 6 i'm going to my friend Tara's birthday dinner.  her b-day is actually tomorrow, but i think she'll be busy so she's having it w/ us tonight. i can't stay out too late tonight 'cause i've got classes tomorrow unlike her. ugh , besides that i think i may have bombed my Chinese test today.  i'm such a procrastinator !!!  i gotta work on that.  today i sawCarl English (click on his name for his profile & pic ) of the UH men's basketball team walk by me in school while i was walking to meet my older sister.  wow , he is definately much more handsome  in person!!!  after that i was smiling  from ear to ear.  i've always watched the basketball games on t.v. 'cause i don't have any friends who are interested in UH athletics like me, but damn is he good-looking !  sometimes i find myself watching just him during a game...hee hee .


09/24 - i got to see my friends for the 1st time in weeks today. whoo hoo !!!  i've been missing them soo much .  it's been hard to get together w/ my friends since we grad from high school 2 years ago.  not only do we go to different schools (me @ UH-Manoa & them @ KCC), we also have work to juggle as well.  we're typical college student juggling school & work (& love lives for those that have 1). however, whenever we do go out, it's usually a dinner or a movie. they go clubbing occasionally, but i haven't gone w/ them in months --mostly 'cause i'm tired , not  in the mood, & not  willing to put up w/ the smokey,crowded atmosphere.  then again, they haven't gone out to a club in a long time, too...hee hee !  we sound so boring huh ?  well, i don't care what we do--all i wanna do is meet up w/ them to hang out & talk story. it's much more fun getting to know them than anything else.  then in school, i only had Chinese today. my Linguistic class is cancelled for the week 'cause my professor (actually she's a grad student), i presume, is celebrating the Korean Thanksgiving.  if not, than it doesn't matter what she's doing 'cause i'm getting a break from that class for a week.  whoo hoo !


09/21 - no  more ranting from me today.  lucky you...  however, i did watch Little Women (the 1949 version) on the TCM channel this morning before i went down to the restaurant.  the Little Women movie was based on the book written by Louisa May Alcott, which is one of my fav. books.  i had seen the 1994 version w/ Claire Danes, Winona Ryder, & Susan Sarandon, so seeing the older version was interesting--espcecially since Elizabeth Taylor was in it, too .  compared  to the recent version, the 1949 adaption is more true to the book, but some important parts were left out.  but that's okay, the movie was still good, & kept the focus on the 4 sisters--especially Jo.  here's a little synopsis of Little Women so you know what i'm writing 'bout:
Synopsis: It's the 1949 movie adaption of the beloved Louisa May Alcott novel of the 4 March sisters growing up in New England during the Civil War-era.  Meg, Josephine, Amy, & Beth are the little women who, together w/ their mother, keep the home fires burning while their father serves w/ the union army during the Civil War.  Meg, the eldest, is the practical older sister who's a 2nd mother to the troupe while "Jo", the 2nd eldest & the tomboy, takes on the role of man of the house who also pines for adventure, independence, & a career in writing.  Amy is the vain sister who yearns for the good things in life, & Beth, the youngest & frailest after a bout w/ Scarlet fever, seeks comfort in gentle music.  It's a telling of the 4 young girls coming to womanhood to find love & their place in the world.then later on in the day i went to vote 'cause of the Primary Elections.  this was the first time i ever voted.  it was interesting, but i'm not a good voter.  i knew who i was gonna vote for Governor & Lieutenant Governor, but not the other positions....ha ha   i'm sure i'll be a more well-informed voter in Nov. when it's time for the General Elections, i think .  oh, i have a little update on the situation w/ my older sis's book that i supposedly dropped-off @ the library by mistake turns out to not be true.  my mom found the book in her car.  see, i knew there was still a chance it could be laying around somewhere, but my older sis insisted i mistook her book as 1 of the library books i returned.  hrmph  !


09/19 - it's 12:08 a.m. & i'm up doing some studying for my Chinese class w/ the t.v. on.  wanna guess what show i'm watching @ this hour ?  well, it's Oprah.  the topic being discussed: "Is The Media Your Child's Other Parent?".  it's basically 'bout the influence of television on young kids & teenagers since they spend more time watching t.v. than w/ their parents. it's known there's a extensive amount of explicit sex & violence on t.v. & in movies. there's also many dumb kids out there immitating what they see.  now i gotta rant . there were 3 or 4 kids 'bout 9 or 10 years old immitating the stunts shown on the MTV show "Jacka$$", & videotaping it hoping to make some $$ selling the tapes. Oprah showed the tape of the kids' stunts--jumping off the roof of their homes, pedaling their bike straight towards a tree, pole, bush, etc., running themselves into a wall, pole, etc., & trying to put their own hand on fire w/ the aid of bug spray in the backyard of their homes .  the last stunt led the boy's shirt to catch on fire, so he had jump into a pool.  that boy suffered from 2nd degree burns on his chest from that stupid stunt, & now he'll need more treatments for the rest of the year before he fully heals.  then the parents began blaming the media because those boys said they saw it on t.v., especially MTV's "Jacka$$".  i'm disgusted w/ the boys' videotape & wondering, "where the hell are these boys' parents?" these kids are feakin' jumping off the roofs w/ no parent or adult supervision around to stop these dumba$$ boys.  no  it's not MTV's fault.  "Jacka$$" has a disclaimer before, during, & after their show.  every 5 mins. they're telling their audience to not immitate these stunts, videotape them, & send them to MTV 'cause the stunts are dangerous.  hello parents, why are you allowing your kids to watch the show ?  oops, i forgot --you're not home to watch your own kid set himself on fire.  my bad.  then a stupid teenage girl blames the media's overexposure of sex leading her to lose her virginity @ 16. i'm a girl & i was once was 16 myself as well .  i too watch a lot of t.v. & movies .  yes , i've seen the many sexually explicit content media has to offer, but i didn't go out & lose my virginity because of its influenced on me.  i'm not that naive & stupid .  that teenage girl on Oprah says she regrets losing her virginity so young.  duh , you didn't think .  your t.v. didn't tell you to have sex (unless you're schizo or have a t.v. possessed by the devil ), so how can you blame your own action on the influence of media ?  take responsibilities of your own actions, & stop blaming others for your problem. if you can't keep your legs close, it's your fault.  now the parents... i know you gotta work long, hard hours to take care of the finances, but if you're not around or have another adult to watch  your kid then you should blame yourself when they do something amazingly stupid .  that's why the media is your child's other parent.  i'm sorry to sound mean, but that's how i feel.  when the teenage girl was taking 'bout her situation, she 1st mentioned that she had great parents & teachers, & then said her parents were never around  much because they were working.  therefore, she'd end up going online or watching t.v.  if your parents are so great, how come you don't see them much ? obviously great parents would be able to manage some time to spend w/ their kids, or have teach their kids the lessons needed to restrain themselves from doing something stupid .  therefore, it wasn't just the media that led the girl to lose her virginity--there were other factors involved like self-esteem issues. there are many girls her age, but they're not all having sex because they see it on t.v..  so stop blaming the media.  it's just some people who are in denial, & not wanting to look in the mirror thinking, "it's your fault."  they wanna say, "hey, the media influenced me to do it." 'cause it's much easier to blame them than themself.  that's not right .  sorry, i gotta rant.  it was bugging me while i was watching Oprah, & i need to get all of this out. 


09/17 - i'm such a klutz . i returned a bunch of books i borrowed from the library last week Wed. (Sept. 11th ), & i might've accidently dropped off my older sis's book w/ the library books . you see, i think  i took it @ the restaurant, put it in the backseat of the car w/ the rest of the other books, & totally forget  about it later.  there wasn't any parking @ the library, so i told my younger bro to drop it off in the box because there was a car behind me. i had him hurry which led me to forget 'bout my older sis's book . we went back to the library this past Sat. to see if the librarians could find it.  unmarked books are perceived as donations, so they left it in the donation box.  the librarian said she'll try to find it, & call us back.  well she hasn't called us back yet, so we went back to ask her 'bout the book.  the librarian said she had search for it, but it could've been left on the shelf to be sold off.  so now we're left w/ the fact that the book is still w/ a bunch of unchecked books or it was sold off, which i doubt occured because it's a freakin' book 'bout a river road to China.  anyways..my older sis needs the book for her class, so she can do her report.  i don't know what we can do now.  she can't get it @ the bookstore because there probably isn't any copies left.  i'm such a dope .


09/14 - i've noticed i've been writing 'bout not such great/happy things, so i'm gonna make this entry more joyful & merrier  than the last couple. okay...so i went to work @ the restaurant today, but it was very slow due to the Aloha Festival's parade in Waikiki.  therefore, i spent most of my time looking @ Vogue magazines i picked up @ the library the other day rather than serving customers.  i went home early, so i vacuumed & organized my room a little.  after that, i finished up watching the Chungking Express video i rented from Blockbuster days ago.  i had watched more than 1/2 of the movie earlier in the morning, but then i had to go to the restaurant just as it was getting good & interesting . Chungking Express was funny , intriguing, & gave me a glimpse of life in Hong Kong. plus, Takeshi Kaneshiro (pictured on the right) who played 1 of the cops was cute . i think it's amazing he can speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Tawianese, Japanese, & English fluently.  i can't even speak my native language fluently; whereas he can switch through 5 languages w/o breaking a sweat .  damn. i can speak English fluently, Vietnamese not that fluent but okay, a little Japanese, & now very little Mandarin.  here's a little synopsis:
Synopsis: Chungking Express is a Hong Kong fast-food restaurant that acts as the link between 2 unusual stories of police officers in love.  The 1st story deals w/ police officer He Qiwu (a.k.a cop 223) struggling to come to terms w/ the break-up of his girlfriend of 5 years.  He purchases a can of pineapples w/ an expiration date of 05/01 each day for a month.  By the end of that time, he'll either be rejoined w/ his love or it too will expire forever.  His sad isolation transforms when he encounters a beautiful, mysterious femme fatale whose involvement w/ the criminal underworld proves troublesome.  The 2nd story deals w/ Cop 663 coping w/ the break-up of his flight attendant girlfriend.  He talks to his apartment furnishings until he meets Faye, a Chungking Express worker.  Oddly, Faye decides to regularly clean & redecorate his apartment w/o his knowledge, allowing them to form a close intimacy w/o meeting face to face.  Both stories present a look @ Hong Kong's modern urban life & romance w/ a combo of isolation & casual, unexpected meetings.

 
09/12 - AAAAAAAHHH !!!  of all days, my home was burglarized yesterday!!!  can you believe that ?!  i started off yesterday going to school in the morning, going to work after, did a little shopping, picked up my brother & sister, & then came home to find the back window shattered w/ all rooms looking like a tornado just flew in 'cause of all the drawers were opened & hanging, things all over the floor, things taken, etc.  AAAAAAAHHH !!  i'm soo furious !!  those a$$holes should rot in hell!!!  how dare they try to rip off from busy, hard-working people who are trying to maintain a simple life just so they can continue their drug habit!  the worst thing is that my family already knows who's behind the whole thing.  i hope he dies violently & painful --a reasonable end to all the pain he's inflicted to many people, or should i say victim ?  because of that jerk, i couldn't concentrate on school..especially the Chinese quiz today.  therefore, i ended up skipping class & trying to catch up on all the homework & reading for my classes in the lounge @ campus.  however, i did meet this interesting woman today @ the restaurant which subsided all my anger.  she was funny , interesting, & complimented  me on my complexion, make-up, my nicely shaped eyebrows, my speech, etc. .  @ 1st she asked 'bout our advertising because she works for The Honolulu Advertiser, but she later got off subject talking 'bout all sorts of unrelated things.  she totally just lifted up my spirit & confidence w/ all kinds of compliments.  lol .  so if my dream of becoming a News anchor (which many people i know think i'm capable of doing 'cause i speak so wonderful )doesn't work out, i'll become a cosmotologist/hairstylist since i have this thing of cutting my own hair & other peeps hair all the time.  whatever career i go into, i definately know i'm gonna grad from college 1st.


09/11 - it's been 1 year since the fateful day which 2 hijacked commercial airplanes deliberately crashed in to the World Trade Center in New York causing its collapse, another hijacked commercial airplane crashed in to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., & a 4th hijacked commercial airplane, intended for more mass destruction, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania--which, according to some people, were derailed from the White House destination by the passengers aboard the plane.  about 3,000 people died that day due to the terrorist attacks which were supposed to shatter & destroy the American Dream many people envision.  instead heroism, bravery, courage, patriotism, & unity arose from this day 1 year ago.  We Americans did not fall; instead we stood together in unity. today some people will choose to spend their day reliving the attacks through t.v. specials, attend commemoration events, observe a moment of silence, attend religious ceremonies, participate in candlelight vigils, or do it other ways.  it's certain that Americans we'll never forget this day like they haven't forgotten December 7th--the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese--because this day has also become "a day which will live in infamy."  for me, i didn't personally know anyone who died that day, but was affected by it nonetheless.  i was stunned to see the tragic events unfolding on the t.v. screen.  that morning i awoke to another typical day w/ the worries of getting ready for school.  as usual, i turned on the t.v. to watch the news, but what i found was something entirely different from other days.  i heard the voices of news anchor on every channel talking 'bout the planes that crashed in to the WTC in New York. i was shocked, but laughed it off a little bit thinking some stupid guy w/ a small plane lost control of his plane & hit the building.  not long after did the footage of the 2nd plane came on crashing into the 2nd WTC building, & later seeing the 2 buildings collapse.  i was stunned, terrified, & in disbelief of what i just saw.  all i could think was, "what the hell?!".  then reports came that the Pentagon--a symbol of America's military power--was also attacked.  from there i thought, "oh my god, we're being attacked!".  yet everything i saw felt unrealistic; as if i was watching a movie on t.v. because this sort of thing don't happen in real life right?  the scary thing was knowing everything going on was real, but i was helpless.  there was nothing i could've done for all those that were suffering.  for the next few months, i watched the news fervously for the latest update, & finding myself crying everytime the footage of Ground Zero came on.  but now the killing of thousands of innocent people in Afganistan to find the "bad guys" to avenge the American deaths doesn't make sense to me.  the racism & prejudices directed toward innocent Middle Eastern Americans, Pakistanis, Muslims, Indians, Sikhs, South & West Asians, & other similar ethnicities are wrong & not acceptable in any shape or form.  people must know that terroist attacks
in the form of suicide bombers, car bombs, & random shooting do occur across the globe everyday; it occurs often in places like Israel & Palestine, so we shouldn't hold so much importance on single event.  we should recognize every tragic event because a person's life in one country & of another country are all the same.  no one is more or less important--we're all a part of the human race.


09/08 - the weekend is coming to an end , & i didn't do anything productive.  well, except for working @ the restaurant, as i usually do everyday.  besides that, i just chilled @ home on the computer or in front of the t.v..  1 unexpected thing did occur today @ the restaurant.  my friend Shan's mom dropped by to eat.  i didn't know who was @ first, but i sorta thought she looked my friend after i took her order.  however, i didn't wanna say or ask anything because i might be wrong & make a fool  out of myself.  instead the guy that was w/ her asked if i attended McKinley H.S., & then pointed out that the lady was Shan's mom.  so Shan, if you're reading this, i saw your mom today & i hooked her up w/ a discount!!  okay..that's about it.  oh yeah, the movie Gidget was on t.v. this morning, so i finally got the chance to see how it ended.  yes ..Moondoggie kissed Gidget, & pinned her as his girlfriend.  oh how lovely  that was...


09/06 - today was an average day, except for the fact that the UH Warriors football team was playing their 2nd game in front of a national audience on ESPN against our pitted rivals--BYU .  damn it .  we lost a close game that would show people that the loss BYU suffered last season from the Warriors wasn't a fluke.  oh well, i guess we just gotta wait to beat them again .  besides that, i found out i did really well on my Chinese quiz last time.  i also had a quiz today for that class, too.  writing the characters & remember their meaning isn't hard to me---it's just pronoucing them & speaking it that 'causes trouble.  i gotta figure
out how to balance that out...


09/04 - taking Chinese 101 really takes up a lot of my time due to all the practicing i have to do on the pronunciation, dialogue, & writing characters.  i'm still frustrated  w/ the peoples in my class.  damn them & trying to get an easy "A" in this course when they should be taking higher Mandarin course.  ugh  !!!  besides all the school stress, my older sister & i tried highlighting our hair Golden blonde by ourselves w/ 1 of those store-bought kits.  well, it didn't exactly turn out like what it looks like on the box, but it's not that bad.  the highlights in my hair aren't that noticeable though.  it sorta looks like i dyed my hair lighter.  oh well.  ha ha ..my older sister, on the other hand, looks Japanese now 'cause her hair is sorta orangey blonde.  all i have to say 'bout that is...it wasn't me .  & before i forget to mention........Happy 19th b-day Amy  !!!  may you receive all the happiness & joy you deserve.


09/02 - it's my 19th birthday everybody!!!!  whoo hoo !!!!  hey, it's also Labor Day & i share the same b-day as Queen Lili'uokualani.  because of that, i like to think of myself as a Princess..ha ha .  yes , i live in 1 twisted, weird world .  anyway, cake for everyone !!  eat up, there's lots to go around !  let's go party !!  oh wait, that was yesterday...ha ha .  wow , i'm 19  years now.  how strange  it is to say that 'cause the number sounds so weird  for me to say.  i actually don't feel 19---maybe something closer  to 14 .  that's right, i'm a kid @ heart .  i'll be young forever...  1st off, i'm gonna start w/ how things went yesterday @ my birthday party/get-together @ the restaurant.  some of my friends actually came to the restaurant @ 3 p.m. yesterday.  that's the 1st time they've actually been on time, but that was the 1st group.  they ate, talked, & hung out for 2 hours before they had to go work, etc.  so i then went into "intermission"--cleaning up the room, table, opening b-day gifts, etc. before the 2nd group came 'bout a hour later.  i did the exact same thing w/ that group--ate, talked, & hung out for another 2 hours or so before they had to go get ready to go clubbing or go home.  it was unusual how my friends came in 2 groups--something i didn't plan, but it went fine anyways.  i enjoyed  everybody else did as well it may have been boring  @ times but that's because i didn't invited a lot of people.  ha ha .  i actually planned it within the week since i'm not  the type of person who plans outings or call up everybody to make plans to go out do something.  i'm the type who just agrees  & go along w/ whatever outings my friends have planned.  so it was strange  for me to call up people, & invite them to my birthday party/get-together.  anyway, i got some really great b-day gifts.  i'm not a materialistic person, so my friends didn't have to give me any gifts.  their presence @ the restaurant was enough for me, but the things they get me were so cute, great, fantastic, & so much more.  i love  the fuzzy monkey slippers.  my feet is no longer in pain @ home after having been on my feet all day.  the cow hanai-a-bear is soo cute !!  the "mooing" cow is wonderful...
& so on w/ the other gifts i received.  later i went home to shower, & went to meet my friends @ Ward to watch a movie.  i wanted to watch Possession, but decided on Fear Dot Com instead 'cause it was the next closest movie playing @ 10:40 p.m..  i thought  the movie was alright, but the ending totally sucked--i didn't get it.  after all that's happened to the main characters, i didn't understand how they end the movie the way it did.
Synopsis: Four bodies are found in New York City.  Each person died exactly 48 hours after logging onto the feardotcom site.  Tough police detective Mike Reilly collaborates w/ Department of Health researcher Terry Huston to find the answers behind the violent, inexplicable, mysterious deaths.  What they discover is as mysterious as the deaths themselves & more terrifying than anything they've ever dreamed of especially w/ the confrontation of Alistair Pratt, a sadistic murderer who has eluded Mike & the FBI for years.  The only way to find out what really happened is to enter the site itself, & then race within the 48 hours to save Alistair's recent victim.  (found & altered from IMDB.com & FearDotCom.com)


09/01 - today is the day of my birthday party/get-together @ the restaurant.  i think  it'll turn out fun .  it's supposed to start @ 3 p.m., but my friends always come late.  so i'm guessing  they'll be arriving 'bout an hour later.  whatevers.  i'll be working there until they arrive.  okie..gots to go prepare myself for a busy & eventful day @ the restaurant now ...