i think my roommie might be a genius. or weird.

i gave her one of the long island corns which my boss brought back for me. i told her about it as she was coming out of her room "do you want corn? yeah? okay i'll leave you one."

she has this dreamy look and i don't mean the look one has when one's fallen in love. it's a look that says "it's hazy...and i'm dreaming about some things...and am i really here?"

i don't think she does drugs. i think she's just plain weird.

or...she's a genius.

puerto rico/san juan was very relaxing. i think a 4-day trip is perfect: fly-in, beach, beach, eat, eat, beach some more, eat of course more, and fly-out. how fun. hot as hell but that's the whole point, isn't it?

read an unbelievable book on the beach: W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge. INCREDIBLE. i couldn't put it down. now i really want to go back to paris and travel. wow...this guy can really develop characters! it's not really a beachy-book, but once you get into it, i think you'd just get burned (like i did) and just carrying on reading the book. i give my 2 thumbs up for this! then i started my 2nd non-beachy beach book, James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. i read through about 1/4 of it (it's not a long one) and i had to put it down. i was getting headaches just reading it, trying to follow it. it was like reading via your 2nd language (well, 3rd in my case). ugh....i have no clue how to read this book. i could follow the plot alright, but i wasn't getting anything out of it. it was like studying for an exam, and who wants to do that at my age, especially at a beach!?!?!? i do NOT recommend this book as a beach book.

on another note, today was exciting because i just picked up my harry potter book from the library. VERY excited. so i won't be posting in the next few days as i work, teach, eat dinner with friends, facebooking, squeezing in book reading, no blogging. have a good week!

i've been getting addicted (okay, not geteting, but just am) to law & order: SVU. so much so that i feel like there's a narrative going on in my head everytime i'm walking, doing things or just even thinking. this was my thought-trail on my way to work this morning:

scene: walking out of the 59th Street-Lexington subway station

olivia benson: "our vic was walking to work, without any care in the world"
Elliot Stabler: shakes his head
benson: look, she obviously stopped at 58th & lex, looking at the fruit cart. you can see her foot print in the rain/mud here
stabler: she obviously loves fruit...or was it the person who was selling it that drew her to the stand?
benson: she certainly didn't linger long
stabler: it was raining pretty hard
benson: look over there elliott. this is her new york times. she had the newsprint ink on her fingers
stabler: looks like she only read the arts section and threw out the other ones
benson: well, we know that our vic was in the arts

etc.

i'm going crazy!

L: OMG
did you hear this?
in australia
a couple was trying to name their kid
4Real
C: HAHAAHAH
L: and the country won't allow it
but the thing is
the parents and the kid are ADORABLE
so now he will be registered as REAL
C: HAHAAHAHAH
hey real
L: HEY YOU
C: "is this for real?"
"what is?"
"this package"
"...yes it's a real package"
L: you are out of control
C: "no, this is for real?"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
that can go on and on
HAHAHAAHHA

this week, i was off from work, as the office is undergoing some serious renovation: repainting and recarpeting. it's as if we're moving to another location. it was a good time to throw out many things and of course, to plan new locations for items, etc. fun...

i meant to stop by a beach this week, but somehow the week flew. today finally, i got to go to the robert moses state park beach, which is my favorite in fire island.

it was a relaxing 4 hours, sleeping, listening to music, and of course, - AS USUAL - being burnt alive. it was truly a great SoCal weather!!! water really makes me happy...

am back to NYC for 40 hours (well, by now, 22 hrs). bumped into my roommate in the subway yesterday going home from teaching.

we actually had a normal convo! i found out that she's an only child of an elderly couple (her mom was 21 when she married her hubby of 44 years old - but didn't have my roommate until the mom was in her 40's and now my roommie's dad is in his 80's!!!), no siblings, all the cousins are way way older, so i said, wow, you must be pretty spoiled. and she said actually, that's very true. i am the youngest in my extended family.

she also told me that she hates her birthstate of GA (sorry Boy & Girl's Mommy!), hates driving, so she loves NYC. she loves the apt & the easy commute it provides. she was a part-timer last semester but from fall, she said she'll be doing a full-time, a combined BA/MA track. she even waited with me as i got sushi from the local japinese (that's no misspelling: it's for those combo japanese & chinese restaurants) and chatted. she's definitely a quiet one, but now, i think we're reaching some sort of roommate-ship!!!

greetings from toronto. it's such a beautiful and POLITE and SMILEY city. boy, i have forgotten how nice everyone here is. what's wrong with them!?!?! hahahaha i've been in nyc too long :)

anyway, it's pretty crazy, being with such international cast of crew here, the journalists from abroad always bring me to the latest european way of thinking and other newsy bits. the hotel is nice and everything not TOO coordinated (i mean, it IS the 1st year of the festival) but still, very enjoyable and i believe the guests are enjoying as well.

back to nyc on wed night and then back up here again on friday.

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) <--- that's Canadian for "Have a nice rest of the week!"

yesterday was my 10th year anniversary @ the company where i work at. it was literally the 10th anniversay DAY, as i graduated from my masters on friday before the memorial day in 1997, started work on tuesday right after memorial day.

so my boss & his wife took me out to Daniel and what a treat it was!

throughout the 3 hr dinner, i was floating in champagne, red & white wines, 3 courses that were absolutely delightful and pre- and post-dinner goodies from the resaturant. i really want to get married there now (i know, i know, i should first get a live human male first and then decide what to do, right?).

it was a wonderful night!

saw shrek the 3rd on monday. it was very enjoyable, especially puss :) and so many others, too numerous to mention.

been reading these books by elizabeth aston. very enjoyable!

i hate people who say "i'm trying my best." <--- i know, that's random.

yesterday, i made my 14 y.o. student cry at the piano lesson. it's been awhile since i made a student cry. honestly, it wasn't my fault. he's just very emotional. i've been teaching this kid since he was 5. needless to say, we've developed a special bond and due to that, sometimes he thinks just anything would fly: nuh-uh. whether we're close or not, i'm still his teacher and i made a point of that. a case in point:

boy: "why do i have to repeat it? i already did it"
me: "because that's practicing - AS YOU KNOW. do it again from that line"
boy: "why?"
me: boy, do it again
boy: "i don't wanna do it again. i've already done it"
me: do it again
boy: "WHATEVER"
me: okay, boy, i guess you don't need my guidance. i'm leaving
boy: "what?!?! why??" *starts to cry*
me: why are you crying? obviously, you don't need my teaching. you think i'm putting you through torture for no reason but to spite you. so you don't need my abuse
boy: "no...i'm sorry..."
etc.

so i didn't leave. he said he'd feel worse if i left. after the lesson, it was as if nothing happened. sunny disposition again. all that teenage hormones gone away.

sigh - i can't wait to be a parent..
NOT!!!!!!!!

what the heck....

From today's CNN.COM:

Dad dumps preschooler in box for unwanted newborns

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A Japanese drop box for unwanted babies triggered a wave of nationwide soul searching Wednesday, a day after it was discovered a preschooler -- and not an infant -- had been dumped there by his father on its first day of operation.

Nationally circulated newspapers warned that the anonymous drop-off, known as "Stork's Cradle," is open for abuse and could traumatize youngsters. They also condemned the father, saying his action could spur copycats.

The drop-off was opened last Thursday by the Catholic-run Jikei Hospital in the southern city of Kumamoto to discourage abortions and the abandonment of children in unsafe public places. The same day, a boy believed to be 3 was found inside.

The boy, who was in good health, reportedly said he was dropped off by his father, who was seen holding the youngster's hand as they approached the hospital. They apparently rode Japan's bullet train to Kumamoto, but it was unclear where they lived.

"I came with Daddy," the boy was quoted as saying by the Mainichi newspaper.

The find triggered a wave of outrage among political leaders on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying "Anonymously throwing out a child is unacceptable." He urged parents to consult social workers for help if raising children gets too tough.

Local media reported that the boy was able to identify himself by name. But it was unclear whether the father had been identified.

The hospital has refused to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns, but said there were age limits on its drop-off service.

Police have decided no crime was committed in the current case because the child was left in a situation in which it was not exposed to immediate harm, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.

"We must rethink the meaning of the baby drop-off," the conservative Sankei newspaper said in an editorial. "Unlike a baby, a toddler may suffer from trauma."

"This little boy must be experiencing great loneliness. We urge his mother or father to come forward," the newspaper said, calling his abandonment "unforgivable."

The Yomiuri newspaper said it was too early to judge the baby-drop, but said that it must be used for its original purpose of receiving newborns, not young children. Parents should also be encouraged to seek outside help before dumping their offspring.

The Mainichi said the misuse of the box could inspire copycats.

A small hatch on the side of the hospital has been set up to allow people to drop off babies into an incubator 24 hours a day.

The drop box was created after a series of high-profile cases in which newborn babies were left behind in parks and supermarkets, triggering a public outcry and government warnings against abandoning babies.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/05/16/baby.drop.ap/index.html

as if i don't have enough to pay things off, this morning i went to the post office get a money order of $165 payable to the Town of Sullivan Court, NY. yes, that's for a speeding ticket. how can the fine be $110 and then "surcharge" of $55??? ridiculous...i guess *I* was ridiculous in speeding...WAH!!!!

it's good to be back home. 3 days in costa rica was very relaxing, contrary to my pre-trip jitters. thank you all for your prayers. it was fun being with the in-laws of my sis-in-law and my own family to celebrate my nephew liam's 1st birthday. what a big deal! it felt like the entire city of san jose celebrated his b-day.

and guess what: there was a KOREAN RESTAURANT in san jose. isn't that unbelievable? koreans are asian jews - we just went everywhere, i guess!

last night, i saw a great sony classics film that'll be coming out at the end of june called VITUS at the tribeca film festival. wow...check it out.

that nor'easter was a BIG BAD NEWS FOR ME. no, it's not that i don't have good raingear: it's because of this:

i went off by amtrak to rochester on that saturday to attend my friend's baby shower. saturday in rochester, while nothing going on, was a blissfully peaceful day. i tinkered with their new steinway grand and it was good. sunday was the baby shower AND the storm hit (NYC, that is, not rochester). my jetblue flight was (OF COURSE) cancelled and i ended up renting an SUV to drive down. my coworker was out on vacation on monday and that meant only my boss would be alone in the office on monday.

so i started to drive in rochester, which was fine...then within 1 hour of driving on I-90, i got pulled over.

have you ever been pulled over? it's like COPS show LIVE - you feel like a criminal and there are sirens and lights & tapping on the windows with their flashlights saying "ma'am, license & registration please."

that's what happened. i had no idea why i was pulled over, so i was very (already) prickly and not at all nice. i was very impatient to get this LONG DRIVE out of the way. this was our convo with the state police:

"do you know why i pulled you over?"
"no. why?"
"you were going 90 on a 65 mph road"
"WHAT? no way."
"didn't you see the speedometer?"
"it's so dark out here, i can't see anything."
"you couldn't see anything? where are you going?"
"there was a storm in NYC so my flight got cancelled so i've rented a car and going down"
"do you have the license & registration?"
"i have a license but no registration. i have a car rental agreement"
"i'll be right back"

10 minutes goes by and i'm getting more antsy & prickly. like...I WANNA GET OUTTA HERE AND START DRIVING AND GO HOME!!!

"okay ma'am, here's the summon."
"...what do you mean, a summon?"
"it's a speeding summon and you have two choices: either plead guilty and pay the fine or plead not guilty & show up at the court listed below."
"how much is the fine?"
"it depends on the judge who reads your summon."
"...."
"have a nice day, ma'am"

that was it. and i got a print-out of a 2 pager that said i was speeding at 80 mph. at least he reduced it!

then later i found out that speeding is REALLY BAD, not because i get a ticket but because it affects your insurance - which i don't really have to worry about, since I don't own a car.

that was the beginning of my bad luck: it started to snow, like there was no tomorrow. not just snow, but SIDEWAYS and it was sticking. I barely made to Albany in 4 hours (should've been 3 hours from Rochester), checked into a Marriott there, which of course, they charged me an arm & a leg, and slept fitfully for 4 hours. Got up at 4 AM, started off again, but it was STILL snowing in Albany, and then started to hailing & sleeting. It was as if the Mother Nature was telling me "DO NOT GO TO NYC!"

on NY state Thruway, i drove from Albany to NYC in 7 hours. YES SEVEN HOURS. It should've been a 3 hour drive on a normal day, so i thought maybe 5 hours. No 7, because twice, I was crawling like with other cars, because this stupid TOLL WAY was FLOODED!!! good thing i had an SUV. and yes, it was STILL POURING.

by the time i got to my apartment, i was majorly fatigued & hungry AND it was already 11 AM on Monday morning. Needless to say, I've already communicated with my boss who told me to take it easy and come in when possible.

i was in the office at 12:30 PM, after showering & lunching.

that was the end.

OR SO I THOUGHT.

this past friday, i got a call from my storage: in the entire building, 4 storage units have been affected by the nor'easter and 1 of them is mine. please come & check if anything's ruined.

i go in and 75% stuff are WET. my keyboard is there, all wrapped in bubble wrap and miraculously, it's not wet. but all my spring & summer jackets & blazers are COMPLETELY wet. i am told to go home & get camera, take pictures and file a phone claim. i go home & get camera. i do the claim. then it's time to move everything to a new unit. which i do. then all the boxes are wet. so i have to come back, as the storage is closing soon. this weekend, the weather was gorgeous on saturday. i did not see much of it. i was inside, moving things around, throwing out things, etc. i ended up taking all my jackets, about 20 of them, to the cleaners, threw out 3 due to the rust water marks on the white jackets. it was pathetic.

the good news is that i have insurance. the other 3 ruined units DID NOT.

so. there's some sun on my nor'eastered life, after all.

i can't believe what the world is coming to. this VT shooting. kids who can just go & buy guns. it's insane.

then i read this.

it's nuts. i'm korean and to hear this kind of a reaction is just crazy. i don't particularly think koreans are "targeted" right now, but then i'm not a guy. men usually get more crap from others.

if the dude indeed wrote an islamic extremist thingy on his body/suicide note (that read ismail ax or somethin'), then i guess asians will now also be targeted at airport screenings and will take longer for trips.

oh well.

yesterday, i was talking to my mom and it was a very good in-depth talk, kind of like mother-to-daughter thing over marriages, relationships, etc. kind of talks i always wish i had during college years but instead we only fought over nothings.

during college, i had really bad manic depression and i was seeing a shrink who wouldn't given into my plea of giving me prozac. he was really a wonderful person, who listened to my crazyness (i guess that's what they're suppose to do) and saw me over the 6 years i was in school. i think i really grew to listen to my own self, etc. with him. he was really a special human being.

yesterday, while talking to my mom, i saw his face for a sec - i think because i used to vent to him about what a horrible mother she was, etc. HA HA! anyway, so i called his # - and sure enough, same #! so i said HELLO BLAH BLAH BLAH!

just now, he called me back! i too have the same number since 10 years ago (yes, i'm one of those consistent people) and he was SOOO HAPPY TO HEAR MY VOICE!!!! and he sounded exactly the same. of course, he can't tell me ANYTHING about himself as usual, except that his office moved to another location and he asked me all kinds of things - he remembered! it was so touching. he really was a good person. because i saw him for free @ school, when summers came, i couldn't afford to see him (as school was officially over, therefore didn't cover his fees), he asked me how much i can pay him to see him. at that time, i thought he was being very mean, when he knew that i had NOTHING to spend money on anything but school dorms etc. and he then gently asked "because i need to see you during summer, may i suggest something? please tell me if this is too much. how does $5 for the hour session sound?" i cried, needless to say, because of his generosity. and yes, i did work everything out. i was basically crazy because of my music, my family having gone bankrupt, etc. (plus i'm sure the hormones didn't help either.)

this made me very happy today! (i know, it's pretty random)

Your Score Summary

Overall, you scored as follows:

62% scored higher (more nerdy),
2% scored the same, and
36% scored lower (less nerdy).

What does this mean? Your nerdiness is:

Not nerdy, but definitely not hip.

worse movie (DVD) of the year 2007 goes to: Copying Beethoven. yikes, it wasn't even worth the DVD time. everything was fictionalized, terribly made. i'm usually a sucker for music-themed movies (NOT musicals, mind you) but this was just too...FUNNY!

also, read a book by Barbara Taylor Bradford. i don't understand how she's a bestseller. she's the worst writer i've ever read! and believe you me, i've read a ton of stuff from trash to trasher. i have a newly found respect for danielle steel after reading BTB. yuck.

on friday @ sg, we listened to this after the mini-seder and cried my eyes out! she was so admirable. as for the japanese...

omg, i just heard about my old cat, hey you. well, his new name is Boris. so apparently Hakan, the new owner (well, not new since i dropped him off in 2003!!!!!) has a chair for him in the dining table. so whenever they eat, hey you/boris jumps on HIS chair, puts his chin on the table and watches everyone eat.

i knew that cat was born a dog!!! i miss him!!!!!! awwwwwwww