Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Hiatus

Hey guys. So now that I'm temporarily sedentary, it's time to leave this blog till my next adventure. For now, please refer to boboxfish.tumblr.com for NYC shenanigans and updates. :)

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Quick Break

New York City is like a well-oiled machine that never stops. I feel like I'm always running (figuratively and literally), but in a good way. I've never liked being idle, so I feel like this city personifies how I feel most of the time. 

Anyways, I'm just taking a little break from reading to post some NYC pictures. Enjoy! :)


Jack is pouting after I told him I couldn't take him out  since I needed to study. 
I helped table at the Columbia main campus. Nothing will ever beat flyering for TR though. Fun times!
Jack is not very social with other dogs...hahaha.
Dinner with the roommates and Gina, visiting from LA. Gina is the girl with the striped shirt. I haven't seen that girl since high school despite having sort of grown up together. 
Just a little glimpse into graduate life. 
So I met this guy at a couchsurfing hang out. He CLAIMED to be Tim Henman who I did not realize is a famous retired tennis player. Anyways, he did look quite like the guy I googled though a bit too young. 
Shakespeare in the Park - Into the Woods. Amy Adams starred as the Baker's Wife! 
A T-Rex skull at the Museum of Natural History.
Small group at Albert's.
Albert playing with Jack instead of singing. I also like to use Jack as a foot rest. :D
Outside the Museum of Natural History
Outdoor Cinema in Central Park. Date night with Jack. 
Hanging with some couch surfers. 
Jack after a long walk. 
One of the many awesome views while I jog through Central Park.
Goofing around at FAO Schwartz. Albert, Sara, Robert, and Janis came to visit! 
Fashion Night Out with a couple of TC students. We got free cupcakes which made fighting through all the crowds worth it...I suppose...

Monday, September 10, 2012

A New Chapter

It's hard to believe it was less than a month ago I was still on the other side of the world and only 3 weeks ago that I started the graduate student life, a life that already feels like the norm. New York has been a dream of mine since I first came here with my best friend almost 3 years ago during the holiday season. There was just something about this city that made me literally fall in love with it. The snow, the energy, the holiday spirit, the passion, the languages, and of course, the food. These things all came together to form a city that has inspired so many stories.

Ironically, my life has become quieter since settling down in NYC. I did manage to fit in a ton of fun things before school started such as Shakespeare in the Park, a comedy show, couchsurfing hang out, and some city exploration, but mostly, I do a lot of reading and hanging out with my new best friend, Jack Chen. Jack and I bonded instantly despite my utter repulsion for his kind. I think it was his persistence...or maybe his kind eyes. Since our fateful meeting 3 weeks ago, we spend long hours in Central Park, by the Hudson River, and the occasional city wandering. I've helped him get into shape. Sometimes, he just sits with me as I read on one of the park benches or accompanies me to church. Now I understand they call his kind man's best friend. He's definitely become mine here in the city. <3

Graduate school is also even more amazing than I ever imagined. I can't even begin to explain how incredible it is to be surrounded by so many people who are just as passionate about education as I am. My professors are all leading figures in their respective fields within education, and though I spend countless hours reading, I actually kind of like it. I've even found that my recent interest in programming has come in handy since one of my classes requires some basic programming with regards to data analysis. I can't believe I ever thought I wasn't cut out for the academic world because this is totally my thing to nerd it out. I absolutely love it.

During a meeting on Saturday night, it suddenly dawned on me that I was going to stay. I can't really explain it except that it was a very similar gut reaction I got when I was certain I would choose UCLA as my undergraduate university. Something stopped me and instead, led me to the acceptance letter from Cal. I'm not really sure where I stand with the whole metaphysical and spiritual realm. I'm still deciding whether or not I fully believe in it, but I just know that sitting there I just suddenly knew that I'd be staying here a lot longer than I had planned. Who knows, maybe I won't, but we'll see. Life has never disappointed me when it comes to surprises.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Paris

Once again, this is an update of my Europe trip that ended about 3 weeks ago. Real-time updates coming soon..

The last stretch of my trip returned me to Paris where I had previously visited for one night with the not-so-Grand Holidays tour group. This time around, I was with Nic and Melie, both currently living in Paris and both born and raised in France. I met Nic and Melie back in 2009 when I was living in Shanghai.

I can definitely see why people call Paris the city of love. It's absolutely beautiful with its old-style architecture, the River Seine which runs through the city, and its famous landmarks such as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. I visited the main tourist attractions of course - the former two mentioned, the Musee D'Orsay, Montmarte district, Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, and the Catacombs. Of all these places, however, my favorite was simply walking along the River Seine. Street vendors line the vendor selling art, used books, and some souvenirs, not too much to make the strip seem overly touristic which I hate. Call me a hypocrite, but I just hate tourists. I don't hate the tourist himself, but I hate going to a place where you have to scour the crowd looking for a local and where the place seems as if it was built specifically for tourists (a.k.a. a tourist trap). I know, there are so many cool things to see and do in Paris, and in the summertime, it is virtually impossible to avoid bumping into tourists. Walking along the River Seine made me feel like I was finally in Paris, free of tourist crowds and tourist items. I also have an affinity for used books so the rows upon rows of used French books kept my otherwise short attention span.

So here is where my trip draws to a close, nothing crazy or worthy of a good travel story to tell to strangers, but it was a nice couple days with some old friends experiencing Paris as they know it - home. It's been a good trip full of reunions, new experiences, and cultural learning. I even picked up a few key phrases in Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Ukrainian. By key I mean knowing how to say please, thank you, where is the bathroom, and little slut. I love traveling, but it was nice to go home to friends and family back in beautiful California though only for a few days since my next big adventure awaits....in New York City.

Attack of the GIANT

We waited about 2 hours and finally got to the entrance outside the Catacombs!

Yay


Scary being surrounded by hundreds of dead people...





Moulin Rouge

Inception



View from the Eiffel Tower



Failed attempt at an interesting Eiffel Tower picture





These used book stands lined the River Seine. 










At the Louvre


The return of the French olympians. Hoards of people walking on the Champs Elysees to catch a glimpse of the medalists. 

The French olympians

Mmm...French crepes. :)

Happy reunion