.Off for Thanksgiving break.

Update: In Boston, with my host family – The Briner – now. Seems like I’ll never get away from my roomie, Tian Tian. Who knows that somehow, a thing called FATE had plans for us to celebrate our first ever THANKSGIVING together and so, here I am sleeping just 1m away from her  :p  Do take note that neither of us made prior arrangements to live together, it’s just all pure coincidences. It’s gonna be a merry merry celebration as we have not just the Briners but also, 3 more UB pple so that makes it 10 of us, plus 1 papillon, 1 hamster and 2 gerbils. Goody!
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The week of Thanksgiving
Not a person was stirring
For, everyone’s home or away for the holiday.
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And so, I bid farewell to all as I leave for a weekend of ‘Thanks & Giving’ in Boston!
Goodbye Buffalo, Hello Boston!

.2 sleepovers over the weekend.

Friday

Hot Tub Session 2 with the girls. The continuation of “Sex Talk”, only this time round … it continued on all the way late into the night. Many hours, laughter and fun later, we popped ourselves onto the cushy couches at Nic’s place and chatted away till we drifted into sleep.

No kid. The temperature was a freezing -4 degrees and we were dressed in our “hardly-there” clothes … bikinis. So cold that I had to wear my outercoat in the jacuzzi to keep myself warm before heading out of it. And guess what? My wet hair actually turned frosty (  a very thin layer of ice began to form) quite fast due to the ice-cold temperature. Bet you never thought that it would happen to you!

SaturdayWelcome to Snowy Buffalo! “Im dreaming of a White Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know. Where the treetops glisten, and children listen. To hear sleigh bells in the snow.” 

So, Im a greedy girl who’s not satisfied with just 1 sleepover as I proceeded with another one at Elaine’s cozy home. There, I met another 2 more Chinese International students – Grace (Who so happens to know Tian Tian and is heading for the ISI Boston Thanksgiving trip too … Every day, I just realised how small the world truly is when many people whom I met here seem to share many mutual friends.) and a visiting scholar, Cheng Li. A burning fireplace and pots of colourful flowers – just what I need for a relaxing and quiet wkend getaway.

The delicious “Mushroom and Chicken Casserole.” Similar to baked rice, it’s a pretty simple dish that wouldn’t take too long to make. All we need is rice, vegetables, meat, cheese, milk and an oven and we’re all ready to go. Now that I roughly know how to bake it, trust me that you guys at home will be served with a mouth-watering dish when Im back. 

Here’s the 3 of us with the Elaine and her hubby, Bruce. To many of us, a marriage is a commitment, something that might seem easy but in reality, we have to work hard at it. And so, seeing how blissful and in love Elaine & Bruce are despite being married for a long 24 years … it just gave me hope that in spite of the accelerating divorce rates, there’re still many couples out there who are happily married.     The way they greet each other with “Honey” … How he kissed her at the top of her head before we headed for church on Sunday … and how he smiled as Grace and I made him tell us the story of how they first met and fell in love. Will this be ‘US’ in the many decades down the road?

Here’s me with gorgeous Sara. As I mentioned earlier in my blog, Sara’s currently majoring in Arts (as in Photography and crafts) , and I admire how she loves and embraces what she’s doing so much. She was vivacious and so full of life as she proudly showed me her collection of black/white vintage photos that she had taken … It’s her passion, her interest and that’s the reason why she wanted to study something she really loves. Not for career or job prospects but purely, for the love of the subject. Just goes to show that sometimes, just sometimes … passion pays off in many ways. 

Sunday:

What I really need is “Sleep” man. Waking up early at 7-8am every morning after a late night slpover is no joke. Being in USA, there’re many people who believe in Christainity and even though, Im a free-thinker myself, I decided to attend worship services/bible studies as an effort to embrace something that is a major part of the culture here. Sunday’s topic was on “Adoption”. The church that Elaine goes to, has partnered with a few orphanages from around the globe and so, it encourages a spirit of adoption amongst all its members. Already, there are a few families with adopted kids and 3 more who are awaiting for the arrival of their adopted children. Hear this: There’s an “Angelina-Brad” couple who has a family of 13 kids, out of which 10 children were adopted from countries from all around the world. China, Ethophia, Korea, etc.

“Adoption”. To many, adoption is an alternative plan and it usually happens under the following scenarios.

1) Married couples who have tried all methods but failed to conceive a child.
2) Single mother or same-sex couple wanting to have a child of their own.

In my opinion, like the way how most things go – nth is truly altruistic however I’d like to believe that for the most part of it, adoption is something more selfless than selfish. This is especially so for the case when a couple can have their own kids but they would rather choose another option and make a difference in the life of another child. Being a parent is tough enough but having to bear the responsibilities of parenting someone else’s child takes it to a whole new different level. I’ve heard of cases whereby adopted kids are abused physically and emotionally and were basically treated with less respect as compared to their siblings who are the couple’s own. If all goes well (as in, the adoptive parents being responsible and loving) , the child is once again given a chance to live … with a family with so much warmth, a place that they can truly call “home”. According to studies and research, kids who were adopted have developed a higher sense of self-esteem and a sense of identity as compared to those who grew up either in foster homes or orphanages – and that’s what making a difference is about. To not only provide a shelter and physical needs, but also to create a secure foundation of life for the kids to build on as they grow older.

It’s not an easy decision for there’re many factors to take into consideration. To consider if the child is comfortable with living with parents who ain’t her birth parents .. to consider if the child is feels accepted living in an interracial family … and more importantly, to tell the child that she/he is adopted but that it doesn’t make them any less significant or loved.  Or that it doesn’t mean that their birth parents necessarily want to abandon them, as there might be other factors that might leave them with no other choice. Having said all the whole chunk, it’s important for adoptive parents to want to be a good parent to a child who needs family love … and not for them to get too obsessed with the generalisation that “adopting = selfless and Saints” because what the child needs is sincere love and not sympathy or pithiness.

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“2″ is a lucky number for me this wkend as I headed for yet another church session at Anita’s church before indulging in the Pre-Thanksgiving scrumptious Chinese buffet spread ( read: seafood and sushi. )

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Something impulsive that I did.

“The Interaction Order of Public Bathrooms”

So for one of my sociology class, a classmate presented on the topic of “The Interaction Order of Public Bathroom”. Basically, it is about how bathrooms are often seen as the backstage regions where individuals can “temporarily retire from their frontstage performances” and reveal their flaws. In his presentation, he mentioned that people in bathrooms have the tendency to behave in acts and ways that do not reflect that of their public self. Our private self which we usually displayed behind-the-scene demonstrates just how important bathrooms are when they are being used in sustaining our public face to others. Just think of how fast and hasty you would want to complete your current task (say, checking out your appearance in the mirror) when others ‘invade/intrude’ your personal bubble.

It’s an interesting topic that I never give much thought on and now that Im reading more in-depth about it, I realise that it’s true. Many of us probably take it for granted that a restroom is always round the corner but take a moment and ponder – Wouldn’t it be more troublesome for us, had we not have such easily accessible backstage regions such as bathrooms that provide a ‘haven’ for us to maintain our public front?

Some stuff – stupid and normal – that we might do while in the restroom.

Common Ones

- A physical shelter for us to hide away from prying eyes during defecation. Strong fecal odor? Well, still acceptable in this case.

- Reassemble personal front/ managing appearances, such as adjusting your bra/g-string and re-applying makeup.

- (Mainly girls, through personal observation) … Some girls enjoy gathering in bathrooms and gossip/bitch about fellow peers. Bad idea though, cz you know “walls have ears” … you never know if your little secret is kept amongst just the few of you.

- Bathroom = Reading Sanctuary. Isn’t it common for pple to pick up the newspapers/book on the way to the loo so that they can enjoy reading while doing their big business?

More unusual, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself in 1 of the following situations

-  Many times, people hide themselves from everyone else in the bathroom, when they are overwhelmed with a tumult of emotions. Crying. Slashing their wrists with knives/anything sharp.

- Well, well… something erotic. Sex in the Public Bathroom. Im sure that there’s bound to be at least 1 of you who attempted this? Yes?

- I once heard this story from a friend of mine. One day, the janitor went to the bathroom only to hear not one but two or more voices coming from a single cubicle. Sensing that something wasn’t right, he exclaimed “Hrmph” and banged the door close. Feeling curious, he decided to hide behind a corner to see what happens next. I bet you thought it was a couple having some fun in the cubicle yea? But you’re so wrong. Instead, the janitor spotted not 1, not 2 but 3 guys coming out from the toilet one after another. Now, I admit that the first though that came to my mind was that the 3 guys were hanky-panky in the toilet. However, a classmate of mine suggested that they were probably doing sth illegal like taking drugs, which makes perfect sense too. So yea, bathroom might indirectly encourage illegal activities.

- Just like what happened to Lindsay Lohan’s character in Mean Girls, some people find themselves having to resort to eating alone in the restroom to avoid a particular situation that they would rather not face.

- People with eating disorder tend to do their business (throwing up) behind closed doors.

- It’s disgusting but that’s what I heard from my friends. Grown-up guys creeping onto unsuspecting friends and peeing on them, just for the fun of it. I’d say “Grow Up man”.

- Pranksters who will vandalise the walls of the cubicles either by writing vulgarities or graffti like “If you are interested in a 1 night stand, please call XXXX.” . It happens everywhere else too but my guess is that the rate for toilets is much higher in comparison.

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And so for Christmas, my family will be catching the classic “The Nutcracker” ballet performance by the NYC Ballet. However, baby and I are opting for a less ‘high-culture’ activity so it’s a choice of between the Radio City Christmas Spectacular or Cirque Du Soleil Wintuk.

Both are first-class, top-notched performances that have awed many across the globe. One promises to be breath-taking with its dazzling and enduring cast; a Christmas tradition with 75yrs in the running that aims to bring the Christmas spirits and tales to life. Just the perfect show for the Winter White Christmas season. The other is an unforgettable performace that bursting with high levels of energy, a show that showcases thrilling and mesmerizing acrobatics stunts like never seen before. As the title suggests, the plot is about the magical winter, and so it does resonate with the current festive season. I’ve watched both Cirque Du Soleil Alegria & Saltimbanco and honestly, I was awe-struck by both.
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Just checked out the SISTIC website and I realised that “CATS: THE MUSICAL” will be heading for our shores next April! I believe it’s something that we (my sisters and I) took over from our parents, seeing how much they love musicals and how they always make it a point to bring us along too. Phantom of The Opera remains as a personal favourite as almost all of its songs managed to strike a chord with me. A masterpiece, the songs, accompanied by stirring orchestrations, are so powerful that they never fail to touch me with an overpowering sense of emotions. Honestly if given the money, I would love to catch it again in NYC Broadway.

Twilight : A teenager finds herself giving up on everything when she falls for a vampire. Love the plot, and you know that I will def. love to catch this film.

Note: I just heard that the J-pop band SPEED is back! My fav. japanese band ..   wow, after all these years.

.Everyone loves the weekends.

Thursday :Lasertron Sport & CyberSport
Cherlynn, Tian Tian, Kohei, Nadine, Karina, Adam, Chris and Brian

Thanks to Cherlynn dearest for organising this extremely fun trip. It was supposed to be a challenge between the “Girls” and “Guys” but … very unfortunately, there wasn’t any challenge at all cz the “Boys” beat us by a HUGE margin. And I conclude that Im such a girly girly … Tian and I make such a horrible team lol. We do aim and shoot at our enemies but don’t be surprised when you spot us running away from them cz we ran out of lazer bullets. On the other hand, Karina and Cherlynn definitely rocked the game … definitely gave the guys a run for their money!

Friday:

Went down to ISI to visit Elaine and Hua Ge. Imagine my surprise when I received a greeting card from her in my mail box a week back! According to her, the serene picture on the card immediately made her thought of me.. such a sweet thought to know that someone’s thinking of me  The good old days when snail mails and love letters were such a norm … screw technology and give me pen/paper!

Finally got the chance to meet up with my American Friendship partner – Mary Lou after a LONG 2mths+ wait. Met new friends such as You Lin and Hae Sik at Jane’s cozy apartment! So much laughter. I think everyone loves to hang out with positive-minded people who have an insatiable sense of humour! Moreover, I got to bond with Mary Lou over talks on her family, career being a general practitioner, Florida (she has a house in Florida so that’s where she’s off for her frequent weekend getaways! … Miami! Bring me along too. ) , and our fav. topic as bimbotic as it might sounds – her freakin adorable yorkie, Hannah.

Religion has always been a sensitive issue to many, and for me- I usually prefer to be numb and quiet on the topic seeing that there are some religions that have beliefs which I can’t fathom. Very often, I find that people do not practise what they preach in their religions and so, I have to say that Im very impressed by how sincere and generous both Mary Lou and Jane are. Seeing that a refugee centre is in an extremely bad shape, Jane and Mary Lou thus hope to come with up a small project to gather enough volunteers to re-paint and decorate the walls of the building to give it a chirpier look … to source for financial and food sponsorships from supermarkets/organisations … to organise a book drive to collect more books to provide for the kids during the waiting period and finally, to show love and kindess to the children and women by sharing their God’s love through gospels and Bible reading. Frankly to speak, I can’t think of many people I know who will be so willing to give up so much of their time and energy on something so selfishless and for that, I have nothing but full respect and admiration for these 2 ladies here.

Saturday: Latin America & Caribbean Cultural Night at Buffalo State College
.Mary Lou, You Lin, Chantal, Zi Wei, Mrs Blackburns and many others.

Now that I’ve finally bonded with Mary Lou, how could I reject her invitation to head over to an International Cultural event at Buffalo State College? And so, off we went … to lend our support to You Lin who was a model for the mini fashion show. Somewhere along the night, I met Chantal – You Lin’s roomie – from South America and Zi Wei, who so happened is heading to Boston for Thanksgiving too! You know, it’s said that the world is only separated by 6 degrees and while I thought it was impossible back then, Im however starting to think that it could all be true.

There’s darling Mrs Bee in her red christmas sweater. A total sweetheart, she’s loved by all the international students. Despite being a granny, she however still makes it a point to invite students over to her cozy abode for some merry and fun … and chauffers them whenever they need help. I just wish that I can have that abundance of energy when Im at that age man.

Caribbean Steel Drum Performance … Latin Salsa dances .. Soca dance …

Princess Jamaica doing the limbo dance - shimmying under a pole just 8 inches off the ground. An incredible feat. for a girl who’s barely 16 yrs of age. Now, if I only am that flexible …

You Lin! You Lin! You go, gal!!

Pretty girls dressed in their fancy Carnival outfits and headgears.

So now that 13 wks have flown by, this means that I only have 3wks left before the end of the semester. My journey here is coming to an end, and like I mentioned many times before .. it’s something that I do dread. I know that once Im back, all my time spent here will be nothing but memories .. all fading into something that I can no longer continue with.  To have to leave my new-found friends and acquaintances and come on, we all know that the friendship bonds will never be the same when distance plays a part and all you have is facebook/emails to interact with each other. A message on fb hardly lives up to the physical presence of a real friendship but I guess the beauty of the whole experience is to absorb all that I had learnt and experienced, store it and move on … As the phrase goes “La Vita E Bella” … Life is beautiful, no point getting stuck in this frame when there’s bound to be other positive moments to look forward to.

Addicted to “Ghost Whisperer”.
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Something that came in the mail for me
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“I Love You” sealed with a kiss.
“DO YOU LOVE ME ?” YES/NO spin-the-heart charm.

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Updates on our furkids!

Oh, how I miss pampering those little furkids of ours.

.All I Want for Christmas is YOU.

My favourite holiday, and a first for me to celebrate it with a lover.

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Just done with the planning of itinerary for Niagara Falls, Toronto and New York City. Reading through the blog entry on my first “honeymoon” trip with MK baby in Tioman, inevitably brought about those unforgettable memories of us frolicking under the Sun … snorkeling in the pristine clear-blue waters that are teeming with a diversity of marine life … ending off the day at a spa retreat that rejuvenated our senses. And, you know that I can’t wait for our next vacation together.

.sex talk in the jacuzzi … and more.

As above.

Having fun with the girls in the Hot Tub – though it was a little too hot for our liking. It would, however, to pleasurable to relax in an outdoor hot tub during winter when snow starts to fall. Hot-tub in the snow, what a perfect ambiance and setting for some romance in the air! Along the way, there was the girly sex talk (Which shall remained a secret amongst us 3) in the jacuzzi and well, more … leaving it all to your imagination. :p LOL. Oh we wanted to try ’skinny dipping’ but in the end, we settled with ‘girls decided not to go wild’ route … Everything innocent FOR TODAY.

My 2 fav. girls in PINK ! So girly. Im excluded.

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5 more weeks to go before the end of the semester. In a way, it’s a dream that I wldn’t want to wake up from. At least not for now. It scares me to know that I will have to bid farewell to what has been 1 of my most unforgettable experience, my new found acquaintances & friends (especially my rommie, Tian Tian), and a new refreshing independent spirit within me. The past week had been eventful to say the least, from planning to executing 3 tabling sessions for my Public Relations project. Quite a hands-on approach as we had to plan tabling sessions to not only raise awareness for a UNYTS blood donation drive, as well as to recruit donors to donate blood. Thanks to my group mates’ ingenious idea, we came up with the theme of “Questionland” -having a spin-the-wheel game which definitely attracted alot of attention from people. Prizes and goodies to be given to those who played the game. In addition, I for one is someone who dislike doing flier jobs and so, with this project- we had to increase publicity for our tabling sessions by flyering pamphlets at some of the hostel blocks at Ellicott complex as well as around the popular spots at UB. We had our own challenges too; first and foremost, having keen competitions from other non-profit organisations who scheduled their blood drives on the 3 consecutive days before ours. Glad to say that the eventual turn-out for the event was pretty good. Nothing that’s more satisfying when we get to see all our hard work and effort reaping the success that it deserves.

So, what’s in store for me for the next few weeks? Finals aside (boring!), I guess it’s off to Boston for Thanksgiving (my first and probably only Thanksgiving holiday and I’ll get to celebrate it in a traditional way, with an American family.)  .. finally getting the chance to meet my American Friendship partner … more hot tub & chit-chat sessions with the girls … and well, it’s life. Never know what it brings about for one every moment!  

Baby boy, 13th Nov – we’ll start our countdown together   You have no idea how much you’ve been missed. What am I to do without you? love,love.

.Don’t you just love halloween?.

It’s strange how we don’t really celebrate Halloween in Singapore (till recent times) but somehow, it has always remained as 1 of my fav. holidays … after Christmas and CNY. So now that Im in USA – where Halloween is a big, celebrated festival – I decided to be sporty for once and rejoice in the Halloween spirit.

First Stop:
Get my future told at the Psychic Fair with Cherlynn & Nicole. Both gals got their future read via tarot card reading whereas I did something called the “Kirlian Photography”. Basically, it is a scientific method which measures the body’s energy in visual form – namely, an individual’s mental/emotional/physical/intuitive state. So no, Im still clueless about my future   but it’s good to let it remain that way. Avoid any chances of “self-fulfilling prophecy”.

Besides, my attempt at Kirlian Photography delivered relatively good results – im pretty stable in all aspects and hence, am in good control of my different states of mind.    Yet somehow, the urge to get my future told is itching me to give other forms of fortune-reading a try …

Second Stop:
I almost didn’t go for this but to quote Cherlynn, “Boy, was I glad that I went for it!”. As most people know, Im a self-confessed chicken/coward when it comes to themed haunted houses. Im terrified to be in total darkness and to have monsters/ghosts/creatures of the unknown to pounce onto me whenever possible. Yet maybe it’s the Halloween mood, but surprisingly – I SURVIVED through this … and had a blast too. I guess, “more the merrier” … and having fun-loving friends helped make the fright journey more hilarious than scary! What a fantastic way to embrace the spooktacular day!
www.hauntedbuffalo.com

Third Stop:
Sam’s Halloween House Party

What’s Halloween if you don’t dress up right? So .. I decided to be sporty for once and get an outfit for it. I can always choose to look scary but I opted for another effect. Afterall, isn’t Halloween the only chance most of us have to look slutty/sultry/naughty/sexy and not get judged lol ? Trust me, the costumes do not come cheap. It was between this geisha outfit or a lil’ hot red PLAYBOY cigarette girl dress. Figured out that I probably wouldn’t feel that comfortable in a skin-tight outfit and so, geisha I shall be   I guess everyone should know what Cherlynn dressed up as … it’s pretty obvious. Wicked witch!

House parties are well, to me, different from clubs. People get quite wild and high … perhaps even more so than in clubs. So, what happens in the house stays in the house …

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ESPN
UB vs Miami OH Football Game

What a night to celebrate Election Day! Blue vs Red = UB vs Miami OH. and guess who won? UB … by quite a big margin too. 37 vs 17. Didn’t really get to enjoy the match as much as the first as I was helping out with ESPN. Sounds glam right but nope, it was nowhere near that. Instead, I was assigned to pulling cables for the mobile videographer and his crew … and shivering the entire time as I was underclothed for the unpredictable weather. Weather in Buffalo is erratic. All that I could think of was for the game to end asap so that I can seek shelter inside where it’s much warmer.

Just a night as an ESPN employee yet needless to day, it was a new insight into sports production.

- Many assistants (most of the workers for the night were Army recruits) for 1 videographer so it’s a common sight to be 4 men running around just to ensure that the cables do not get entangled. Quite comical, if you ask me.

- A very vague look into video-broadcasting.

My “partner in crime” for the night. Cables and more cables.

. just a short and simple note.

It’s not easy to strike a balance between work and studies and honestly, I think u’re outta your mind to take up yet another wkend job when you already have so much to handle. Needless to say, I know that it’s all with good intentions … to save up sufficient funds for our yr-end trip together. I love you baby love, with all of my heart. And you know that I can’t wait to be back in your arms to start a new chapter in my life together with you again