3 posts tagged “travel”
3 stops, 2 suitcases filled to the brim & on-the-border of overweight, 1 calendar day - and i am back in the us of a. it's actually been a full week since i've been back in texas. during this week, i've managed to unpack the suitcases that i struggled so long and tediously to stuff and zip, and i even found my way down to austin to see some missed-faces. the past two days, however, i have been embracing my typical home-habits.
every break, i tend to soak up a pinch too much enthusiasm from watching the food network excesisvely and end up actually aspiring to work the kitchen. today i purchased a variety of odd ingredients (can of black beans and nectar, both included in the cart of hodgepodge craving-satisfiers) to create some stellar concoction, whose recipe i envisioned myself penning down in a hippie-bound notebook with browned pages. unfortunately, the reality turn out was several-folds: `1) the brownies i attempted to bake from scratch and with all substituted ingredients (in a meager strive to be healthy sort of way) were awful, just purely awful. silver lining: my mom enjoyed them and has eaten half the pan. i worry for her taste buds, esp since i know she's not one of those "aw, honey, because you baked them, of course i'll eat them" type of mom who bothers to cushion my feelings. they really do taste like mexican food...mushed. i guess in the spirit of cinco de mayo...OLE. eat the brownies, mom, eat the brownies.
a few entries ago, i wrote a couple of absolute riveting [HA] paragraphs regarding my broken electronics. well, many $$$$ down later (sigh), i have replaced the broken with the new, including a blackberry. i am now an official crackberry head. however, having all of my life & its tech support sides synced has its down sides. for example, i used to be excited everytime i approached my computer to check my email. now, i know what emails i get instaneously. the brief excitement from before when i'd click on my gmail bookmark just is not there anymore. i guess the moments away from the internet made me realize how much i appreciate it; now that it's readily available, it's not too special anymore. it's true. i only want what i can't have.
with my suitcases finally empty from singapore, i've begun the process of refilling them for the summer. out come the trinkets & summer dresses and in go slacks, sweaters, and button ups. this entire past year, starting last may, has been filled with packing and unpacking, one after another. through it all, i feel like my head, my heart, and my body are usualy all in dfferent places, one failing to catch up with the others. trying to be and feel fully here, wherever i am, is quite a challenge.
i'm still in singapore, i'm still in austin, and i'm supposed to be in cincinnati in less than a week. maybe everything will piece together by august.
i've been in the 281/713 area for a little over a week now. here is an update in response to the popular question "how is houston/work"
*skip to pictures here
Housing: A+
Originally, my landlord agreed to let me move into my lease a week early (last week of May) in order for me to have a place as soon as work started; however, she decided to let me know two days before I moved in that the previous agreement was no longer possible. Of course, I a) freak out, b) send angry vibes to my landlord, c)remembers that she's still pretty nice, try to withdraw mean thoughts, d)desperately try to reach stephanie ip, who was at rec week & was w/o phone service for the most part. thankfully, things worked out, and i got to stay w/ the Ips for a week in sugarland for my first week of work. since i went in so early, i beat the traffic, and the driving wasn't bad at all. plus, her mom cooks well & her dad is SO. SO. SO. funny. oh, plus stephanie is a good room-neighbor too. THANKS, IPS!
Driving: C-
someone cut me off on the highway (45) 10 minutes after entering the houston vicinity; no joke. then he proceeded to glare at ME in his left side mirror; at ME! after he cut me off!
apparently, no one ever clued me in on the fact that when you signal in Houston, it actually is a sign for the people in the adjacent lane to speed up and pass you in oblivion, paying no attention to your traffic signal. also, the highways loop. the plus side is even fi you get lost, stay w/ it and you'll eventaully end up there; the downside, hard to make a judgment call how far you've gone on the loop and if you should turn and try the other direction.
I've also gotten lost a good handful of times trying to navigate back to my apartment (located amidst a puzzle of one-way/downtownish streets).
Work: A-
i actually like it. unlimited office supplies (and post-it's), break rooms, lunches, and newness all kept me going for the first week with great energy and enthusiasm. Come this second week, it's a bit harder to get out of bed in the morning at 6:10am, and still slowly feeling my way through this monstrous project gets a bit repetitive. plus, i have a big gray cubicle, but nothing to put up except a few polaroids i remembered to snag out of my austin apartment. the people are all really great though, all really warm & smart & friendly & helpful, the whole nice sha-bang.
however, my sleeping schedule has gone from sleep-at-4am-up-by-noon to sleep-at-midnight-up-by-six. i also get pretty wiped out by 10:30. If we do hang out this summer, please arrange all activities to end before 11 or else i will surely be asleep.
through work, i also realized that a) business casual clothes are boring, b) hotchocolate+black coffee = moccachino, c) tea+creamer = milktea, d) although wearing heels downtown is suicidal for the feet AND the heels, wearing heels to work is a-ok b/c of CARPET. i love walking in heels on carpet. plus i sit for a good 90% of the day.
Eating: A/F
i dont know why i ever thought it would be possible to diet/be healthy in houston, the fattest city in america. seems like for every meal, there is a "oh! you must try this place!" i eat out about two large meals a day. oof. i've learned also that it takes me a long time to get sick of chinese food (still not quite sick yet, but i have been to every block in chinatown now, and juicebox...4 times... :-[ )
All pictures are here. i am too sleepy (it's 11:48 right now, i'm cutting it real close) to integrate pictures into this entry. perhaps at a later time.
OH. favorites!
so far, my favorite area in houston is rice village, which is a convenient 10min drive away from my apt (if i dont get lost..like i did today). ...ok, i've run out of favorites for now. sorry, that was a misleading intro.
i've been watching some sappy movies lately. i saw music&lyrics and actually really liked it, and i've been thinking about neverbeenkissed. what the heck is wrong with me.
i am also reading traveling mercies (thanks brian) & the book of nehemiah right now. i also have been listening to a lot of jamie cullum & various repetitive rap songs i find on youtube. i also am watching more tv than i have in the past semester combined. oh yea, i'd also like to make the statement that while spelling may seem overrated in pop songs, remember how great that classic L-O-V-E song was? and at least these are correctly spelled, decently lengthy words, for kids to learn. that is my defense for fergie for the night. and a quick flash of my life.
i will end this lengthy entry with something cheesy & something classic.
drew barrymore: A melody is like seeing someone for the first time. The physical attraction. Sex.
hugh grant: I so get that.
drew barrymore: But then, as you get to know the person, that's the lyrics. Their
story. Who they are underneath. It's the combination of the two that
makes it magic.
[from music&lyrics]
&
1 Peter 4:7-13
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
and in case you missed the first 2 links.
regardless of my mood, i somehow manage to cry during every sitting of these two shows/movies:
+ the last episode of sex&thecity
+ my sassy girl
it never fails.
and i don't know why. i didn't cry in the pursuit of happyness OR the passion of the christ - both of which i feel slightly guilty for, but i can't figure it out. obviously, the following two debunk my theory of having a heart of stone, so why can't i cry at all the expected tearjerkers?
here are the answers to some FAQ's I've encountered in the fast few days:
A:
+ Yes, I went to Boston [thursday - sunday].
+ It was for a field trip [for my major, not a class] with 24 people. Really. This is my first field trip since the 7th grade. I spent all of my middle school years looking forward to the 8th grade field trip to Medieval Times, but when I was in the 7th grade, our middle school's 8th graders went and stole something from there, causing them to forever ban our middle school from taking field trips there. Thus, I haven't been on a field trip in a REALLY long time, and I still hold a grudge for not having ever been to Medieval Times.
+ It was really, really cold. We walked around the Harvard Business School campus in -15 degree weather at 8am. but thank God HBS is brilliant enough to build underground tunnels. I love tunnels!
+ We visited two companies, but they all fed us really well and gave nice gifts. I'm not complaining.
+ I had very yummy clam chowder at the original Cheers bar.
+ Yes, I did see Jason. We spent a day together of him following me around H&M, me taking very embarrassing & touristy pictures in public, eating dimsum [at a restaurant that shows up in the background for a scene in the departed!], touring bc [while i ate frozen yogurt],
+ No, mom, I didn't find anyone to date/marry.
+ and yes, it was so much fun.
here's an attempt to photodump. more are on flickr.
