October 4, 2009

  • Sunflower bread, and some miscellany

    I am home this weekend, but will be leaving for Tampa in a bit.  For breakfast I had some chocolate muffin remnants, and sunflower bread.  Sunflower bread.  Sunflower bread brings back memories--as a kid, I would munch on it; there was also white mountain bread, which my mom preferred, but sunflower bread was always a favorite of mine.  Especially when bought the day it was made.  I could probably finish a loaf of it by myself.

    I went swimming yesterday (YES! another sticker/X for my incentive chart!); my joints are a bit sore consequently. 

    But the sunflower bread brought back memories of the days of swim team that was good.  I feel bad, I often associate swim team with bad memories of exhaustion and over exertion.  But it was actually a very fun time in my life.  The sunflower bread reminded me of one of my last swim meets.  A group of us were going to regionals, I believe, and we all munched on one of the most delicious loaves of sunflower bread as we sat in the van together, maybe occasionally bursting into song, or conversations about strange things (they kept talking about the Saw series at one point, which made me queasy--I have no guts).  This train of thought led to a cascade of memories; chilling with one of my best friends, the stressful breakfasts we ate prior to the meet (never hungry before meets!), and the fun we had cheering for each other.  I forgot how nice it was being so spirited; hollering at the top of my lungs.  And sometimes I forget how much I enjoy challenging myself, because I get caught up thinking about the stress involved.

    Swim team was very fun; I wish, I was like Cecelia and wrote about how AWESOME it was.  Then I could look back and remember that aspect more.  Essentially I haven't given it the credit it deserved.  Reading her old posts reminded me of fun days.  And we were actually talking about swim team recently :) .

    I was eating some soup with corn in it, made by my mom.  And it suddenly occurred to me that fresh corn has a flavor in it that reminds me of the smell of rain.  It will be weird when it rains now, because I will start picturing and tasting corn. 

    I had a good talk with my mom yesterday night.  It is nights like that that make me feel like I should go home more often; but at the same time, I have very few weekends off--I have to study a lot, and I also need to spend time with friends outside of the classroom.  Hmm.

Comments (17)

  • I really like this story. I guess its good to go home sometime. A good conversation with mom will bring you back to reality and recharge your heart.
    "Home is where the heart is."

  • Feeling a bit nostalgic? :P

    I never really had any school spirit or team spirit back in high school... wish I had been more active in a team like you were.  I guess a lot of the time, we don't really fully appreciate some of our experiences until we look at it in retrospect a lot later.  I think if I had the chance to do high school (or even elementary and middle school) all over again, I would do it without a hesitation, just for that reason.

    I had a long talk with my mom last night too... It took me like almost half an hour to explain to her how to use Skype...haha.  She was so amazed @_@

  • Teach me how to swim! I still haven't learned how to really because I can't float =(

  • @rickystar1 - 

    It's a nice part of feeling somewhat grown up too; the substance of conversation is fairly different than before.

  • @a_drunken_cellist - 

    Yeah, maybe a bit n_n. But I try not to get too caught up in the past. It would be frightening to be trapped in the past, regardless of how good it was or seemed.

    Were you on cross country then? Or do you just run for fun now (ah, rhyming!)? :)
    I guess in college you were pretty spirited then [?]! One of my good friends actually goes to USC. And her friend was wearing a USC colored scarf that reminded me of a Gryffindor scarf :3.

    It's a lot easier to see the bright sides of life when looking back; Rosy retrospection does wonders to memories; but at the same time it is probably part of growing up too. Realizing what things really matter, and how hard times just make us stronger. =}

    n_n. Awww. :) . My parents have been using Skype for a while to communicate with my gramps, but otherwise it probably would take just as long to explain to my mom. She's a little technologically challenged n_n! But Skype is pretty amazing! And audio & visual technology sure have gotten a lot better! Are you far from your family then?

  • @Roadlesstaken - 

    Aww no! That could be dangerous! If I ever meet you in person I'll try, though I've never taught anyone before :3. For the meantime, life jacket! :)

  • Sunflower bread? i have never heard of such a thing...mebbe ill have to look out for it next time i go grocery shopping.

    yay swimming! hope you still aren't sore though...now that you mention it, swim team did involve a lot of over exertion [especially the first week back when we (non-year-round-swimmers) realized how out of shape we were] but i really liked the camaraderie of it all which, to me, stood out more than everything else. :]

  • I actually wasn't much into running for most of high school. The only kinds of teams/clubs I on were the nerdy kind: science bowl + math team + orchestra...lol. Sad I know. I was in the tennis club for almost two years, but I wasn't good enough to make the team.

    I definitely had more school pride in college...I don't care much for football, but I got pretty absorbed watching the football games and cheering our team with my friends. As a wide-eyed freshman, I was excited about everything USC, but I think as time went on, academics took over my life and I became kind of jaded haha...I know the scarf you're talking about btw. It reminded me of the same thing when I first saw it (I really should get one for myself).

    That's pretty impressive that your grandparents can use Skype! Next thing you know, they'll be on Facebook doing Facebook chat and sending you pokes...haha (hopefully not though). Yeah, my parents are back home in Hawaii...not exactly far, but not feasible for me to fly home every weekend or something either, as much as I would like that :P

  • @a_drunken_cellist - 

    Aww n_n! Sounds fun though! :D We didn't have science bowl at our school, but we had academic team...our Mu Alpha Theta was an epic fail--we had about 3 different sponsors; we only attended maybe 3 competitions in the 4 years I was semi-active, and we barely had 5 people attend those meets (& since so many people paid dues it was probably one of the richest clubs...we took charter buses to competitions for 5 people O_O; a little wasteful?). We did celebrate Pi Day my senior year though, so it wasn't futile O_~!

    I don't care much for football either. I've let academics invade my life a little too much, so I've been trying to take on a little more of the social side. Last year I spent almost all my time studying (except first semester when I was pledging O_~), and I was miserable! I hated my school at the end of spring semester. But summer sessions were really nice--much more relaxing and time to actually hangout. & I've become really involved with Red Cross also. So now everything is a little more meaningful since I've formed better bonds with friends. Good acquaintances --> amazing friends. n_n! I actually like my school now n_n. Scarves always look so snuggly and nice. :) Too bad there's not much use for them in FL! Maybe in Cali though! I'm hoping to be outta here eventually! Somewhere north or west..!

    (Yes, hopefully not!)

    Hawaii!!!?!! How'd you guys end up there from TX? :D That's amazing though! I heard they had really nice stargazing in some areas there. And of course wonderful beaches and all that. And several national parks! I guess you weren't too far from water then? n_n! I can't say the same about me being in FL (from home it's about 1.5 hours to the closest beach).

  • @shortstuff3157 - 

    So I might be a little sore...(oh fail!). My joints are like those of elderly folks -_-. (Maybe because they're rusty from not exercising enough? J/k hopefully!)

    If I buy sunflower bread I'll bring you some! It is sooooooo good when super fresh! :D That way you won't be going out on a limb buying something you're not sure if you'll like or not. :)

  • @loves_mud - Wow, lavish...must've been cool to have the whole bus to yourselves (though yeah, not the most economical)! I'm kinna curious about how you celebrated Pi Day, but I'm sure that's another story on its own you can tell me about later :P  

    Yeah, it's really hard to have a balanced life a lot of the time.  It's always sacrificing one thing or another, and academics usually ends up being top priority...so :(   Gotta try our best though...and it seems like you're doing fine anyways :]

    I actually grew up in Hawaii...only spent a bit more than a year living in Texas I think.  My grandparents were already living in Hawaii, so we just moved in next to them and that's how we ended up there I guess.  Yeah, I probably could have gone to the beach everyday (and had choices of what beach to go to too), but I actually rarely went.  Unlike you, I'm not much of a swimmer (sad for a person from Hawaii, huh?), but I still regret it now 'cause I took it for granted and now I really miss Hawaii beaches...California beaches are kinna unfit for swimming haha...and inconvenient to get to also, since I have no car.

  • @a_drunken_cellist - 

    We had a lot of fun on the bus too (playing Scrabble and trying not to fall out of seats!). :) Pi day wasn't really all that epic at our school, but we all brought in different types of pie and stuffed our faces. :) I think I spent on year staying up until 3:14 AM :) just to celebrate! I was talking with a kid I knew who was also celebrating...unlike him I don't know 2000 digits of pi (I know 3.14159 & that's all -_-). I guess I had less reason to celebrate. ;) But then again, who doesn't celebrate when they get pie? :D & apparently pies in Australia are meaty pies.

    (:

    That's super awesome!!! Do you go home much though? :) (It'd be like going on vacation every time you're home! Sorta! & going home also indicates vacation..@_@). I bet it would be fun to study marine biology or something there. n_n Haha, how about wading instead of swimming? (: But I guess it would be slightly intimidating if really large waves rolled in.

    I know in some parts of Cali the beaches are pebble beaches. I used to like collecting "sea glass" on those beaches. It was always exciting finding larger chunks or different colored ones.

  • Yeah...it's okay, 'cause 3.14159 is pretty much the limit of what I can commit to memory too...lol.  2000 is just insane.  You should've gotten his autograph haha...

    Just being in the water is nice...I do my share of wading, swimming, and just lazing on the sand :) The last time I went home was almost a year ago (last winter break).  It's still uncertain whether I will go back this winter break or not...I'm a little doubtful though since the plane ticket is so expensive now...it costs about twice as much as it did three years ago! > <   ...ah well.  We'll see.  If I don't go back this winter though, my next chance will probably be next winter, since I'll likely have to find an internship or job over the summer.

    I haven't heard of any pebble beaches in the vicinity of LA.  Before, I used to think the smoothened pieces of glass were actually real stones...@_@  Santa Monica beach is a nice place to go to watch the sunset though...and the pier is a nice hangout place.  It's so close to UCLA...ugh...everything nice and cool is next to UCLA!!! Serious unfairness...lol.

  • @a_drunken_cellist - 

    Hehe, maybe I should have. He was a nice kid, he wore glasses like Harry Potters. And I think it's really funny how his eyes dilate when he is reciting pi. O_~

    What will you do if you don't go back this winter? Ahhh, maybe fear of swine flu will drive down the price n_n! Do you miss home then? (& is the water just as pleasant during winter???). Aww, working so hard. But as long as it is enlightening and you have fun like with your externship..! :)

    Aww, boooooo!!! Haha, how'd you decided on USC? (:?

  • @loves_mud - Wow, did he actually recite 2000 digits to you? I guess he got excited and his sympathetic nervous system was at work :P

    If I don't go back, I'll probably hang out with my roommates, classmates, and pledge brothers and sisters...and work on getting my life back for a mere 3 weeks... run...practice cello, which I have not touched for like a month...read my Bruce Lee book...and I guess I'll inevitably have to study too, but at least I can go at my own pace. Maybe I can catch up on a semester's worth of sleep too :)  

    Of course I miss home...! Yes, the water is pleasant in the winter...people go to the beach all the time :P

    It's only natural to go to USC for those who want to study pharmacy haha... in the west coast, I would say the three good pharmacy programs are at UCSF, USC, and UCSD.  I'm proud to be a Trojan, 'cause USC was the first pharmacy school in the nation to adopt a doctorate degree program for pharmacy, the PharmD...which was followed closely by all the other pharm schools in the nation shortly after ^ ^ v    ...before that, pharmacists were RPhs with bachelors' degrees in pharmacy.  We're dedicated to advancing the profession and expanding the roles of pharmacists in maximizing the care provided to patients! Haha okay...see how just one month here and I'm already starting to sprout these kinds of things? @_@

    And also I'm not a California resident, so attending UCLA for undergrad would not have been an option for me, unless I could afford to pay the exorbitant non-resident tuition with no option of financial aid...lol.

  • @a_drunken_cellist - 

    Exactly! O_~ He did it for the talent show :) , though I'm not sure how many digits he did since he could recite them so quickly! He got huge amounts of applause. ;) (It was at a nerdy summer camp @ Duke n_n)

    That sounds pretty good also, given that a decent number of them stay. :) A miniature revival! n_n! Bruce Lee book? :) Any drawing too, then? O_~

    (: I guess who wouldn't (from functional families anyway)? n_n; did you visit the other islands much? Or collect the different colored sands? Or visit the Nat'l Parks? :) !?
    And besides Yogurtland and delicious food, what do they have in LA? I think I've only really spent time at my gramps place there..didn't really venture out much beyond the Asian plaza nearby. :)

    Oooh! Very nice! I had no idea about which schools had the good pharm programs (chem's never been one of my fortes...). Actually, in general I have really little idea about what pharmacists do. Maybe I'll have to look it up, for general knowledge, though I def wouldn't take that track. One of my best friends it looking at doing pharm also actually :) .

    Ah, good point. All the non-resident fees are ridiculous; it's almost as if the different states were different little countries. @_@, but I guess with separate taxing etc. it makes sense.

  • I wouldn't just give him applause...he'd get a standing ovation + encore from me :P

    It's a book about Bruce Lee's philosophies on life.  Most people know him as a martial artist and an actor, but few know him as a philosopher.  I thought I could find out what made Bruce so driven and determined by reading this book haha...I bought it at the end of summer, intending to read a little every day, but I now know that that's impossible @_@  I dunno about drawing...maybe, maybe not... depends on whether I have inspiration or not I guess haha

    I've gone to Kauai once and the Big Island, Hawaii (the island name is eponymous with the state name) also once, both when I was a kid...can't remember a lot about it, though I know we went to Volcano National Park and the roads were covered in newly hardened lava.  I've never collected sand...there's supposed to be a black sand beach (from the erosion of volcanic rock and obsidian), but I don't think we went :(   if we did, I'm sure I would've remembered.

    What is there in LA? Like nothing pretty much...! Well, Little Tokyo...which is really good for Ramen, Yogurtland, and shopping for Japaneses food at the markets, but not much else.  Santa Monica and Westwood is where the nightlife and fun stuff is located.  And then there's Disneyland, but that's kinna far, in Anaheim....and Walt Disney Concert Hall, home of the LA Philharmonic (whose tickets I can't afford).   Most of that doesn't matter to me anymore though...I'm pretty much in one of three places all day.  Daytime: classroom or library...nightime: bed at home.  So sad T_T

    If you go into practice, chances are, you'll be working with pharmacists at some point in time or another...either in a hospital or outpatient setting.  So don't worry...you will get to know them well :P   (hopefully)

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