When I think about the things that I will need (want) to get when I get back to Boston, I will be pulled up short by the glum pile of bills that will need attending – that I keep forgetting when I start to dream about new winter jackets. sans michelin man padding. My AT&T bill. wince. The $18 I owe my school because of wire charges. The $350++ that constitutes my semester’s texts. wince wince. And little things like paying for laundry, hotel charges, taxi charges… did i mention I wanted to get a fridge and haul a rice cooker from back home? <- this doesn’t seem possible anymore.

Regardless of my plans in 3, or 2 and a half weeks, let me share with you my achievement of the day. I am somewhat proud of it. even though i feel like a turtle for bending my back for the whole day. I’ll make something else when I get more cloth!

Now the question is how to bring it over there???

<3

Joel calls me a cheapskate here in the US, and I’ll have to admit I am. I’m very excited at any prospect of free things, discounts, sales etc. and today I actually got to have free dinner at Wagamama, a Japanese(?) store by Quincy Market, courtesy of A.S.I.A.

Quincy at night

Though I’m probably one out of 3 asians there. And even so, the other one I know is American born, and it wouldn’t surprise me that the third asian there is too. wtf.

So, I call it happy project day because 1) unlike the usual days, I don’t have to search around for something to take pictures of – aha totally defeats the purpose of 365. But if everyday is really just go class go eat go back room then you really get out of pics to take one lor – 2) I decided to take some time to do projects of my own. Project meaning: go out to the park, sit down and free write. Take time, look around, relax.

I won’t say I’ve been super tense the past few months being here, but I realised today that I have been somewhat affected by the fast-paced lives Bostonians lead. While walking back from Wagamama I noticed that my pace was really rushed, and I was speeding down the streets to get back to the dorms although I really was not in a hurry. I’ve done my work for tomorrow (mostly, haha) and my Friday class starts at 11.30am so I can wake up late anyway. 

I sat at the highest point I could in the Boston Common, which was directly below the obelisk in the middle of the park and decided to just write whatever came to mind:

I took a stroll down Boston Common today, and I finally felt like I’m breathing air. Is that weird? As MetroCabs and fire engines whizz past in the background – I breathe in and tell myself the air around me is fresh. I can smell grass, trees, and these indications allow me to delude myself into thinking of mountains and dew.

From my vantage point two bikers are practicing stunts. He’s on his bike (curiously, not the tiny-wheeled type typical to bike stuntmen) but he’s not moving at all, his eyes concentrated on a spot on the floor. Then he tries to balance on his front wheel, and he falls forward and hits the ground – ‘I leaned too much!’ – I wondered, as he did a sudden swerve that was accompanied with screeching rubber, how often he had to change his tires.

Beyond, the shrieks of adolescents reach me as they, unknowing (and uncaring) of my eavesdropping, indulge in baseball practice. When I was nearer to them, the shrieks were the excited screams of their team mates, shouting encouragements to the pitcher or the batter. The coach paced to and fro on the sidelines. They all looked comical. And so was I. In a passing stranger’s eyes I was probably a weird asian girl grinning and chuckling to herself. 

There’s a bell tolling from afar. Where is it coming from? I’ve never heard this before!

Did you know Boston is beautiful? I didn’t. Or at least I did, but couldn’t tell you why. Today, beyond the dried twigs and newly-budding flowers (red), the chirps of birds and the telltale swish of a squirrel’s tail, I saw for the first time old red bricks and stone, new clear glass and steel posts; I saw the dog owners strolling, relaxing and playing with their best friends; I saw a vast untouched piece of green on the common, presently invaded by three men taking a shortcut to reach the main road; I saw tourists, lovers, students, my own Converse sneakers on the now-familiar pavement. Did you know there’s a US flag flying high on a pole in (what I suspect is) the exact middle of the Common? Now, I do.

A homeless man is sleeping right before me in the cruel Boston wind. I wondered if I should give him $5.

Ultimately, I didn’t. I was afraid he’ll wake up and grab me or something. I’m a coward.

While walking back from Wagamama I also found out where the tolling came from. There’s a clock tower at one end of the Common, and at 8pm today it tolled. To a tune! I grinned to myself again for this new revelation.

Project 356: Day 24 (Apr 2) – The familiar street, walking back to Piano Row

Have I felt so little that nothing I have seem worthy to be written?

Or have I just been too blind to remember the details of what I’ve seen to write it down?

Run, run, run. Block, block, block. These little excuses that we tell ourselves when we can’t do something. 

————-

Project 365: Day 22 (Mar 31)

This bottle will one day be thrown into the ocean for someone to pick up! I just need to find a way to go out to sea (I know la environment and such but I’ve never done something like this before! Let me beeee)

Again, I’ve been in such an uninspired phase that I couldn’t think of a picture to take. So I’m going to cheat again and show you another video. 

Project 365: Day 23 (Apr 1)

This is like a current theme song for the U.S. Army. It’s played all across cinemas in the US, so if you frequent the movies here you’re bound to hear it. I find the video a ridiculous portrayal of any army at all. This ideal image of an army feels almost like an insult to those who are really suffering at war. 

But! The song is catchy. So enjoy it regardless of the hypocrisy

But they’re so addictive. At least it’ll be gone after Easter D:

Project 365: Day 18 (Mar 27)

So I eloped from Boston and went to the countryside for the weekend…

Mm hmm!

Hahaha. Haih my eyes so small and my mouth so weird. (self-bashing is really an instinctive act by now)

Said ‘countryside’ is actually the 1100s of Boylston Street. Joel and I were searching (from 80!!! Fuyoh my walking skills) for a guitar shop and we stumbled upon that magnificent stretch of river/tall stalks of things/two ducks chilling. It was such an unexpectedly beautiful sight to be found just at the outskirts of the city (I’m not sure of this claim. Where’s the outskirts? Where does Boston end? I’ll find out one day). I’m planning to walk down Tremont Street next and see what’s at the end

Cutler Majestic Theater

Friday was a good day. I have two sets of photos that could be three-six-fived, but the spectacular scenery won out in the end This is the Cutler, which my school owns *boasts*. I went there to watch Vox Lumiere’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, George (previously unmentioned in blog. George Murray is my new friend here! ) and I went in with no preconceived notion of what it’s all about….

and it turned out to be a Rock Opera Musical Concert thingy with the original silent film playing at the back. They sang in English and Latin. We sat through the two hours, but as soon as we went out of the exit door both of us just burst out in a long LONG fit of laughter. Oh God. Thinking about it makes me crack up again.

Project 365: Day 19 (Mar 28) – Dining Hall

Affectionately dubbed DH by Emersonians, this is where we go for our daily dose of food and all things (un)healthy. You can see the salad/soup/fruit bar on the left, on the right is Home Cooking, and further back is the Grill, which I stopped frequenting since the 2nd week of arriving due to the sheer oiliness of the food that emerges from it. Home Cooking generally serves foods like mashed potatoes (any variety of potatoes, in fact), pasta, pies, rices, poultry etc. The wooden barrels contain little snacks like pretzels, potato chips etc. There’s also a popcorn machine, dessert bar, condiments bar, ICE CREAM STATION, and drinks station on the other side of the room.

hmm. I don’t have a picture for today. I guess I’ll do this instead!

Project 365: Day 20 (Mar 29) –

However horrible the government is. I met some wonderful people there, so <3!

My night was entirely consumed by his voice.

Project 365 can be a huge source of procrastination for me. But…

Project 365: Day 17 (Mar 26) – Abercrombie & Fitch, Faneuil Hall

This is probably where I spend most of my money (after snacks) at. I mean, even at clearance price they’re not very cheap. It’s like my poison, my American Miss Selfridge. It doesn’t help that for once I find so many clothes that fit my bony bod so well, all in the same shop. But congratulate me, for I spent nothing there today! I even got $30 back for returning one of my ill-fitting cardigans. *bows*

I’m very curious about how I look when I’m not looking at myself. And this will be a never-ending wondering because how would I know how I look when I’m not looking at myself? It’s almost inevitable that anytime there’s a reflective surface I might just automatically control my features to some point that I can never look at myself and look at how I look like when I’m not looking at myself. Candid pics of me suck, and I’m always taken when I’m laughing, or somehow in poses and actions that are impossible to look good in. I guess I’m supposed to admit that I don’t look all that good au naturale. But well

Girl in the Mirror #2

Tree-huggers might despair, but I’m back into my post-it note phase where I write my homework on a post-it and stick it on the front cover my notebook (btw I only have one!! shock and awe) then throw it away like 2 times a week because it becomes obsolete that quickly. This allowed me to have an almost squeaky clean whiteboard in front of me, the first time in this entire semester. 

Of course I had to defile it

My current little reminder to myself.

I think beauty is something we should both appreciate and forget. If something is so preciously fleeting, when it’s around we must cherish it to the utmost that we can; but when it’s gone, don’t sit around and yearn for it to return. I wonder if the search for happiness is like the beautiful. Flits, appears before you, then gone again.

Project 365: Day 16 (Mar 25) – Easy Extended Mode, Grassland. Fieldrunners

See kor! That’s all I built. Can be less also actually (assuming you read my blog, I don’t think you have the luxury to flit through my humdrum thoughts)

This is the current game I play to get through lunch/dinner It’s one of the iPhone versions of Tower Defense. So far I passed Easy, Medium Standard Mode of Grassland. Easy Extended Mode, as seen above. I’m going to tackle Medium Extended Mode to prove to Joel K.H. Soh that I can do it and wipe the smirk off his face D:

He also introduced me to a game called Wordfu, which is basically scrabble with a little twist (like shaking the phone to ’submit’ the words for points). There’s a versus mode that we seem to not be able to connect to, so I’m just trying to collect all the ‘belts’ (these are like single-player awards you get e.g. Black Belt when I get 5000 points) now. So far I’m a red belt (2.5k points!) but I won’t rest till I achieve the Black!

I do do work! *Shifty eyed* Although my hopes for a super high GPA is probably dashed, since not all of my assignments received an A and any less means no 4.0, I’m still hoping I get an overall A for my subjects (above 3.7) and apart from Forbidden Knowledge I think I should be safe? I’ll find out on May 10 or so I guess. Wish for my A’s!!

Project 365: Day 16 (Mar 24)

Told you it really isn’t that obvious, except the faux eyebrows, which can’t be helped!

Does anyone know how to turn off the ‘flash’ from photobooth! My face is overexposed!