M.I.A. in LA

It's been a busy few days, sorry for the lack of writing/visiting  :P   I "escaped" to San Diego for some fun and distraction before I came back to see the family and to start thinking about real world issues again.

Main attraction of the week:  Seaworld!
I do not have the guts for roller coasters, so parks like this are right up my alley  :)  It was my first time there.  W and I practically owned the place since it was a Monday and, I dunno, it was kinda cold.  We did the Dine-with-Shamu thing which was pretty cool (buffet style with the whales only a thin railing away).  I also developed a strange fondness for bat rays while I was there... if you ever get the chance to touch one (one that won't sting you, of course), do it. 

I had a goal for that day.  I was determined not to leave the park without a Shamu stuffed animal in tow, but those things are sooo expensive at the gift shops (surprise, surprise).  W and I found this booth where you could win a GIANT Shamu stuffed animal if you could make 3 three-point basketball shots.  I suggested that W just win me one, so he tried.  I guess he wasn't lying before when he said he was good at the sport.  He sunk all 3 in a row within a minute and got me my HUGE Shamu (it is practically as big as I am).  Yay.  All the little kids were jealous when I carried it around  :)

We visited some other hot spots in the area that I'd wanted to see, like the food places and the beach.  I miss our hotel too, it wasn't too special or anything, but it was just so nice to not clean up.  Then yesterday we spent the day at the apartment, watching Big Bang Theory.  We also finished putting together the 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of Snoopy  :)  I haven't decided where I want to hang it.  Also watched Up In The Air and New Moon (movie-hopped~) on one of those days.

And now, I am back at home, after missing my first flight (by just 3 minutes, I was so pissed) and was lucky enough to get a seat in the next one.  I am strangely exhausted for being on vacation, but it's great.  How is everyone else's?

bury the castle

Paramore
"Brick by Boring Brick"
Well you built up a world of magic
Because your real life is tragic
Yeah you built up a world of magic
If it's not real
You can't hold it in your hand
You can't feel it with your heart
And I won't believe it
But if it's true
You can see it with your eyes
Oh even in the dark
And that's where I want to be...

My mom called yesterday for a chat.  She asked why I changed my mind about spending a week in Boston/NY over winter break, since it was something I had been really excited about.   I told her about my insecurities, mainly about how I felt uncomfortable going on such a long-distance trip with W because I don't think I have the strongest of feelings for him.  I don't want to mislead him into believing our relationship is more deep than it actually is.

She scolded me for being too "nice".  "Again".  If you want to go on this trip, and you have someone who has the time and is willing to go with you, why should you not do what you want?, she asked.  She started referring to my last 2 relationships, berating me for not having learned my lessons from them.  I had been too self-sacrificing and naive, too concerned about how the guy felt instead of being outright and protective of myself, put too much into my relationships, apparently.  I wonder if she's right?

I was indignant at first..  I'm sure no one likes being told off for doing things they don't think are wrong.  But it got me thinking if maybe I AM too much of a romantic.  I do have silly idealistic views about relationships, I suppose.  Does this make me weak/vulnerable?  Or not smart about being in relationships?  Would it really be "wiser" to act more selfishly?

I don't know...

In any case, the East Coast trip plans are off anyway.  Instead, I vouched for exploring a little more of the areas around here, which is not a bad alternative, seeing as there is a whole list of places I want to visit and things I want to try.  I hope I can sort myself out soon.

it's official.

I cannot stand people who ask me for my notes.  I'm sorry, but no, you cannot copy them!  =(  I actually spend time, pay attention, and put in honest effort to write up good lecture notes.

This morning, despite being very unwilling to get out of bed, I showed up on time to my 8 am class and stayed awake for the entire hour of lecture, making sure I caught every and all details.  The lectures for this class are difficult, but I took good notes.  After class, an acquiantance of mine in the same class asked, very excitedly, to see them, saying he knew I had good notes.  I immediately felt irked.  First of all, I barely know the guy;  secondly, he had previously obnoxiously asked to look at my other work/notes several times before;  and thirdly, I had little doubt that he had put in much effort to writing any of his own notes.

I just get really bothered by the idea of letting someone who doesn't even try get a free pass to my hard work.  That's not unreasonable, right?  I mean, if he had notes also to compare with/ contribute to mine, I would not mind at all mutually helping each other out with notes.  But here he was completely mooching off me, and I couldn't say no with him right there.  -____-  UGH.


Anyway... I had a rather long day today, but I got to drive around a little bit in my
"new" car [see left]  (it was actually bought 3 years ago for my mom, but she's driven it almost never, so it's practically new and has now recently been designated to me).

My sweet tooth was pretty demanding today, but as much as I wanted to go grab a milk tea / chocolate croissant, I had to buckle down and pound out a paper for tomorrow.  Maybe after class...