What Up, Life?!?

I apologize for not updating this site in over a year – a lot has happened but I kind of lost steam in updating this. But my past few weeks has been so much fun that I wanted to write it down somewhere.

PAX East
PAX East was so much fun! Shannon (@frostyplum on twitter) flew in for the shindig and it was so nice seeing her and hanging out with her. We went to a lot of fun panels (PA Q&A, Make-A-Strip Panel, etc.). The Keynote Speaker, Jane McGonigall, was awesome. There were a lot of exciting new games being demoed – my favorite was playing Street Fighter on the Nintendo 3DS. Mostly, it was fun hanging out with Shannon.

During PAX East I also tried some new places down in Fort Point – Flour (amazing pastries and coffee) and Drink (amazing speakeasy – the bartenders were so cute and the drinks were so delicious!). We also went to Legal Seafood which was delicious as usual.

The rest of Spring Break
The Monday after PAX Shannon and I did touristy things – we went to Via Matta for lunch (Restaurant Week ftw), which was delicious. We went to the Boston Public Library at Copley Square which was gorgeous as usual. We walked the second half of the Freedom Trail which was fun (although we just missed the Granary Hill Burying Ground cause it was just closing when we got there), and we did some shopping at GAP. While at the North End we made sure to stop by Mike’s AND Modern Pastry for delicious baked goods We then went over to Vatsady’s to celebrate Pi Day with chicken pot pie and cherry pie fro Petsi’s Pie (a delicious pie restaurant in Somerville).

Wednesday I did another Restaurant Week restaurant, but this time for dinner. Gaslight, in the South End, was delicious. Great French restaurant. Also great company – Vatsady, Stephen, Whitney, Phil, and Pat. The perfect group for a wonderful evening. Afterwards, we went to Beerworks where Phil and Pat tried their best to teach me how to play pool – thankfully my beginner’s luck made me not suck so much

Thursday I went over to Pat’s and played Kinect with him and Phil and Morales watched. It was a great adventure – I walked all the way to Pat’s and started setting up the Kinect when I realized I had…forgotten the Kinect. Oops. So I ran all the way back to my apartment and then back to Pat’s, and the best part is that I beat Phil (even though I had called him at 10:30 to wake him up). After Kinect Pat and I met up with Whitney and we went to the ICA, because it’s free Thursday evenings. It was really small, and I still am apathetic about modern art (trash bags being blown from a fan mounted to the ceiling? Really??). The best part was this really cool art thing and Pat comments, “This would make a great end table.” Yup. Sums up my view on modern art perfectly – looks cool, but I don’t see why anyone would pay a ton of money for it. The ICA had a cool area that overlooked the water though, so it was nice sitting and relaxing. Then, on the way back into the city, we stopped by Sportello’s to pick up some baked goods. I got a raspberry linzer torte (which was amazing) and the citrus olive bread (which was great but I think overpriced at $6 for a weenie loaf). Then, Whitney and I parted ways with Pat and went to Starbucks to have coffee and eat our Sportello desserts. It was nice hanging out with her and just chatting outside of school. Then we went to the Borders at Back Bay so that we could see what books they had on clearance since they’re closing it. I got 3 graphic novels and Brave New World. Then I went home, doing my best to avoid the crazy drunk Saint Patrick’s Day crowd.

Friday – I took my day trip to Salem!! Which was amazing. I went to the Peabody Essex museum, which was so nice. Small but they had a nice variety of art and it was nicely displayed. Usually, I avoid the Asian art but I’m glad I didn’t this time because it made me feel closer to my Chinese heritage, something I don’t really get in Boston because it’s so white and European. I walked all around Salem, and thanks to a nice lady I randomly started talking to I found the address where Hawthorne wrote The Scarlett Letter. I also walked down to the water and saw The House of the Seven Gables, that Hawthorne’s cousin owned and which he based his book of the same name after. I loved seeing the inside of the house – it reminds me of a giant dollhouse, the way they have the props laying about so you can get a feel for what it was like to live there. I also stopped by a bakery – A&J King’s and had a really good caramel bourbon bread pudding.

I then headed back into Boston and went to the Hockey East semifinals. I made it for the last period of the first game (Northeastern v. BC) and watched the second game (Merrimack v. UNH). I got into an argument with Phil and Morales over the color of Merrimack’s jerseys (they look black but they’re really navy; Phil and Morales didn’t believe me). I don’t usually watch hockey but seeing it with guys who are actually into it was fun. It was also fun when the mascots went out and played against each other (There was one that was supposed to be a priest or something but he really just looked like a jedi in his robe )

Saturday – my mind is drawing a blank. According to Twitter I did go out, but what did I do?? Oh that’s right. I went out for dinner (Chipotle!) with Judy and Whitney and just caught up with the two of them, which was nice. I was supposed to go to Christina’s birthday bar crawl (which is why I was out in Fenway) but couldn’t get a hold of anyone who was with them so I ended up going with Whitney and Judy to Starbucks and just talked some more until 10 when I went home.

Sunday – Taught Sunday School, which is always fun. The kids are so cute! I love them even when they drive me crazy.

Then school started, and it was sad. I had a big assignment due in two of my classes, and so I was really stressed out the whole week.

Friday I finally finished, and then went out to Harvard to cheer on the SULS hockey team in the McArthur Cup. Afterwards, Phil needed to drop his car off at his place so we all tagged along, which ended up being a great idea because there were some wild turkeys outside and we watched Morales chase them around for a little bit. We then went to Beerworks (surprise) and played some more pool.

Saturday I had breakfast with Hee at the Trident Bookstore Cafe, which was delicious. It was nice catching up with her. We then did some shopping!! Although I was good and returned a ton of stuff, and only bought one thing – a pretty chartreuse Ella Moss top

I then watched another round of the McArthur Cup, which was painful – Suffolk lost 7-1 I then went to The Boston T Stop and got some yummy almond milk tea :d and then headed back into Boston to watch Paul with some friends. I was so annoyed because 1) the train took 30 minutes to show up, and then 2) because of problems, it took another 30 minutes to get back into the city – a total of 1 hour! Plus, there was a guy “playing” a recorder poorly while I was stuck at the T stop. If I wasn’t strapped for cash I would have said, “Eff it I’m taking a cab.” Paul was a really good movie though. ^___^

Sunday, I taught Sunday School. I was so geeked out because I had bought a Beginner’s Bible, which is the same kid bible my mom had given me as a kid, and some of the kids said they had it too! I love it. And then I read them a story from it and they seemed more attentive than usual which was great. It made me happy because I also worry that they’re not going to learn anything and that I’m a bad teacher. I love all these kiddos so much.

I then went over to Pat’s again for Kinect. This time I had Dance Central, which was so much fun! I would have played more except that Pat didn’t want to play it so we went back to Kinect Sports after a while. We also went outside and (gasp) shot hoops and kicked a soccer ball around. I also found a tricycle, the kind you push with your legs, and dangled my legs over the front of the bike and had Phil push me We also played Castle Crashers which I always love, even if Morales was making fun of me while we were playing.

I think I may be having too much fun.

What Up, Life?!?: My Awesome Haircut Adventure

Up until high school, I didn’t care how my hair looked – I would do the whole grow it out, then chop it off at the shoulders routine. Slowly, I got used to the idea of paying for a haircut, and getting it styled. Now as a grown-up (hah!) I have been won over to the side of paying $50 for a haircut. First, as a girl, that technically isn’t that much since I only get my hair cut 3 times a year. Second, it makes such a big difference. At these higher-end salons, the stylists not only know what they’re doing they know things such as how to frame your hair to suit your facial structure, and they give good advice on how to style and take care of your hair. Third, the way that the assistants massage my scalp when they wash my hair is worth the price difference

I thought I had booked an appointment with James Joseph Studio, because I had called the number on their website. However, upon arriving there, it turns out I had booked an appointment with James Joseph Salon, which was about 3 blocks away. Thankfully I had arrived early, so I was able to walk really fast and make it to my appointment on time.

My stylist’s name was Mary. She asked me how I wanted my hair did, and I showed her pictures – choppy layers, something that would frame my face. She noted that I had split ends, which devastated me because I have never had anyone tell me that I had split ends before – everyone usually comments on how healthy my hair is. She also said that the hair in the front was thinner than in the back, due to me wearing my hair in a ponytail all the time, and told me that I should not wear my hair up so much.

Then the assistant washed my hair and massaged my scalp, and it felt so nice! Probably the best part of the entire session.

Then Mary cut and styled my hair. It was interesting watching her snip snip snip, and it was really cool seeing my hair transform into something pretty. She styled it using a hair dryer and a round brush, and kapow! My hair went from blah to wow! It was really awesome.

The best part of this haircut, aside from the scalp massage of course, is that it was only $40 (they’re normally $65-100+) and all proceeds went to the Children’s Hospital of Boston (which, I would like to mention, is one of the hospitals partnered with Child’s Play). It was part of a one-day promotion and salons up and down Newbury Street were participating.

After my haircut, it was a beautiful day so I thought I would walk home. I was kind of enabling myself to go shopping, since all of my favorite stores are on Newbury Street, and right next to James Joseph Salon, Banana Republic was having additional 30% off sale items. So, I ended up going on a small shopping spree and bought the following:

- Tank top ($15) (BR)
- Polo for my brother ($16) (BR)
- Juicy Couture skirt ($40) (Filene’s)
- Cute short sleeved plaid top ($20) (Filene’s)
- Marc Jacobs tote ($10) (Marc by Marc Jacobs)

I then walked through the Public Gardens to get home – I love living in Beacon Hill <3

I then went to church, which was bittersweet. The pastor for the evening services that I attend, Daniel Harrell, is moving to Minnesota to be senior pastor for a church there. He has been serving at Park Street for the past 23 years – almost for as long as I’ve been alive! It was cool hearing the many stories during his time here, and how many people lined up to hug him goodbye at the reception afterward. In the short time that I’ve been going to Park Street, I know I’ve been encouraged by his teachings and entertained by his sense of humor, and he will be greatly missed.

So a busy day full of exciting things! Now back to studying, although I do have ROFLcon to look forward to this Saturday <3

~Jen

What Up, Harry Potter?!?

Last Thursday my friend Bryan and I went to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science. We probably chose the worst day to go in terms of weather, as it was pouring buckets, but we also chose the best day to go because there were hardly anyone in the exhibit.

When we entered, it was really cool cause they had a pretend Sorting Hat so people could get “sorted” into the house of their choosing. It was really adorable watching two twin brothers get sorted into Gryffindor. (Two other girls got sorted into Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw)

The exhibit was amazing! The first part felt like Disneyland – we walked into this room, they showed a short intro film, and then these doors opened and whisked you into the exhibit, with smoke and the train from the movies. The walls were lined with paintings of professors, some were videos so they were moving around.

There were so many props, all which were used in the movies. Here are some of my favorites:
- The wizard chess pieces (they had a knight, rook and pawn)
- Victor Krum’s costumes (from the ball and quidditch)(I have a crush on Victor Krum :B)
- All of the wands (I think my favorite was Snape’s)(his stuff had an Asian flair to it which I thought was pretty cool)
- The beds from the Gryffindor dormitories
- The prop dragon (they only had the head and the neck), who I affectionately named Bobo (if I had my way, all red dragons would be named Bobo)
- The death eater’s costumes were fascinating in a terrifying way

The giant clown jack-in-the-box was terrifying, even moreso than the giant spider.

Parts of it were interactive as well:
- You could pull mandrakes from pots that actually screamed (ugh)
- Quaffles that you could throw through hoops (me and Bryan dominated)
- Hagrid’s armchair that you could sit in (ginormous, obviously, and very comfy)

It was such a well-organized exhibit – Bryan and I were there for over an hour and it didn’t feel like it at all! I would recommend the audio tour as well – it was really cool hearing the people involved talk about their experiences and how they made the decisions that they did. It really submerses you into their world. I commented to Bryan, “Why are people getting depressed about Avatar? If people are going to be depressed about a place not existing it should be the Harry Potter universe, not Avatar.”

Their next stop is Toronto I believe; if it ever reaches your part of town I highly recommend it.

What Up, #tmh28?!?

Elisa (@cephalopod_gal) and I (@hugparty) are HUGE fans of Tweet Meet Harder, a weekly podcast hosted by Malki ! and Kris. They usually interact with the Twitter by having people use the hashtag #tmh(ep number) so they can easily search for responses.

Their most recent podblast (as they like to call it) was this past Wednesday, and it was supposed to start at 10pm EST, but for reasons later disclosed to us it was delayed until 10:40pm. While Elisa and I were waiting, we had the following conversation:

Jennifer says: yikes it’s almost 11. thanks for nothing #tmh28
Elisa says: stupid tmh28
Elisa says: just full of broken promises
Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who says he’ll call but never does
Elisa says: oh man

and thus, we started a little meme that we later coined “tmh28 is the guy who…”

I would just like to say that we did not know the reasons for the delay; it was not our intention to give Malki and Straub crap about the delay (and hearing the reason, it was completely understandable). This was just in jest and there was no malicious intent. We were just trying to kill time while waiting for Tweet Me Harder to begin.

With that being said, here are the rest of ‘em:

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy who always says “we should do something” but always has other plans when you actually try

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who hits on all the girls in the bar when he’s on a date with you

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy who borrows your DVDs and then lends them to other people you don’t even know

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who invites his obnoxious jerk friends to things he has no business inviting them to

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy who eats all the strawberries on the fruit platter
Jennifer says: LOL

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who gets wasted and then throws up all over your bathroom

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy who looks through your medicine cabinet and uses it to make awkward conversation in front of everyone at your expense

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the one who flirts with you and then makes out with your best friend

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy who “takes you out to dinner”, encourages you to order the most expensive things while he does as well, and then sticks you with the bill

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who’s all nice to you when you’re alone, but then makes fun of you when he’s around his friends

Jennifer says: man tmh28 is going to suck now cause it won’t be anywhere near as awesome as this exchange
Elisa says: yeah…. i think we accidentally ruined it for ourselves

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who asks if you can drive because his license got suspended when he got a DUI

Elisa says: tmh28 is suddenly the boyfriend that you’re still with because you’re used to being with him, but not because you really love him

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who forgets your birthday and then tries to apologize by buying you flowers the day after

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who stops talking to you for no good reason

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy who says “FML” if they got his coffee
order slightly off
Jennifer says: and then goes off on the barista, yelling at him loudly in front of everyone and causing a scene

Elisa says: tmh28 is such a douche

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who talks loudly on his cell phone and discusses things that should not be discussed in public around strangers

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy in the row in front of you at the movies who is texting the whole time
Jennifer says: tmh28 is also the guy sitting behind you that constantly kicks your seat
Elisa says: tmh28 is basically everyone else at the movie theater because let’s face it, most other people at the movies suck

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the person in class who asks stupid questions that they would know the answer to if they had just read the assigned materials before class

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy who tries to outsmart the professor in the middle of class

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who asks if he can take a drink from your water bottle and then proceeds to drink all of it

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy that never returns your pens!

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who always stares at your boobs when you’re having a conversation

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy who always hugs you a little too long and when you try to talk about it to all your friends, they all just think he’s a great guy and you’re overreacting

Elisa says: tmh28 is the guy that doesn’t replace the toilet paper when he uses it up

Jennifer says: tmh28 is the guy who showers twice a week D:

~Jen(nifer)

What Up, Life?!?

Yikes I have been neglecting this blog. Sorry guys! It’s just that my life has been pretty uneventful – school is keeping me busy. Here’s some snippets of what I’ve been up to lately that isn’t horribly boring:

- Saw Zombieland with Paul which was AMAZING. Everyone needs to go see it, even if you don’t like zombies. Jesse Eisenberg is adorable and Woody Harrelson was hilarious.

- A guy at a bar tried to set me up with his friend who turned out to be a classmate of mine! That was pretty funny.

- I went to the Silk Road Gala, which is a benefit gala for the Asian-American Task Force Against Domestic Violence. 5 of the top local chefs provided Asian-themed cuisine which was amazing. I wish I could have eaten more. There were 5 different types of curry, duck, pork, noodles, sashimi, shrimp dumplings, and the most amazing apple-type desserts a girl could ask for. There were live and silent auctions, and my one regret is not having any money to bid on the stuff. A private dinner by Ming Tsai and friends went for $33,000!! O_O It was a great evening and I feel honored to have been invited (even if I was a backup heehee).

- Last Saturday I went to Haymarket to buy some produce. I love that it’s so inexpensive and so close to my apartment. <3 I bought some pears, apples, and tomatoes for $4! What a deal. It was also fun hanging out with Vatsady, who lives so close to me! It's nice having friends who live close by and likes to do stuff. Vatsady also took me out to Quincy, which was my first time in the city. We went to this delicious Japanese restaurant and I had an unagi rice bowl which was delicious. (In case you couldn't tell, my life kind of revolves around food)

- Finally, I started a new project: The 365 Toy Project. Basically I take a (creative) photo of my toys every day for a year. I feel like I have a hard time following through with long-term things, and I felt like this was a good way to help me develop that. Plus, any excuse to play with toys is fine with me ^_^ You can see my progress here, and there’s a link to the RSS feed on the bottom. Also, I try to update my progress on my Twitter, which is also a good way to follow my random ramblings.

This weekend is Halloween, which I am so excited for! I’m dressing up as Shaun of the Dead and my cricket bat should be here either today or tomorrow. Squee!

~Jen

The One Good Thing About Tuesday

On Tuesdays, I have class from 4-9:30pm. It’s very difficult to focus because by evening I’m starting to get tired and would rather be at home.

However, after Internet Law, I head over to Burger King and buy myself some onion rings as a reward for getting through class.

Sometimes I also get a burger (depending on whether I had dinner earlier), but there’s always onion rings that I devour pretty quickly once I get home. ^_^ I know BK isn’t the most glamorous of places, but greasy onion rings are great! Plus they usually have to cook a fresh batch since I guess no one else wants onion rings at 9:30pm on Tuesdays (I know, wtf!) YUM.

~Jen

What Up, Memories?!?

Every once in a while I thought I would share with you a good memory from my past – this is a photo of me and my brother on the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland in 2005. I love Disneyland and wouldn’t mind going every year. It really is a happy place and I always have tons of fun. I owe a lot of that to my younger (but taller) brother Benedict, because he’s a good sport and lets me pick most of the rides we go on :]

~jen

What Up, Codenames?!?

So apparently I am to give codenames to my classmates if I’m referencing them. So let’s say my friend “Laser” said some stuff that I wish I hadn’t heard today – let’s just say he decided to talk about temporary sterilization and his “cycle.” And when he asked me if I was glad that I was in this conversation I told him that I would blog about this, and he thought it was cool that I had a blog (hah. hah.). And I would have walked right by the three of them because I am unobservant like that – but thankfully they aren’t. Or I guess, considering the content of the conversation, that maybe I shouldn’t be so thankful.

~jen

What Up, Birthday?!?

Last Friday was Emily’s birthday, and we went out to celebrate of course! It was good times. I met up with everyone at Hong Kong, the most inappropriately named bar as it is one of the whitest bars ever. There is nothing Hong Kong about it at all. It’s a fun place though, because the food is pretty okay (and inexpensive), and there’s karaoke which always makes things more fun.

We then went to The Place, which was really nice. It is always nice seeing my 1C friends, especially since I don’t have classes anymore with some of them :[ One small complaint though - the past three times I have tried to order an Old Fashioned, the bar never has bitters. Boo.

This past summer I learned I really don't like going to clubs, and Friday night kind of affirmed that - I don't like club music, don't like the atmosphere, don't like having to dress up. Bars are much more my scene. :]

And now that it’s Monday, back to the daily grind of school and studying. Go me. :]

~Jen

p.s. One thing I’m really excited about that it’s September, which means that it’s risotto season! I love making risotto so I’m looking forward to a month of making nothing but risotto for me and my friends. :]

What Up, Health Care Reform Rally?!?

On Labor Day I went to a health care reform rally in The Commons. It was pretty cool seeing so many people there, and even more that people were engaged in (what I hope and assume to be) intelligent, engaged conversations about the state of our health care in this country. Some people were creative and brought their own signs (like the two above); others received a sign from some of the pro-reform organizations that were present. I had never been to a political rally before, so it was a cool experience, seeing so many people gathered in support of something that they strongly believed in.

One that that did slightly bother me, however, was how some people seemed to use Ted Kennedy to push their agenda. “Do it for Ted!” was chanted for a little bit and that made me kind of sad. However, I felt much better when Representative Michael Capuano spoke what I was thinking – that while this is what Ted Kennedy would have wanted and that while he supports the former Senator’s vision, that who we’re really doing this for is the American people – so that people who are sick can get the care they need and that people can take preventative measures so they won’t get sick.

There was also a march, but I didn’t participate in that – I went to buy a book from Borders instead Karma got me though, as a lady’s cup of Starbucks accidentally spit some really hot coffee onto my shoulder while I was looking at books outside. Thankfully, the shirt was dark gray so no major staining was visible >_> I ended up buying Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman. It wasn’t until after I got home when I realized that it was basically like Predictably Irrational, which my parents have been trying to get me to read for the past year or so. Sorry mom, sorry dad. I should have listened to you.

Anyway, good times on Labor Day ^_^

~Jen