Four Words:

California public transportation SUCKS.

Today, I wrote out a nice, neat schedule of train times for Caltrain and Bart so I could get to San Francisco by 2pm and arrive home by 10pm. I got to Caltrain on time and bought my one-day pass...the train was supposed to arrive at 12:29pm, but it was 5 minutes late. Okay, no big deal. Got on and read for 45 minutes while it rumbled and clanked its way slowly to Millbrae. It arrived 10 minutes later than scheduled...still, not too bad for Caltrain. Bought my round-trip Bart ticket and got on the train. It left on time. After 3 stops, the announcer said there was some problem in downtown SF, so we would have to stand-by for a while. A man who had just stampeded his way onto the train a moment ago with his bike started cursing at the top of his voice. "F-CK THOSE ASSHOLES,WHAT THE F-CK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?" etc. etc. Okay...no problem...just keep reading my book, ignore the crazy man, things should be okay in a bit. After 15 minutes or so, the train restarted, and the man calmed down. Then we got to Daly City, and the announcer said that all trains were going out of service, because the problem in downtown SF had not been fixed. The angry man really had a fit then; I thought his ears were going to fall off the sides of his head, they were so red. He charged out and down the escalator yelling curses to the California transportation systems, and the rest of us followed him into the station. Everyone was crowded around a lady guard in her glass booth, clamoring to ask questions, and she kept impatiently trying to shoo us away. When I got to the front, I asked her what other alternatives there were to get to Civic Center, SF, and she said either take a taxi or take the bus. Just then, a woman tapped me on the shoulder and said if I was going to Civic Center, I could follow her, since her destination was only 2 stops away from mine, and she knew the area well. She said we'd have to take the #28 bus, then transfer to a different street car, then transfer to the Muni BART. It sounded really confusing, so I just took her word for it and followed her to the bus stop.
She was an angel...probably in her late 40's, looked Vietnamese with dark skin and dark hair tied back. As the bus was pulling in, she realized I didn't have a bus ticket, so I ran back into the station and got one as quickly as possible. Pelting back, I saw her waiting at the doorway of the bus, to ensure I would make it in time. She guided me through the insane maze of buses (which took at least an additional hour), waiting for me every time we exited or boarded a new car to make sure I was okay. She stayed with me until her stop had arrived, and then asked me if I would be okay before she left. There are some people in this world who are just so, so nice.

Later in the afternoon, I was sitting in Le Boulange across from the park in downtown SF, people-watching with a friend. In the span of 10 minutes or so, we saw: a dog so covered with black dreadlocks that it looked like a walking mop; a woman in a bubble-gum pink mini-dress that looked like it belonged on a Barbie doll; and a man carrying a jacket-ful of multi-colored ukeleles, waving them in the faces of anyone who so much as made eye-contact with him. I think he was trying to sell them.
Oh...I've missed San Francisco...

At first I was going to cut dinner short to get to BART on time, but then my friend offered to drive me directly to the Caltrain station in Millbrae. This seemed like a good plan, giving us time to order dessert and take a walk, but then things started going wrong on the way back. I think my terrible sense of direction and habit of getting lost wherever I go is contagious...in any case, somehow we managed to get lost, circling around until finally we found the station. It didn't help that his GPS system kept turning off every time I touched it (??). I could see my train on the tracks, and just as we pulled into the parking lot, it zoomed away, leaving us in a trail of steam...it was so dramatic, like a movie scene. Stupid Caltrain...you're 5 minutes late when I get there early, and you're 2 minutes early when I get there on time.
My day had a happy ending though, because my friend drove me home even though he lives in SF, and I got to see a pretty sunset, purple flowering trees, and listen to a radio report about sea turtles on the way back. Like I said, some people are just so, so nice.

Anyways, the moral of the story is: California public transportation SUCKS. Avoid it at all costs.

Rooster on the Loose!

As I'm walking home today on Saratoga-Los Gatos, who should I spot rustling and bouncing around in the undergrowth but a rooster! (Actually, I'm not positive whether he was a rooster or a hen...he seemed pretty masculine to me.) He seemed bewildered by his surroundings, as if he had no idea how he had gotten there. He was also hopping about with great agility and energy.
At times like these, I really do like Saratoga...where else would you be able to walk, a highway on one side with cars and motorcycles zooming by, and on the other side...a lost rooster?
Later at home, I told my dad, and he said, "Why didn't you catch it and bring it home so we can eat it?" The absence of my mom and her cooking has clearly driven him to a barbaric and insane state of mind.

Cross your fingers for Team USA tomorrow!

Mei, the dog

These days, my favorite part of the day is exercising with Mei. In the late afternoon when it's not too hot, we walk to the high school (about 2.5 miles), I run laps by myself, we walk laps together, and then we walk back home. Going outside with Mei is sort of like taking a hyper but very well-trained talking dog for a walk. She randomly bursts into running sprints, but as soon as she goes out of my line of vision, she'll stop and wait for me to catch up, and then walk with me till she feels like running again. She's attracted to fire hydrants (but she jumps over them instead of peeing on them, thank goodness) and shiny objects. And if I have to go in a store to use the restroom or something, she'll wait dutifully for me outside, totally reminding me of those cute obedient dogs you see waiting for their masters outside of restaurants.
Yesterday when we were leaving the track, she was complaining to me about how she doesn't like running into her classmates outside of school. "It's just so embarrassing!" she kept saying when I asked her why. "I mean, I associate those people with school, so if I see them outside of school, it's really weird. I don't know what to talk about, it's just really awkward, and I guess mostly if I see someone, I'll just try to avoid--HI JEFFREY!!!" And then she gives a huge wave to some guy in her grade who happens to be walking to the parking lot. He waves back and quickly escapes into his car.
Haha! Ridiculous girl.

The best song to make you want to run like the wind, or in Mei's case, shimmy: Krazy by Pitbull. It makes me SO happy!

Ideal Summer Day :)

breakfast
crossword
scales
watch world cup
lunch
practice
run
shower and stretch
dinner
study japanese
movie
read and talk
sleep

I love summer.

PS. Currently watching Greece vs. Argentina, and wow, the Argentinians are so enthusiastic.
PPS. Greek last names are funny. :)

yikes

Dang. I just watched Up in the Air, and I'm kind of scared. It basically took an ideology that up till now has always been gratifying and inspiring to me, and turned it into something rather frightening. That ideology is--you can work as hard as you want, achieve the most possible with determination, talent, and passion, but in the end, what is success to YOU, if you don't have someone with whom to share it?
Up till now, I've thought, aw isn't that nice, I'm so glad I realized this early on, this is the beauty of humanity, to place our greatest worth in the hands of others. Some people don't get this...other people get it, and then they lose it when life inevitably circles back to themselves. Whenever I am reminded of the fact that the happiness I'm pursuing pushes farther than my own little bubble, that a trophy is nothing compared to a smile, that five standing ovations is nothing compared to running into the arms of a perfect hug, I feel blessed...excited to continue a pursuit of that ultimate happiness.
But...just because you know what to look for doesn't mean you'll find it. It's just one step closer...on a long, long path. I guess with matters like these, you point your feet in the right direction and pray for fate to be on your side.

Father's Day

I woke up at the crack of 8:30am this morning to do the traditional Father's Day breakfast. Made coffee for the first time in my life...I forgot to put the filter basket in, but somehow everything still worked out fine, and apparently the coffee tasted good. Compiled a fruit plate--bananas, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and plums. Note for the future: plums are really hard to cut. I had no idea, never having eaten them. Around this time, my sister stumbled groggily into the kitchen, and I instructed her to eat all of the ugly pieces of fruit that I'd messed up on. Moved stuff to the table, propped the Calvin and Hobbes Father's Day card I made last night up on Dad's place mat. Then we made hash browns, scrambled eggs, and Costco chicken bake. Family meals are a little quieter these days, with Mom in Taiwan, but we manage to fill the void pretty well. I attempted and failed the Sunday crossword...darn you, Will Shortz! Levels of success with the crossword can really make or break my morning.
Then we went to church, and somehow I got signed up to help with the Sunday School, so I spent a couple hours hanging out with little toddlers and watching them learn/play. The whole 2-3 hours was overflowing with cute moments, but here are my favorite:
-The teacher was telling a story, and then she went, "How many of you go to the library?" so they all raised their hands, and then she said, "What is the library for?" and they all went, "Borrow DVD's!!!" Hahaha...whatever happened to reading books??
-During free time, everyone was running around the playground, and I went in the shade to sit and watch them play. I could watch little kids playing forever, I think...it's just so fascinating to me. You can totally predict what kind of person they're going to grow into. Anyways, I was sitting there watching them and laughing, and the littlest boy in the group came running towards me and hid behind a tree peeking out at me. So I went over, and we did a series of scary-movie-esque peekaboos--he'd jump out from behind one side of the tree and I'd scream, then I'd jump out from behind the other side and he'd scream. This turned into him chasing me around the tree, and then I closed my eyes and he went to hide under the slide. When it was his turn to close his eyes, he basically ran after me with his hands over his eyes.
-Later, the same boy recited Eric Carle's "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" book to me. He's so smart and could basically memorize the whole thing, but at one point, he got confused and thought a "mango" was an animal, so he was shouting, "Mango, mango, what do you hear?"
-I was talking to this other kid, and he asked me how old I was, so I said 20, and he said, "Oh, so you're an adult!" Sigh...
-After lunch, the kids all went swarming back to the playground, and this one little boy was at the swings, yelling "AUDREY AUDREY!" at the top of his lungs, and finally a little girl with a pink hat and pigtails came running over, and she got on the swing he was saving for her, and they swung (swang??) together for the rest of the afternoon. And I was thinking, "Man, he is going to make a great boyfriend someday."

Earlier today--
Mei: Dad, what kind of food do you want for dinner?
Dad: Why are you asking me? Are you guys planning on cooking for me?
Mei: Maybe...
Dad: I want to eat out.

love this

Pillsbury Doughboy Dies

It is with the saddest heart that I must pass on the following news:
Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community.
The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and complications from repeated pokes in the belly.
He was 71.
Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin.
Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch.
The grave site was piled high with flours.
Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.
Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes.
Despite being a little flaky at times, he still, as a crusty old man, was considered a roll model for millions.
Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough; two children John Dough and Jane Dough; plus they had one in the oven.
He is also survived by his elderly father Pop Tart.
The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

http://www.greenchair.net/funny/pillsbury-doughboy-dies.htm

NBA Finals

Catching my breath after a super exciting last quarter of the NBA final game, on the couch next to my dad, who is watching one of his Chinese dramas that involve bald men with long ponytails jumping around with swords and talking in an annoying Beijing accent. I'm definitely not what you would call a sports fan, but once in a blue moon, I get really worked up over a particular sporting event. This past winter Olympics, I cried through almost every performance in the ladies figure skating long program...I definitely had a crush on Michael Phelps during his incredible reign in the 2004 Olympics, and I remember staying up consecutive nights with my sister at a hotel in New York to cheer on the Miami Heat when they won the 2006 NBA finals. And of course there was the ceremony for the Euro2008 German soccer team in Berlin, which was simply way too exciting.
So on Tuesday, I was watching the 6th game, Celtics vs. Lakers, and sometime during the middle, one of the LA players made this super fast, impressive layup. It was impressive because he looked really short (well...6'2", I later found out...but it's all relative) and made this gigantic jump up to reach the basket. So I looked him up on the internet and found out all about Jordan Farmar, point guard for the Lakers since 2006, and only 23 years old! He's the youngest player on the team, he started this camp called Hoop Farm that teaches kids to play basketball and be environmentally friendly, spent a week in Israel teaching Israeli and Palestinian kids to play ball together, and makes regular visits to the Mattel Children's Hospital in UCLA.
Also, according to a recent interview, he doesn't drink alcohol. And he has a tattoo on his arm of him and his little sister.

Aww...
So I started rooting for the Lakers...well, I was mostly rooting for him, but he didn't end up playing for more than a couple minutes in the final game. I also really like Ron Artest and Derek Fisher though.
Yay Lakers! (Although honestly, I think the Celtics played better today.)

First Greetings

After 2 hours of figuring out how to customize my background with CSS, so that I can display this very cute elephant drawing as my background, I now have an official blog! Let me explain why I had/wanted to spend so much time trying to wrap my technologically deficient brain around creating this journal:
1) The elephant is a portrait drawn by, drumroll, the patient and detailed trunk of an actual live elephant! See http://www.elephantart.com for more information on this amazing phenomenon!
2) I've always wanted to keep a blog that I would actually update regularly (a few times per week)...unlike my Xanga which, by this point, resurrects itself every 6 months or so. I think this blog means the final permanent demise of said Xanga...oh well, it had to happen someday.
3) I suck at pretty much all things computer-related...the only thing I can do is type quickly. My fingers fly across the keyboard as if they had a mind of their own (thanks, Text Twist). It takes me eons to do anything else though...and that certainly includes activities involving CSS.
4) It's summer, and I'm home. I have the time...why not?
So, greetings from Jennifer's World! I will try my best to keep this as frequently-updated and entertaining as possible. :)