Spring Break

"We should show life neither as it is or as it ought to be, but only as we see it in our dreams."

Count Leo Tolstoy

Productively sluggish best describes the last 8 days away from school.

What a strange break, it was. I had two choices: treat it like summer vacation or to treat it as a couple days off from school. Though reality was the latter, my choice was somewhat in between, or both I could even say. Mentally, the break seemed like it lasted on and on but the things I completed in a short amount of time would typically be found in a longer break. Here are some of those things:

• Cycling to Morgan Hill, California and back.
  56.4 miles
  
  Yes, I've done it again--biking far distances but with Derek. My middle name should be Jimmy "Crazy" Ly. Works well, too, because my last name makes it an adverb! This trip was special in that it was a city to city trip, from the San Jose (Milpitas, really, for my case), with nothing in between. Just rural the rural plains and ranches of California for miles, grasslands, trees, and whatnot.
  
  Picturesque outskirts of San Jose, highway 101 lies in the background.
  
  
  Our trail cutting through the untouched parts of nature, with Derek in for a shot.
  
  Picture of me in the middle of nowhere.
  
  Here and there, we passed by some few ranches that I never knew existed.
  
  
  And our destination! Morgan Hill, thumbtacked in purple on the map way above this post.
  
  The way back, racing the sun to San Jose city limits. Unfortunately, it beat us by almost half an hour.
  
  
• Downtown Job Hunting
  I went down and dropped off at two locations my resume, which I also completed within this break period. Notice the picture contrasts greatly with what I did the day before. The quote starting this post was found on a whiteboard as I was seeking applications in an office on my hunt.
  
  
• Outdoor Photography in the Rain
  First time. :)
  
  
• Completing Homework
  With Abby, Kimbo and Amy. The math gang, as I like to call it.
  
  
• Submitted a Statement of Intention to Register (SIR), Created a UCLA E-mail
  And rejected all others. UC Davis' was the most painful, because I loved the campus.
  
  I guess UC Irvine really wanted me in. ;) It had, one of the worst websites to navigate around, taking me 20 minutes just to find the SIR. I ended up googling it to find the form, and a friend even called me to ask where I had found it. Anyway, I now have a [USERNAME]@ucla.edu email address that I love.
  
  
  
• Finished a Pushed-Back Scholarship
  I've procrastinated a bit too much. Glad it's over with.

And that's it. Quite a bit for a week.

Photo courtesy of Justin Beck

And that was supposed to be me on the 10th of April, but plans were canceled because I had no ride nor energy to haul my butt on the subway that early. I'm hoping next week would change that.

"Get Outta My Way; I'll Run You Over!"

What happens to impatient drivers:

The End.

Moral of the story: Don't race to beat the pedestrian. You're in a car; they're walking. Or universally: Don't be a jerk.


Justice is served.

North or South

Graduation Exit
Only 54 days away.


Hm. I love Northern California's temporal climate and nature-like urban setting, but Southern California's calling.

Guess I'll just stay in my lane.

I'll miss you, NorCal!

Define Yourself

There's a fine line between a jerk and a lovable rogue,
between like and love, hate and contempt,
between bare and naked, restless and active,
between to see and to watch, and to strive and to go beyond.

They all wear the same mask. Just dig a bit deeper and scratch a bit harder and a line will come forth.

Waiting Sucks

For all you pedestrian rights advocates...


This man certainly knows how to cross roads: Just do it.


I don't wait for cars to stop, because they're supposed to wait for me. If they manage to almost clip me, I try to kick the car. But so far, no car has ever been that close for me to be able to do that. In the meantime, I managed to perfect my skills at getting cars to stop before crosswalks. As long as I'm in it, the law's on my side.

1) Cross, just step on the crosswalk immediately when there's sufficient opening between cars.
2) Pretend not to notice the car approaching, but stay alert whether or not it's going to stop by staring at the corner of your eye, ready to dodge.
3) Continue.

If a driver is accelerating to beat you, stop where you are to avoid being run over, and point and glare at the aggressive driver. Kick hard, real hard, if necessary. ;)

Something in the Mail

"Look at the sky, look at the sky!" his eyes shouted.


I have a horrible cold, and winter made me run through the rain today.

Thanks, summer, for sending your skies to cheer me up.

Figure Skating

It's beautiful!
But it's also hilarious.
Just stop time and you'll see what I mean.


Ladies and gentlemen...

Like this!

What?

Sorry, I meant this.

Most are funny. Others are just..

"Ew!" /shivers
(All pictures belong to their respective owners and copyright holders.)

Beautiful Haru (Spring)

I guess those darn groundhogs were right after all. In my backyard, the first few blossoms are budding to mark a time of goodbyes and beginnings. Spring to me is a time of psychological cleansing. It's when I stop, reflect back, and recall memories of the entire year. Gotta' lock them up and keep them safe, and clear them out to make room for more.

February 7, 2010

February 11, 2010

February 13, 2010

---------

February 13, 2009