Day...10...nope, I'm just making it up now...

I'm not quite sure if the kitties are doing a good job on the toilet training system or not..I've been on the Litter Kwitter forum trying to get some tips and looks like a lot of people were having bad accidents with their kitties, them not wanting to do their business in the disc. Well, that doesn't seem to be the problem for Niku and Oreo so far but they never do it in the hole when they're on the amber disc! It's always on the side and it's getting really messy and really frustrating with them always doing it at the rim. I read on the LK site that someone had a different method: by taking the green disc, the one with the biggest hole, and duct taped the hole, this will get the kitties to get used to the bigger disc. Then you gradually reduce the litter then slowly cut the tape away to show the water below. That's the method we're trying now, so far so far, not really an accident, there was a bit of a poo accident but I think it's cuz one of the kitties stepped on it..not sure which one though...so far they're actually resting their front paws on the toilet rim! That was my highlight! So I'm gonna follow the method and slowly reduce the litter and see what happens! Fingers crossed..

On another note..I uh..got a job...it's still a little surreal to me...I mean..I actually landed a proper job..with a proper pay..during the economic recession time as well...I don't want to talk about it too much cuz I haven't started yet..and you never know..a lot of things can happen in a week...so I'll brag more about it in a month...

Day 4 or was it 5...

Of my potty training of these two little troubles...I wish I could take some pictures but everytime I go near the bathroom when I hear the scraping of the litter, they freak out and don't do it..or they look like I'm disturbing them..

So far the result has not been too bad. They're still on the red disc, I want them to really get used to it. No accidents yet! I've moved the disc off the floor and set it on the regular toilet now. The kitties don't seem to have trouble jumping onto it which is good. They've also done their businesses, mostly number ones....I did find some number two and I suspect it's Oreo, he seems to be the surprising achiever in this little project. His aim is always in the hole! Not so much for Niku...I'm just happy Niku does it in the disc, anywhere...mostly at the edge...

So I'll give it one more on the disc then we're moving on tomorrow..to the amber stage..with an actual hole...we will see how that goes...

As for my personal life..in the midst of kittie number ones and number twos...nothing too exciting...I have a job interview tomorrow and I am very nervous...I really need this job...well, any job..it's two months to Christmas and I really want to be able to afford something..like a card...heh..
I did get to speak to one of closest and dearest friend! It's been quite some time and it was so lovely to speak to her!!! I miss having great friends...London is a very lonely city...

Niku & Oreo, potty training day 1

Well...at first it wasn't very welcomed to be honest...since our bathroom is so tiny, I didn't think we'd have the room to put the first red disk with the white toilet seat cover on the floor so I decided to just put it on the toilet. Of course I prepared a little steppy step for the kitties so they can jump up. As it turned out they didn't even need it. I put Niku on it first and he sniffed and scratched and looks like he was just about to do it....then he stopped..which really worried me because the last thing I'd want is tor them to withhold their poop. I put Oreo on it and he did the same thing: positioned himself (with the front paws on the rim!) but didn't go..so I thought maybe they're worried or scared or something. I decided to move the transition even slower. I tried to put the whole thing in the litter box they were using. We have a really big one, with a cover. I took the cover off and just used the bottom half. The whole thing, red disk and the toilet seat cover, couldn't really fit in the box, so I took the red disk and only put that in. Note to the wise: I put a litter bag over the litter box because I was anticipating a big mess..and I was right. This is just to make it a little less complicated to clean, while trapping the litter inside the box as well.
First night they were okay. They peed in it, not always in the middle hole but always within the red disk so I'm pretty happy about that. I also gave them both treats whenever I found what they've done. They still wouldn't poop, after three feedings so I was really beginning to worry. Then Oreo jumped in and played a bit then he did! Tiny poop but he did right in the middle hole! I was so proud!!! This morning when I woke up, found more stuff in the disk, both pee and poop, some in the middle, some on the outside but no accident anywhere in the house yet, (fingers crossed) or in the litter box itself. This morning I took the disk out of the litter box, I lay a big litter bag on the floor and put the red disk with the toilet cover on it. The kids are suspicious and no poop have been done yet...but...I think they should be okay!
Honestly I really didn't think Niku and Oreo are smart enough to use it...but maybe they'll prove me wrong...now I'm also thinking about the multi-cat that the Litter Kwitter website offers...reason being everytime when one of them is on it, the other one wants to play in it...so..that's something for us to think about...

To be continued..

Potty train?

so this is what happens when cabin fever hits..I start to come up with crazy idea to torture my pets..oh yeah, I got kittens and they are soooo damn cute!! They're both about 11 weeks old now and just a bundle of joy to be around.
So since I have been having A LOT OF FREE TIME on my hands...I spent most of my time on the Internet. The last time I was this web-focused, I was 16 and we just got internet for the first time at home. But unemployment would do that to ya...you start looking for other unemployed saps like yourself and share your sorrow...so I start coming up with all of these projects. First I was going to sell cookies, then cupcakes, then brownies, and instead of selling them, I just ate them myself and gained a despicable 15 lbs...that I'm still trying to figure out how to lose...
But here's my latest project: I'm going to potty train my kittens! Why you ask? Well..cuz litter stinks..and how cool would it be to tell people, my cats can use the toilet, like that cat on Meet the Parents! And apparently I'm not the only crazy one with the idea, there are plenty of people doing it, even filming the process and put them on Youtube!
So a friend of ours bought the kit for his kittens, The Litter Kwitter. It is a funny looking thing to say the least. It's shaped like a toilet seat with three different inserts, representing different stages. Each stage, the hole in the middle gets bigger and you gradually introduce your kitty to each stage. Look at this cat on the box..I don't know if he looks happy or angry...but man, would you want someone to take a picture of you if you were doing your business?
So I've opened the box, watched the DVD from beginning to end and went to work. I used the first stage, which is just a red disk with no hole. I fill it with litter and put it on the toilet. I put Niku (fuzzy tabby) on it and he was curious enough, scratching away but I don't think he knows what to do. The same time, Oreo (b&w tuxedo kitty) kept playing with Niku's tail...then just when I thought Niku was gonna 'go', I kept saying, good boy, you're so good, he looked at me like i was interrupting him...so he didn't do but he was sitting in a position like he could! So that got me excited...
So for the next 3 - 6 months, Jez and I are going to conquer this obstacle and hopefully we'd never have to deal with litter again. The truth is I don't actually think my kitties are smart enough to use it but Jez has high hope for his boys...

a graduate's woe...

So I graduated on June 26, 2008...and it is now August..and I am still jobless! What is going on!!! I have applied to I think about 45 jobs, I have heard either nothing or saying my "skills are not suitable for the position". I have a degree, I have experience, I'm older, I've even had some CV company "revised" my resume and still I cannot find anything!

This is just getting really depressing...I applied to pretty much anything and everything, I applied even if it said relevant experience required and I don't have any. Then on Tuesday I bit the dust and decided to apply to restaurant/bar jobs and the whole time I'm thinking..I shouldn't be doing this..I don't want to work in restaurants again...and I'm guessing that kinda showed on my face because 8 bars/restaurants, I've heard nothing back, not a peep.

I don't know what to do anymore..Jez said I should just suck it up and do whatever, I'm ready to suck it up but no one will hire me! My teachers said it's a really bad timing, my parents said it's happening everywhere, then how come everyday there are "10,000 jobs available" on all these websites??

We're moving soon, that's more money, I don't want Jez to take care of everything, not to mention I'm just bored out of my mind, I don't have any motivation to do anything, not even bake! Sigh..I really needed to vent, it's just all so depressing...

I'm posting my CV and cover letter on this..if anyone has ANY tips to give me..please..well, that is if anyone even reads these stuff...ahhhhh

Cover Letter:

Dear Mr/Miss/Ms __________,

My name is Tiffany Chang and I am a recent graduate on the market for a position in fashion (merchandising, buying or marketing) but as well non-fashion related positions specializing in customer service, sales, marketing, branding, advertising and food/drinks related sectors.

I believe I would be a good asset to any company as I am a diligent and conscientious individual with a lot of experience in a variety of workplaces. My skills are as follows:

· Intelligent, well-presented, organized, and adaptable person, with solid qualifications and a comprehensive skill-set, underpinned by
many years of work experience in environments demanding self-motivation and a focused approach.

· Capable of working without supervision and willing to assume additional responsibility, as well as a committed team player, with
leadership ability, which uses high standards of communication skills to establish positive interpersonal relationships.

· Quick learner and willing to assimilate and apply new work procedures.
Familiar with a wide range of IT applications and can be trained for further advance programs.

· Fluent in both Mandarin and English and have been educated in Taiwan, USA, and the UK.

I look forward to hearing from you and please let me know if I can provide any additional information. Thank you very much for taking the time to consider my application.


Sincerely Yours,

Yi Han Chang (Tiffany)

My CV:

Unmarried Partner Visa Experience at the Croydon PEO

so months and months of agonizing over paperworks and compiling evidence together, we finally went to apply in person today and got the Unmarried Partner Visa!!!
I came to this forum and asked for help many times and so many people have helped me out so I'd like to share my experience with everyone so I can help, too!

My status: Student visa, expires in Oct. 31, 2008, I have studied here for three years and just graduated last week.
Boyfriend Status: British citizen, has a full-time job, £30k salary
Couple status: Lived in the same share house for over 2 years, we met in this house as housemates and began a relationship six months after he moved in (our anniversary is June, 2006). We do not have any joint account together but because we are still living in the same house, we both have mails coming to the same address.

Documents we took with us:
Passports (his and mine)
20+ documents per person from June 2006 - June 2008 with names and addresses
School attendance letter and grade book and diploma
Boyfriend payslips
Bank statements (some were mixed in with the 20+ documents)
Finance budget plan
Letters from friends and family
Photos
(These were all in one big binder and in another big binder, I've compiled all the other documents that I didn't think was necessary but I still brought it just in case, all separated by month/year)

Experience at the PEO Office

It is located in West Croydon but we took the train to East Croydon from Victoria Station and it was very easy to find. From the exit, there are signs everywhere leading to the Home Office. The building is called Lunar House, a big, tall, white building, you can't miss it.

At the entrance, there are three lines, two for premium pre booked appointment and one for posted pre booked appointment. Once you stood in line, there will be one or two security guards asking you for appointment time. It is recommended to be there 30 minutes prior to your appointment, we got there about 45 min before and depending on the time of your appointment, the guards will tell you to remain in line or to go inside the building.

Once inside the building, you would go through a security check, like in the airport. Everyone is very nice, I was very surprised but everyone is there to help, not to intimidate.

After security check, another lady will ask you for your time of appointment and see your application briefly, she will then tell you to stand in another line and just wait. We waited about 10 minutes, there were many windows operating so you would not wait that long.

Once you get to the front, you will be told to go to the next available window. This is the reception area and the initial check point. Our appointment was actually on June 30th, we went though all that stuff then got to the receptionist desk and the man asked for our passports. The first thing he said to me was "i need to see you old passport as well" which I did not bring. The reason being my passport expired in 2007 and there were two UK student visas on that from 2005 - 2007 and the new passport only had 2007 so they could not check how many times I came in and out of UK. I was so upset because we didn't even go through the first check point! The gentleman was kind enough to book us another appointment and we were lucky enough it was the next day (which is today).

When I came home, I found my old passport and this time, i decided to bring even more documents, that's why I brought the second binder (mentioned above) and this is basically every single piece of paperwork that I didn't think was relevant, as long as it had addresses, names, and dates on it, I put it in the binder.

So today when we went, we got called to the receptionist desk and it was a really nice lady and the first thing she asked were the application and passports (all 3, old, new, and my boyfriend's). Second thing asked were school papers, grade books, and diploma. She actually has a check list herself so she was just asking for the things listed on that paper. Next she asked for June 2006 paperwork from both of us and compared for a brief minute. She gave all the paper back, gave us a number, and told us to go upstairs and pay and wait.

We then go to the first floor and you would be greeted by a very nice person at the entrance who will look at your number card and send you in. You then stand in line and pay the fee (£595) and they accept all major credit cards.

After you pay, she will tell you to walk to the otherside of the room, which is where everything else will take place (that is the interviewing with case worker, biometric test, etc) and wait for your number to be called.

The room is quite big, red metal chairs and big windows and a few plasma tvs. You would go to the end of the room for the last two windows, Window 6 and Window 7. This is where you register. Your number will be called to one of the windows. Once you go, you give in your application and passport and a nice lady on the other side of the window will register your information on the computer. Takes about 5 minutes. Then she'll return all the paperworks to you and tell you to sit again and wait for your number to be called for the Biometric Test.

The Biometric Test is taken place in Window 1 - 5 which is in another room, a door with a fingerprint on it (HO does have a little bit of humor...). This bit is the easiest: You go in, sit down, fill out a piece of paper asking your name and you sign, take your fingerprints, take your picture, and you're done.

You're back into the big room waiting for your number to be called the third time and this time is with a caseworker. We waited about 20 minutes and got called. This is the bit that was worrying.

The lady was so nice, she didn't talk alot, didn't ask a lot of questions, asked for the application and the passports, typed in some info. Then she asked us to separate documents for 2006, 2007, and 2008 so we did 2 piles for each year, one for him, and one for me. She then asked year by year. She will then look through the paperworks and takes only what she thinks is relevant. She did this for all the years. But here was the tricky part: She wanted even more paperworks because she need from 5 different sources PER YEAR, not 5 sources throughout 2 years, which is what I had. We did not have all those different bills so we only had bank statements, mobile phone bills, TV bills, insurance, etc so I had to dig through my "extra binder" for other documents and just gave her all of 2006, 2007, and 2008 and just let her filter through what she needs.

Last thing she asked for were three months of payslips, just my boyfriend since I don't work. She did not check any other financial documents, not even the nice little budget plan we had prepared. Didn't look at photos, or letters from friends and families.

So keypoint here: Remember to bring EVERYTHING for those two years because you never know what they will look for so just bring all of it.

She then just typed more and didn't say anything to us, smiling once in a while and we were just sitting here going mad..well, i was, my boyfriend was too busy making jokes....she then took my passport, told us she needs to photocopy stuff so she went away for a few minutes. She came back, said to me, everything is fine, you are very organized. Come back and pick up your passport from Window 16 in about an hour. I just looked at her and said if I could touch you..I would hug you...she just smiled and said don't worry, everything is good!

We stayed in the room and waited. The door closes at 4pm and there are no readmittance after 4 so this was about 3:45 when she told us so we just stayed. There is a coffee shop on the 2nd floor to get some refreshments.

We waited for about 45 minutes and they will call your number for one last time and then you will receive your passport with a pretty Resident Permit stamp on it which I did!!!

I skipped out of the building, I was so happy and so relieved because now my bf and I can really relax and live, I can get a job and we can just relax!!

I know this was very long but when I was in the process of preparation, I really wanted to read about people's experience as to what to expect so I hope this helps.

All I can say is be organized, I am incredibly anal so all the paperworks were cross referenced, indexed, separated by dividers, not by year, just by his and mine. We also wrote cover letters but they didn't read them. This organization is really for your sake since they do not take the folders/binders, they ask you for the month/year, and you find it so the more organized you are or seem to them, I think it impresses them as it saves them time as well.

Bring everything and I do mean everything, even if you think it's silly. Even though we brought photos and letters and she didn't read them, we think it's because we were so organized and we had so much, she didn't think it was necessary to ask for more evidence but if you are lacking, just put it in your binder. She didn't even ask us about living situation ( we currently live with 6 other people in a huge 8 bedroom house), all in all, we exchanged about...10 sentences.

I know it's nerve wrecking, I was a mess when I went, praying all the way through and I was nervous till I had the passport in my hands but if you have the two years cohabitation evidence, you are in pretty good hands.

I'm so glad we did it the Premium service in person because 1. We'd have to wait via post and who knows how long that'd take and 2. if we had applied via post and she needed all that extra paperworks, we wouldn't have been able to give it to her so all in all, we were happy we were able to have one-on-one process and I don't think the checking officers are so strict that they can't see a couple who has obviously put through a lot of work into this and not think "this is the couple that is serious".

The people at PEO were exceptionally nice, no BS, straight to the point and I was very impressed.

If anyone has any questions regarding the application process, feel free to contact me, I'll do my best to answer you.

P.S. Don't forget to bring your old passport if it just expired recently!!

Once again, thanks for everyone who helped me and good luck to everyone!

Tiffany

Whoa..March?

It cannot have been nearly 6 months since I've written anything in here...wow..I am lazy...

Let's see..since March, what has happened...

1. Graduated from that damn Marangoni school and got a "Diploma" with a receipt...heh
2. Got my UK resident visa for the next two years so everything worked out well after all..thank god
3. Finally visited the one place I have always wanted to go: Paris!

So yes..I finally graduated and it was no small defeat either. After spewing out some 50 odd pages of my final dissertation, bounded, delivered, and got a shit of a grade..but I did graduate with a pretty good score..and of course, leaves it up to Marangoni to put the wrong grade on my diploma, still need to sort that out but really don't want to visit that damn place..even the smell makes me sick..and the last time a place made me feel that way was..Bliss!

The visa situation was stressful and frustrating and if anyone bothers to read anything I write, I'm going to post my experience in case some people might want to know what it was like. Nevertheless, Jez was there with me through the whole thing and we both were so giddy the day we got it, it was surreal. I can now officially live and work in the Uk for the next two years and if we are still together after that time, we can extend the visa together. Don't really know what the future might hold but it's nice to know that there is someone in my life to face the unexpected.

Paris was amazing!!! Interesting turn of events though...met an exboyfriend from the past and the last contact was six years ago! I was nervous as well cuz you never really know what to expect but it was really good to see him and I think it was the perfect way to end that chapter. There were much regrets the way we ended things and for myself, it was good to see him well and at the same time, feeling that we have both grown up and grown apart of each other. I hope the friendship stays as it is difficult to keep good friends these days..

But Paris..my gosh..I've never seen anything like it, i mean it's not Norway amazing but it was such a beautiful city. I wish I remembered more French though...kinda disappointing that I can barely order food in restaurants! The girly trip was definitely fun and filled with unexpected events, between all the crazies, the cabbie who got lost, naked French man running up our street at 5am then climbing up our window..i had a great time with the gals and got to know more of everyone and we all survived without killing each other, even though there was just ONE bathroom! I will definitely go back but this time...as much as I love my girls..I want to go there with Jez so we can make fun of the French together...

Now unemployed and desperately looking for a job, I've started to think of creative ways to make some money, and this includes selling some of my beloved cupcakes. I've contacted a coffeeshop and hopefully they'll get back to me and I might go visit a few more just to see. I haven't really thought out the logistics but...that'll come later, I think...

oh oh..almost forgot..got myself a bicycle! So i am now endangering myself everyday when I ride on the mean streets of London..and Jez got a bike, too..mine costs 100..his costs 10x more than that..his are shinier than mine..bastard...anyway..might go for a ride together..as gay as that sounds..i might just get a basket and pack a picnic just to really gay it up..=)

alright..gotta go look at some flats now...we're moving on up!!!!

Back from the cold...well, the REALLY cold..Norway trip

I really am bad at the whole keeping the blog thing...

So got back from Norway three/four days ago and the trip was amazing!! I don't really know where to start..for six days, I was in awe of everything I saw! From the moment we stepped off the plane (fabulous Ryan Air...) to the bus to the train to the car...yeah, it was a really long journey...everything around me was beautiful.
So..from the beginning..I was freaking out about the Ryan Air thing since I've never flown on it before. And after extensive research and reading endless reviews on how bad it was, I had no choice since the tickets were already bought and Jez would've killed me if i didn't get my patootie onto that plane...

The flight wasn't half bad! I mean no luxuries but that was expected...and we couldn't understand anything the flight attendant said which made me wonder, in case of emergency...I don't think I can actually follow anything he says! Anyway, the flight was on time and apparently when Ryan Air is on time, they play this little fanfare with the over enthused American accent over the speakers..made me laugh...

After we've arrived in Torp, we had to take a 2hr coach from Torp to Oslo train station, then 4 hrs on the train to Vinstra then another 20 min car ride to the cabin in the mountain. I won't bore anyone with the details of the trip..but one thing has to be made clear..NORWAY IS FREAKING EXPENSIVE!!!!!! We thought this trip was going to be cheap since accommodation was all paid for..but..between all the transportation and food and wine..NORWAY IS FREAKING EXPENSIVE!!!! The public toilet was 10 kronen which equal to about 1 quid and we had a 'lite' lunch at the train station which cost us on average 20 quid a person! So before we even got to the cabin..we've spent about 200 quid...

But it was all worth it..the cabin was beautiful. We were there for Kristian's 30th and his aunt owned the cabin and it was situated about 20 min from the nearest town, which was Vinstra. It was a farming area so all the houses were big and fairly spread apart so no neighbors, no stores, and as one of our cabbie said on one of our car trips, "no one will ever find you here, WAHAHAHAHA"..yeah..needless to say, that freaked us a bit...

The cabin was fully stocked for everything, heated floors, beautiful fireplace, and a gorgeous terrace overlook the mountain. For six days, I could not believe my eyes that I was waking up to such amazing views. I mean I've seen snow but never like this! It was white everywhere and you can see big and small animal prints all around the house. Jez and i were like kids at a playground, throwing snowballs at each other and pushing each other into the snow.

As wonderful as the cabin was, the bathrooms had some problems so boys needed to "relieve" themselves outside so to help things easier, they've dug an urinal...and it was really disgusting by the end of the trip..Jez hid it with snow and I really hope no one falls in it...

I should probably mention I was the only girl on this trip..like the Amsterdam trip..I think I'm start to get really good at lads-only holidays! They were all very polite for the first..12 hours..then everyone was free and easy and did not hold ANYTHING back...lucky me..

Since we were in the middle of nowhere, we played a lot of boardgames..one being Risk..the most violent, volatile, fabulous game I've ever played!!! It was strategic, backstabbing, manipulative, arrogant, and addicting game ever! And with the endless amount of vodka shots passing around the table..emotions ran high and some words were exchanged..but it was all for good fun. We're thinking about getting one for the house..to "bond" us together..heh..

We took one day out and went to the ski resort but only two people skied and snowboarded, the rest of us had a little trek, which ended up us getting lost..but it was still for good fun..knees deep in snow..

We went to this hotel called Wadah (wadahdahdadah....god I'm lame..)and they had this amazing buffet spread with five types of salmon and grilled reindeer?? Everything was so good and we were expecting this huge price tag but it was actually reasonable.

The rest of the trip was very docile, we were all very proud that we all acted like adults and didn't trash the cabin, we were all very calm..kinda..except when playing Risk..and we all cleaned and helped out..i think my mother would have been very proud..

The end of trip should have been peaceful...but it was a bit of adrenaline rush..it goes like this: There were only four of us left on the last day and my visa expired at midnight and the three of us needed to catch the last coach to Torp for our flight. Except we have miscalculated the time and by the time we rushed to the bus station, we were 2 minutes late. We grabbed the first taxi driver we saw and he wanted 300 pounds for the journey!! We basically said that was impossible but we would like him to drive like a mad man and catch the bus before it got to the next stop. We were so worried that the driver was going to mess with us cuz he wasn't driving particularly fast but we actually caught the bus! Ian saw it on the highway and the cabbie went for it, the second the bus stopped, we stopped behind it and Jez threw me out of the car so i can run up to the bus driver and ask him to wait..it was pretty exciting..I think the rest of the bus was laughing at us..or annoyed...

So all in all..it was a great trip, no computers, no tv, no facebook, just snow, wind, good friends and good wine. I don't know when I'll be able to visit Norway again..maybe when I've made a lot of money...since this trip has nearly bankrupted all of us...but I'd recommended it to anyone!

February already..and illness strikes..again

goddammit..it's only the second month of the year and I've been sick god knows how many times already! You'd think I'd be used to this bloody weather already but no...the second that cold winter breeze hits my face like a ton of bricks, I'm forced to spend the next week in bed coughing up my lungs...not a nice feeling.

School is a pain, as usual, I wonder if the fabulous Istituto Marangoni will ever shape themselves up. Now they can't decide whether or not I'm even doing a dissertation, even though I've been doing one since the beginning of the year, now the "director', if you can really call her that, wants to follow the Italy method in which I don't understand how come she didn't figure this out in the beginning of the year?! Anyway, I'm too tired to deal with the messiness of this school but it is funny to see how other students are starting to understand just how incredibly stupid this school really is and that they're after our money, not more, not less. I actually had a great dream a couple of weeks ago that I became the director of the school, basically went in and fired everyone I think that are slacking off, or the ones that are sleeping with students, male and female...and totally reshaped the school. I can probably do a pretty decent job as well...better than what that stupid woman has been doing in the last five years or so, sitting in her "office" taking ridiculous pictures of herself for Facebook, i mean, does she not read the papers? "Do not put pictures of yourself that can affect your current job on Facebook!" Guess she didn't get the memo that day...anyone interested, her name is "Ana Nikovska" with an open profile on Facebook and yes, that puckered up "look at me, i have a barret in my hair and i'm so cute even though I'm past the age of 30, perhaps I should have a pose that demands some respect" woman is indeed my director of the school...

Lately has been interesting..have been visited by the ghosts of the past..been getting in touch with some people that I have lost contact with for many years..it's a strange feeling, it's exciting and yet frightening. With some, it's simply wonderful to catch up, especially the ones I didn't get to see before I left California, and to realize just how old we have gotten and how much we all have changed and we now look at the young 20s and laugh and think "this will all happen to you..can't avoid it..just embrace it..", and others bring up some unpleasant memories that I didn't realize had a permanent effect on my till it was brought on again..memories, funny thing that is..never really goes away, it just been tucked away in a little corner in your head but the second a smell, a song, an item, can bring you back to that exact moment, that moment where you cried your heart out, or the moment you laughed like you've never laughed before...

mother proudly reminded me that I'd be 30 in two years...damn that woman..but that's probably why I'm trying to hold on to a little bit of the "good" past...proves that I did indeed have led a pretty damn fabulous and eventful life...of course shit had happened but..the whole,what doesn't kill you make you stronger is a damn accurate testament...

i think i need some chocolate chip cookies...

it's that time again!

yes..I mean January..so it's endless of New Year resolutions and not keeping them..and of course..I make the same one every year like every other women - i need to go on a diet! So it's six months until I have to go back to Taiwan and I've gained back 5 kg so i've signed up with a trainer AGAIN and started going out to the gym AGAIN...it's been about a week and god, you wouldn't think that after four months of being out of the gym, it would be THIS hard to get back into it! I am so sore...and it's Friday night and I have absolutely no energy to do anything but to sit and veg out..

i'm even too tired to write the rest of what i was thinking...