iowa state university, ames

I've kept putting off blogging about ISU that I just realized I've already been here a week! So far, we've bought all the necessary things to make our rooms more like home, explored TWO Wal Marts, bought our bicycles and explored campus. Orientation week isn't too bad too considering we have a lot of free time on our hands. And YES I'm still loving every single moment here.

Cycling. I've been doing it for 3 days now, and honestly in those 3 days I've cycled more than I have in 10 years! In fact I can't even remember when was the last time I cycled back home. Plus I don't remember cycling to be this tiring or maybe it's just old age. Yesterday, Tim took us for a really big round to get to Gerdin Hall that I have to say Carien and I were basically half dead by then. I've yet to take a picture of the 9 of us on our bicycles and probably never will.

What next...what next...? Oh yeah my apartment. Okay well, my apartment is really looking a lot like home. It's still only me and Tricia but with Tricia's love for decorating things the apartment really does look like home. We even have aroma therapy scent sticks in our toilet which smells good. I love her room too. It looks so cozy and just gives you the feeling that you can curl up anywhere and just go to sleep. The kitchen is divine and I love how Tricia put the floral arrangement on the island. Seriously she's so good at decorating the apartment, I might just let her loose in my room too.

My room. Well I have to admit it's very basic but I seriously love my bed. I'm glad I bought that Dorm Collection linen set from JCPenny because my bed is so comfy, I'm thinking of simply hibernating in it the whole winter. The view from my room is nice too, well at least I think so. I just wish I could pile my bed with more pillows, but no rush. I really should get a cushion or two though.

Anyway here are pictures. Yup I'm stopping here because my brains are all jumbled up with so many things to tell and it just can't seem to choose, which to tell. So pictures are better...really.

Campanile

Memorial Union Building

This is where they have a list of names for the soldiers from Iowa who died beginning from WWI to the recent Iraq War. They also have this circle with the 12 zodiacs after the door of the main entrance, which is meant to be bad luck if you were to step on it :) so just in case, we walk around it. It really wouldn't hurt to follow superstitious traditions :)

Our kitchen.

We actually have everything and seriously it's a real big comfort for me.

My attempt to a home cooked dinner.

Our bathroom.

I really love those scented sticks between the 2 hand basin. It smells really good.

And finally my room!

With its PINK sheets

Oh yeah...and me cam whoring with Babe's cap.

I'm in iowa!!!!

I'm loving every second in Ames! To be back from something so long ago that now only seems like a long ago dream is fantastically awesome! I love the place and everything...

Updates soon to come...

This is my year...08.08.08 (Part II)

Well this post is pretty much very late in the day. But then again it's me and I've always been known for postponed entries which have been reserved a place in advance. So here is the very much belated birthday girl's entry.

Nothing interesting happened during the day. Got tons of birthday wishes on my phone by the time I woke up, and mom gave me the traditional birthday kiss (whenever I'm home for my birthday) and that really was it. If it were up to me, I would have to say that my birthday really only kick started when I slipped away during the evening after another round of stress baking to meet Babes, on the pretext of tapau-ing dumplings :)

Since I've already celebrated my birthday dinner the night before (dad had to go away on business on my birthday) and Jill and Joel came over to celebrate, I decided to conduct one of my kitchen experiments - Cheese baked rice with pork and teriyaki sauce. I know it sounds fancy but it really was actually very easy. We then had dinner and cake while watching the Olympics opening ceremony because mom said it was a special occasion so we'll just ignore the rules for once. So two special dinners for the birthday girl - seafood for the birthday eve and tv dinner on the birthday itself.

But anyway the most fun I had was hanging out with the two Bs after sending Jill back home. It's been years since I've actually hung out with Babu and ages with Brian. I really did have a great time with them hanging out at the (get this) Borneo Headhunter Pub. We drank, talked, joked, laughed and watched the olympics opening. It was so good just to be with them again. And I have to say, I did get pretty tipsy that night, but all was good *grins*.

After drinks we went for supper, where Arthur and his friend joined us for a while. Again it was another whole round of laughter especially since I was amazed how my noodles had char koay in it. Besides I was still having that euphoric feeling in me from the booze. 

The supper

Finally got home at about 2.30am. Gave Brian a giant bear hug for arranging a fun night for me on my birthday. Wish I could have done the same for him, but that was the day I flew off to KL. I guess I'll try and stay back until his birthday next year so I can try and give him a kick ass birthday too. Thanks Bs! You guys really are the best!

The two Bs (Babu and Brian)

Oh! And the birthday celebration didn't just stop there! The next day, babes practically gave up his whole day to celebrate my belated birthday with me. He decided that it was a day to drive me to all the places I wanted to go before I left and eat whatever food I wanted, to last me until next year. 

The car that made my day even more lucky

So this year really is my year. Birthday celebration was simple and nice, but it really was more than I had expected. Thanks everyone!!! I love you all...

This is my year...08.08.08

Yes, this is definitely my year! I mean how many times would you celebrate your birthday on such a date? It doesn't matter that I have to celebrate it a day earlier, since Dad has to go away on business on that day, the fact that my birthday is to be on a date that only comes every 100 years (I only thought about that) is reason enough to be excited.

Being the perasan-ted brat I am...I always knew I was born on a date considered auspicious to the chinese. Heck! They even decided the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony to be on the annual celebration of my birth. That just shows how great that date is this year. I'm betting that tomorrow would be a day filled with wedding cars on the road, another reason to it being lucky (someone once told me it was lucky to see a wedding car with the newlyweds inside).

Thinking about it, it's funny how last year while we were talking about the date 07.07.07, I made a joke about either getting hitched or engaged on 08.08.08. I later changed my mind about it because of the thought of my birthday being over shadowed. Plus not that I have a boyfriend to do any of those things anyway. LOL!

So far this has really been a great year for me...and when I mean great year that means college, social life (yes, I have one to those of you who are bound to laugh at that) and of course finacially. And since this is my year, I really hope the luck continues. Most of all I hope my birthday wish actually does come true as well.

Next big thing for the year...IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY August 13th!!!!

Batman - The Dark Knight

For those of you who are yet to watch the latest Batman movie, then you definitely should put it down on your must-watch-movie list. Then again, with it being top at the Box Office would obviously already put it down as almost everyone's must-watch-movies.

The movie gets into the fighting scene quite fast, which is a relief since most movies normally drag this part to begin somewhere in the middle of the movie. Then being the money lover I am (well I love money in a healthy enough way), I did feel the pinch to see the huge pile of money being burnt.

In a nutshell, the movie is very much a tribute to Heath Ledger. His role as the Joker was played to perfection, that it's such a sad waste that he passed away at the height of his acting career.

I just don't get why Batman talks in that raspy voice? Sure I read the article, but it was explained in such an unsatisfactory way. So yeah, if there's one thing I want explained about the movie it'll be about Batman's voice. And please don't say it's to hide his identity, that would just be too frustrating.