What can I say. I found out today that doing something for others is something really rewarding. Like my friends said - I'm pretty weird, most people could survive with tv and internet, but for me, I was just bored of it. I ended up getting some presents, and Xmas cards too, and helping with some housework. Hopefully, everyone here that I know will enjoy their Christmas! =D

What can I say. The final week of UCSC has past. Having to spend most of this afternoon by myself helped me reflect on the times that I enjoyed here. Pics later! What did I do on the final week? Here's the list:

• After waiting for a week, I finally got my exam - it was easier than what I had expected, could be a good/bad thing haha.
• Celebrated Kana's Birthday
• Went to a farewell pizza party
• Attended a small gathering late at night.
• Cooked instant Yakisoba

• There are certain types of personalities I like hanging around with, no matter what their background - usually people who are warm, and with a touch of innocence.
• People that I don't like hanging around with: people who are just arrogant, by always thinking of themselves rather than others (self explanatory)
• Although being money conscious is good to survive, you can't enjoy life if you don't spend some.
• No matter how trivial a promise is, it is still a promise, and you should follow it out anyway.
• Miscommunication is always an issue - we just have to minimise it.
• Goodbyes are not forever losing someone, rather, it is more the beginning of something more.
• I'd like to avoid loneliness if possible, I'm just realising the aftermath effects of it, after seeing people just a day ago!

• If it wasn't for UCSC, I wouldn't have participated Modern Dance. It has been really fun participating there, and I have met some cool people, like Sam and Janey! I can confirm how unco I am now.
  
• Working at the soup kitchen was a new experience for me also. Just knowing that being there, can make a difference to someone, and it has slightly changed my view to those people that live on the streets. Doing that subject has allowed me to meet people like Bee, Anita, and Sujin well. It was also my first time doing painting too.
  
• Having people come over and appreciating the breakfast that I make is something that I want to take further. I realise how much I love cooking now, and I'm determined to learn more from mum!
• Actually understanding the American way of life - not so much in Santa Cruz, but when I was in LA, the fast paced way of life was a real eye opener for me.
• The friendships made - nothing can describe this as I never thought I would be close to people since it was only a 3 month period we spent together. I'm just glad that the world is so connected nowadays, that it's easy to meet up with people. It's always cool to find people from different countries that have common interests too. Who would've known? Tatsuya, and his otakuness being one of them =P
  

Wow, week 12 already. I skipped last week, as the only interesting thing was LA =P. Time sure flies over here. It was basically the last week I could spend with people. So what happened over the past week? Here's a quick summary:

• Took heaps of pics
• Last round of classes
• Christmas College night
• Attended the farewell party - exchanged notes with people that I knew.
  
• Went to DDR with David - he's pretty good!
• Chilled out with Kelvin with Gundam vs Gundam on PSP.
• Made an Aussie brekky for a few friends.

Hello guys! How is everyone doing? I hope all is well. Week 10 now, it's almost the end of the quarter with Thanksgiving day around the corner too. I basically did not get up to much this week, due to assignments slowly catching up and getting the better of me. Next week should be more interesting perhaps! Here is a quick summary of the week:

• Assignments - they're just so annoying!
• Went to the Italian Culture night, had homemade pizza and tiramisu, check the pics below!
• Had sushi again at totoro! Had some pretty decent sushi too, check the pics.
  
• Spent all of the weekend help painting a soup kitchen's kitchen. Before and after pics below as well.

Homemade pizza, Italian style! It was pretty good I must say...
a lot better than Dining Hall haha.

Homemade Tiramisu!

Me and Marin at a random dining hall night.

Dragon Sushi at Sushi Totoro!

Sujin, Alice and me at soup kitchen

Before

After

Anita and her crew that helped with painting.

Week 9, 5 weeks to go! OMG. Time flies! It only just felt like I last blogged yesterday. I've had an alright week, assignments getting the better of me nowadays. I'm still trying to enjoy every moment of here though. I think I'll start to take some more photos from here on, since I basically only have 3 weeks before exams start, and I won't be able to see some of the many cool people I have met in the past 2 months for a long time. Sad, isn't it? But such is life. I really do hope to travel sometime to catch up with these friends that I have made, and wished that the time in the US was longer, though I do miss staying in my own room, with a bit more space. =P Of course, the people too. Okay then, here's a wrap-up of what happened in the past week:

• Going to the Computer History Museum - despite it sounding geeky, it was pretty interesting to see that something so small in computers nowadays, had to have a room to replicate it.
• Going to a Chinese Hot Pot party - involved going to a restaurant place they hired out, and eating some "Da Bin No" which I haven't had for a while. It was good, but there was just too many people to actually enjoy it in my opinion. Good to meet some new people though. =)
• Eating out at Sushi Totoro - despite being based on the character Totoro, I thought it was alright, and more or less similar to I Love Sushi. They had a lot of fusion sushi, as well as soft shell crabs! For those of you that don't know soft shell crabs are crabs that have just changed shell, so the insides of the shell is soft, and when fried. It was good, but I still prefer Oishii at home.
  
• Visiting San Jose! It was the first time I went to a shopping mall, the one in Capitola didn't count. I went to Valley Fair - there were more than 250 stores, but discounts were nowhere near what Gilroy had to offer. =) I also went to get some asian groceries - how I miss mi goreng! I splurged and shared some uni with Kelvin - uni being one of the more expensive of Japanese sashimi. We finished the day off with having some ramen too. I had a Kotteri Miso Ramen. I reckon it was pretty good, but the wait for it was a little bit long. =( Otherwise it was an enjoyable day in San Jose!

The first ever computer.

Fusion sushi at Totoro.

Maya, Me and Patty @ Totoro

Kotteri Miso Ramen

The Japanese supermarket!

The Asian supermarket!

Xmas stuff at Valley Fair!

Hot Pot food!

Uni!

Wow, it's past halfway already, and I have roughly six weeks to go.... I'm starting to wonder what would happen, when I realise that I'm almost on a plane already. Now that I think of it, I kinda wished that I could have stayed for the year, but due to the fact that I'm almost at the end of my degree, it is difficult to extend my stay and actually study, rather than it being a holiday. Enough of the depressing stuff, here's what happened this week!

• Australian dollar dropping at an all time low for a while! 63 cents atm! T_T It is sooo depressing lol....
  
• Went to 3 birthday celebrations: Benedetta on Tuesday, Hiromi on Thursday, Kasane on Saturday. This might basically just be the birthday week! =D
  
• Ernie and his friends dropped by down here in Santa Cruz - managed to get a Cal shirt too.
• Boring assignments that I had to finish...-_-"

Happy Birthday Hiromi!

Ernie and Friends!

Me and Bene, Happy 22nd B'day!

Me and Kasane! Happy B'day!

Me and Ernie!

Well, it's another week gone by, another week til I go back home! =D The rain decided to mark my first mid term as well. So what else has happened this week?

Your weekly round-up:

• Celebrated Halloween: did it American style, which involved a parade downtown, with everyone dressed up in spooky costumes.
• Celebrated Alice's 21st Birthday! It was cool, with a dodgy version of karaoke.
  
• And in doing so, did my first attempt at cosplay with what I had. Guess who, when you check the pics!
  
• Did my first exam: exams at UQ are a lot scarier, over here its basically like a relaxed environment where it's just like class, except you're doing it
• It rained for the second time in the year - in doing so, it was pretty cold, and I think I caught a cold from it >_<

Happy Birthday Alice!

Snacks at the party!

Halloween!

Hey Guys! How's things? It's finally become colder now, starting to feel a lot more like winter, and not the bipolar temperature that has been happening lately. I think I've seen most of the wildlife here, but I never manage to snap any of them on camera. I've yet to see the famous banana slug though, but my friends have. >_<>

• Finally enjoying the winter side of things =D
• Eating homemade Japanese Stew - I thought it was pretty delicious, and something different for a change!
  
• Went to a Japanese mixer - involved eating some nice food, and meeting some new people because of it
• Ate at a Thai restaurant
• Australian culture night!
  
• Bought some manga for friends of mine
  
• Pissed off at the assignment submit system - had to submit an assignment late because they say I didn't submit it...*sigh* I wish it was on paper.
• Still in holiday mode, when my first exam is coming on the next Thursday! T_T
  

The two manga I bought for friends of mine.

Aussie culture night!

Thai food!

Japanese Mixer!

At Kana's house with the delicious stew! (see below)

Japanese White Stew!

It's that time of the week again! The 5th week already! Here's the usual summary of my week:

• Went to Gilroy Premium Outlets - where I managed to spend 70USD on clothes = I have to start saving now, before I run out of money soon. I managed to pick up 2 shirts, a pair of shoes, a necklace/choker thing (I'm not sure what they call them lol), and a belt.
• Tried out Jamba Juice - pretty decent, but more or less like the Boost Juice we have at home.
• Ate some Häagen-Dazs as it was on special - I love cookies and icecream.
  
• Had a try at the I Love Sushi restaurant - made me realise why I hate hype, with some people claiming it to be the best sushi restaurant. It was alright in my opinion, but in no way the best place to have sushi. It was more or less like Oishii, but all the dishes were basically the same, instead of the variety they have at Oishii.
• Ate some decent American food at Chilli's in Capitola - pretty good I reckon, expect to see it on Oishiilog soon! Dessert was good too there for you chocaholics!
  
• Met some new people along the way!
• Same old classes

Decent outlet place, that surpasses the ones in Brissy by far!

Random Necklace thing I bought at Gilroy's.

Boost equivalent!

Decent American Food place I have had with variety that doesn't involve just burgers/hotdogs and fries

Part of the monstrous main meal I had at Chilli's

Awesome dessert at Chilli's

Cheap Haagen Dazs ice cream!

Oishii equivalent!

Australia vs America differences 1:
Fairy Floss = Cotton Candy

Well, it's basically been a month in the US already! What can I say? I've had another fun week too. This week comprised of:

• Flatmate Birthdays (Yuko and Spencer) - both involved parties and having a great time, check the pics and videos below, Yuko turning 22, and Spencer with his 21st birthday, with a cool surprise too.
  
• Going to the Boardwalk again - this time going to the beach and eating at a restaurant on a pier for the first time
• Making breakfast on a Sunday morning
  
• Classes as usual
  
• Meeting more people

Me and Yuko

Me and Spencer

Boardwalk/beach pic

Charbroiled Mahi Mahi (fish)

Beach Sunset

Attempt at English Breakfast!

Acapella surprise for Spencer, setup by his family friend!

Hey guys! Just wondering how everyone is going wherever you are. Wow, time seems to fly when classes start. I'm already starting to feel the workload now, although its basically one week of classes. You sure do get tired here though going from one side of the campus to the other. So, here is the usual list of things happening this week:

• Attended my first dancing lessons - it was modern/contemporary dance, and it is painful: there is so much stretching involved! Basically modern is a mixture of ballet + jazz, with some yoga/pilates to the side as well.
  
• Dropped a class - thought since that I'm only here for a quarter, I shouldn't bombard myself with unnecessary workload, although that course was interesting.
• Met a few more people - it's always cool to compare different cultures, making new friends and increasing the facebook friend count! xD
• First Rain occurred! Visit here for more info.
  
• Went to San Francisco for the first time since I have arrived in Santa Cruz - attended LoveFest to see what that it was about. LoveFest = a big party of parties with at least 20000 people in the middle of San Francisco. Visited Chinatown and Japantown, Pier 39 and had proper food instead of Dining Hall food! Finished the day off with some karaoke too.
• Had homemade lasagne for the first time!
  

Homemade Lasagne!

LoveFest 2008!

The famous Pier 39
Sealions!

Chinatown!

Good Food!Karaoke!