cant contain it

i know for sure that this week is NOT my week; screw all those fortune cookies that come with the chinese food takeouts at rendezvous cafe (just below my dorm)
maybe i'm just really tired but i keep getting myself into situations that are not-so-near from delightful.
right now as i'm typing this, my busted knuckles and bruised hands stare pitifully back at me; war injuries from ytd's game of "hot hands" with Miles - it's a children's slapping game of speed and reflexes, something i'm devoid of at 3am in the morning after a few hours of studying.
hot hands, no more.

Rieber Terrace penthouse study lounge (right next to my room!) has become our popular study enclave - ytd we made our nest and marked our territory by the couch with loads of snack, coffee/hot chocolate from Bruin Cafe, laptops, drinks, and our big fat selves

our game of hot hands while deb tried to take a pitiful pic on her mac

other than the bruised hands, i accidentally spilled soda on my room carpet, and had to resort to pressing coupla sanitary napkins to the carpet in hopes of utilizing 'high absorption rates' of the power-tissues. how yucky. and then, i lost the car keys to our weekend car, and had to fork out $50 to get the locksmith to rescue me from my dead-end hurdle.

the only saving grace of this week was the memories of San Diego trip from last weekend. it was a pretty awesome trip; planned in time so we could attend Romita's 21st birthday, altho we stayed too long at Miles' place to make it to the party; but we did honor her bday with a post-party @ enru's apartment to make up for it!
we picked up rohai from irvine on the way to san diego, and here's all of us at post-party




i heart this picture too

then we drove around san diego the next day; balboa park, coronado, downtown SD, and the beach!
we had a picnic at balboa park



and some jumpshot fun at coronado beach


damien found some love lying on the coast


i also had dinner with the Singapore Students Association (SSA) of ucla on sunday @ this italian restaurant on santa monica. it was pretty cool to be with soo many singaporeans again; i even met a couple of AC peeps and NY friends who were alr part of the SSA. we had drinks at W hotel after (Rose champagne!!) too

anw my only class (principles of accounting) got canceled today cuz my professor's home had to be evacuated due to the forest fires down in San Fernando valley; spurred on by the northern winds which are getting really strong. i walked all the way down to anderson's, and then walked back up to rieber to have lunch with deb. looking forward to sushi dinner tonight! (:

lalaland

living in UCLA is similar to when i was living in new york - there's always something going on; never a dull moment, everyone's constantly on-the-go, there's always something to do; and most importantly, HEAPS of fun.
because of that, time seems to stand still, and it was only ytd night when i was on the phone with mac that i realized that i've alr been in the States for more than a month, because it definitely didnt feel that long.

i think i've grown quite alot in this journey thus far; learning to be independent and to literally stand on my own two feet (there's alot of walking to do in UCLA) is but a handful of the things i've learnt. most definitely, the life in ucla (or in any college for that matter) is crafted by what you perceive it to be, and what you make it to be; and by the grace of God, i've went thru many happy memories and close friendships, and things look to be on the uphill (:

i'm taking a public policy course this quarter in ucla, which inevitably forces me to keep track of events occuring in the political realm; one that i've deeply neglected and held a generally apathetic attitude towards while in singapore. it is definitely a challenge; the americans take pride in their country's history and politics - there were few hands that were not raised when my professor inquired about the no of people who watched the presidential debate btwn palin and biden. i, unfortunately, did not raise my hand, but it is my endeavor to youtube the debates tonight. i promise. alternatively, i could join the loyal gathered group at joey's room next thursday to watch the next presidential debate.

in other news, there've been quite some crazy activities going on every single day, that it's rly hard to choose which to go for and which to forgo.
among some of the stuff that i've attended:

Dinner @ Roscoe's chicken + Partying out in Hollywood!
that was sparked off when i received two VIP passes for the club, and KJ got really interested in partying out & drinking. we carpooled for dinner with the intervarsity people to Roscoe's chicken (which is by far the BEST chicken+waffles i've ever had!)



one of the cars actually met with a collision-accident on the way there, which totally busted the bumper (the white foam thing was out, and the casing was dangling), which was a damper on the spirits but thankfully for insurance was settled quickly. after dinner we journeyed to Hollywood Club DV8, my first time in Hollywood!




and then back to KJ's for jim beam before we all crashed out at KJ's


its the hamburger

DICOP Picnic @ Sunset canyon
a get-together with the international students for free food


eight pecs?

Universal studios halloween night
we rented a car from enterprise, and got bumped up (at almost the same rate) to get a merc c300 for two whole days (: it had less than 30 miles on it, absolutely brand new!


thea and i on our sweet, sweet ride

and then universal studios!!


it was kinda like a mini sausage-fest - with 2 girls and 8(?!) guys. thea wanted to come but there were only two cars :(
the halloween set-up and scares were rly startling, but the rides were just average. there were couple of mazes as well that were simply scare-fests (texas chainsaw massacre, where there were reproduction of blood stenches YUCK). towards the end of most of them, my eyes were just closed and i merely followed miles around.

the rest of the activities shall come later when i have the time.
gotta catch a nap before going for a show at the planetarium tonight where we're supposed to be able to stargaze and moonbathe with telescopes (: