What Daylight has Saved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eileen Cooper, my Music T.A. invited the class to see her Thesis Recital. Held at the Schare Recital Hall on the Douglass Campus, the hall itself was stunning. And Eileen’s voice? Gorgeous. Strong-willed.  Emotional. I’ve never listened to Opera sung live; it felt like every note suspended in air like strong sunlight held the hearts of the audience! The way of story-telling through just voice and expression (she was singing in German, Latin, French) was magnificent and breath-taking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aside from that, I drove to North Jersey to visit home. My dad changed the oil in my car and replaced my left headlight! Thank goodness for him. I watched my mom fry some fish (delectable!) and make Vietnamese stir-fried noodles! We went to Home Depot, I strolled around photographing flowers.

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Lately i’ve been actually managing and researching Japan English-Teaching / ESL programs, budgeting living costs, and compiling some good data on that. It makes it a bajillion times easierknowing that rent will be split right in half between Kyle and I. We’re both going to apply to the same teaching positions and hopefully score two jobs around the same area. So far, I’ve found this:

A super-cute lofted apartment with big windows in Osaka!

AtJPY59,000, it converts to about USD$715. I figure we’d be splitting about $400 a month. Not bad at all, considering that a lot of teaching positions i’ve come across pay starting at around $3,200 a month. Kyle and I already know how much money we need to eat every month.

Honestly, my future has never looked brighter. What’s also nice is that we’re never going to buy a house and get trapped in mortgage payments. Nope nope.

Enjoy your Saturday night. I’m trapped inside a library until Midnight.

Have you ever thought of one day not being just one day, but your entire life? If humans did not require sleep, life would be a continuous reel of happenings. I’ve been feeling moody and hopelessly craving some sort of emotional connection with a man. I really do have to stop thinking constantly about the future, but holding my acceptance letter in my hand gives me real hope. I just can believe that four years ago I was saying to myself, “Wow, only four years until college…” and here I am. It’s too surreal. It’s so hard to believe.

So i’ve been thinking. My guidance counselor was right. At the beginning of the school year I was totally for going to Maryland, then it turned to Syracuse. She said to me that by the end of the year, I would change my mind because of the financial situation.

And here I am contemplating the advantages of going to Rutgers.
ADVANTAGES:

• Save a lot of money because it is an in state public school.
• Would be closer to NYC
• Good enough distance away from  home. Actually,
• I’m away from home.
• I can still study abroad whenever
• I could bargain with my parents and go to Rutgers in change for them paying for a few summer and winter study abroad trips. :)
• I have a good bunch of friends there, so I won’t feel completely desolate.
• It’s actually a really good school
• Apparently the parties are good too.
• The campus is really nice. And so are the apartments.
• It’s incredibly diverse.
• I could always transfer to an international university or at least study abroad for a year.
• Less debt when I graduate. This means it won’t be so hard for me to actually live abroad in Europe or something.

So those are some advantages. I’m awaiting replies from Maryland and Syracuse now. Next Thursday i’m actually going to have a phone interview with a lady who is part of the Discovery Florence program. I have to prepare myself for that!

I just got really angry today because when my dad looked at the letter, he said, “You have to pay a $250 fee now.”
“That’s only if I decide to go.”
(Looks at me crazily) “Of course you are going.”

Then I stormed upstairs.
He has no right to tell me what to do with my life. Because my life, our lives, are short. SHORT. Time is running faster than light and there is no way I am letting go of the steering wheel. They did their part, and now it’s my time to leave, to flourish and fly. It’s just how it was and how it always will be.

I really don’t know now. I fell in love with Maryland when I saw the campus. I made friends so quickly, too! And Syracuse’s Discovery Florence program is something that is truly meant for me. For my sole existence.

Bottom line is, if I go to Rutgers, i’m pretty much going to just save up money and do as many study abroads as possible.

Good bye.

oh hi.

Oh, hi!
My sincere apologies about disappearing for about, oh, a week?
(See guys, Claire has a life!! hehe)

Alright. To sum up Christmas:
Aside from watching my cousins vomit all Christmas Eve day, Rock Band and Call of Duty 4,
Christmas day felt like an ordinary Sunday with some sprinkles on top. And I don’t like sprinkles very much either.

I’ve basically been with the cousins for most of the time, just being the silly kids we are.

Would you like to see the comic I sent to the Ulterior Magazine this month?

a wondrous place (clicky)

Okay!
And,
Tonight I am going to Rutgers to play pong with Jess, Jun, Jose, Dan and Paul Kim. :) Yay!

But I have to finish a college app. right now, isn’t that wonderful?

ps. more strange dreams. dreams within dreams. blah blah.
p.p.s. Milk is one of the greatest films I have ever seen. Really. Truly.
SEE IT.  S E E  I T .