Los Angeles Day 5

Did nothing special today. Yet finally made a decision to buy a new laptop cause the one I'm using isn't good enough for IR/PS's requirement.

Los Angeles Day 4

Sunday's weather was absolutely sunny! Saturday was sunny, too. The sunshine made our visit to Hollywood and Santa Monica rather heated and touristy. I'm a tourist anyhow :P

We visited China Cinemas and Kodak Theater. That's about it. Then we had our late lunch at Umami Burger. A really delicate and delicious burger restaurant! After that, we walked to Santa Monica Pier. The sunshine was too bright, though the weather was still far below it was in Taiwan. Yet I'm afraid I'll get over-tanned 2 years after when I finish my degree at UCSD...

We went to West Hollywood afterwards. Urth Caffe's Green Tea Boba was really authentically Taiwanese! My gaydar beeped a lot while I was there - mostly gays. Their Blueberry Cheesecake was also nice.

Then my cousin and his friends went to have dinner in Little Tokyo in downtown LA. We lined for ramen. Unbelievable.

To sum up, I had a nice Sunday! It was great and touristy! I like that cause that suppose to be my purpose!

Kaskade Empty Streets / Cascade / Angel On My Shoulder at Freaks of Natu...

Los Angeles Day 3

I wish I had a car and a Californian license so that I could drive myself to West Hollywood, Long Beach, Santa Monica, and around the city and town...

It's been not so exciting and interesting, since I've spent most of my days tagging along with my cousin. Staying at his lab, grabbing some food with him, speaking Chinese with him, and meeting all his Taiwanese friends. It's actually what I was assuming, but I never expected that it would be that indoor and so inside the comfort zone. Restaurants and areas we've been visiting are mostly Chinese and Taiwanese places. Mandarin Chinese is so visible and audible. We even had our lunch at a Taiwanese restaurant near San Gabriel. Bubba tea at Tian-Ren Tea Shop. This was totally out of my expectation. I didn't expect to experience Taiwan that often.

I've been thinking what's the point of getting inside one's cultural comfort zone when one's abroad, or living in a multi-ethnic society. Perhaps it's because of the cultural coalition with other cultures, it makes people tend to stick with people from their own culture, so it brings comfort and ease. I rarely speak American English now. It's so weird. It feels that I've never been outside of my culture and country. Well, but national boundaries scarcely exist under globalization. It's merely a view of perception.

But I can't fit in my cousin's friends. Their topics, their majors, their lives are so different. They talk about computer science, mechanic engineering, PhD lives, songs and entertainment culture from Taiwanese artists, Japanese animes, dramas music, and other Taiwanese grad students.

Frankly, I barely listened or immerse in Taiwanese entertainment culture while I was in Taiwan. I've been listening to Western and independent music throughout my life. I'm so culturally inclined to American and Western culture. While they talked about animes and Jap. artists, I felt so exclusive. Maybe it was due to my jet-lag so I felt tired. But their lifestyle is so different from mine, and I've found it difficult to find a topic to fit in. Isn't that odd? Feeling unfit among a group of people who come from my home country.

Met one of my cousin's friends at the dinner table yesterday. She noticed my leather wristband and asked me where did I get this and if that was a "rainbow" pattern on it. I replied that it was gift from friend. Not really answering her question cause there were others on the table too. If she asked me privately, I would answer differently. My radar caught her curious noticing throughout that night. Yet I was too tired to fake myself to be a social person. Instead, I spoke little and observed more, unless their topics hit my zone.

Planning to visit Hollywood and Santa Monica tomorrow. Yay! Let the rainbow rise!

Nightmares On Wax - You Wish

Los Angeles Day 2

So I finally paid a visit to Chase to open an account and made a deposit. It was so relieving to get rid off those travelers checks and cash. Declaring those TCs took me some time when I was getting through the border and costumes. Shaun was with me to the bank. Well, he's always with me these days. I'm even staying at his lab. It's fine and I have no complaints. But I just wonder when will I be able to visit Hollywood and Santa Monica. It must be the time when he's free too.

The banker at this Chase branch was nice. He explained a lot and tried to make sure that I knew my options, and he was funny too. Yet he said Shaun and I were funny. I guess it was because I spent lots of time signing those TCs... He surely knew how to kill time with humor. Got my debit card finally. They'll send me a 101 Dalmatians version a week later. Yet I haven't double-checked my address at UCSD with the housing office. So the card will be mailed to Shaun's place here at LA. And he'll mail it to me by then. That Dalmatians card is rather adorable.

We spent almost 3 hours at Chase for a new account. Then we headed for lunch at Soy, a sushi place nearby and downstairs of USC's dorm building. It's not that I am easily amazed / wowed, but there're so many pretty girls at USC. WTH. Everyone is legit to be on lookbook.nu or UO catalogs. Shaun told me it'll be different at UCSD. Wonder how different and what's the difference will be.

Right now I'm so jet-lagged. It's 5 in the morning in Taiwan. I must not fall asleep, otherwise it'll be hard for me to get over the jet lag.

I'll go to get a prepaid card later. Hopefully I'll find some family plan members so I could get rid off my dumbphone and get a smartphone and a good plan.

Los Angeles Day 1

今天下午去逛 Museum of Contermpory Art，因為每周四下午五點到八點免費！進去之後，發現展場小布拉基，我已經每幅畫、每個作品說明都看了，也駐足了，卻只花我一個小時...... 怎麼拖都拖不到七點半。於是只好去地下室的閱覽室翻書打發時間，拿了本安迪沃荷的自傳作品集，看著看著，忽然時差襲來，開始打盹......

因為進進出出的人不少，又超多正妹型男，我只好靠意志力勉強撐著，等著睡意過去。就這樣摸呀摸、翻呀翻，知道了一些安迪沃荷的事，時間也讓我拖到七點半了～～

七點半後，離開MOCA，和表哥與表哥的室友們去中國城吃三和燒臘。點了燒鴨撈麵，好油好鹹，喝了一口附的湯，啊幹，更鹹。只好喝上來的茶...... 這些人的腎和舌頭是鐵做的嗎？但是這樣一餐就噴了八塊四毛，含小費。清華水木燒臘其實也很好的。

然後今天上午就是跟嵩翰去 USC，哈哈，體驗大學校園。USC 超多正妹的！型男也多，但是跟布朗是不同的風格。這邊的型男比較粗曠、美式休閒、嬉皮。布朗的比較文青、斯文。但是 USC 的正妹真的不是蓋的！每個身材都很好，比例好，玲瓏有緻，裝扮又有個性。來這種地方上學一定會被影響到要立志變正的呀...... 不曉得UCSD有沒有這麼多正妹可以看......

LP - Someday [Live]

seriously thinking about turning off my facebook. it's so ridiculous how people in real life are connected through virtual medium which gives people so much comfort, expediency, and irresponsibility.

and it's become so natural that people forget the means of face-to-face communication and daily chit-chats with friends and families. i should redefine the importance of social networking sites to me. a platform for various, and sometimes chaotic information input? a forum that opens for debates from your friends? a source that you can track those people you've met or may not meet, you've known or may not know, you've felt close to or not? a space where you can store images as a print of memory? a place where you can rant about people and expect people to respond through commenting or more possibly, liking it?

what's my priority?

the only thing i'm certain right now is that i will definitely not spend so much of my life on facebook as soon as i get busier and more content about my life. it's not that i'm not satisfied with my current life. i just have a feeling that my future life will be so different, exciting, and challenging than my past. i should also adopt new ways of living to explore my potential and infinite possibility of being my true self.

logging on social networking sites, hanging there and expecting people's updates and responses are certainly not what i'm going to repeat as mistakes. besides, as long as life gets more complicated and mutual friends gets more and more entangled, privacy barely exists on facebook. i'd rather rant over someone face-to-face with pals i trust. i'd rather share pics of my life with my smart phone to my pals, instead of posting it online. i know there's privacy setting. but clicking and scrolling down those options sort of disable my freedom.

ah, life, full of twists and unexpectable shit.

心得

妝好像要濃才會上相，但一離開鏡頭，面對面的時候，就會有「這妝有點濃」的感覺

低

一家四口，小孩都高中了，還把房間殺價到三千五，還硬要說其中一個人會睡車上不過夜。四個人，三千五、刷卡，附晚餐，在風景區，還有景觀、裝潢好的房間，一個人只付出八百多的價錢。

台灣人，你有那麼必要如此低俗嗎？自己在國內都消費不起，只會砍自己同胞的價錢，這樣你有比較爽嗎？經濟循環到最後，國內消費不起，只會殺價，那對整個經濟有比較好嗎？

你知道八百多塊，在國外只能住青年旅館的四到八人宿舍房的一個床位嗎？還不一定有附早餐喔。就算有附早餐，也是要自己煎的鬆餅粉。

臺灣人出去玩都花不起、看不起自己台灣人，連教養都沒有，是要怎麼辦？台灣島要沉沒啦。服務業真的是看盡社會上最難看的一面。不管你再怎麼低聲下氣，還是會有人要找你麻煩。

互相尊重，很難嗎？這不是人與人相處的基本道理，哪能被花錢是大爺的心態給抹滅？

忍耐

高中畢業後，每次與那群好友會面，總是可以馬上如以往大談垃圾話，大家都笑的很開心。

現在大學畢業了，一時間要我想幾個可以如此自在大談垃圾話的人，還真想不起來。但在這群人之間，我又有個和以往不同的自己。

但即使是朋友，我還是很不喜歡事情都沒弄清楚，就公開高談闊論道理的人。有些事情可以私下說，網路其實只是圖一時之便，或是圖社群網路帶來的曝光率。

若有不愉快或微詞，何不私下說，甚至是當面解決？何必事情拖那麼久，直到最後一刻人去樓空，才在發表自己的委屈？我真的搞不懂。

反正本來平靜的心，看到那些話，又不開心。但想想，反正以後或許都見不著面，何必如此費心，想要勸自己看開點，不要過度聯想或者對號入座。但那些話真是刺眼...... 有些話我也可以說的，但我覺得這些事情根本不該公開，所以選擇沉默。但殊不知，要吵的有糖吃！

唉，看開吧！

畢竟一切一拍兩散，天下沒有不散的筵席。但總是覺得這幾年的相處都是惘然，有些可惜罷了。

到頭來還是因為我太在意、太容易感知周遭人事物，所以受傷最多。所以離群索居，或者培養出能將情感切的一乾二淨的能力，才是對自己最好的。或者，我就不該把事情看的太認真。認真就輸了，不是嗎？

昨晚睡覺前，看見月光從窗檯照入，於是起身走到窗外，想再一窺滿天星斗的美景。

只見對面的山群，被絲絲山嵐壟罩，但山頂在月光的照耀下，清晰無比。因已過半夜，月亮西沉，只見月光從遠方悠悠地投射白光，照的四周一片銀白，襯著群山的黑。四周萬籟俱寂。一抬頭，只見滿天星斗，即可以肉眼望及整片銀河。我將頭轉了一百八十度，往後仰望，只見眾星圍繞在屋頂周圍，月光隱隱從後方露出......

孤寂、無奈、開闊、欣慰，眾多複雜的情感，只能在一片寂靜下，投射在無語的星空。

若人可以將自己置身於更偉大的事物中，就會發現自己在意的執著不過如此渺小地可笑。