A non-white Christmas.

Back to December by Taylor Swift

Hey there! Guess what? I am excited, rolling in Minneapolis, Minnesota at Amanda's place!

In less than three weeks time, I will be happily heading further down the middle and exploring the midwest. Definitely not fearful of the extreme cold I will be facing. Bold and naive.

It was Christmas Eve just thirty minutes before and now, it is Christmas Day according to US midwest time, 12.30am. I am just sitting on Amanda's desk, facing the window decorated by a beautiful pink and white shade of curtain, tied at the middle by a sophisticated dragonfly looking silver hair pin.

Opposite of me is just another solar powered apartment called Solhaus. All but two of the windows are dark. Everyone has gone home to reunite with their families, except "some of the poor international students who has nowhere to go", I quoted John, a Korean who led the bible reading at a Pastor's house the day before Christmas Eve

,

I have never experienced Christmas in such a meaningful way before. Well, one of the more interesting way that I celebrated Christmas was with my parents and one of our used to be close family friends. On Christmas Day, we would gather in my house's living room with all the lights turned off. We will sit around the table where a few candles were lit, just bright enough to see each other's faces. We will then start the intriguing 'present' hunting using merely the torch light and a strip of clue that my father will provide us with. All was really fun as we got to experience the suspense of hunting for the present and opening the beautiful Christmas present wrapper so gently, with the fear of destroying the adorable prints on it. I love it I love it I love it! I just miss those times and I miss my family terribly now. My old man and my loving mother, slowly I realize as I was leaving to the US and now finally, a great deal miles apart from them, that they are slowly growing old as my age gradually increase from a single-digit to two-digits then the first numeral turns from one to two.

I digress.

This year for winter break, I decided to drop by Amanda's place and check Minnesota out. Indeed, it is a great experience, despite my only first week here and haven't really done much (since Amanda was having her finals). The first night I was there, I was brought downtown to a holiday parade sponsored by Target, a parade called Holidazzle. It was rather ordinary for me but it was really heart-warming to see families, college students all gathered at the side of the road, anticipating enthusiastically in the bitter cold weather. I was shivering all the way. Did I not mention how I was stuck in the cold for one whole hour in front of Plattsburgh International Airport at 4 in the morning? I was amazed to find an airport closed, especially one that is called "International". I guess the cold got to me and I was left feeling cold no matter how warm it was indoor. It was one hell of an experience though.

I digress.

The following night, I was invited by Cassandra to a Christmas service. I did not feel very belonged there as the people there did not really attempt to spark a conversation with me except for David, another Malaysian guy doing his PhD at U of M. However, I did not regret going there as I was exposed (in detail) to how Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem as according the Bible. Yesterday night, I was joined by many other international students for a bible reading session. In there, I felt welcomed. After the session, we headed downtown to check out the Christmas Lights. It wasn't very awesome, but the company was incredible. It was also the day where I discovered that Minneapolis is actually a birth place for Peanuts. You know, snoopy, kinda thing.

Today was special. I met up with Qing Han in the afternoon at Tea Garden. Tried some rather overrated Bubble Tea (but it was still okay).

At night, with the company of Darren, who looks so unbelievably like Phil Seong, we went for dinner at one of the few restaurants that remained open. Even McDonalds was closed for Christmas Eve. Can you believe it? Well, the restaurants that were open were majority run by Chinese, efficient people.

Hahahaha... After that, we attended a Christmas Mass at a Catholic church called St. Lawrence. It was all cool!! Great experience except when everyone started doing the same gesture except for Amanda and I. Well, Amanda haven't really attended Christmas mass before.

JoJo and Darren :)

It was overall a great experience! Met awesome people including Darren, JoJo, Ceria and a few others. I am really satisfied with my experience in Minneapolis so far. Gonna tour around the place soon!! After everyone revive from home due to the Christmasy thing thing going on :D

Oh well, it is kind of late right now. Till then??

Merry Christmas again!

Toodleloo~

EvelynLee

the first.

Way Back Into Love by Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore

I was clueless. Then, I was speechless.

My beautiful angels, despite their finals day, went through all the hassle just to make sure I get my beautiful fairytale birthday surprise. And so I heard, these angels took their exam in the morning, went straight to Walmart to purchase all stuff needed, got stuck waiting for the shuttle for incredibly long time, got stuck picking flour over the million types of flour laid on the shelves, trouble baking my Elmo Birthday cake in that unbelievably small rice cooker (I am still wondering how they managed to pull it off), rushed through all the decorations in Yee Jin's room, rushed to their evening exam, rushed back to continue preparing for my surprise. These angels, whom I admire more compared to those Victoria Secret angels, my wonderwomen, Hao Tian and Kate Kim Myung Joo. Why they so nice lah???

Knowing that I have such an odd fetish for Elmo, they baked me a beautiful Elmo birthday cake, bought me a beautiful Elmo helium balloon, which I currently let it sit on the edge of my bed.

Can you imagine my reaction when I walked into my surprise?? I actually cried profusely like a sad sad child. So they said, it was really depressing. I was actually hyperventilating. I had to give my thank you speech. It was sad as well, as I struggled to spill words of thanks in between irregular breathing periods. It was tormenting. Some of them found it funny, I now find it funny as well, but gentleman Kyle took my tears seriously. That man can be so amazingly funny sometimes.

My first birthday party. My first birthday celebration with friends. My first birthday surprise. My first birthday card from my friends. Joey, the weird double-jointed one, predicted correctly as he wrote in my card saying that he bet I will be crying when I read the card. Did I mention how badly I wanted to smack him in his ice-skating wound? He's still the best, despite the fact that he refused to say hi to me at the beginning of the semester. Yukari likes my smile? :) :D

What more I can say about my best man? My Elmo impersonator? Bought me some adorable Elmo bedroom slippers which eyes wobble around when I walk :)

This present was accompanied by a bad joke, though it was acceptable - one side for birthday, one side for Christmas. Okay, I get it. Still, thank you heaps ♥

 I hope everyone will have an enjoyable winter break, Christmas holidays and New Year before we meet again. Oliver and Sangsupa are among those that I won't be meeting again but I really hope we can meet each other again. Oliverrrr :'( Such a great person. Great classmate too. Will miss him. Sangsupaaaaa :'( Why she so funny?? So naughty too. I will miss her :'(

Not to mention that I am flying to Minnesota in a few hours time to meet Amanda Panda!! My Elmo came from her :)

Till then~

Love,

happy Pei Ning

nothingness.

Don Omar by Danza Kuduro ft Lucenzo

Feeling of nothingness brought me here.

It is Thurday, November 24th 2011. It is Thanksgiving night in the United States. It is a holiday season.

Tomorrow, November 25th 2011 is Black Friday, the biggest shopping spree of the year in the United States. I am in my dorm room, all alone in my section, along with a hand full of a few others in the whole of Adirondack Hall, along with a few more others in all the other dorms of SUNY Plattsburgh, all minding our own business, trying to entertain ourselves while time passes by.

I had my laptop volume turned to the maximum, blasting music all the way, seeing that there is no one around to be disturbed by my extremely loud music. No one. Just me.

I am just waiting for time to pass. Dinner time. Bed time. For tomorrow I shall wake up extremely early in the morning, where some night owls will still be awake then. I shall wake up and get dressed; in my winter coat, in my winter fur boots. I shall walk out into the cold dry air, where white snow lingers, on the pavements, on the tree branches. I shall seize my chance and catch the shuttle that brings me to the crowd. The crowd, such a big contrast to the people left in my dormitory, for it is Black Friday. The crowd, too big that it is annoying. The crowd, unwanted. I shall walk into the mall, walk around aimlessly while i search for the best deals I can ever get. If all else fails, I shall walk home empty handed, for i am too late, for all the best deals are gone by the time i arrive.

Till then, I shall come home, all by myself again. I shall wait for time to pass again. Meal time. Bed time.

The next morning, I shall wake up to the same cycle, but this time, some of the people will begin to return. I will then meet up with some of my friends who will return. But till then, I will still be waiting.

I am waiting. I will still be waiting, for the best gift to return. Better than any gifts in the world for that gift is irreplaceable. That one and only.

Happy Thanksgiving lovelies ♥♥♥ :)

Toodleloo~

love,

evelyn

Trick or Treat!

Captains and Cruise Ships - Owl City

31st of October was Halloween. That was something that i know from coming to the US.

Yes. I did not know the exact date of Halloween before coming to the US. Just three weeks before Halloween, my RA began to put up some cool stuff decorations along our hallway

Well, there's still some in the bathroom...

Anyways, the highlight of Halloween was all about looking out for awesome costumes to put on for that big day. Well, for some girls, slutty and skimpy costumes despite the numbing cold weather out. Yes. People are this crazy in the US.

Being new here, I wasn't quite into the getting a costume thing. Plus, they cost quite some money and I have already exceeded my budget for the previous and present month. So no costume over there. We went to the mall to hunt for costumes though, and I took some pictures with the possible overpriced stuff that I would like to have.
Elmo for the most of it :)

Too bad Halloween falls on the Monday, or we get to stay up late and enjoy some of the candies that we harvested and chat all night long. It would be fun.

Four hours before heading out for Trick or Treat, I was still indecisive about what I was going to be. I was thinking maybe work on my formal outfit and be a school girl? Or just go straight out like that. It was down to three hours before and I had to get ready for my last class of the day, Critical Reading class with Bryan. When I was tying my hair up into a pony tail, I snapped out of the fog of indecisiveness and decided that I should tie my hair up into a pony tail that hangs down on the right side of my head. I shall be a little girl then!

"So any of you doing anything tonight? Trick or Treating maybe?" Bryan asked at the end of the class.

I went "ME! ME! ME!" Oh shucks, the typical me. Of course, flashing that brilliant smile of mine all the time while saying that and after.

(in fact i went "ME! ME! ME!" yesterday on a Networking event, so loudly that i won myself a nice pair of t-shirt. great job girl)

The moment my class ended, we headed straight out for Trick or Treating. In the dark, in the cold, merely relying on the dim street lights and the lights penetrating the sheer curtains of those houses, we walked the neighborhood Trick or Treating.

So, how would you know if the houses are available for Trick or Treating? Apparently, if the lights of the houses are on (the house is bright enough), they should be participating in Trick or Treating. Well, at least giving out candies for people like us.

So, how would you collect the candies?

Uncle Joey said,

"You can use your pillow case!"

True enough, it was more than enough to contain everything. The Halloween bucket that you can buy from Walmart or Target is not too bad as well. Some Halloween feel to it, but not quite practical if you were aiming to get a whole loads of candies *shakes head*

The whole Trick or Treating went extremely well. I was skipping around happily, feeling glad that I actually decided on being a small kid than anything else because I simply can be me! How easy that was! But most of all, I was kind of starving, deprived from food since the afternoon when I last ate a piece of garlic bread and some non-filling small slice of pizza. Algonquin Dining Hall's food sucks to the core. I swear it does.

Living up to the spirit and fun of Halloween,

Hahahaha...

Pei Ning

fire alarm!

Footprints in the Sand - Leona Lewis

first of all, sorry for the long hiatus. thanks to my English writing lecturer my writing spree has been severely damaged. the experience was not a pleasant one. i used to cry insanely many times over it, even just thinking about it makes me tear profusely. so many times that my eyes was puffy the entire Saturday. that is what you get when you have a crazy lecturer like mine, always laughing at her own jokes despite them having no humor content at all. weirdest laughter in the universe that makes her sound like she is having the most difficult time catching her breath and breathing. weirdest shit ever.

recently, the fire alarm has been going off very frequently. thanks to irresponsible Adirondack residents. of course people are pissed, including me. because of those people we had to leave our comfortable room, stopped everything we were doing and were left stranded out in the cold, possibly small drizzle as well. the experiences were not fun at all.

first, someone burnt the popcorn in the microwave. i still wonder how much more infinite human stupidity can be. by merely pressing on that "popcorn" button on that darn microwave, you can successfully cook your popcorns without taking the risk of burning the entire building down and possibly kill someone out of it. i still wonder what is so hard about that.

then the next day, it has to be our RD (residence director) to have that same evil intention of burning someone to death. it was so tragic. apparently she was trying to cook something in the beautiful extremely big apartment of hers and the oil had gotten way too hot that it started smoking like crazy. guess what? the entire hallway still stink despite the past of the incident two days ago.

yes, it is that bad. plus, you can imagine how bad the air ventilation is in this building. boo...

this post, obviously is a rant post. besides ranting about the fire alarm going off, of course i would like to add more about my english lecturer but right now i am controlling the flooding of my brain so as not to appear like a total bitch bitching about my lecturer. that will be so low (well i already sorta did at the beginning, oh wells).

pinkie promise the next post will be a happy one (insert smiley as you please)

love,

pei ning

words of art-

You Make Me Feel - Cobra Starship ft Sabi

"Love is the opposite of fear."

"The universe is our reflection."

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

"What God created, we fully destroyed it."

"It's time to wake up from hibernation."

"It's snowing in the desert, something is wrong."

"Profits was made from disaster."

"What would you do if you were you?"

"Who has the power? The money, people or the law?"

"We are in the midst of disaster."

"We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrowed it from our children."

"Reality is made out of 6 billion thoughts."

"Everything is nothing."

"We can be what we give ourselves the power to be."

"I doubt, i think, therefore i am."

"Wonder rather than doubt is the root of all wisdom."

"It is racist to erase racism."

food for thoughts. Sleep for now.

PeiNing *:)

momentarily;

Together - Ruben Studdard

this is a perfect song. perfect vocal. perfect song to drive the turbine of emotions. i get chills listening to this song every time without fail. i still wonder why doesn't he get famous after American Idol though

.

today, i realized, life can be so fragile. so vulnerable.

just two weeks back, my Critical Reading lecturer, Bryan, introduced me to this remarkable person, Wangari Maathai. at first, i was completely baffled by this new topic and this new person. she was introduced to me with such great impact that i was immediately impressed become envious of her achievements. she was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution in sustainable development, democracy and peace. she was well known for her Green Belt Movement that aims to create a better environment for our future generation.

today, i was devastated. i was flabbergasted to the news of her death. i felt that i have not enough time, to embrace her presence on this earth, to accept the fact that i am sharing this planet with such a great person who came out with so many great master ideas, so powerful, rhetorical and influential in her personality. just as she came into this earth silently, she left quietly, bringing with her nothing else, instead leaving back with us a great legacy.

September 25th, 2011 is when the world will mourn for the departure of another great soul, someone who made changes to the world.

"We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, instead, we borrowed from our children."

Something to think about.

An event that i attended, the Peace and Justice Conference lead by the Poetree. It was really inspiring and touching. The two women from Brooklyn, how they showed and taught me things that i never was aware of, things that i took for granted, things that i neglected. they reached out and touched my heart through the words from the poems they recited. the words, so powerful and strong that made me cry.

Vy, the vietnamese girl who was sitting beside me, criticized me for crying at their poem. "such a cry baby." she said. at the back of my head, i was thinking "Just because you don't understand or appreciate the poems, doesn't mean that i should not as well." I really thought she was shallow that time. yet, i took pity on her for missing out on such a great thing. it meant so much to me and i believe, their words touched many others in the events they had before and will have in the near future, and many other people around the world they travelled to. it was really overwhelming. the pieces of scraps containing messages by people all around the world that they sewed together to form long strips of cloth. the messages, so powerful with different messages of people of different skin color, different backgrounds, no stereotyping, no discrimination, just plain unity, humanity, all aiming for the common goal. people are brought together just by the strong faith and believe in something. it was incredible.

Of course, i wrote a message as well, hoping to inspire another soul or many others with my words.

from the bottom of my heart;

signing out, proceeding with the work i have in hand,

love,

evelynlee

white.

Untouchable - Taylor Swift

I just had the most emotional hair clip search. And I admit- I am a very emotional person.

I came back from dinner, took out my laundry and somehow, i remembered that i had to look for my Plattsburgh special edition badge because i haven't seen it in a while. Then i began searching for my beloved white hair clip that i was using this morning because i simply want to use it.

i searched around my study desk, in the drawers and i couldn't find it anywhere. That was when i began to panic. I checked the trash can right beside my table but it wasn't there. Roommie told me she took the trash out this afternoon. I went out searching for it. Yes that was right. Rummaging through the rubbish in the hallway looking for my hair clip. I looked like a fool. Someone threw ice cream over my trash and it was so disgusting. There was some food crumbs, banana skin, loads of tissue, dust and hair. I looked through all of them. Still, I couldn't find it :(

I went back to my room to continue my search, but no matter how much and detailed i looked, it was all in vain. I broke down and cried. Even though it did not cost me a bomb getting that hair clip, that white thing was my favorite clip of all! I cried. I was sad. Someone walked away because i was acting all silly. Well, I treasure my things. That was why i care so much. That was why i cried :'(

I wrote "mourn for my white hair clip" on the board hanging on my door. I was sincerely sad.

Just when i was about to give up and "die", a short and sharp thought pierced through my sorrow like an arrow shot by an archer, i literally attacked my pyjamas which was folded neatly, lying on top my cupboard. I dug through the pocket and there it was!! I was overwhelmed with the joy of recovering my white hair clip. So overwhelmed that i cried. Much more than when i thought i lost it.

I guess right now, Tian and Myung Joo officially think that i am such a small kid, crying over my lost stuff, crying much more when i found it back. That's who i am. I still remember all the important things i have lost that i never recovered. Those that i still feel guilty and mourn about.

Anyways, drama all out.

Its over.

I found my white hair clip.

The End

emotionalLee

PAGE Zumbathon

Get Back (ASAP) - Alexandra Stan

Obviously, this was an on campus event. It happened yesterday night at 7pm at the ACC Ballroom. It was definitely a blast.

We had to purchase our rubber bracelet as our entrance fee from the sponsor group Alpha Sigma Phi at a minimum donation of $3 for keepsake and I have gotten me 4 beautiful glow sticks for $1 as well. It was a black light party Zumba style and the whole hall was like a club with loads of booty shaking, catchy music rhythm, zumba professionals leading on the stage, disco lights, cool DJ at the front. It was all good and fun. I had a damn good time, with the lights dimmed down, everyone just shaking their booties along with the rhythm, suddenly i wasn't quite self-conscious at all!!

This was a charity event of course. That was why I was willing to pay $3 for a rubber bracelet and everything else just to have fun and for the sake, in the name of charity. All the profits will benefit P.A.G.E. (Program for African Growth through Education), a non-profit group based in Plattsburgh. These funds will directly aid in the construction of schools and the purchase of school supplies in Burkina Faso, Africa.

I thought, why not spend a little money, a little time and have a whole loads of fun, meet awesome people, exercise for fitness, try out new thing, zumba, something i have not come across before yesterday. I was actually rather excited for this event! Despite having no one to accompany me to that event, i did not hesitate about attending it at all! I just went for it, alone. It is not what i usually do because i dislike being all alone and pathetic but it was a great experience. Little did i expect to see Sandu there. I wasn't close to her before, but we sort of got closer to each other just by attending that event. It was great!

Coming to the near end of the event, we had this Bollywood feel to the whole event where we did dance battle in groups and take it the zumba style. It was awesome. The whole time i was checking the watch for the time as i still had Stats homework due the next morning, but the urge to stay till the end was way stronger than going back to the dorm, all sad and unhealthy and pathetic to do my work. I would rather stay till the end, satisfied, confident and proud of myself for giving back to the community and dance like never before in public. That feeling was awesome. Well, the cliche saying would be 'work hard, play harder' and also another saying would be people who play hard are the most productive people around. Well, I couldn't agree with that more this time because I felt all hyped up for my work but crashed almost immediately after i finished it. It was as if i took an energy drink or something like the moment the energy drink stops putting effect, you just crashed like crazy immediately. I KO-ed, just relying on my own will power and the exercise i had in zumbathon. I have never felt anything better than I did after the event that night. I really loved it!

So, as i said, everything was conducted in the dark with glow sticks around everybody's wrists and necks and of course, UV lights around. It was really awesome. Those professionals can really shake their booties. I admit, it was my first day of period that day but i didn't care much. I just did what i had to do there, which is dance my heart out.

Here's a little picture taken by Sandu at the end of the event :)

See that glow sticks shining so brightly in the dark? Boo yeah!

That's my watch in another wrist. Yeah buddy!

Signing off feeling so tired, back to my best bed ever with my new memory foam and pillow, my comfy late night getaway where dreams are made of *:)

till the next time i update about tonight's event...

leepeining

the beauty.

Con Te Partiro - Andrea Brocelli 

It was so mesmerizingly hypnotizingly amazingly incredibly beautiful out there tonight. the scenery is just captivating. so picture perfect that i stopped my foot pace in the middle of the night on the dark pavement, cold and alone, just admiring the beauty.

the moon, so bright it appears, although not as round. mooncake festival is coming next Monday. the idea of not being able to celebrate this special festival this year with my family is just heart wrenching. reminiscing how we used to set up party tables outside in the car porch of our house, eating mooncakes, drinking Chinese tea, while the young ones will just play along with candles, fire and beautiful lanterns of different shapes.

it was then, the past, when there were children in the neighborhood. just almost every house will have beautiful lanterns and candles lighted up. the atmosphere was completely filled with warm and relaxed ambience. nothing to worry about. just the beauty of the Chinese tradition.

this year, i will be seeing the moon from a 180 degrees turn from where i came from, some place where my loved ones are waiting patiently for my return one day, somewhere a part of my heart will always remains, somewhere i call home.

just tonight, the moonlight was so bright it felt like a different day time. oh how it shines brilliantly in the midst of the dark blue sky where little stars are blinking adorably around it. oh how it dazzles me by hiding shyly behind the beautiful pine trees. oh how it compliments the white lights along the pavements. oh how it looks so perfect hanging above the beautiful red bricked building. oh how all the aforementioned combined is simply flabbergasting and fresh.

this is a sight that i have never came in contact with but one that i fell in love almost instantly the moment i lay eyes on it. completely overwhelmed.

till fall creeps a little more closer to me, before the winter comes, it will be extremely beautiful, with maple leaves all over the ground. in fact, i am already seeing some, little maple leaves outside my residence hall where there's maple trees and pine trees.

i bet it'll be beautiful. with some winter sonatas playing in the background, you will find me dancing along the campus with that little hoodie that i'll put on and my new blue canvas shoes. that little girl whose smile never gets old. the little girl that resides in me forever.

till the day comes,

i will be waiting.

love,

peining