No lah, I didn't end up buying any of those things. Just stared at them long enough to drool all over my keyboard and finally hit the "x" button. Anyways. Happy Sunday.
"The world's largest Buddha carved from gem-quality jade arrived Wednesday in Escondido to begin a two-week stay that includes a Sunday unveiling ceremony expected to attract up to 3,000 people.
At 4 tons and nearly 9 feet high, the sculpture is the largest Buddha ever carved from gem-quality dark-green nephrite jade, although a larger one is being carved in Vietnam from light-colored jadeite.
The Buddha will be displayed in the Phap Vuong Monastery, 715 Vista Ave., Escondido at all hours until Feb. 16, when it will be shipped to another monastery in Orlando, Florida."
The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace.
Definitely gonna go check it out one of these days.
Edit February 7, 2010: After spending a lovely Sunday morning with the Ayass at Oceanside, I went on a little adventure by myself. Destination: Phap Vuong Monastery at Escondido for the unveiling ceremony of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace.
Tour buses and cars parked almost 5 streets away from the temple
Unfortunately I did not stick around for the official unveiling ceremony. The crowd was so intense that even a not-particularly-claustrophobic like myself couldn't stand it. I felt so overwhelmed by the Asianness of it that I almost forgot I was still in the United States of America. Nevertheless it was a very comforting feeling, being in a Buddhist temple after such a long time, and actually doing something that is kinda related to my roots. Chinese New Year is just around the corner, after all! I definitely wouldn't mind going back to the Phap Vuong Monastery again sometime soon. Check out a short video that I took amidst the chaos; I almost had to choke back the tears when I heard the Metta Sutta being played in the background. Ah I miss home!
Last weekend I was suddenly inspired by Enigma's song Return to Innocence. Apart from the inaudible wailing in the beginning of the song, it actually has some pretty meaningful lyrics:
That's not the beginning of the end That's the return to yourself The return to innocence Love - Devotion Feeling - Emotion Don't be afraid to be weak Don't be too proud to be strong Just look into your heart my friend That will be the return to yourself The return to innocence If you want, then start to laugh If you must, then start to cry Be yourself don't hide Just believe in destiny Don't care what people say Just follow your own way Don't give up and use the chance To return to innocence That's not the beginning of the end That's the return to yourself The return to innocence Don't care what people say Follow just your own way Don't give up To return to innocence. If you want then laugh If you must then cry Be yourself don't hide Just believe in destiny
Have you ever felt like you grew up too fast? Or were you one of those who can't wait to be a grown up and start doing adult things already? I would call myself a late-bloomer. You can't really blame me, having grown up in such a sheltered environment and all. Subang Jaya is a big bubble not unlike the city of Stepford in Stepford Wives. People who live there are strangely detached from the outside world, and the children who grew up there are surprisingly innocent and untainted by the world's evils. Or maybe it's just my family. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, and it's not like I turned out to be a social outcast or anything. (Oh just to clarify, Subang Jaya women are not made of robots programmed by men. And ha, I just ruined the movie for you)
Where was I? Oh Return to Innocence. "If you want, then laugh; if you must, then cry". How very profound. How often do you actually have the luxury of laughing and crying whenever you want to? How often do you get to do whatever you desire, without a care for the world? When was the last time you actually felt truly happy, that the world is such an awesome place to live in? Rhetorical questions, really. Innocence is lost. Gone forever. Life will only be downhill from now. Fuck.
Alright I'll admit it. I spent all day today just looking through pictures of friends on facebook, how everyone celebrated Xmas and new years, who's hooked up with who etc. It's interesting to note how much some people have changed, yet some people looked exactly the same. As we grow up (or older) people get influenced by their social circle, their jobs, their significant others, their physical location, and even their vices. People are no longer defined by their grades, nor their parents' cars. Life is no longer about where the next party is, although I still can't figure out what life is really about. The prettiest girl who used to have the most boyfriends might be the first one to settle down and have kids; the nerdiest kid might have gotten rid of the zits and glasses, and become your friendly neighborhood drug dealer. Indeed I am in a very pensive mood today. It's been 10 years since I graduated from primary school. I am now in a different country, in a profession that I still can't seem to get used to, and am still nowhere close to my dream life. I wonder where/how/what am I going to be in 10 years.
New Years Eve celebration was great. Roamed the streets of Santa Monica before hitting up a house party at Manhattan Beach with go-go dancers, DJs, an open bar, a pool table, and -check this out- a shoes-check in station. After the clock struck midnight followed by a series of make out sessions, we headed down to Koreatown for some good ol Korean BBQ. If that didn't hit the spot, I don't know what would. And because we are such gangstas, we continued to karaoke in the car to some Bon Jovi and LinkinPark, and then watched 1.5 movies before hitting the hay at 7am. (Pictures to come soon?)
"May your troubles last as long as your New Year resolutions" -Anonymous. (If I can "like" this, I would)
It is year twenty ten. Sounds like something you'd find in a science fiction. It is year twenty ten. I will be turning twenty-three. Just like the previous years, I made no effort to come up with any new year resolutions. Did I regret anything I did in 2009? Sure did. Many things I could have done better. So in 2010, I shall strive to adhere more to my moral values. Resist temptations. Refrain from emotional attachments. Focus on more adult-ish things (Career? Save money? Self-motivation?). Live life.
Cici said something extremely profound at work the other day: "After this weekend, the next public holiday we get will be in May". Uggghhhhh what a horrible thought! Enjoy the last weekend of this long holiday, people! (Imma go do some shopping =D)
At the beginning of the year I had written down a wish list (by write I meant "saved as draft" in my gmail. There you go, technology). As you might have read from a recent facebook status update, it had just hit me very recently that it IS already the end of the year. Bye bye 2009. So I pulled out this little wish list and found 70% of it fulfilled! You can either say that I am one lucky girl, or that I have low expectations. Glass half full/half empty. Whatever.
1. A NEW PHONE I have the best parents in the world =)))
2. Computer speakers Awesome black Friday steal.
3. Bedsheet Fluffiest softest most comfortable fleece bedsheet in the world.
4. Beanbag Not exactly a beanbag, but close enough.
5. Full length mirror Yes that is me, and yes those are pictures of ice cream.
6. Tumbler "Chea Ean why are you never seen without your little Starbucks cup?!"
7. New purse maybe? One too many =p
8. LASIK surgery
9. Invisalign
10. VW Beetle. Lime green. No exceptions.
Items number 8-10 would probably require a little more resources on my part, but hopefully it won't take too long to fulfill. Hmmm. Time to start compiling my wish list for next year I guess. How was 2009 for you? It was good, and safe,and uneventful. Nothing bombastic happened. No drastic changes. Did not suddenly become famous/rich/a model/get pregnant/gain a hundred pounds. Did not do anything too crazy/stupid. Still a little lost, still a little confused, but definitely grown accustomed to living in the beautiful San Diego. Went to two raves, a wine-tasting trip, a party bus, a yacht party, three weddings, a broadway play, a snow trip, a trip back home... Indeed I am a lot more fortunate than many people out there. So many bad things could have happened, so many things could have gone wrong, but here I am still alive and kicking. Nowhere near where I wanted to be in life, but surely I will get there eventually.
Happy Christmas and New Year everyone! Much loveee <3
I had a mission this weekend. To finish that damn essay I have to write. Because I am the biggest procrastinator in the world. And also I suspect I no longer have the ability to put words together into a sentence and make it flow - what more a whole paragraph. So I've pretty much been sitting on my ass for two whole days.
Saturday, December 19th 2009 2:03pm Start work. Or maybe not. Facebook first?
3:10pm The weather is great today! (Sticks face out the window and takes a deep breath)
3:55pm Break. Painted my nails. Pastel pink for mani and glittery brown for pedi.
4:14pm Wants something to munch on. Okay lets go raid the fridge.
4.16pm Found grapes. Washed grapes. Ate grapes.
5:01pm I just realized I can type insanely fast. Even with my eyes closed.
5.20pm Googled MacDonalds lawsuits and spent too much time on them. Hey did you know that their fries contain beef essence?! Gross.
6:00pm Watched "Meet Your Meat" video by PETA and was HORRIBLY disturbed. Think I'm gonna go take a shower now.
7:30pm Off to Syp's! =)
Sunday, December 20th 2009 3:13pm Start work after a Dollhouse marathon and Indomie brunch.
4:01pm Made a huge mug of green tea with honey. Nice.
4:09pm Tied my hair into a bun with a pen yay!
4:54pm Decided to swear off Govida Dark Chocolate Cherries for the rest of the day
5:20pm Chinese songs make me sad. Oh and I love my new speakers.
5:50pm My ass hurts from all that sitting. Back aches also.
6:28pm Break. Lemme take some pictures of myself. Haha no not really lah. Imma go wrap some presents.
7:30pm Screw this. I'm going to go get me some dessert.
Let's have a disclaimer out shall we? Okay first. I'm totally, completely, and utterly in love with traditional outfits. Especially the Chinese cheongsam. With the button up collar and alluring side slip up to the upper thigh. Throw in a beautifully made up face with them well defined brows and blood red lips; complete with a dangerous pair of heels and an oversized clutch bag... God! Wish I could dress like that every.single.day. Secondly. Any movie or show set during the 1940s - 1950s can do no wrong. Everything from the dialogues to the hairstyles to the automobiles totally rule. Social issues such as women rights and slavery notwithstanding of course.
I decided to watch Lust, Caution after strong discouragement by my supervisor at work ("The whole movie's about nothing but sex!" while clucking tongue in disapproval) Hey, the more I had to watch it right? Plus Ang Lee happens to be the director to the movie, which is roughly equivalent to "sure win" in movie-speak.
Chronologically the movie is a tad confusing. It started out during post war Shanghai, then it went back four years in time, then it fast forwarded to three years in advance, which actually meant t-1 year from the beginning of the movie and then it advanced through the rest of the movie to approach t and beyond.
The plot of the movie is pretty much exactly as depicted in the trailer - a group of university freshmen plots to assassinate an important Japanese-supported official by sending their lead actress to seduce the said antagonist. Throughout the Ang Lee-signature slow pace of plot development, I was pleasantly surprised to find the ending not a happy one. The lead actress Tang Wei is a fresh face in the Chinese/HK movie industry, but her acting was certainly up to par and she totally nailed the 1940s poster girl look. Totally contrasting her character is Tony Leung, the old and frumpy antagonist with a terrible orgasm face.
Now, the sex (approach with caution, kids!). I never thought I'd say this, but methinks the movie has a little too much sex. I think the main problem with those scenes are that they were not depicted in a omg-that's-so-hot-all-the-
blood-in-my-body-is-rushing-down-there way, but more of a slow awkward TMI sort of way. I mean, I do get that the whole idea is to avoid itself from being conveyed as straight-up porn, hence being shot in an artistic manner, an exploration of each others bodies and physical limits and all the possible positions in the kamasutra and whatnot; but in all honesty I sure did not enjoy seeing Tony Leung's balls bouncing up and down upclose. And instead of rapture or whatever ecstatic expression people usually display during intercourse, the two characters exhibited strange labored and tortured expressions, almost like they were IN labor (it was later explained by the protagonist that they were both borderline sadomasochistic, so I guess that made sense).
As mentioned earlier, the ending was a pleasantly surprising one. Not your conventional happily ever after, which I loved. The movie leaves you with a heavy heart, a I-did-enjoy-the-movie-but-I-don't-think-I-would-watch-it-again-anytime-soon feeling. I also enjoyed the fact that it was actually shot in a few different dialects (Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese) and even in English and Japanese. So yeah, if you haven't watched it yet, go watch it. It will totally be worth the two and a half hours of your life.
I had an awesome dream last night. I was at a Halloween party and everyone was dressed up. I had this amazing mask on, the fancy mardi gras kinda mask, super elaborate with feathers and sequins and whatnot. My hair was swept up into this fantastic Victorian-style do, and I had a totally fabulous gown on me and I felt like a million bucks.
And then of course my alarm had to go off at 6:05 am and I am back to the cruel sad reality where I DON'T have a freaking costume. All I have is a pair of devil ears and a red cape. Boringggg.
Well anyway I came across this website with some interesting Halloween costume ideas. Kinda dorky, and borderline lame even, but interesting nonetheless. These are some of my favorites:
Carry a quarter and a hammer. What are you? A Quarter-pounder.
Wrap yourself in wrapping paper with a tag: "From: God, To: Women". What are you? God's gift to women.
Attach suger-cubes (or candy) all over yourself. What are you? Sugar-Daddy or Sugar-Momma.
Put a pot on your head. What are you? A pot head.
Wear all white. Attach (or paint)
yellow circle to your stomach. You are an egg. Add horns and a
pitchfork and you are a deviled egg.
Get an old box. Cut a hole for your head. Attach book, tissue box, and lamp. What are you? A "One Night Stand!"
Dress nicely with a fake noose around your neck. What are you? Well hung.
Put a sign that says "Go Ceilings!!!!" on your shirt. What are you? A Ceiling Fan! Cheer to help the effect.
Wear all white. Attach old cups, milk cartons etc to you. What are you? White trash.
For those times you don't want to go: the invisible man.
Friday night. The clock barely struck midnight. I am in my jammies, in my full-on nerd mode and spending quality time with my laptop. I made a decision to stay in tonight, skipping a Halloween party somewhere and another karaoke outing somewhere else and locking myself in the room not even bothering with a conversation with the roomies. 黄昏 is playing on iTunes currently with a bunch of other Chinese songs in the playlist. Tonight I just want to stay home and be boring, I told Andrew.
I thought of blogging about a serious emo post, about life love and all that crap. And then I realized I really don't have much to talk about. The highlight of the day was that I had my first ever California Burrito. Carne asada + cheese + potatoes + sour cream + guacamole wrapped in tortilla. IMHO you can never go wrong with guacamole and sour cream. Me loves me fake Mexican food =)
Today my coworker Jason asked if I'm the type of person who'd publish details of my love life on the web. "Like would you announce all over facebook if you broke up with your bf or had a fight or something?" Hell no I said. I am quite a private person I guess. One of my principles in life is that thou shalt never share your miseries with the public, because a) nobody actually cares, b) you are only making yourself appear vulnerable and weak, c) too many cooks spoil the broth. Honestly do you REALLY trust other people's opinions about important things in your life? d) there is an inherent trait in all human beings i.e. the tendency to gossip and spread rumors. So keep your shit to yourself - there is a good reason for best friends and diaries and vibrators hahaha.
I had a fucking brilliant idea for Halloween. I bought this red riding hood costume on eBay about a month ago. It was a gothic version of the conventional red riding hood (all the white elements being replaced by black and the costume comes with faux leather gloves (read: hawt!)) and it was such a great deal too. So my fucking brilliant idea was this: LITTLE DEAD RIDING HOOD!!!! I would paint my face to a deathly pale white, contrasting with black lips and super goth looking eye makeup. I would still tie my hair into two ponytails, but I'll use some hair gel or whatever to tousle it up, maybe stick a twig or two in it. Then I would slash up my red hood at the bottom and maybe have some fake blood on my clothes. Ha no happy ending for you red riding hood! It would have been A. W. E. S. O. M. E. But guess what had to happen?? It's been one freaking month and I still haven't received it. Probably got lost in the mail? And it's just my luck that the eBay seller (costumeworld09 fucking jackass jerk prick loser%*$%^!@%) refuses to take responsibility for this. What a fucking jerk. I tried going to Halloween stores trying to find that gothic red riding hood costume but I haven't seen any! I suppose I could get a boring ol red riding hood and just dress it up a little, but I'd look at the price tag and take a deep breath and walk away... =( So anyways as illustrated by the sad face, I am actually pretty sad. Halloween is in a week's time and I don't have a costume! No I don't want to be a cat or a policewoman or a French maid or a witch or a pirate. Ideas anyone??
Anyways. It's already tomorrow. Guess I should go to bed? I think I'm actually going to be productive tomorrow. Get a haircut, do laundry, start writing my personal statement, then maybe go to the bookstore and get a good new book. Oh and I would like to finish watching The Future of Food on Hulu. Okay good night world.
The owner of this blog is Chea Ean - and I will give you a big big hug if you can say my name right.
I have hair too flat for my protruding forehead, front teeth too wide for my mouth, ears too flappy for my face, feet too big for an Asian girl, and probably a mind too fickle for my own good.
I am the girl by the window, and I might just be the most incoherent person you will ever meet. But yes, I have friends; if that's what you're wondering.
This is the time right now in San Diego. Try not to keep asking me "What's the time now over there?" everytime you see me online cos it gets annoying at times
