HP7

Just got my hands on the final Harry Potter book.



Wheee!!!!



That means I'll be MIA until I finish reading it.

personalizing a desk

Desk of Intern #1:

Above: view of the desk.

Below: view of the desk drawar.

Intern #2's Desk:

Above: View of the desk.

Below: View of the desk drawar.

Guess which desk is mine.

Can I just say that the makers of Life-Savers are geniuses for coming up with the idea of selling an entire roll of lifesavers that consists of ONLY wild cherry flavor? That's so awesome!

Now, if only Sour Patch kids would only sell bags of cherry flavored gummis.

conversation of the day

"When you call, you're the sunshine in my life, but then when I call you, 'I'm an ice-pick to your head'?"

"Hahahah, that's so funny. Hahaha. You make me sound like a jerk when you put it that way."

"That's blogworthy."

... ... ... ...

Take a guess at who the participants of the conversation were.

fair food

Remember this picture I posted to demonstrate the isolation I feel?

Well now there's a county fair in it's place!

Although I live right across the street from the fair, this is the first day I actually went to take part in the festivities (it's been here for almost a week). So, when the roommate agreed to take her baby to the fair with me (because you know, going to the fair by yourself is a bit lame), I was like a happy little kid again.

... ... ...

I tried to save my appetite and just have fair food for dinner, but my stomach couldn't hold out so I had to have a bowl of instant noodles after I got home from work. But trust you me, I saved room for the fair food.

... ... ...

Again, what's up with the Jumbo Tenderloins?

FYI -- Elephant Ears = Fried Dough with Cinnamon Sugar = REALLY YUMMY IN THE TUMMY

Chicken-on-a-stick really is just chicken on a stick.

And this is chicken-on-a-stick-with-ketchup-and-mustard.

And now I must go drink a gallon of water to try to digest the elephant ears and chicken-on-a-stick that I just ate.

finally got my box!

USPS doesn't suck that much after all. My box finally got delivered and even with a busted corner, everything inside was still intact.

All is well with my world again. =)

Harry Potter Movie #5

After being stooped up studying for months and also being out of the country, I finally got out and saw a real movie, in a theater, with popcorn and soda oh my!

I really wanted to go see several summer blockbusters, but being in the location that I am, I really didn't know where the nearest movie theater was so I honestly thought I wasn't going to be able to see any movies for the rest of my summer. Luckily, I guess, I somehow became the "celebrity intern" and now have a list of attorneys to turn to when I need a ride somewhere. Of course, it's weird to just call up someone and say "hey, wanna go to the grocery store?" but at least it was easier on my stress level to know that there were people willing to take me places.

The first offer to go out was to join an attorney and her two boys to see the new Harry Potter movie Harry Potter movie. I tagged along, a bit worried that being surrounded by children would ruin my Harry Potter experience. They were good. They did not scream or throw a fit. I was happy.

...

Now, to the movie. It was just so weird to see such a grown up looking Harry. He was muscular, and he had such a big neck -- not characteristics of a 15 year old boy. If the other actors didn't grow at the same rate, I would have had a much harder time believing that this group of kids were supposed to be 15. Other than that, the movie was pretty good. I think they added a lot of stuff that didn't happen exactly in the book, so I have to get ahold of the book and reread it. Then I have to reread book #6 before I can start with book #7. Too bad all my Potter books are in a box in storage in Kansas City.

...

And I don't think Dumbledore is out of the picture yet. If He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named can keep coming back, so can Dumbledore.

festival food

I have never heard of "Jumbo Tenderloins" as a food item at any festival.

Somehow, a fried pickle doesn't perk my interest as much as a fried oreo.

I'm actually very proud of myself -- four hours at a festival and I didn't consume any fried dough!

hot air balloon festival

I was invited to go to the Peoria Balloon Fest today and was excited to just get out of the house and see another part of Peoria that wasn't on the bus route. I was expecting rows of hot air balloons being tethered to the ground in all its splendor, but this is what I got instead:

This is the view from the parking lot and we were walking up to the "festival".
Here are some balloon blow up jumpy thingys. The kid I was with had a fun time jumping on those things while his parents and I were standing in the sun waiting for some adult activities to start. The kid also got dust everywhere on his body -- I was afraid how his mother was going to react with him getting into their clean car.

They had a petting zoo at the festival. This tortoise was trying really hard to get out of his metal cage. There was also a llama and a small kangaroo (aka joey). They charged $3 to "enter" the zoo, when one could easily see all the animals from outside.

Balloons! But I don't think the festival is about this kind of balloon.

For adult entertainment, there was a skydiving show. You can't see it here, but there's a skydiver somewhere in those clouds. And that's a giraffe's head.

There's the skydiver!

Finally, people setting up the hot air balloons. Apparently, there is some kind of competition to see whose balloon gets up first and flies the longest.

We kept sitting around, waiting for the balloon competition to start.

And eventually, we just left after two hours of waiting because it was "too windy" for the hot air balloon competition to start. Who knew that you had to have a non-windy day for hot air balloons to take off?

USPS service sucks

I still haven't received my box of souvineers from China. When I got back to the states, I had packed all of my China souvineers into a box and shipped it to my Peoria address because I didn't want to lug an extra heavy suitcase onto a plane, train and bus.

I sent the box over three weeks ago. I still haven't received the box.

USPS said they probably lost it.

Very very sad right now. I bought such nice things from China. And they weren't just things for me to use. It had gifts I was going to send to my friends and my parents. And because of the stupid postal service, I will never see those China souvineers again, and my friends and parents will never see the cute stuff I bought for them.

Very upset right now.

Grrr.

very funny bio

Click here for a good laugh.

*okay, for some reason, the website doesn't give the direct link to the bio I wanted to share. Click on the link above, then click on "Our People", then click "Attorneys" and do a search for "Kevin Gliwa." Very funny, trust me. *

This is what you can do when you become a shareholder of a law firm: write your own bio AND get it published.

response to previous post

Okay, I just wanted to respond to the two comments from the previous post regarding the stereotype that if you're Vietnamese, you must work in a nail salon.

#1. Yes, it's true. I did work in a nail salon at one point in my life. Note the word "did", as in "the past" as in "not anymore." Although, my parents insist that I continue to renew and keep current my nail technician license. So technically, if I wanted to, I could still legally provide manicure services in the state of Massachusetts.

However, the fact that I used to do nails does not mean that the stereotype is true for every Vietnamese. Especially a Vietnamese who is wearing a very nicely tailored suit jacket and skirt and does not look like she is headed for work at a nail salon.

Okay, then.

#2. Yes, it's been a very bad week -- mood wise. So yes, I'm a little more bitter than usual.

So shoot me.

stereotype #58

If you're Vietnamese, then you must work at a nail salon or own a nail salon, or both.

.... .... .... ....

I was sitting on the bus this morning, all decked out in a power suit and rocking out to my iPod, when I felt this tap on my shoulder. I ignored it, because I was not in a social mood. But the tapping continued. So I whipped around -- with earphones still in my ears -- and this Asian guy asks me something that I can't hear because you know, my earphones are in my ears. I shake my head and turn around again because I really am not in a very social mood at 8 am in the morning. This guy, however, kept tapping my shoulder.

I pulled one earphone out of an ear and asked, "WHAT?!?"

Weird Asian Guy: Are you Filipino?

Me: No, I am not.

And then I stuck my earphone back in my ear and turn around again. Weird Asian Guy continued to tap on my shoulders.

This time, I pulled out my earphones and glared at him as I turned around.

Me: "Yes?"

Weird Asian Guy: Are you Chinese then?

Me: No.

Weird Asian Guy: Then what are you?

Me: Vietnamese.

Weird Asian Guy: You work at a nail salon, huh? All Vietnamese works at a nail salon.

Me: No, I do not.

I turned around again, thinking "What the fuck? I'm wearing a suit jacket and skirt with high heels on. Does it look like I'm dressed up to go to work in a nail salon?"

Weird Asian Guy continued tapping my shoulder and I'm thinking why can't this guy take a hint?

So, note to all you bus riders: DON'T BOTHER ANYONE WITH EARPHONES IN HIS/HER EARS. They might not want to talk to you.

dessert

Me: Honey, I'm emailing you some pictures.

The Boy: Okay, send away.

Me: Don't scream when you open the pictures okay.

The Boy: Why would I do that?

Me: Nothing.

The Boy: What did you eat?

Me: Um, you'll see.

The Boy: It better not be what I think it is...

The Boy: Did you ...

The Boy: You went to the Cheesecake Factory!

Me: hee hee hee yep.

The Boy: And you ate an entire slice of cheesecake?

Me: hee hee hee yep.

The Boy: Is that what you're confessing?

Me: hee hee hee yep.

The Boy: I hope you enjoyed it.

Me: It was alright. I should have gone with my usual Brownie Sundae cheesecake. Maybe I should go back right now and get another one.

The Boy -- drops the phone and bangs head against the table in awe of my ability to consume so much food in one sitting.

Happy 4th!

After I got to KC, we went to Parkville, MO to enjoy the July 4th festivities. Above, a picture of the flag on the entire side of a building.
The SPAM Mobile at the Parkville Carnival. No, I didn't try a sample. And photos of the fireworks.

Middle of Nowhere, USA

I am currently living in the middle of nowhere. Seriously. Look below.

Imagine yourself standing in front of the apartment building where I am temporarily staying for the remainder of my judicial clerkship in Illinois. Now, the above photo is the view to your right. Below, is the view directly in front of you.

Here, is the view to your left. See, told you. Middle of no where.

I feel so isolated out here.
....
....
....
I got the 4th of July off from work. I also got Thursday and Friday off too. No way in hell was I going to spend six days in the middle of nowhere with no friends around. So I rented a car and decided to make the 6.5 hours drive down to Kansas City to meet up with some law school buddies.

This is the view after the first hour of driving.

Hour 2

Hour 3

Hour 4 -- Look another car on the road!

Hour 4.5 -- The Mississippi River (it's behind the guard rails).

Hour 5

Hour 5.5 -- no idea where I am right now but it's somewhere in Northern Missourah.

Hour 6.5 -- Kansas City!

... ... ...

And I have to do that boring drive all over again on Sunday. Perhaps I should look into a more exciting route.

money don't mean a thing

I had to go to Chicago for a couple of days to attend this "expected but not required" orientation meeting at the American Bar Association (for a judicial clerkship that I got awarded). So, I had to get a hotel for two nights and I really didn't want to spend more than $250 (yes, pricey, but I didn't want to stay in the ghetto). The Boy helped me make the hotel accommodations.
....

The first hotel The Boy reserved for me was the Four Points Sheraton at Chicago Midway Airport. My flight didn't get into Chicago until 1am, so I didn't want to go too far to get to the hotel. It was a great hotel, even at the $150 a night pricetag. I had a suite, with a king size bed that had down pillows and comforters. Free wireless internet in the room, and 24 hour room service. Too bad it wasn't closer to downtown Chicago, because I might have stayed there for a second night.
....

The second hotel The Boy reserved for my second night in Chicago was the Allerton Hotel, at $199 a night. Yes, this is over my budget, but The Boy offered to pay for the difference because he wanted me to stay in a safe neighborhood. Isn't that sweet of him? Too bad the hotel's quality didn't meet the price:
.
1. The room was tiny. It was really, really small for $199 a night. There was a queen size bed, with a sheet for a blanket. Okay, there was some thin little comforter but it wasn't thick and soft like the down comforter at the Sheraton. There was no bathtub. It was only a stand alone shower. There was no separate bottle of shampoo or conditioner but only one bottle of "conditioning shampoo". And there was no free bottle of water.
.
2. There was no wireless internet in the rooms. The only place to get wireless internet was in the lobby area. Yes, it was free internet, but still. I would have paid $9.99 to be able to use my laptop in the comfort of the bed.
.
3. There was no room service. Seriously, no room service. No menu to order from. Nothing. Nada. They only had this doorknob hangy thing that you could fill out for breakfast, which doesn't start until 6am. So because I woke up at 5am, I had to wait an hour for them to deliver my breakfast. Come on now, for $199 a night, you should be at my beck and call.
.
4. I get a pet roach.

Yes, a two inch giant roach -- the kind you only see in Southeast Asia. This is seriously the first giant cockroach I have seen in the US. Too bad I saw it at 5am in the morning. Otherwise, I would have demanded a new room.

....

Although The Boy paid for the room at the Allerton, he was really glad he didn't have to stay in the hotel because he would have raised all sort of hell to get his money's worth. Well, at least he tried to give me luxury. It's the thought that counts, right?

planes, trains and automobiles

Monday, June 25, 4:00 pm, Beijing
--Air China Flight from Beijing to San Francisco.
--Aisle seat in middle section with an empty seat right next to me. Unfortunately, there was a screaming baby in the row in front of me, two screaming toddlers in the row behind me, and about half a dozen five year olds in the surrounding area.
--Thank goodness for prescription sleeping pills. Otherwise, there might have been some disappearing children on board the plane.
--11 hours later, arrive in San Francisco at 12:30pm on Monday, June 25 -- TIME TRAVEL!!

Tuesday, June 26, 7:00pm, Oakland
--Southwest flight from Oakland to Chicago.
--Due to Southwest's "seat yourself, first come first serve" policy, I decided to seat myself in the middle seat of the third row, thinking that I'll get off the plane quicker. Unfortunately again, there were two screaming babies seated in the row in front of me, one toddler behind me who kept kicking the back of my seat and about a half dozen five year olds in the surrounding area.
--Unfortunately, the flight was only three hours so I couldn't take a sleeping pill. The other two adults in my row, along with myself, were seriously comtemplating how we could make the crazy children disappear.
--Three and a half hours later, arrive in Chicago at 1am.

Wednesday morning, June 27, 1:00 am, Chicago.
--Check into Four Points Sheraton at Midway Airport.
--SCORE for the free shuttle service that was still running after midnight.
--SCORE for the great bedroom The Boy reserved for me.
--SCORE for a wonderful night's rest on a plush, king sized bed.
--No score for the fact that I woke up at 5am and couldn't go back to sleep until 10 am, but then had to get up in order to check out by noon.

Wednesday afternoon, June 27, 1:00pm, Chicago downtown, Magnificent Mile
--Take a taxi from Midway Airport to Allerton Hotel located in downtown Chicago.
--Attempt to check-in to hotel but was told room was not ready. Lug two suitcases downstairs to leave with the bellboy. Go back upstairs to the lounge to find some lunch and was told by the front desk that the room is actually ready now. Was told that bellboy will deliver luggage to room.
--2:00pm, bellboy didn't deliver luggage but can't wait anymore because time to go to the ABA office for the orientation meeting.
--5:00pm, attempting to stay awake at a meet and greet reception hour at the ABA office. Body wants sleep but brain says to keep awake so as not to drop the glass of wine.
--8:00pm, walk through Magnificent Mile back to hotel, in a dress suit and heels, and get dinner along the way. At hotel, call bellboy to deliver luggage so I can change into some PJs.
--crash on the bed.

Thursday, June 27, 5am, Chicago
--wake up at 5am and watch nonsense television until time to go to Union Station.
--8:00am check out of hotel and take a taxi to Amtrak Station at Union Station in Chicago.
--Lug two suitcases down two flights of stairs because the damn escalators are going up and not down, and there is no elevator in sight.
--Get train tickets and board train.
--9:24am on board a train headed for Bloomington, Illinois.
--12:00 noon, arrive in Bloomington, Illinois. Drop big suitcase on your foot and get a bloody toe as a result. That's right, no one offered to help this poor little girl with her two giant suitcases.
--Sit around the Amtrak station in Bloomington and wait for the one bus that leaves for Peoria at 4:45pm. SOmehow manage to find lunch during that time period.
--5:00pm, see the bus and board it.
--6:00pm, arrive in Peoria. Meet the nice woman renting out her spare bedroom.
--9:00pm, see big bed. Crash and sleep until noon the next day.

Yep, two plane rides, a train ride and a bus ride. All that in four days. Plus, a wounded big toe that is still bleeding as I type.

I deserve some sort of medal.

Fridays on a Wednesday

Two of my classmates and I are currently interning at a Chinese law firm in Beijing. This is our last week of our internship. The lunch hours are from 11:30 to 1:30, but no one really takes the entire time for lunch. The interns, aka the Americans, decided to cash in on that two hour window today and had lunch at TGIFridays.

Instead of the usual three amigos for lunch today, there was only two of us. And we ordered A LOT OF FOOD for just two people.

Three for All -- buffalo wings, potatoe skins and mozzorella sticks.

Three flavored calamari.


Tex Mex Triple Tower -- fried jalapenos, quesadilla and nachoes.

-----

Two hours, two beers, two long island iced teas, two spiked strawberry lemonade and a blue martini later....

Yes, all that food was consumed by only two people.