Hotashi

I think I mentioned previously that I’ve moved back to Waterloo until the end of August to work on my research. Well here I am living in my three-bedroom student apartment all alone. Ok that’s a lie - my hamster is with me too…and two house plants. But I’m pretty much alone since Tokki sleeps for the majority of my awake time and the plants are just plants. Jack came up this weekend and we hung out for a few days (long weekend) but other than that the place has been empty.

For the time I have been alone it has been weird getting into a pattern of living alone. Having people live with you definitely shapes your habits. For instance, when my two stupid roommates lived here with me I would try avoid going outside my room when I knew they were out there. Why? Because if I wasn’t asked really stupid questions I would get sucked into a socially awkward, brainless and/or ridiculously boring conversation. And then there is also the issues with rotting food. Personally, I like to avoid that.

Now that I’m here alone I’ve been wondering how to conduct myself. For instance, is it still inappropriate to not close the door when you’re on the can? Nobody is there so is it a big deal? Should I let my dishes pile up until I feel like washing them since I won’t be inconveniencing anyone? Can I take up all the room in the fridge without seeming like a hog? I know some of the answers might seem straight forward but since I’ve always had to share my space with other people, I have never had to question when such social norms are null. Null or nullified? Anyway, it’s weird. I took a piss with the door open…it felt so wrong.

P.S. Two blogs you should check out: our wedding blog & Stuff Korean Moms Like

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I had a talk with my mom the other day about money management. She was saying how immigrant parents spend money on their kids and wait on themselves because they immigrated for the purpose of giving their kids a better life. And I told her how it can be burdening on the children of immigrant parents because they also want their parents to enjoy their lives and not constantly sacrifice their wants and desires for their children (especially when their children are older). She didn’t seen to understand this concept.

I kept her on this topic because I wanted her to understand indirectly why I didn’t want my parents to help out financially with the wedding. It’s not because I want to hog the glory or exclude them from the process. I just feel like my parents have put in a lot of financing towards my life, including supporting me through my Masters degree. I don’t feel it is fair to expect them to also contribute to the wedding expenses. Sure I wouldn’t mind if the paid for small things, but I really don’t want them to concern themselves with such finances, especially since my younger sister is still at university. I don’t think it is fair for any parent to have to wait until they are retired to spend money on themselves and enjoy life. It is their money which they worked hard for and they should reward themselves. I’m not sure how to get them to understand where I’m coming from so that they don’t think I’m a horrible daughter who doesn’t want her parents to get involved. =/

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Jack and I just bought our tickets to Beerfest 2008. It’s an annual beer festival that is held in Toronto that celebrates beer in Canada. There are more than 200 beers featured and some other junk like prizes and stuff. It runs from Friday August 7 to Sunday August 10. We’re going for the Saturday one. I’m really looking forward to it. Since Jack and I haven’t done much during undergrad, it’s nice to go to festivals and stuff together and with our friends. For those who are interested in going, get your tickets early by buying them online. =)

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Death is a weird thing. We all have to deal with it at some point in our lives, and we’ll all have to face it sooner or later. It’s inevitable and yet it usually always comes as a shock when it happens. Even when we are wanting someone to pass (hopefully to put them out of their suffering), we still feel pain when we have to let them go. Death goes hand in hand with mourning. If you don’t mourn right away it WILL wait for you. Sadly, it will hit you at an unexpected (and usually) and inconvenient time. Better to deal with it when it happens than let it linger. That’s what I think.

Jack’s grandfather passed away this weekend. It was expected, but it’s still hard to deal with. Did I like the man? I wouldn’t say I hated him. I didn’t really know him. Yet when I found out he died, I still cried. I don’t know if I was crying for him or for my grandmother that passed away almost at this same time last year. One of those quirky things about death I guess…it’s not always about the one who died.

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For some reason I completely forgot of making some goals for this year. I remembered when I read Tiff’s blog. So here is my list.

Goals for 2008
1. Graduate >=D
2. Exercise for 10 minutes everyday.
3. Write e-mails & snail mails more often.
4. Eat less meat and more vegetables.
5. Avoid Walmart like the plague.

Sadly that is all that I can think of right now. There are a few things that I am looking forward to for 2008. Firstly I’m going to Ottawa at the end of January with some other grad students. It’s only for a weekend but I’m sure we will have a lot of fun.

There is also a good chance that my family will be going to India in June for my paternal grandmother’s 80th birthday. We’re hoping that all her children will come for her birthday and it will be the first reunion with all her kids there since…before I was born. o_O!!!

And lastly, I will (hopefully) graduate from my Masters program and will get an enjoyable job. Once that happens Jack and I can start planning our wedding. My family in India just started finding out about our engagement. It feels weird with them knowing it. It’s almost like…it’s REALLY official. It gives me chills.

That also reminds me, Jack’s and my family got together for our official family introduction. It went pretty well. There was a lot of talk about India and China *surprise surprise*. Both our parents seem to be very happy for us, which makes me happy. I’m so glad all of these social gatherings are over and done with. I can now concentrate on school for the next eight months in peace. =P

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