A Father's Expectations

Jianshe: Fiona's essay was selected as one of the top 6 in her grade.
me: oh wow, that's awesome
Jianshe: Alex got straight A
me: nice
Jianshe: What about you :-) no pressure.

Thanksgiving food coma

KS: I want to be a parent who's strict in practice but cool in methodology.
KT: example?
KS: like, my dad. He's strict in his practice but cool in his methodology.
KT: !??

Countdown

4 Papers (Ethical Reasoning, Anthro, Chick Lit & Japanese Lit)
3 Formals
2 Finals
2 Visitors (N coming from DC and AP coming from home!)
1 Month

I live on a historical landmark

My sink is 90 years old.

And it drips.

Throwback

Pick 20 people you know:

1. Konrin
2. John
3. Smallest Richard
4. Souvik
5. Ke
6. Andrew
7. Anna
8. Big Richard
9. Guoster
10. Terry Plas James
11. Jon Jain
12. Darcie
13. Curtis
14. Reihan
15. Sherry
16. Le
17. Nikkachu
18. Muzzy
19. Brian Campos
20. Francis

What do you honestly think of No. 10?
I think he has the capacity to FINISH people. FINISH HIM TERRY. FINISH HIM.
I think Terry is a very insightful guy and is a great person to talk to. Very in tune with those around him (: <3 Terrbear

Would or did No. 19 and No. 8 go out?
Campos and Richard Li... well, they would make good beer pong buddies. Maybe in the middle of a great match they will pledge their undying love to each other. Jus sayin.

Did you ever like number 3?
Obvs, but I may like his camera possibly more.

If No. 1 died tomorrow, what is one thing that you would need him/her to know?
Konlin, I cannot believe you died not knowing how to do airflares. Oh, and can I have your Joey pouch jacket? Prease?

Would No. 2 and No. 11 make a good couple?
John & Jon already are a couple. Make sure Anna doesn't know. Also their kid would be named Jo(h)n^2.

Describe No. 7 in 3 words:
Romance Novel Addict

Do you think No. 12 is hot?
Dude, she is the hottest and sexiest girl I know. The way she dances, mm, irresistible.

What would you do if you had never met No. 5?
Oh my god. Without Ke Xu in my life I would be 10000x more innocent than I am now.
But really, I wouldn't know that such a caring and devoted friend (and a crazy horny partier) could possibly exist were it not for Kerry Xu.

Would No. 1 and No. 17 make a lovely couple?
Konrin and Nikkachu? Together they can be team Nikkon and take awesome photos. Speaking of photos, Konrin and Linda have the most adorable picture ever. No splitting up that couple, not even for Nikkon :P

What do you think of when you see No. 8?
I think... man, I'm so glad I have an awesome best friend (:
And I also think, maybe you do need a haircut. Actually, I just saw you and I liked the hair. Keep the hair (;

Tell me something humiliating about No. 11
Ooohhh....... when JJain got into Harvard there was a facebook page made for him. The image was of him chugging a bottle of something in between a girl's legs. Good first impression. Good times.

Do you know any of No. 6's family members?
Yeah. They hate me now cuz I didn't recognize them at our show ):
Gonna see them again at Thanksgiving. Gotta get back into good graces :P

What's No. 20's favorite color?
Gray? Black? Dark Blue? Yeah don't deny your emo roots, haha.

On a scale of 1-10 how cute is No. 14?
Oh mang. Reihan is super cute, with a bite. (:
Especially his fake real-smile. 10/10!

What would you do if No. 4 just professed their undying love for you?
It depends, if it comes with a walk through central park, a dinner at a fancy restaurant (bottle of Chardonnay), and a broadway (not that big a fan of ballets). Then I would accept :P

What language does No. 19 speak?
Peruvian. Duh.

Who is No. 16 going out with?
A guy in law school. Or maybe 2 (;

Is No. 9 a boy or a girl?
All man.

Would No. 18 and No. 4 make a good couple?
THEY ARE THE SAME PERSON. Hu, what?

Who do you think No. 15 would be great with from this list?
Sherry and.. Ke. Both so blunt. Plus Sherry and Jenny know each other :P

When was the last time you talked to No. 12?
On Monday night when I had a talk with her that I really needed. Thank you so much.

What is No. 3's favorite band?
Uhoh, I don't know. Clearly I don't like him enough.

Does No. 2 have any siblings?
No. Single child syndrom :P

Would you ever date No. 6?
Well, depends. If it's Andrew CHEN I would say, only if you give me all the money in your top drawer. If it's Andrew PHAM I would say, we did :D

Would you ever date No. 15?
Oh yeah. She was my first girl kiss anyway (:

Is No. 7 single?
No, she ruuvs number 11

What is No. 20's last name?
Denggg son.

What is No. 5's middle name?
Man. Ke Man Xu.

What is No. 10's fantasy?
A CSA party

Where does no. 9 live?
In some rich-ass house in some rich-ass neighborhood. That I'm gonna crash over Thanksgiving :P

Would you make out with No. 13?
I'll show you my case study if you show me yours

Are No. 5 and No. 6 best friends?
Nah, they are each devoted to their own best friends. Or rather, number 5 is devoted to number 4.

Does No. 7 like No. 20?
I'm sure they have some beef over their mutual love - Mr. Bojangles

How did you meet No. 18?
At a session. At first I thought he had the coolest name ever. Oh, I still do.

Is No. 12 older than you?
You know... I don't know... uhoh.

Is No. 17 the sexiest person alive?
I would always choose you, Nikkachu (; (;

Arrested Development

I've started to quote Arrested Development during interesting states of mind.
Quite embarrassing.

Letters to the future

Yesterday evening I was made to write a letter for myself via the Seneca. Ironically it was a very emotionally difficult day for me and I had a lot to write about. Though I don't particularly wish to share all the details here I do want to share a part of that letter.

That part is how important my friends are to me. Though yesterday's shit-show there were so many people that I could turn to for advice or just freak out about to.
There was L, who told me to have strength when I couldn't take another step forward.
T, who told me that talking about it would definitely make me feel better and offered advice of his own.
K, who told me to follow my heart (hah, most succinct advice).
S, who reminded me that I'm not the only one with these problems and that my experiences can help others through theirs.
A, who left a sea salt brownie on my desk after hearing about what happened
C, who brought me a bag of sunchips after she heard it was my comfort food
D, who listened to all my problems and consoled me through them
R, who didn't question my need for a hug but just offered his services
and S walked with me for an hour and a half, all the way into Boston when I could hardly even walk straight.

Of course there are others as well, who have been so great. Writing that, and other parts of the letter, was all part of a cathartic healing process. As I folded, stuffed, and sealed the envelope it was with the knowledge that this feeling, all these feelings were transitory. But where-ever I am when I receive that letter I look forward to remembering or reinforcing the knowledge that there are people around me who care, and people who I need to take care of in turn.

My Professor's Comments on ONE

"Who is George Goy? Go? He is a Super Star!"
"Who was that Japanese guy? He was really good too."
"And who's that guy whose name kept being mentioned? He kept being called on by those other guys."
and
"I liked the spy one. Good job."

Read the first line

I am a bad flirt.

I've always known this, mostly because I don't dedicate much time to thinking about the act of flirting, and also when I think someone is trying to engage in meaningful eye contact with me I usually find it near impossible to look at them back. But also, as I have recently discovered, that I have come to terms with my own limitations after seeing the prowess of those around me.

For a while it would bother me, perhaps I should be more seductive. Surely everyone likes to be attractive, right? But recently I've begun to think of how it feels for the other side. And I think I know how the other side feels because they are probably just like me - drawn into the allure of those who are good at what they do, but most likely never to be one of them.

For, to me, attraction isn't a hard and fast game involving touching, laughing, and sidelong glances.
Instead, it is the irresistible urge to hug someone when you're both up at the net gathering tennis balls.
The strong pull of their shoulder as you're both somewhere up in the mountains gazing silently up at the stars as a party rages just next door.
A knee brushed against my own.
An awkward invitation to a dance after it has been mulled over all day.
Sitting in the trunk of a car, chatting until the sun set.
The comfort of knowing that their front porch will always be open to you, especially when you need it most.
An honest confession.

I guess I've always been a bad flirt because love has always managed to find me in special ways. Though the love may not have always lasted, the process of getting there holds so many precious and tender moments, I certainly have been spoiled, and therefore never really had to learn the art of flirtation.

Kat's Karniyarik: Moving West

Today I felt like moving away from all the Asian foods I've done. After all, I've already tackled Korean, Thai, and Chinese. Japanese I just eat too much of anyway.

But there's really nothing American that I particularly want to eat and nothing French that I can make. Then it hit me, what is east meets west? Is it fusion food like mac and cheese sushi? NO, it's Turkish!

After today though, I must say that Turkish isn't really eats meets west, but more of a style of its own. Mmnn, stuffed eggplant.

Misery poetry

Weekend retreats were a blast
Too bad weekends never last
Now there's so much work to do
that I'm stressed through and through
mostly because I now have the flu.

Poo.

Chez Kat part deux

I realized that I never ended up uploading the food photos.

I cannot make pancake-esque food for the life of me. Might as well just give up on it. The green curry, on the other hand, turned out well. I was going to make my own green curry paste but some of the ingredients (galangal, kaffir lime) were impossible for me to find so I gave up on that right quick.

The theme, I guess, was green. Down to the margaritas that went along with this meal. Yum.

SENECA

I got in. Yey (: