Baldness

They say that youth is the time when people should be "free to make mistakes" and "learn from their lessons." In my 22 years, I guess you could say that I haven't made that many -- I have good judgement. But on Friday night, I made a fairly big mistake. Someday I'll probably look back on it and laugh, but right now I'm kinda horrified and would just like to crawl underneath a rock for a while.

When I came back to my room from having drinks with friends, I decided to take a shower before going to bed. Although I thought I was washing my hair with shampoo, it turned it to be another chemical that shall remain unnamed. To make a long story short, when I woke up the next morning, half of the hair on my head had fallen off and I had a gigantic bald spot. My eyebrows were also gone.

My reaction was sort of like this (minus the breaking of glass, prom crown and lunatic fisherman):

After moping around wondering what to do for a day, I finally just buzzed it all off. I've never had a shaved head before, and I can't say that I'm a big fan. But this too shall pass: hair grows back, and I'm thankful that it wasn't a worse accident.

Here is a photo:

If you're traumatized by this, rest assured that:

1) I've decided to wear a hat for the next month or so.

2) Many of you won't even see me before it's back to normal

3) At least it's not from cancer treatment. And I'm not a neo-Nazi.

Have a good week, everyone.

Edit: My mom just e-mailed me this photo from the last time I was bald.

 

دبيّ‎

I'm going to Dubai for a weekend in March!

I got an incredibly cheap flight, and my friend got us a free hotel using his Hilton points. I'm looking forward to visiting the "Vegas of the Middle East."

Confessions of a Nomad

It's been nearly a month since I've updated, as this term continues to be a whirlwind. I thought that having class only two days a week would mean that I'd somehow have more time to relax, but that hasn't been the case. Although six weeks into the term, this is the first full week that I've spent here in London since I arrived in January.

Let's see... At the end of January, I went back to Los Angeles for four days to take an exam to work for the executive branch of the federal government. I could have gone to any of the 12 or so biggest cities in the U.S., but I decided to go to LA because the flight was almost the same as those to the each coast and I had a free place to stay with friends. I wasn't expecting to feel such a high level of nostalgia when visiting UCLA -- maybe it was the 70 degree temperature or the rush of seeing friends again, but I really started reflecting on my time there and missing it. 

One of my favorite places on earth:

If I don't end up in Washington DC after graduation, I wouldn't mind working in Los Angeles for a few years. I've always maintained that I don't want to end up there, but I have so many friends there and the quality of life (minus smog and traffic) paired with work opportunities is just too great to pass up. Whatever happens, I hope to visit again soon and I'm sorry to those people who I didn't get a chance to meet up with.

When my flight from LAX was coming in to land at Heathrow, I was extremely surprised to see a thick blanket of snow covering all of London! It turned out to be the heaviest snow that London had received in almost 30 years, and our flight was preparing to divert to Charles de Gaulle in Paris before we received permission to land. It lasted for about 3 days before it had finally melted completely.

The following weekend I went to Amsterdam for two nights with four friends from my program. I had originally thought about canceling my ticket for the trip because I was so exhausted and behind in school work, but the flight was non-refundable. Anyway, I ended up having a good time. Our hotel was really centrally located -- literally in the same square as the Dam, the central monument in Amsterdam. There is a lot of hype about Amsterdam because of their liberal social policies (legalized prostitution, loose marijuana standards) but beyond this, it is truly a gorgeous city with a lot of character.

Since I'd visited there in summer 2007, I remembered a lot about the city and felt less rushed to try and see everything. I headed back to the Van Gogh museum, and we took a riverboat tour through the canals. While we were on the boat, it started snowing! It sounds cool, but at the time I was worried that our impending flight back to London was going to be grounded. Anyway, we made it back safely and it was an enjoyable weekend.

Unfortunately, when I got back to my dorm I got some very bad news -- our family friend George, who had been treated for stomach and esophagus cancer, had passed away that morning. My dad had spent 8 hours with him the day before because he was in so much pain and needed help. Although technically not biologically related to me, he was essentially an adopted grandfather. He and his wife, Eva, helped pay for me and my sister to attend college, and we've been going to their house for dinner every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. Eva is one of the strongest people I know, and I'm sure she'll get through this time alright, but I still feel for her right now and wish that I could be home.

I'm off to see Revolutionary Road at Tottenham Court Rd. I'll try to update more soon from now on.

New Term, Paris + Inauguration

Well, this is my first update since beginning the Lent term at LSE. Things have naturally been pretty busy and hectic, but with some fun mixed in here and there as well.

Although I'd initially thought that LSE was pretty easy, maybe even easier than undergrad, things have started tightening up and I'm beginning to feel the pressure. Last week I turned in all my term papers that were assigned in the fall, and subsequently pulled my first all-nighter since coming to graduate school. I checked out 21 books from the library - the maximum permitted - and carted them all the way back to my room, and only ended up using a handful. The interesting thing about LSE is that all papers are marked twice by two professors each, and then the scores are averaged or the professors debate which mark is more accurate. It takes a ton of time but it's pretty fair I think.

On Saturday, I took the Eurostar from London St. Pancras station to Paris Gare du Nord. With a journey time of about 2.5 hours, it's an incredibly fast and smooth ride from central London to central Paris. Getting ready to board:

Once we arrived, I went to stay at Garance's apartment with her friend Andrei, a classmate from Chapman who I've hung out with before at UCLA. My friends from LSE - Jim, Jackie and Josh - stayed at a hotel. Highlights from the trip included visits to the Rodin Museum, Père Lachaise Cemetery (where Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and others are burried), and the Louvre.

Musee Rodin:

One of his most famous works, "The Kiss".

Eating a waffle with Andrei.

Tomb of Oscar Wilde.

Garance thinks this looks like the photo from the beginning of a spy movie, haha.

My friend David from high school works as an English teacher in Paris now, so we got the chance to meet up with him twice. It was good to catch up on how things in Oroville are and relive old times.

Out to dinner with Garance's family.

Before boarding the Eurostar to return to London.

We arrived back to London on the afternoon of inauguration day. Though I had decided to skip class to watch, Obama's speech had ended well in time for me to still go. I watched it in the quad at LSE, which was standing room only. Not surprisingly, given the liberal nature of Europeans and the Americans who go to LSE, there was a lot of cheering and jubilation.

One fact that I admire about Obama is that he is a devout Christian with strong convictions, yet he is genuinely respectful of other faiths and doesn't hesitate to acknowledge their existance. Sure, our nation may have been founded by protestants, but our intellectual diversity and individual liberties are even more valuable, in my opinion. In this respect, I think Obama's rhetoric of inclusion matches his message about wanting to unite, not divide the American people.

Obama's high approval rating with inevitably take some hits over the next 4 (or 8) years as he approaches the many challenges that our country faces. But nonetheless, there's no denying the historical moment that took place on Tuesday. This is a man who only a half century ago would have been turned away from many restaurants in the south, or even more troubling, could have faced lynching for approaching a white woman the wrong way.

This is the smile of progress!

The mall, where a few of my lucky friends were.

Maybe President someday? Hahaha...

A Change in Temperature

High today in Oroville, California: 61 degrees F

High today in London, England: 38 degrees F

Hence the reason I'm walking around in a long jacket with a scarf as I prepare to head to the airport today.

Goodbye, North America.

Hello, Europe.

A Time for Everything

"All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace."

--Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Goodbye, 2008.

I didn't realize until last night that today was the last day of the year.

This marks the end of another year filled with many ups and downs... new experiences, places and people... 

This has been a pretty momentous year globally. California legalized then banned gay marriage. We elected the first-ever black president in the United States. China hosted the Olympics. Home foreclosures reached an all-time high, the price of gas and stock market plummeted, and we entered a global recession. Tina Fey impersonated Sarah Palin on SNL. Etc, etc, etc.

Personally, it's been a pretty momentous year as well. I graduated from college and embarked on a new life in graduate school overseas. At the beginning of the year, I never would've guessed that it all would happened in 2008. I guess I've managed to pack a lot into a short amount of time, but I somehow wish time would go slower as well.

I don't really know whether to be optimistic about 2009 or not. Like any new year, it offers a lot of new beginnings and the chance to start over. George Bush will finally be out of office, and hopefully Obama can bring the "change" that he's promised. But I don't think all the problems that we've created for ourselves can even begin to be solved in the coming year. But at least it's a step forward, at least in theory.

For me, 2009 will (hopefully) bring my graduation from graduate school, my 23rd birthday, and the search for a job amidst a recession. For the first time ever, I really have no idea where I'm going to be by the end of this next year. Probably somewhere between London and California, trying to make money and get by.

I'll leave you with some photos that I'll remember 2008 by. But first, I'm going to post my new years resolutions. Sure, they usually get broken, but I figure that if I make them public then at least I could be held a bit accountable for them!

-- Exercise more (such a cliché new years resolution)

-- Become more organized

-- Quit biting my nails

-- Take more photos

-- Think before I say things

See ya'll in the new year!

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I am very fortunate to have you all in my lives.

Here's to the new year... stay tuned!

Home.

Last night I arrived home to Oroville around 10pm after taking an 11-hour flight to San Francisco, followed by a short 25 minute flight to Sacramento. I slept for 14 hours last night, and have been doing laundry and unpacking today. London seems so recent yet to far away at the same time.

This last 2.5 months have been truly amazing and crazy and eye-opening in so many ways. I feel like I've grown up a lot and have gained a broader view of the world and its people. I've learned quite a bit, probably more from the people I've met than the classes I've taken. I'm going to try to enjoy this break and get as much rest as possible so that I can go back and make the most of the rest of my time there.

I leave you with some photos taken by Alvaro a few weeks ago... I'm jealous of his camera. Click the photos to enlarge.

Westminster Abbey. 

Hyde Park with leaves everywhere. This is my new desktop background.

Two birds biting themselves. Probably trying to look attractive for each other :P

So tourists don't look the wrong way and get run over by double decker buses. I reckon that these have saved my life at least a couple times.

Picadilly Circus, sort of like the Times Square of London.

Let me out!

Christmas on Oxford Street

It seems all romantic and Christmas-y, until you feel how miserably cold it is.

Home on Wednesday!

Discursive construction of British identity

Before I came to England, a lot of friends commented by saying, "Are you going to come back with a British accent?" Considering famous examples like Madonna (who developed one after being married to a Brit and living in the UK), I guess it's possible, but I still scoffed at the idea.

But now that I've lived here for over two months and am preparing to come home in less than a week, I've actually noticed that the way I speak has changed a bit -- not so much my pronunciation, but the type of words that I use and the way I construct sentences. Maybe I just sound more pretentious, or use the passive voice more. But here are a few examples that come to mind:

"Proper" -- Proper isn't a word I ever would have used in the United States. It always seemed to evoke the following stuffy imagery: a high-class family sitting around the dining table, and when the young daughter eats with the wrong type of fork, the grandmother angrily exclaims "That isn't proper!" Well, British people use the word proper about 50 times as much as us Americans. For example, to mean genuine or legitimate: "This is a proper meal" or "This is a proper restaurant." I've found myself using it a lot in everyday conversation, and sometimes catch myself and wonder why.

"Kind regards" at the end of a letter or e-mail -- I don't think I'd ever used this in the United States, but I'd say it's even more common than "Sincerely" here. When sending e-mails to my professors and other formal recipients, I've started writing that now without even thinking.

British people use the present perfect tense a lot more than Americans to describe events in the recent past. For example, if a friend calls and asks if I want to get dinner, I'm more likely to say "I've already eaten, I'm afraid" instead of "I already ate." Another example: "I've just arrived home" instead of "I just arrived home."

The subjects you study in school are maths, not math; sport, not sports. It's cookery book, not cookbook. What we call French fries, the British call chips. What we call chips, the British call crisps. Instead of knock on wood, British say touch wood. This things have all gotten me more than once.

Spelling is very different between the two countries. But my professors have said that I can turn in papers written in American English (color instead of colour, organization instead of organisation, etc) and they don't care. So I've been lazy with regards to adjusting to this issue.

Final note: If you come to the UK, don't use the term "fanny pack" to describe the bag you wear around your waist.

Yay LSE!

"London School of Economics is well represented among Obama's buddies"

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f1b3ff9a-bcec-11dd-af5a-0000779fd18c.html

I met Britney Spears.

I met Britney Spears last night. It was kind of surreal, and was a very strange experience. I actually left pretty disappointed and annoyed, however. Here is the full story.

I lined up with friends about 9pm to ensure that we got into the club where she was playing, Heaven, which was opening about 10:30pm. They finally let us in, and there was a huge stage set up at the end of the dance floor, so we immediately rushed down and saved spots right near the front so we could have a good spot to wait when she performed. Although she hadn't officially announced that she would be performing, The Sun, Sky News and MTV UK were all reporting it, so we were pretty sure it was going to happen. The club has historically hosted a lot of big acts, including Madonna a couple years ago.

We waited and danced until about 1am. Then a bunch of bouncers and security guards cleared off the people who had been dancing on the stage, and everyone started cheering. It was so crowded that I was being crushed against the front of the stage. Then, one of the managers for the club came out on stage and said. "I have some good news and some bad news. Britney Spears is here, but she isn't coming on stage." Everyone booed, and they invited people to come back on stage and started playing music again. We were all confused as to why she would show up, but not want to come on stage? 

After about 20 minutes, a bunch of a security guards came and started pulling people from the crowd onto the stage because we were being crushed. When I got pulled on stage, I walked over near one of the doors on the side. So many people ended up coming on stage and were pushing toward the door that I was literally being crushed again! The security guards were trying to push everyone back, but I managed to get squeezed through the door onto the other side.

Suddenly, I was in a smaller bar with about 100 people. There were 15 or so drag queens dressed up like Britney Spears, and people were dancing around. The atmosphere was completely different than out in the main room, where people were in tears from being crushed. Above the bar, there was a balcony with glass walls that looked down on the main room. One of the guys next to me suddenly said "It's Britney Spears!" I looked up, and I could see her inside of the balcony, with a cigarette and drink in her hand talking to some people. 

I realized that the stairs that I had just walked by lead up to the balcony, which not a lot of the other fans realized, so I walked over and was waiting next to them. I was thinking that maybe I'd wait around for a few minutes and see her while she was leaving, since it was already about 2am. A few minutes later, a bunch of the drag queens walked over to the bottom of the stairs and the guard said, "Ok, you can come up now." Without saying anything, I quickly just snuck by him with them (I don't think I blended in with them, but maybe they were more distracting!) and I walked up the stairs.

In the VIP area, there were about 15 people standing around -- body guards, club employees, and the drag queens. They were standing around a small bar talking to each other, and in the corner I noticed that Britney Spears was sitting by herself smoking a cigarette. She looked really tired and was wearing an old grey t-shirt and sweatpants. It was obvious that she wasn't planning on any performance.

Being bold, I walked over and sat down on the couch next to her. I figured she'd just ignore me, but she immediately looked over and smiled at me. I suddenly felt pretty confident since she'd made the first advance, so I leaned over and said "So they're keeping you up here, huh?" and she just smiled back without saying anything. She stood up and walked over to grab another cigarette, so I stood up too and was standing in the corner still. A couple of her handlers came over and started talking to her. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I saw Britney turn around and point to me with her cigarette, and they kept talking for a few more minutes.

Then one of the guys in the circle with her walked up to me and said, "Who let you up here?" I'm not sure whether she explicitly had asked them to kick me out, or if she just asked them who I was. But before I could make up a good excuse, he had already grabbed my arm and was leading me to the exit. On my way out, I grabbed a Britney Spears pin that was on the counter as a souvenir. I waited downstairs in the bar area for a few more minutes because I was hoping I'd run into my friends, and a few minutes later when I saw people rush toward the exit on the left and start taking pictures, I knew that it meant Britney Spears had left the building.

In all, it was a pretty crappy night. Of the 3,000 people who showed up, I'd say only about 100-200 were actually able to even get a glimpse of her. Why even show up if you're just going to disappoint your fans? She could have at least walked out onto the stage and thanked everyone for coming. I was exhausted by the end of it, and my whole body was sore from being crushed and pushed around in large groups so much. Although it was cool to get to talk to her for a few seconds, it simply wasn't worth all the other turmoil of the night.

I recently saw an interview with Britney Spears where she said that she felt like she is a prisoner, which I thought was pretty ridiculous, but after last night I can almost see why she would say that. There were thousands of people crowding and pushing each other to try to get to her, and she was literally trapped in a small balcony area completely surrounded by people wanting to get to her. What kind of a life is that? 

Through all the intense media scrutiny and insane fandom, she has become an abstraction, not a real person. I almost felt guilty for being one of the hordes of mindless people contributing to that.

Anyway, here are a few photos stolen from friends:

Waiting to get inside.

When we thought she was about to come on stage.

One of the many crowds of people pushing.