I wore a checkered shirt with a basic red hoodie over it and a pair of denims and headed out to my classes. As usual they were normal and nothing outstanding happened. Hour-by-hour time ticked. Students were coming in and out of classes. Some were congregating while having a smoke and a few were just sitting on the benches, taking in the campus scene. With the brace around my left hand it sometimes threw off my balance overall, but slowly I've been getting used to wearing it. I couldn't dig my hand in my pocket, I couldn't type as fast, and I had to take the brace off in order to use hand sanitizer before eating. I've always been conscious of it whenever I needed to use my left hand, which, I was still trying to adapt to. Every now and then I would realize that I couldn't spar or compete for another two months or so and that got me down. Without me there wouldn't be a full team for tournaments. Not attending sparring classes also felt weird.

After classes I headed to the dining hall alone for dinner and ate two rounds of meatloaf and smashed potatoes. On the side I had a bowl of tossed salad drenched in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. For dessert some sweet honeydew. While refilling my Coke I met a friend of mine with his girlfriend. Joining them only made me the third wheeler, which I knew wasn't ideal. They drifted off in their own romantic corner and sat down while having their own intimate conversation.

I walked back to the dorm listening to Tony Bennett and it gave off a melancholy vibe in my mind. It got me reflecting and having endless thoughts. One of the lampposts buzzed like a cicada. Cars drove their way around the roundabout, and the crickets cried in the woods. I cut my way across the empty parking lot and came back to the dorm.

Went to the orthopedist this morning. I had to wake up my suitemate or else he would've totally forgotten about it. 

It was a ten minute, rainy drive from campus. 

As soon as I walked in there were patients limping their way through the hall. Some had missing limbs, and some were on crutches. 

During my appointment I was given a brace to protect my hand. I was told to not practice taekwondo for at least 8 weeks. It was the first time I felt shocked and it was at that point where I kind of empathized with athletes on the D.L. You really wanted to continue but you couldn't. Everywhere else in your body was in good condition except that one area. It's frustrating. 

Eventually my suitemate had a class so he had to head back. Eventually I had to resort to take the taxi. There went my 18$. 

Criminology is a bitter annoyance. At first it was my minor, but now that I've changed it, the class doesn't count for anything at all. One assignment asked for a criminal justice observation. Police ride-alongs was my best bet so I called up a few departments not really expecting any good results. 

All declined, saying that they couldn't schedule one in the time I requested. 

"You're just going to have to commit a crime," one officer said on the phone. "Then you'd be in a squad car with handcuffs."

This is due Tuesday. At this point, with very limited time, I ought to interview an officer. 

After class I hung out with friends at the mall. One of them shopped for some clothes, and the other shopped for some snacks for his girlfriend. Meanwhile I bought some toothpaste. 

Not being able to use my left hand is better than not being able to use my right, as I am a righty. Though of course there are some things that do become a nuisance when you can't use both hands such as typing, cutting food, washing my hands, and putting and taking off clothes. I'm allowed to take the brace off when I shower, but that's about it. 

The rain continued to fall. I had lost my umbrella and recently found out that I fractured my hand. At the dining hall we were having a nice cup of jasmine tea.

"Hope it gets better," she said.

"Put me on the DL."

"Shouldn't be that bad. I mean, at least it's your left hand."

"Very true," I said.

The rain and cloudy weather made everything seem so depressing and gloomy. Wet, dark, and cold. The worst possible combination all put together.

"How's your psychology going," I asked.

"Meh it's alright. Didn't ace the test but didn't fail."

"Subpar."

"Mediocre."

"What are we thesauruses?"

She laughed. "Speaking of which what are you up to in your writing?"

"Well I'm supposedly part of an investigative reporting team."

"Ooh for what?"

"I have to investigate this supposed Chinese cult and excavate some information about it."

"Hmm," she said. "A Chinese cult?"

"It may or may not be a cult," I took a sip of my tea. "We're still in the process of figuring out just what this organization is all about."

"Sounds fun but so time consuming."

"That's what reporting is all about," I said. "Gotta make relations and get to know people."

Her elbows were propped on the table and her palms were resting on her chin. She was staring at my every move.

"I contacted some experts regarding transportation on campus the other day for another report," I added. "Ended up attaining loads of info I never knew before."

"Like what?"

"Not telling."

"Ugh, you're such a pain. Why not?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Oh for god sakes, I feel like I'm talking to a five year old."

"Anyway."

"Anyway what? Are you going to tell me?"

"It'll be up in the school newspaper. Don't worry."

"Ugh, fine, whatever," she got up to get herself some fruits.

When she came back, she devoured her cantaloupes.

"But hey, reporting is actually a pretty fun experience," I said. "You don't know about a certain place until you parachute in and find out some information about it. You gotta be there to fully see the beauty, the aesthetics. Reportage is all about first-hand experiences."

She nodded. "Totally different from psychology. All I learn about is the science of the mind, to put it mildly."

"How I see it, as long as you put some effort into it, what you study will always be worth your time," I said.

"Even if they are so obscure?"

"Yeah. I mean alright it may not be of use to you at all, but it keeps you mind jogging and who knows? That information may be useful to you in the long run. You never can really tell. Life is full of unexpected happenings."

"I get it I get it."

"Wanna catch a movie?" I said.

"I'd love to but I have work to catch up on."

"Take a breather and kick back with a movie. I got you covered."

She thought about it. "What movie?"

"Don't know. You like horror?"

"5 seconds in and I'd be out of the theater."

"Even if I'm next to you?"

"Oh how are you going to protect me with just one hand?" she laughed.

"Hey, it's a minor injury."

She laughed, placing her hand on top of my right hand.

Fractured bone under pinky.. Found out after I went to the health center today for X-rays. Currently have athletic tape wrapped around my left hand. Typing is such a nuisance.

Fractured it at the MIT taekwondo tournament. Never realized I got it fractured until the end of the match.

Visiting the orthopedist on Friday. Hopefully I will recover in no time.

A continuation of rainy days are bound to occur. Feels like England.

My left hand is swollen from the taekwondo tournament Sunday. Slightly hurts when I type on the keyboard.

Went to my usual classes on a chilly day.

On the way back was a terrible adventure. A ten minute walk from the library to the dorm in the pouring rain. With no umbrella, which, I cannot seem to locate. All I had on was my blue raincoat and my decent clothes and shoes.

Damn rain.

Tomorrow I have to do some investigation for a journalism article. Fun stuff. Hopefully all will go smoothly, efficiently, and effectively.

Wings on a Whim

Say, hey, how's tricks? Welcome back to the town's one and only hit music radio station! Today we have a lucky guest with us today and he is standing by right now. Hey, how are you doing today?

"Sleepy," I said.

Indeed it's pretty early in the morning, eh? Let's see uhh...

3:24 a.m.

Ah of course nobody as young as 15 or as old as 80 would be up am I right? Only you, uhh... are you a student?

"You got it."

"College student?"

"Uh-huh."

"Say can we get your name?"

"Stu."

"Last name?"

"Dent."

"Stu Dent.. wait a.... HA..HA.. HA...  we got a comedian in the house! Say you must be the class clown. Are ya?"

"No."

"Have you done something similar?"

"What do you mean."

"Can ya make people laugh easily?"

"I try."

"Can you als--"

"Hunh?"

ACHOO!

"Bless you," I said.

"Thank ya! Anyway uh, so you try hunh?"

"Well now that you've mentioned it I've done some slapstick."

"Ahhhhh yes, slapstick? Have you? Must be painful."

"I find ways to avoid injuring myself."

"Can we get some more details?"

"Hunh?"

"When did you do slapstick?"

"..."

"Helloooo there?"

"I do it a lot to toddlers and children because it makes them laugh."

"So you're essentially saying that getting hurt is funny to kids."

"Based on my observations, yes."

"Hen you yisu!"

"How's that again?"

"Never mind. It's uhh, muy interesante."

I had nothing to say.

"Anyhoo, so you're in college?" he asked.

"Yes."

Ahh, college. You get to spend some of the best days of your life in college. Can't live it twice. Can only live it once, unless you force yourself into some community college somewhere when you're 40 but who'd be stupid enough to do that? Ha.. ha.. ha. Besides, it's nice to be young. Anyway, it's great to have you here thanks for stopping by and giving your time to be here it sure means a lot to us.

"Yeah, sure."

Aaaannnd lets see here we have our guest here today in the hushed a.m. hours such a rarity ain't it, Betsy? Oh what was that? Right, they'd usually hang up on us no less than a snap of a finger, ha... ha... ha. So uhh, let's just begin and ask our college student some questions we've got so uhh let's begin. So let's start with the basics. What are you studying?

"English."

Woah... now that's a rarity.

"Not really.."

So what do you want to be when you grow up then a teacher? Or some librarian?

"Haven't really thought of those."

Well so why'd ya pick such a major?

"I like to write and read."

Well ya hear that folks? he likes to read and write. expect this kid to write a novel or something ha... ha... ha we will never know. gots a long way to go, eh? where's that novel?

"Might be right up your alley."

"Ha.... ha.... ha... anyway lets switch gears."

"What's something you've been seeing a lot in campus that you're kind of jealous or feeling envious about ehh? Could be anything just something off the top of your head. Give it a thought, eh."


I thought about this real hard, and it was hard especially because it was late in the night and the only incentive for me to actually pick up a phone was to see whether it was some girl I exchanged numbers with. Instead I got sucked into a late-night radio show. I would've hung up minutes ago but I stayed on the line just for the hell of it. It was a Saturday night going into an early Sunday morning. I had just finished studying and reading so nothing special was on my agenda but sleep.

"Couples," I said.

"Couples was it?"

"Yes."

"Well what about them eh?"

"I'm all fine and cool about it, and I'm sure every single person feels the same way, but I guess I get kind of jealous when I see them. How they seem so happy together. It's cute but at the same time it makes me feel a bit lonely."

"Ahhhh love is in the air."

"Looming somewhere beyond my vision."

"What a poet. Ha...ha... ha.  Love is all over the place. Just gotta breathe the right air eh. You can't inhale, say, carbon monoxide or asbestos ha.... ha.... ha, am I right because that stuff will just ugh. Ka-bloosh and you're dead. Instead you gotta inhale the pleasing aroma of hmmm how about strawberries or fresh baked cookies or some fresh linen ehh? How do you feel when you pull things out of the laundry and boom that smell of fresh clean clothes and linen hmmm it's great. Oh, such greatness."

"I guess," I was beginning to feel annoyed.

"And out of the uh.... how many students are there in your university?"

"Roughly 16,000."

"Well holy shmokes. Out of the 16,000 students in ya school ya can't find even one person ya like to get to know?"

"There were a few, but turns out they were already taken. So I guess you could put it that way. I'm just doing my own things at my own pace."

"Well ya gotta speed up the process. Ya gotta go up first. Don't wait ehhh.. Or else ya just gonna end up delayin' your chances. Plus it's college and it's greatest time for fun. Don't make yourself regret things. Live it up in college. Because who cares? What is there to lose?"

"Sure."

He had a point, but I was too sluggish to reply. I began to wonder how many people actually listened to this minor radio station.

"Not so much of a talker are ya?"

"I say things when I need to say them."

"Woah... you go kid. Anyhoo lets see here so youre an english major and single. How are ya classes?"

"Fine. Midterms week so it's kind of a nuisance."

"You'll do well it's all a matter of time management ehh."

I nodded, but seeing how that didn't register through phone, I replied with a flat "yes".

"Well I guess that's all we have for you today. Thanks for tuning in with us today... errr I mean tonight! er... uhh, the early morning!"

"Yeah sure. Four more seconds and I'd pass out so you got me at a good time."

"HA... ha.. ha alright dude. Thanks for tuning in. You have helped our listeners believe that they aren't the only ones up! That even college students like you are still up going about their own lives. Gives them a little motivation, no?"

"Mhm."


I hung up the phone, redialed a number. It was the girl I happened to exchange numbers with earlier. I had met her at the library. She was thumbing through a Japanese textbook right next to me. She seemed to be struggling to decipher the material so I thought it would be nice for me to help, if possible. She was wearing a white oversized Obey hoodie, tight navy denims, and a pair of red New Balance shoes. Her hair was straight and black, bangs pinned up. Little to no makeup.

Surely it wasn't the best time to call her at this hour but I gave it a shot. Perhaps she was a night owl. And besides, I couldn't believe I was citing from that darn radio host but, what's there to lose?

It took five rings for her to miraculously pick up.

"Hello..?"

"It's me," I said. "So you are a night owl."

"Not really. I've just been studying for my psychology test. What gives?"

"I'm sorry. Caught you at a bad time. Let me hang up, I'll talk to--"

"No, it's totally fine, I'm kidding," she giggled. "My test isn't until Tuesday and I needed a break anyway."

"Sure bout it?"

"Yeap." There was a brief lull. "So what makes you call me at a time like this? Nightmare or something? Did you dream about me?"

"Close," I said.

"Oh really?"

"No."

"Psh."

I laughed. "I don't know. I just felt like calling you. On a whim, like taking a sip of hot tea that's on your desk. You don't drink it because you're thirsty. You just take a sip out of it because you feel like it."

"Seems understandable."

I paused. "But I guess I wanted to also hear your voice. The sense of actually talking to you. It's soothing. Gives out a satisfying aura. I can't explain it."

"Aw, well that just made my night."

From the other side of the line I heard her shutting the textbook and shoving all her handouts and notes aside.

"Are you sleepy?" I asked.

"Had a lot of coffee so I'm actually still feeling alive and kicking."

"Good. Same here, minus the coffee and the feeling alive and kicking part."

She laughed. A beautiful little laugh. "Then we aren't in the same page, dummy. Why don't you go to sleep."

"I'm just in the mood for some wings. I don't know why, I'm really craving them."

"Sadly I think they just closed."

I lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I held the conversation in silence for a good few seconds.

"You there?" she said.

"Yeah."

"Is somebody getting sleepy?"

"Tell me a bedtime story."

She laughed. I sensed her brushing her hair aside from her face. "Once upon a time a guy called a girl during the middle of the night, telling her he was craving wings. The end."

I laughed. "What a weirdo that guy."

"Right?"

Crickets cried outside but that was all the sound there was. The room itself was devoid of any tone. There wasn't even a clock to produce the ticking from the secondhand. My roommate was long-gone, tucked in cozily in his sheets. It was approaching 4. Under the dim light, I began to notice my body slowly powering down, preparing itself for a good sleep.

"Hey, before I pass out, and now that I've got you on the line, can I ask?"

"Fire away, mister."

"You wouldn't mind getting some wings with me tomorrow would you?"

She giggled. "You would choose wings. But sure, I'd love to. I'm free all afternoon."

"That's wonderful. Let's devour those wings."

"Why wings again?"

"I don't know. I thought I could stand to change my habits of eating at the dining hall."

"Fair enough. So I guess you could finish off the bedtime story."

"Finish it for me."

"Once upon a time a guy called a girl during the middle of the night, telling her he was craving wings. He invited her to eat wings with him for the next day. She was delighted, and was looking forward to their little upcoming rendezvous. Both were happy. And then they were finally able to sleep through the night. The end."

And before I knew it, I went into a deep sleep. And, before I knew it, I was going to eat wings with a girl.

Analysis/moral of the story: Don't ignore or be prejudiced towards people. They might give you some good advice or ideas that may be of use to you in the long run.

One of my friends declared that he quit smoking after his parents told him to stop. He threw out the packs he had. Usually he smoked a pack a day.

His friend he usually smoked with together seemed shocked and nonplussed.

"You must have some desire to smoke again."

"I don't," he said. "I had two midterms today and I don't feel like smoking to be honest."

"Congrats."


For me the day was really uneventful. A gloomy sadness, for no reason, loomed. But I have to look forward or else I wouldn't enjoy it.

The Shrine and the Temple and Meditating in Autumn

Went on an expedition about thirty minutes away from campus to a Catholic shrine and a Buddhist temple. One of my classmates drove me along with two others. It was a one-door hot rod (not literally but it was actually a pretty nice model. Tell me that it was used in one of the Fast movies and I'd believe it.) Because it was a one-door car, I had to get in the back seat which reminded me of my childhood when I went on the back of my friend's Porsche. While hearing the engine roaring, there was limited window view and the space was tight. She blasted out rap and rave songs while opening both windows. As far as car handling, there were some jerky moments. They got me worried for a few seconds but we made it safely.

The shrine was located in the foothills of nowhere. Gold, orange, and yellow leaves, and the fresh hills and plains colored the scenery. It was just like a scene from the Sound of Music. A beautiful landscape. Easily the spot for a romantic get-away. Fall never appeared so colorful and pleasing. It was surely the greater beauties of the season.

"Now I'm not the best tour guide," the professor said. It was his first time here as well.

We roamed around the shrine. It was in need of major construction. Reportedly they had faced a financial crisis that could possibly close the doors. Nobody else but a senior couple was there. A Father came up to us eventually and toured the class. The shrine was considered to be one of the most "Holy sites in the world."

Our next stop was the Buddhist temple. It seemed like a village at first. Getting there was a hassle, even though it was adjacent from the shrine. There was a huge wall that barricaded the area so we had to go around, through the woods. The place was muddy so all of our shoes got dirty. We discovered that the Catholic shrine and the temple were not in good relations with each other. One of the Fathers had invaded the temple property and destroyed their 100-year-old road with a tractor backhoe two months ago. There was racial discrimination. The church Fathers had put up road signs writing "No Dogs," a reference other than the animal itself. They had blocked mail delivery, roads, and completely isolated the Buddhist monks. Some even started to suffer from psychological health problems. As of now they were working on receiving humanitarian aid and instilling peaceful negotiations. This act merely ruined the reputation of Catholicism.

This proved that there was still racism in America, and it still loomed in society somewhere. Hatred.

I happened to chat with a few Buddhist monks, one of which was a 29-year-old documentary filmmaker. He was wearing a hoodie and sweat pants. Slung on his shoulder was a professional video camera.

"How old do I look?" he asked.

I took a guess and went for 22.

He laughed and told me his real age. "I look young because I engage in meditation."

"Meditation?"

"Yes," he said. "Meditation allows you to see the world differently. You'll begin to realize things you haven't realized before. So I encourage you to meditate."

In retrospect, that actually did make sense. Every time I meditated before taekwondo, I felt more alive, erasing all my current thoughts and entering in a state that was both blank and empty.

He was a fan of Japan. He visited all-around, more than I have.

It was odd taking out my phone in a place that seemed completely isolated from reality. If it weren't for the cars and the phones, I felt like I entered a veil transporting me back in time to a primitive setting.

All of the people who were at the temple asked me if I was Chinese. And, awkwardly, I'd correct them. But along with another student who was an international student from China, I engaged in a decent conversation with all of the Buddhist monks. The rest of the class already were walking back to their cars. Eventually the professor ran back as well, and so it was only me and her after we left the temple. In a beautiful scenery. I felt like an actor in a movie. Maybe a story about two college students going on an adventure and randomly stumbling upon landscapes after landscapes.

She was a regular, prompt, low-key student. We were walking back to the car. She was one of the students that was in the same car as me.

"Do you think we have to write an article about this?" she asked.

"Well let's hope not," I said, avoiding tree branches.

She asked me if I knew a certain girl.

"I know her," I said. "She's in my other writing class."

"She talks about you a lot," she said. "How you were such a great writer."

Odd, I thought. I didn't recall ever showing her any of my works. But hey, thanks.

"This is such a beautiful place," she said.

"Can't agree with you more. Amazing how it's just a few miles away from campus. It's like time traveling to another realm. A beautiful, realm that is."


We eventually made it through the woods and back to the car. The professor came up to us.

"We were afraid that you joined the Buddhist monks," he laughed.

Perhaps everyone misunderstood us. A boy and a girl. Alone. In a beautiful scenery.

Midterm estimated arrival time: tomorrow.

Well... technically six minutes until the day is over.

What time is it..

Mhm...


Wow this actually reminds me of those GBA Pokemon games in the beginning.

So you're in the dark and all you see is dialogue and you keep pressing 'A' and hear that
BLEEP every time you press the button.

And then after all that dialogue Professor Oak somehow shows up welcoming you to the Pokemon universe.

Ah, childhood.


Today I had to get up early in the morning to go to the dentist to get my cavity fixed. Then I went to my classes, as per usual. I'd walk in, take notes, participate every now and then, walk out, and have lunch with two friends. One was an avid smoker and the other was a writer. They were roommates. It was a routine process and nothing special happened. Conversations ranged from women to music to the English language.

After our meal they'd go back to their dorm off-campus, and I'd drift along to the library. Wednesdays was always my rest day. It was the middle of the week so it was a good place for a break. My first class didn't start until the afternoon and in the evening I had no taekwondo class. It was a good time to just kick back and settle the thoughts that were in my mind.

Today I retreated to the library to study for a midterm largely based on war reporting. The material was not boring but not that intriguing. Mediocre when it came to content.

The entire suite had a midterm tomorrow for some class. Chinese, Japanese, the list went on.

(Rage)

There were bells

On a hill

But I never heard them ringing

No I never heard them at all

'Till there was you

There were birds

In the sky

But I never saw them winging

No I never saw them at all

'Till there was you

Then there was music

And wonderful roses

They tell me

In sweet fragrant meadows

Of dawn and dew

There was love 

All around

But I never heard it singing

No I never heard it at all

'Till there was you

Based on how people view my writing, it seems like I write in a form of a puzzle. My writing contains random references that readers would need to read again in order to understand fully. I guess that's just how my mind works. While writing I'd have some idea that I could link with what I'm writing about and usually that idea is random, like, say, a line from a movie.

Anyway, a little update on what I've been up to for the weekend.

Saw Annabelle at the mall with some friends. There were some scary parts here and there but overall when we exited the theater we all admitted that it was a pretty unsatisfactory movie.

On Saturday around noon I went to taekwondo with my roommate who taught the class, which consisted of about five, all girls. One complained that she had shin splints and a cold, and another wanted sunny-side up eggs. The first hour we jogged around the newly constructed outdoor track, something I haven't done yet. Briefly it reminded me of junior year in high school when I did winter track indoors. All I could vividly recall was that the coach was strict and it was cold. Once we had to run across the G.W. Bridge back and forth.

It felt good running in the university track field. I never felt so alive when I sprinted. I needed the workout anyway.

In the evening the suite went to Friday's for Endless Appetizers-- that is, where the restaurant offers customers endless appetizers on their menu for only 10$.

Unusual how they had gyoza as one of their appetizers. Americans called them potstickers. Chinese called them dumplings, and Japanese called them gyoza. I was used to eating these gyoza with ramen so my taste buds at one point seemed to get confused when I ate them with chicken.

Came back at the dorm and read. Another day passed.

Back to that Monday vibe. The weather was a chilly one but overall acceptable. 55 degrees, about. This was the perfect hoodie weather. If only it was like this throughout the entire school year. 

As usual I took the shuttle to campus and ate at the nearest dining hall. Rice with some strange tomato sauce. And a bowl of cantaloupes. 

I attended my two classes. In the hallway I stumbled upon the girl I had liked. A couple weeks back I found out she had a boyfriend so I had to give up all my hopes. But we met eyes for point one second. She walked past me with the subtlest smile, seeming to appreciate my presence. But what the hell was I expecting. 

Right then I thought of a good idea for a novel, or some light novel-- An introverted male and female college student don't realize that they like each other because they are both too shy to talk to each other. Eventually the girl finds another man somewhere and the boy never finds out until he sees them walking together holding hands. The boy lights a cigarette and stares at the crescent moon. The moral of the story? Act quickly. 

My friend and I was waiting for another friend to finish a test. Out the door came her as we met eyes once again. She averted her glance and walked towards the exit, slowly, as if lost. As if she was discovering something. Or thinking about something. But what? Probably her test and how she did:

Hey I think I did pretty well but ugh I screwed up on the last part. Time just got me I feel like I was under pressure. And that kid who I met eyes with jesus he's adorable but why was he standing there? Maybe waiting for somebody? Maybe the professor? Ugh when can I start talking to him? Every time we have Japanese class I always see him. He's pretty cute. But there's just never a time we can ever talk. Our assigned seats resembles the distance from New York to L.A. But we gotta find a way to at least talk. Or else it's going to drive me insane. Wednesday? Okay, Wednesday. See what this kid is all about. Find out about him. Get to know him more, like a mini rendezvous. Maybe some coffee would be nice, at the campus center? Somewhere? But yeah, how do I tell him I already have a boyfriend? Ugh, what if I start to like this kid more? How's that going to work?! The struggle. 

After I had lunch with friends. I made myself some salad and drenched it with caesar dressing. Along with that a slice of pizza and some rice with pork, again. We were mainly discussing about the party during the weekend and how I was angry about a girl who kept clinging on to me. 

"Dude, she's been following you for two years," one of them said. "Why don't you just give that bitch a chance and date her?"

I was at a loss for words. "Hell to the no. I don't give a flying fck about her. Rejection is rejection. Nothing else. Nada."

At that point it seemed as if everything I didn't want came easily and everything I wanted didn't. 

I wrote a paper that took about three hours to complete and ate a light dinner with a taekwondo friend and his roommate. The dining hall had little to no food available. There was an empty row of trays. All that was left was cereal and ground beef and salad. I grabbed all three and ate some ice cream after. The campus late-night dinner was miserable. My friend showed me a K-Tigers video and suggested to mimik them. And that gave me an idea. 

Doing work is tedious. Studying.

But good things unexpectedly come.

Chilled with a friend in the evening. A Sunday evening. An unusual time. We ate dinner, played a casual rally of table tennis and sat outside the library talking about music.

"I'm going to attempt a backflip by the end of December," he said. "It's going to be epic."

"We'll have to see," I said. "But by all means if you could pull it off it would be pretty sick."

First party in a while.

What a night. Crashed at my roommate's girlfriend's place on the sofa, head spinning.

The next day I woke up at 8 a.m., wondering where I was. I hadn't eaten since 4 pm yesterday.

My roommate and I went back to the dorm when it was pouring rain.


Now there's this girl my entire suite all detest. She is obnoxious, and everything she does is just darn awful and awkward and done so poorly. No offense, but it gets on our nerves. We just want her to leave us alone. But she's everywhere and we can't avoid it. She is a hindrance to my joy.

During the entire time I was at the party she followed me wherever I went. Sure I guess she wanted to make sure I was alright but this was too much. That blushful gaze she made at me made my entire body shiver in disgust. I just wanted to be left alone so I could mingle with people but she's just all over me, watching my every move like some annoying security camera and grabbing onto my arm and leaning her head against my shoulder.

Excuse me I'm not your pillow.

I just want to be left alone! Why can't she just do that. Why does she have to barge into my joy. Yet no matter what I do, I can't seem to avoid her.