Down to One

Graduation ends, as everyone goes back to their homes. 

Yesterday two of my good friends and I had lunch and we each had fortune cookies. All three of our fortunes were so scarily accurate. 

One friend's was:

Money comes, money goes. But yours will grow.

Back in January he had lost $2000 from a scam. Today he negotiated with consumer affairs. 

My other friend's was: 

You will get a huge surprise

And in graduation, one of his friends came all the way from the city to attend. 

"Did she tell you that she was coming," I asked him.

"Kind of," he said. "But still I didn't know she was actually coming."

My friend is going back to Korea after he completes his last summer course. I would not be able to see him for a good damn while. But that's life. 

My fortune was:

Love will lead the way. 

I escorted my friend Naoya to the subway station today. Last night he didn't have money for a hotel so he slept at Brooklyn Bridge Park. He walked over the Brooklyn Bridge with his luggages twice. Seriously I've never met a person who would do such a thing. Such good memories. 

Last year around the same time I remember escorting another friend of mine to Penn Station. He was going back to Korea to serve in the mandatory military service. 

But I waved Naoya goodbye until the subway left. And then it hit me how they all left. Just like that. My junior year was officially over. 

Day by day, everyone starts leaving campus. Students are packing their belongings and placing it in their parents' cars. Day by day, the campus gets quieter, and emptier. Rows and rows of vacant, foldable chairs are lined up outside the main field on campus. This is preparation for graduation.

 I can say that junior year for me was alright. I got to meet a lot of new friends, and got to challenge and involve myself in a lot of things. I'm sure my grades are above average, and I know I pushed hard for them. Though I had no luck with women, time will eventually come.

It's sad to see a lot of my friends graduating, moving on up in their lives. But that's life.

My junior year is finally over. I am done with all my finals. Four written assignments and one exam. All done.

Now my friends and I went to a newly opened Korean BBQ place, then went for some ice cream for dessert.

Good vibes, good friends. Relaxation.

Now the only things that are left is to pack my stuff and attend graduation for my senior friends.

Amazing how so many of my friends are leaving next year, heading to other countries.

These days I feel like nobody really knows what the hell they're doing. Most of the organizations and clubs here are student-run, so there's not much professionalism. In the Japanese Student Association, the e-board are arguing against each other and always don't seem to come to a consensus. In the student newspaper, I emailed them my article well in advance but they didn't publish it for two full issues. Today's issue was the last one for the semester and it really pissed me off that my article wasn't on it especially because the opinions editor emailed me last week that it will be on.

They really need to get their stuff together. I'm starting to have a stressful time dealing with incompetent people.

Tomorrow two of my suitemates are testing for their black belt and 2nd dan black belt. I was given the opportunity to test for 3rd, but all my life I've been testing at the dojang back in my hometown, and I feel most comfortable testing there. Sure, I do belong here for now, but in the end I'm only going to be studying here for one more year. Then I'd graduate. And sure, it does have lasting memories, but I wouldn't feel completely accomplished. The testing curriculum is different. It just doesn't seem right.

I got called however to help out with sparring. I plan to show them what I got. I will not lose. I have my pride.

The Homestretch

Finals week is approaching. It's literally looming, sneaking its way over here. E-board elections for the Japanese Student Association is also approaching. Though I'm not sure if I really want to contribute with them. My suitemates are testing/equivalency testing for their black belts so that should be pretty exciting. The semiformal is also just around the corner. Slowly, the semester is coming to a close. 

Recently everything for me has been the same. Nothing new ever happens. They say that if you want things to change you have to do it yourself. And I did. This semester I've involved myself in a lot more activities. I danced, I wrote for the school paper, and met some new friends. More to come. 

The Japanese Student Association presented their annual "J-Night" Saturday, where students
showed a number of singing, dance and calligraphy performances. 

Change isn't always great. You have to change effectively. Being who you are and continuing to be who you are is what counts. That's what people appreciate each other for. If you change too much, there's no more familiarity. Memories get crushed, and you're seen as a different person. At the same time you won't feel comfortable. 

These days I've been spending time in the library during the nights. I can always study here. One there are other students studiously studying (try saying that three times fast) around me so that gives me a bit of a motivation. And two, because it's nice and quiet. Although they really need to fix that freaking front door because it always slams. And three, because I can't really focus at the dorm. I always get distracted because there's always something going on in the suite. My neighbor and his girlfriend often visit during the nighttime, my suitemates always talk about something loudly or blast out music, and my roommate always plays his video games on his computer like there's no tomorrow while mumbling some gaming-rhetoric to himself. I don't completely own the suite so I can't tell them to be quiet. And that's what they enjoy doing and I respect their space. They're all awesome guys, don't get me wrong. Everyone has some sort of imperfections. 

Recently I've been feeling that there's been a lot of gossip about me around the Asian circle. Sure the university is large, but that circle is close-knit and cliquey. News gets circulated around them exclusively, I feel. And it's pissing me off. I need to meet new people and start a new lifestyle. 

Students were just lolling by the fountain outside a few days ago but now it's snowing.

Some people don't have common sense. Sure, you can have imperfections, but you gotta nail the fundamental parts, at least.

I recently have been helping out with the university's Japanese Student Association. I made their flyer and created their video for Japan-Night, an annual show where students show various performances and skits.

Yet they don't even credit me at all. They seem to take everything I do for granted, and nobody really appreciates what I do for them.

Also, when you know that you're going to be late for something, let me know that beforehand. Don't just not say anything.

I'm not trying to sound like a jerk. I just think that this is what people ought to do on a normal basis. And they aren't, which is why I'm ticked off at the moment.