som(e|e)cards.

so my senior project is due in something like, thirty-six hours, and i'm stressed the eff out. and the situation with theodore isn't helping, though i won't talk about that here. and along comes my good old friend mattT to cheer me up with someecards! best thing ever. well, ..almost.

the following are a few i find particularly hilarious and poignant with respect to my life at the moment : the return of my too many good tv shows, upcoming job, breakup and graduation. enjoy!

called it!

ha! so in a recent post i commented on the new starbucks cup and sleeve design - and now thedieline, my favorite package design blog, has a post about it too - except they have nice pictures to go with it.

thin it real slice.

just wanted to highlight the work of my friend alyssa who is an illustrator currently living in philadelphia. i particularly love her sketches and she is definitely the first person i'm going to if i decide to get another tattoo.

oh, boston.

john wearing an awesome shirt:
i gave my word to stop at third
1987 teen abstinence day
suffolk county public schools

after john got off work on friday, we went back to his place to see the babies. the last time i saw my nephew and niece was at thanksgiving, when dylan was just a couple weeks old. natalie is about to turn three and as cute as ever. and she never ceases to amaze with how good her memory is, how well she speaks mandarin and her chopstick skills. dylan has gotten so much bigger and also much much cuter - and it's funny because he has to wear this little styrofoam helmet for a month (something about the shape of his head) and so he looks like the cute little chubby football player - especially since there is a new england patriots logo on the back of it.

cindy & baby dylan.

so the whole fam minus - minus mike, who didn't come to boston this weekend - had dinner at shabu zen. delicious as ever! and we even ordered a plate of kobe beef and oh my goodness was it tasty. $70 for a plate with eight thin slices, but wow. when raw, it literally just melts in your mouth. and when cooked in the hot pot for just a couple seconds, it has such amazing flavor.

kobe beef.

saturday we went to newton to eat at this place that serves chinese breakfast only on the weekends. soooo good. afterwards, mum&dad, john&cindy and the babies went to the decordova museum and sculpture garden. it was a very interesting place with lots of great works to look at - and the weather was great so it was nice to be outside and walking around. harvard&cindy made prime rib for dinner, which we ate back at john&cindy's place and we all just spent the evening chatting, switching between basketball and baseball games and what not. you know, family stuff.

natalie hugging artwork at the sculpture garden.

my parents and i stayed at the sheraton, which had free wireless in the lobby. so i spent my evenings there working on my senior design. i didn't get a lot done, but still more than i expected since i really didn't think i'd have time to work on it at all while i was in boston. on sunday, john picked up my parents and i and we proceeded to go seafood shopping at james hooke & co. for our lunch that day. seven lobsters and a huuuge freaking crab. it was all very delicious, and we even had some of the super tasty hamachi that my mom brought over from california. anyway, i'm back in philadelphia and definitely not happy about it. however, a bit of good news is that i finally purchased my flight back to LA and it's in less than a month!! counting down the days..

my dad and natalie with the crab we ate for lunch on sunday..

side note: i found out that hugh laurie was at dreamworks on friday!!! oh what i would give to have been there.. *sigh* haha.

update from BWH.

my oldest brother john arrived in philadelphia late on wednesday night, and i met up with him, eddie and ria in chinatown for a late dinner at dave's mai lai wah, their old watering hole. food was delicious and cheap, as usual, and it was just a good time. thursday we had dinner at amada (jose garces' tapas restaurant in old city), which i have been trying to get into forever, but never make reservations ahead of time. we all had the chef's tasting and their lobster paella. the sangria and tapas were amazing, and the paella was made with squid ink and really good (even tho it arrived a bit on the cold side).

after we parted ways, and john left for the airport, i met up with liz, erica, danW and jared who were out celebrating erica's birthday. after a short stint at bonner's we went back to liz&erica's apartment and had funfetti cake (my favorite!) and snuck up to the roof for a beautiful 360degree view of the city. i went home and packed and got about three hours of sleep. was back up at 5am to get ready and catch the train to the airport for my 7am flight to manchester. man, it was a rough morning. harvard picked me up from the airport and dropped me off here - john's office at brigham&women's hospital in boston. my parents got into town last night and my dad is getting a spinal injection to help with his disk herniations. oh, dear.

however, i am excited to be in boston and with family, oddly enough. can't wait to see my niece, natalie, who is turning three in a few days, and my five-month-old nephew, dylan. hopefully though, i find some time to work on my senior design project because that deadline is fast approaching - one week!!

cupmakes!

we all know how much i love cupcakes, and now there is something called cupmakes here in philadelphia, delivering custom-made cupcakes to penn and drexel students. interesting.. if they're any good, this could be very, very bad for me.

base options: chocolate | vanilla
icing options: french vanilla | fudge | reese's peanut butter | cake batter confetti | pink lemonade
and a whole bunch of possible toppings - none of which look particularly appetizing to me.

i think i will stay away from it, and just wait for LA and sprinkles to get my cupcake fix. now if they had a red velvet cake, that might be a different story.

dr. gregory house, MD v. dr. spencer reid, phD.

hugh laurie as gregory house on house, and matthew gray gubler as spencer reid on criminal minds.

hugh laurie is voicing dr. cockroach in dreamwork's 2009 movie, monsters v. aliens. matthew gray gubler voiced simon the chipmunk in the recent alvin and the chipmunks.

house has the witty, asshole charm about him, where reid is that skinny, awkward, nerdy type - both of which i find extremely attractive (if somewhat regrettably..).

house is addicted to painkillers. reid has a heroine (or something like that) addiction.

hugh laurie is hilarious and plays the piano amazingly (i do love musicians). matthew gray gubler is an artist, past model and amateur film maker.

hmm.. such a hard decision, though i think once everything has been said and done, hugh laurie and house win.

ciao, wawa.

i guess the wawa's in center city are slowly peace-ing out, even though they say they are not. someone is very unhappy about this:

I will never eat at a Wawa in the burbs or get gas from one, and I highly encourage you to do the same. Screw Wawa. We in Center City have loyally supported them for years, and they return the favor by dumping us and lying to us while doing so.

i, on the other hand, don't exactly care too much since i don't live in center city and i'm leaving philadelphia in a month (one month!!!). and i really haven't been to a wawa in a couple years - but it is a little sad looking back at the memories from freshman and sophomore years and how many late night snacks, hoagies, coffee, etc i purchased from there.

midterm, chai, annoyances.

just took my last midterm EVER. unless i go to grad school. but that's at least three years off, of not more like, ten. now only five final exams and a senior design project to finish off. weee..!!!

grabbed a chai latté at starbucks to celebrate. they've redesigned their cups and sleeves, and the printed logo as well. it seems a bit more sophist, but i don't know how i feel about it. though i do prefer the muted tones to the old green. almost feels like a full re-branding.

ALSO, if one more person gets up in my face and tells me to vote today, or to barack the vote or to give them hill i swear, i don't care if they're a complete stranger or one of my best friends, they are getting smacked. or at least, a very mean glare. i support mccain, it does not make me a bad person, leave me alone!

quotables : blue eyed boys part ii.

i have such great friends. haha. so i'm talking to my friend jackson who is in the marines via gTalk. his status message at the time was 'i can show you the world' so i was calling him aladdin etc etc as we were talking. this is how the conversation ended.

jackson: hey im gonna get going
jackson: is there anything u want to say before i go
me: uhm.
me: the password is 'open sesame'
jackson: hahahahhaha
jackson: does that password open ur legs?
me: ahahahaahah
me: no, there's another password for that.
jackson: cuz if so i could sell it on ebay
jackson: make lots of money
jackson: hmm i know the password
jackson: "blondhairblueeyes"
me: !!!!
jackson: and with that, i am out.

i'm glad some things just don't change about people. i have been counting on jackson for vulgar, inappropriate comments since the fateful day we met by the pool my sophomore year of high school. holy shit, that's almost seven years ago.

some juice box lovin'.

i really have an obsession with good/clever packaging and packaging design which is why i love thedieline blog i mentioned recently. one of their posts today blew my mind, and i just thought i'd share this little banana juice box by naoto fukasawa:


man, i totally would have been the cool kid at school if i busted these little babies out of my lunch box back in my days at baldwin stocker elementary..

mild entertainment.

i have never thought of myself as being attractive or attracting. everyone i tell this to gives me a bunch of shit and says i'm being stupid, but it's because i never get hit on. i realize this is my own fault because when i leave my apartment i usually have a huge 'fuck off' sign pasted to my forehead, and having fallen in love with theodore my freshman year of college, i was pretty blatantly 'off the market' for my entire college career. funnily enough, ever since our breakup, things have gotten a little more interesting. i haven't gone out enough to get hit on by strangers (which i admit makes me really uncomfortable so i'm quite alright with that not happening), but it's just interesting the small differences in how a few of my guy friends are acting around me now. it's nothing blatant, but there are definitely a few that have increased our levels of communication and i'm definitely getting more invitations to go to dinner, or hang out, or catch a movie. and of course, there was one guy (not a friend by any means, but merely an acquaintance), who propositioned me within fifteen minutes of finding out i was single. i just find the whole situation laughable and mildly entertaining.

now, if this had been two years ago, i'd probably do some really stupid and potentially regrettable things.. oh wait, i did do some really stupid and potentially regrettable things my sophomore year.. hmm........

heidi&VW.

so, i love heidi klum. and i really think she only gets more beautiful year by year - i mean, seriously, that is one hot mama. i also love volkswagen and and volkswagen commercials.. so when i saw the following, i was so terribly happy. it's cute, funny, clever. and the red-soled shoes heidi are wearing are an excellent touch.

quotables : to spoon or not to spoon.

theodore: key to a great nap is proper room temp
theodore: and a good spooning partner
me: no spooning.
me: or, only 5 minutes of it.
theodore: haha
theodore: thats my ex-girl
theodore: spoon
theodore: feel good about yourself
theodore: then roll over

i can't help it, it's the whole insomnia / being a really light sleeper thing.

sony foam.

sony has had some of the best commercials lately from bouncy balls in san francisco to stop motion rabbits in new york city. the latest is foam in miami. check it out:

alone v. lonely.

so something i've been dealing with this whole school year is an overwhelming sense of loneliness. no longer being in funk, and not having theodore around definitely took its toll on my emotional state of being. it was mostly self-imposed though, since i basically locked myself away in my apartment and my only real human contact was limited to class time (when i would ignore everyone anyway) and the lunch/dinner dates i would arrange with tannis, cricket or domi every couple weeks. i even stopped going to tango practicas back in november when one of the dancers started making me feel uncomfortable with his advances (which is a pity because he was an amazing leader and great to dance with). i was lonely, but cringed at too much non-superficial interaction.

i hated it because i used to be someone who loved, even craved solitude, and rarely felt lonely when alone. after the break up, it actually got worse and i went into massive self-destructive behavior mode for a few days. since then, i've been forcing myself to go to the gym in hopes of exhausting myself since my insomnia has only gotten worse (though i've really only managed to bring back the tendonitis in my knees and ankles) as well as being more social (refriending the 100+ people i de-friended on facebook, talking to people i haven't talked to in forever, talking to people i wouldn't normally talk to, accepting party invitations, meeting up with ppl other than my usuals for coffee/food/drinks, etc). i'm back to being the girl i was back in the first three years of high school who pretended to be social and friends with everyone. it makes the days pass a little easier even though it really can't do anything for the lonely nights. besides, i figure it's good practice for the workplace where office politics come into play.

a bit of nostalgia.

so back at webb, each senior gives a chapel talk, and they get to choose which hymn is sung, a few quotes to be read by a friend or two, and someone to introduce them before they speak. i asked jeff hengesbach, my AP physicsC teacher, whose family had become a second family to me during my time there. it's been pretty much exactly four years since my chapel talk (it was sometime in april of 2004) and having seen amyT last weekend and then having lunch with lily today, i was feeling a little reminiscent and started digging through my old documents from high school, which is when i stumbled upon his introduction. the following is just a small snippet, but it was, and still is, my favorite part because it definitely captured who i was at the time in a nutshell..

Jenn is expressive! Verbally, emotionally, artistically - in every way she is very expressive. Her expressiveness extends beyond the typical self-promotion, but is more often directed as an act of friendship and concern for others. She expresses herself in paintings, in dance, notes, waves, smiles, hugs - girl stuff, but even more. Jenn tends to pour her energies into a few deep and lasting friendships. Her friends appreciate her thoughtfulness, speak highly of her devotion and marvel at her energy.

the lighter side of tax cuts.

my brother sent out this article. it is hilarious. please read it.

great head!

because of the beautiful weather, which led to my inability to sit indoors and get any work done, i ventured down to south street and got myself a little haircut at the chop shop. i adore that place. especially at ten bucks a pop.

front:


back:


i was thinking of going shorter, but i figured this was a safe bet, and i love it! and it's so much lighter - seven to eight inches of hair weighs a lot, people!

and while we're on the subject of heads, i was sporting my sweet sweet dodgers cap today.



can't wait for the summer!!!!

day one, year four.

ah, today the temperature is finally up (72!!) and the sun is finally out. first nice day of the year, and thank fucking goodness. of course, with this beautiful weather, all the paste-y penn kids come out of hiding and congregate and lie on every non-walking surface you can imagine (lawns, rooftops, benches, walltops, the button, etc - some even bring couches out doors). shorts and flowy skirts abound and everyone walks a little happier, a little more relaxed and no one gets any work done. it's beautiful. i'm just happy to be wearing my 'bows again. (=

and it's thursday! and you know what weekend it is? SPRING FLING. my final fling, and yet i really don't plan on attending or participating in any of the usual debauchery. penndesign's beaux arts ball is friday night, so that precludes my attendance at the spec concert (which is actually good this year! : ludacris, gym class heroes and ok go!! wtf..) and i already have lunch and coffee dates (with lily and alyssa, respectively) lined up off campus for saturday afternoon. oh well..

and, i really need to find a weekend to go up to new york before i leave the east coast. went to washingtonDC last weekend, and will be going to boston in a couple weekends (for mum and natalie's birthdays), so i was thinking of rounding it out with one last NY trip as well. was going to go this weekend for bradR's birthday, but the kid's come down with mono and i am not risking getting sick this close to graduation, especially when i still have so much work to do and so many finals to take.

and now that it's finally starting to feel like summertime, i'm super pumped up for my move back to LA. and there are more ppl than i expected going to LA, for either the summer or permanent relocation.. so, it's going to be a summer of dance classes, dodger games, good food, good company, and overall good times. can't freakin' wait.

quotables : neurosis.

from a gTalk conversation with theodore - the topic arose after talking about how excited [note: sarcasm] i am that my mom will probably start trying to set me up with 'nice taiwanese boys' once i move home. it's a sort of glimpse into my neurotic psyche.

me: i realize that anyone i really love, i think they deserve better than me.
me: so maybe i should just marry someone i don't love and it'll actually work out.
theodore: no, you deserve to be happy.
me: that's sweet of you to say, but you know i don't believe that.
theodore: i think you do, but you don't want to.
me: well, that's stupid.
theodore: you are afraid of true happiness.
theodore: because you never have had it.
me: maybe i don't believe i deserve it because i've never had it.
theodore: maybe, but i think you have had glimpes of it. and it scares you.

who knows.. maybe he's right. i never though of myself as being afraid of it before, just undeserving, but i guess it's a possibility. maybe i'll just become celibate (yea, right). and adopt babies from third world countries. hmm..

zipzip : i want one!

so these little guys are ridiculously expensive and come all the way from australia, but how fucking awesome are they? just putting it out there, this would make an awesome belated-birthday or graduation present..

design*sponge.

discovered another fun blog to keep me entertained : design*sponge! all about design (obviously) and it varies from little diy projects to city profiles to 'mini-trends' to student work. very cool. check it out!

quotables : cold nights.

from a phone conversation with my mum. translated, of course.

mum: how are you doing health-wise?
me: fine. though, i've been really cold at night.
mum: what do you mean?
me: well, i will wear or five layers and be under my down comforter and still be freezing.
mum: do you feel sick?
me: no, i'm fine when i wake up and all day long. i just get really cold when i'm trying to sleep.
mum: you should ingest more 'hot' foods. like meat. and go buy red wine and drink a glass right before you go to bed. it'll help you sleep better too.

oh dear, my own mother is encouraging me to become an alcoholic.

theDieline.

i realize this makes me a total nerd, but i've discovered thedieline, a blog all about packaging and package design and it is fantastic! i'm in love!

a few countdowns & alice in funkland.

04 days until beaux arts ball.
18 days until boston for mum and my niece's birthdays.
23 days until classes end.
37 days until exams end.
43 days until graduation.
63 days until DWA!

ALSO, funk's spring show alice in funkland was this past weekend (so proud of my co'D lovers!) and i played photog on friday night - my 400+ pictures can be found here. saturday was very nostalgic, with so many alumni here and the senior slideshow - to think i could have still been a part of it if things hadn't gotten so out of hand last year. time fucking flies (and yet it is going far too slowly at the moment).

a few of my favorite pictures:

why i hate my birthday.

people always talk about birthdays like they're some fabulous event, but you were already born. hoorah! the passing of another year, this whole "happy birthday!" thing is like a congratulations for not being dead yet. but what's the point? i hate being reminded that my birthday is approaching, and i equally hate talking about it. it sets up this heightened expectation for the day, as if things are supposed to be better on that one day - the sun will shine brighter, you will feel lighter, happier, etc - but the truth is, it's just like any other day of the year. all it does is set you up for disappointment. don't get me wrong, i appreciate the well-wishes and all, but it all feels so obligatory, contrived and non-genuine.

i escaped this year to washingtonDC to see amyT because i really needed to get away from philly, and because i honestly don't know when the next opportunity will arise for us to meet up. between walking the monuments, munching on delicious appetizers and drinking mojitos/sangria/beer at chef geoff and smoking gauloises we exchanged stories, caught up and reveled in our shared misanthropy and neurosis. it felt good to reconnect with the one person in this world that really, honestly and truly gets me. sometimes i think we are fundamentally the same person expressed into two distinct personalities through our vastly different experiences and choices in life.

so, i guess it was a good birthday in the end, but i'd much rather just think of it as just a good day.

restaurant update.

so i've gone to eat at quite a few delish places and just haven't had the time to mention them, so here is a quick update.

good dog, philadelphia.
went with liz and erica on a thursday night. reputed to have the best burger in the city. and while the roquefort stuffed pattie was an excellent touch, it just cannot compare with rouge's burger. but still a damn good burger at a damn good bar.

italian bistro, philadelphia.
went with liz for lunch on a saturday- had their crab and avocado salad. a whole half an avocado filled with jumbo lump crab meat over fresh greens with tomatoes and cucumbers. absolutely delicious.

fogo de chao, philadelphia.
went with liz and erica for lunch on a tuesday. while they are famous for the meats they keep coming around with, their salad bar is damn good as well - although it was kind of sad that there was no fruit. but honestly, i'd be willing to go there just for the salad bar. the meat was awesome - beef, pork, lamb, chicken and all different cuts, and all you can eat! a great deal for lunch at $30.

la viola, philadelphia.
went with theodore for dinner on a thursday night. we were able to get a table without reservations right away because there were only two of us. mussels in garlic and white wine sauce was fantastic. my sausage and mushroom pasta was delicious, theodore's homemade spinach gnocci was good but a little disappointing.

fork, philadelphia.
went with theodore, ben and tiffany on a saturday night. their little tapas selection is great, and all of our food came out excellent. i had braised duck breast, theodore had mushroom risotto, ben had the hangar steak (which came with very yummy yucca frites) and tiff had the salmon. everything was cooked perfectly and it was a very good meal. fork has been my favorite restaurant in philadelphia for some time now, but i haven't had the opportunity to go since sophomore year so i was very happy to go again, and with such great company.

copa banana [south street], philadelphia.
went with liz and erica on a thursday night. we all had their burgers, which were good. i ordered mine medium rare, which it was, but my burger was cold when it got to me, so that was disappointing. also got green beans instead of the fries and those were cold, soggy and tasted funny. would have been a not-so-pleasant experience if it weren't for their giant delicious mojito. mm!

chef geoff [downtown], washingtonDC.
went with amyT on a sunday afternoon. we ordered 3 appetizers : pita w/ hummus, duck spring rolls, shrimp and calamari misso fritto; and amy had a burger while i had a crab cake sandwich. more mojitos for me, and sangria and beer for amy. it was great since we got there around 3ish and the place was pretty much empty so we sad around, ate, drank, gossiped, and exchanged stories and relationship woes for hours. the appetizers were definitely the highlight of the meal.

next up? liz, erica and i want to make it to rouge again, and try out melograno. and, my brother john is coming to town in late april and it's rumored we have reservations to amada, which i have been aching to try for over a year now. and lastly, le bec fin, the most high class, expensive, well-reviewed restaurant in philadelphia has just given up their fixed menu and 2-seatings-a-night ways for an à la carte menu and are trying to cater to a younger hipper crowd. perhaps it's worth a try? hmm..

quotables : blue eyed boys.

from a gTalk conversation with one of my closest friends.

domi: sometimes i wish i were an asian girl
domi: maybe then i'd get a cute blonde blue eyed boy.

hahahahahaha. i love it. >.<

crash.

so.. here it is. the big news that i have been purposefully not mentioning - theodore and i have called it quits. it's strange, because he's my best friend, really. and he's the man i fell in love with my freshman year, a man i pursued and persisted with for a year before we decided to call what we had a relationship. he's pretty much defined my entire college experience.

and it's not that there's anything wrong with us, but it's really just circumstance. it's not fair for him to pack up his life, leave his family, friends and job, to come out to LA and then for us to not live together (also read: never see each other). on the other hand, it's not fair to ask me to live with him because it would break my mother's heart and definitely tear apart the relationship with her that it's taken me years to build. plus, to be completely honest, i am currently twenty-one, almost twenty-two, and the whole situation just scares me shitless because it's a huge effing step to be taking.

so we're taking a break from us, not just a break i guess, because we are mutually agreed on not being in this relationship right now, but we're open to revisiting the issue in the future after i'm fully settled back in los angeles, in six or nine or so months. if we're both still single, who knows - i'm not one to believe in 'meant to be' or whatever, but he is. and if not, well, then no harm done.

and while i make it sound pretty and amicable and well-handled, this hasn't been the case. the past month has been a hell of an emotional roller coaster for me - tears, anxiety, insomnia, neurosis, anger, relief, doubt - all bundled up, smooshed together, chopped up and tossed for my consumption. but, what's done is done - all to do now is graduate, start working and see what happens, because like i always say.. my life is infinitely entertaining. then again, my definition of entertainment is usually pretty different from others.