Before starting my internship, I spent two weeks in the Philippines. On my last weekend, we flew to Coron, Palawan (an island in the Philippines) to enjoy the beach. We were welcomed with the beat of the drums, and everything after that was pretty much history. We went island hopping, snorkeling, swimming, eating… It’s been such a long time since I’ve been to the beach! Here are some photos I took during the trip.
It was so easy to take pictures because everything was just so beautiful! Hope you all have a fantastic summer! Oh and happy father’s day!
Three major events will summarize everything that happened after my last post, THON 2013.
Imagine Dragons performed at Penn State for Founder’s Day
East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) conference in Columbia University
Spring Break (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Universal Studios’s Islands of Adventure, and sightseeing around Pittsburgh)
Instead of going through the painful work of detailing each event in words, I will relive the moments through a series of pictures.
Imagine Dragons PosterImagine Dragons at Penn StateImagine Dragons at Penn StateAt Columbia University with Carly for ECAASUHad brunch with Jed near Columbia UniversityMagic Kingdom in Disney World (Orlando, Florida)They spelled out, “Jesus loves you,” in Epcot: Disney World (Orlando, Florida)The purpose of this trip? To see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Orlando, Florida)Butterbeer mustache!Riding through the tunnel from the book and movie, Perks of Being a Wallflower (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)This is the first T. Rex that was ever dug up in the world! How awesome is that!? This can be found in Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).The Secret Garden Exhibit (based on the book) in Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)Strolling around the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in the evening.Going up to see Pittsburgh’s skyscraper in the Monongahela InclinePittsburgh, Pennsylvania
I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I did!
It has been 20 days since I last posted, and so I want to start of by saying Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Like most people, I began my year with a new year’s resolution list, but instead of making it yearly, I made it monthly. Here is my resolution list for the month of January:
Review class notes by the end of the day
Sleep for at least 8 hours
Read the Bible/ Christian Books
Complete a nagging task
Eat vegetables and fruits
I made it a point to turn it into a checklist, so I can see whether or not I accomplish my goals every day. (Something I grabbed from the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin) Seeing the empty boxes of my checklist motivates me to get things done because not only does it give me the feeling of accomplishment, it also makes me tremendously happy. They are small, doable tasks that make big differences in the long run.
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Now, to end my story about Bali…
After we celebrated the New Year, we flew back to Manila where I was able to spend the remaining days with my friends and family. I held my very first sleepover with my high school friends. We played ping pong, we swam, we played Taboo, we ate, and we watched Bridesmaids. It was great to finally see their faces after such a long time. I wish I could have stayed much longer, but time passed so fast and before I knew it, I had to leave for State College, Pennsylvania after my too-short-two-week break. I was welcomed back with snow covering every inch of the ground. It was a breathtaking sight! I got back in my dorm around midnight on the 7th of January, the start of the spring semester.
Bali, IndonesiaState College, PA
For the past two weeks, I’ve been trying to get my schedule in order. I’m taking a total of six classes, namely: Psychology, Sociology, Hospital Policy and Administration, Geography, Art History, and Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering. I am still currently undecided with my major, so I’m trying out all these different social science courses because they seem to be the ones that interest me most. There are a lot of readings, but I enjoy learning about society and the mindsets of different individuals.
Other than the excitement of a brand new semester, I was finally able to enjoy the snow. I made my first snowman, I had my first snowball fight, and I made my first snow angel.
Sorry about its blurriness
The snow is slowly melting, and I’m starting to see patches of grass around campus, but I heard it was supposed to snow tomorrow so maybe the days of winter wonderland aren’t over yet. There may be another time to get a better picture of a better snowman.
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Now I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you for keeping up with me for the past few months. I really appreciate it! I hope that you stick by me in the next few weeks because exciting things are going to happen. I can feel it!
For our second day in Bali, my family went to the Sacred Monkey Forest Ubud Sanctuary where we came across temples and monkeys everywhere. Tourists were allowed to feed the monkeys with rambutan fruits and bananas; my sister, Lisa, held a rambutan, and it only took a second before the monkey was climbing up her arm. Other tourists were able to have pictures taken with the monkeys over their shoulders and on their heads. One tourist accidentally stepped on a monkey’s tail, and the monkey got mad and attacked him. The tourist looked at the monkey, exasperated, and said, “I said I was sorry!” It was pretty amusing. The monkeys there were not caged–they sat down on the walkways, they walked everywhere, and swung around the trees. At first we were pretty scared of going in the sanctuary, but it isn’t as bad as we thought. The monkeys wouldn’t harm you unless you harmed them.
After the Monkey Sanctuary, my family went through the little boutiques around Ubud, where we were able to score really nice dresses, interesting instruments (coconut kalimba), handmade baskets, Balinese Batik bags, and hand-painted wooden artifacts. Later in the afternoon, we were able to go to a galleria where I was able to taste my first donut from J. Co, a donut shop that originated from Indonesia that is now the fastest growing donut and coffee chain in South East Asia.
Here are some pictures!
Mother and ChildMy cousin, Tia, me, and the monkey.Monkey SanctuaryMonkeys on our pathMy sisters: Bela and Lisa (shopping)Coconut KalimbaTasting J. Co’s donuts for the very first timeCan’t get enough of Indonesian food
We planned on riding an elephant, but the number of tourists and the strong rain just didn’t allow it. Oh well. At least we were able to see the monkeys. I can’t wait to go swimming tomorrow!
Last Friday, my roommate, Carly, and I watched the Homecoming Parade. Floats would go around the campus, and the club members waved away to the audience. Each club had a different theme, some would be Hairspray, Pokémon, Harry Potter, Superheroes, The Jungle Book, etc…
On Saturday, Carly and I went to the Beaver Stadium to work in the football concession stand. Penn State was against Northwestern University who was, at that time, undefeated with a score of 5-0. We wore our Penn State gear and woke up early so we could get our stand ready. Like last time, we sold popcorn, cheese steak, bratwurst, hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, soft drinks, hot chocolate, coffee, and magazines. I had one little accident when I crushed the hot chocolate styrofoam as I was putting the lid on top. It was comical to watch and it did get a bit messy, but we handled it pretty well. When we ran out of food to sell, we went to watch the game and were able to watch Penn State catch up to Northwestern and win the game!
It was chilly outside, but it was even chillier the next day. On Sunday, we (with Carly again) went to an animal shelter, where for the first time ever, I was able to feed a horse sugar cubes and apples! The horse is an absolute beauty. Her last owner neglected her and made her too thin, but now she’s starting to recover. We cleared off some mess, we interacted with the cats, dogs, chickens, and horses, and we assembled 4 shelves that made everything look neater and organized.
The drive going to and from the site was just gorgeous. The last time I’ve seen fall was in Australia, and that was more or less nine years ago. I have never seen fall or winter in the US, and I am really excited to be experiencing it now. Fall is just stunning. The colors are all bright yellow, orange, and red. Golden mixes of them would be scattered everywhere where they all made for a picturesque view.
Oh and when I visited the library, I found this lying on one of the chairs.
Last weekend was family/parents’ weekend. Since my family is all the way back in Manila, I hung out with Carly and her parents. We decided to have a stroll around Penn State’s Arboretum where we were able to take beautiful pictures.
All the pumpkins are waiting to be carved for Halloween! I cannot wait! Carly’s going to teach me how to carve my first pumpkin. I’ll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned!
Life: 