From Giggly Girls to Japanese Curry

Wow, I really suck at keeping blogs.

These last few months have been a combination of being busy, lazy, forgetting to write, and staring at my computer screen, not knowing what to write about. But you could argue that it was mostly laziness.

Thus, without further ado, here are a few ramblings for a long-overdue update:

Seven Giggly Girls

Towards the end of August, I returned to the university several weeks early to become a peer advisor for the incoming freshmen. Each peer advisor (known as PAs) is responsible for a group of freshmen, with whom he or she would hold week-long discussions on adjusting to college.

We were all excited to see who our “kids” (as we would call our freshmen advisees) would be and for the interactions that would follow. Lucky for me, my group consisted of seven girls, and I would come to describe them as seven giggly girls. When the girls weren’t calling themselves “Jacky’s Angels,” they were chatting about their newfound college-boy problems.

Nonetheless, it was an experience that I wouldn’t have traded for anything else. Between the late-night sessions and early-morning seminars for PA training, I met many great friends who might have otherwise passed me by. It’s one of those moments where you wonder what would’ve been if you had chosen not to go to this place or do that thing. In the end, you can only smile about how, luckily, everything fell into place.

Now, if only I could forget that “Jacky’s Angels!” part…

Remembering to do Certain Things

In September, I read the book Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom. The narrative begins with the author being asked by his childhood rabbi to deliver his eulogy. Thus, the two become friends during the rabbi’s last years as the author seeks to learn more about the man he feared as a boy. (Albom admits that he falsely imagined his rabbi as anything but gentle and forgiving.)

Throughout the chapters, the rabbi spoke of learning to cherish and forgive. One story, in particular, stuck to me. Here’s my attempt to paraphrase:

The rabbi had just finished giving a sermon at a funeral. The widowed husband stood next to him, mourning the death of his wife.

At first, a few tears drifted off the husband’s cheeks. “I loved my wife,” he whimpered, and the rabbi nodded.

Then the husband began to cry. “I really, truly, loved her,” he sobbed, and once again the rabbi nodded.

Finally, the man broke down and wept.

“I almost told her that once,” he said.

The story referred to the pain of having regrets and reminded me that, while it’s never too late, life is still so fleeting.

Witty Costume Ideas

On a lighter note, the end of October called for Halloween festivities. As I readied for the parties, my friend refused to partake in the celebrations because it was against his religion. So I suggested that he should forget that the holiday existed and jump into costumes just for the hell (no pun intended) of it.

Needless to say, that didn’t work.

Unlike some of the college students, I didn’t want to spend money on a tutu or dinosaur outfit. So, I made myself a cereal-box shirt and purchased a plastic knife. Ten points to whoever can guess what I was going for.

There Can Never Be Too Much Food

In November, I learned to cook edible food for my friends. After a couple tries, I figured out the secret ingredients to Japanese curry: apple slices and Hershey’s chocolate. I would make this curry with chicken, ground beef, for house dinners, for myself, and even when one of my friends ran out of food/groceries at her place.

I’m pretty sure my housemates would kick my ass if I suggest Japanese curry for one more meal. Fortunately for them, I don’t have any photos of my favorite meal. But I do have a picture of ramen from a Ramen Reunion!

The Little Things That Don’t Matter As Much

The other day, I flipped a coin. Heads said I make a new blog and delete this one. Tails said I keep this one. I ended up making a new blog. If you’re interested, go check it out! I’m not sure where I’ll go with the new site, but it’ll probably be shorter, more frequent, blurbs.

As for this blog, there’s no way I can delete it! How else could I laugh at my old rants?

So what’s been going on in your lives these last few months? Lemme know!