rural hicks

today one of my classes talked about diversity. we were to split up into 3 sections depending on where we lived. rural, city, or suburban. out of the 20 kids in the class, 13 were suburban, 5 were rural, and 2 were city. i was alone in that class, with another kid who went to whitney young. we were to talk about how diverse it was back at our high school and how diverse it was now. i felt homesick when i thought about all the friends i’ve made back at home, and how too much of the population here at u of i is either white or korean.

weekend back at home

didn't feel like it should've been. instead of relaxing and wasting away hours hanging out with friends... the first thing im greeted with is a list of chores to finish. i'm most productive when i'm givin little time to accomplish multiple tasks. lets see what i've accomplished this labor day weekend:

• call bestbuy and setup an appointment to get this new fridge fixed for my dad.
• buy printer ink and teach tony how to install it.
• meet up with a shady white guy at wrigley field to buy wheels only to call him back 2 minutes later and return it to him. sorry man.
• go to tom's house only to find my bikes un-assembled. fucker.
• assembled bikes.
• finally put brakes on my bike after riding a year without them. i feel like i dont need them anymore, but it still feels nice to have that extra assurance though.
• fixed the creaking sound on my seat.
• FINALLY FINISHED MY BIKE TO RIDING CONDITIONS AND IM SO SATISFIED WITH IT. this is one of the most accomplished feelings i've ever had. i spent almost 3 months on it, and seeing it come to fruition makes me smile.
• cook 5 plates of food for dinner for my sick aunts, cousin, and tony.
• washed 5 plates of food worth of pots pans plates and dishes.
• get my computer fixed (thanks A LOT, brian).
• midnight bike ride (finally.)
• get a hard drive and backed up all my important files (music, pictures, homework). feels good, man.
• got my presby check filled out.
• repacked everything in my bag.
• repacked everything in my car.
• took tony out to eat.

although i'm disappointed i couldn't simply relax over this weekend, im glad i got to finish stuff that needed to be done months ago.

being away from home so long made me realize how much i disliked ignorant chinese people when i came back for just 2 days. i don't like my house too much. i can't sleep in my bed without thinking about stuff i dont want to think about. i cant just sit around without having my dad call me every other hour pestering me about unneeded things. but i shouldn't complain, hes paying for everything. as i was driving today, i pictured myself on a motorcycle speeding down streets not caring about what could happen. and for awhile, it didn't seem that bad of an idea... only if i pay my dad back first and make sure he's living a content life with a steady income from me. it was a really comfortable feeling, thinking about having nothing to care about.

anyways.. the weekend is over. back to urbana.

the gaos?

im too far into this project to back out now. gotta finish.

day 10

i need a fucking bike.

day 1

August 11th

today was very chill.

except now i can't stop thinking about stuff i need to get done before friday.

part of the family

im glad i was able to experience this. joy yees might have been hell, but theres a certain flow that i've become part of. everything that goes on in the front of the store and behind the scenes in the kitchen meld in a harmonious and chaotic dance that serves you your mediocre food. i cant grasp why people decide to come back after eating the sub-par food... be it the smoothies, the hectic atmosphere, the "modern" look, the americanized menu, or the awesome waiters... i have so much respect for everyone that works there.

i could barely handle working weekends, but most of them work 4+ days a week. by the end of my employment, after all the hardships i went through, everybody accepted me as one of their own.. and it felt good. i wish this happened sooner cus it wouldve made things a lot easier, but better late than never.

thanks, joy yees. i'll miss you guys.