Eva and Emily took me yesterday to Super H-Mart in the middle of nowhere, VA. It was great though! It is an Asian food store and I got to buy all of my favorite Asian foods like Nori, Soba, Ramen, Mochi, vegetable-mons, etc. I'm sure most of the people reading this don't know what I am talking about, but I am very happy. I bought persimmons (kaki) and a mango. AND I BOUGHT A RICE COOKER! That really made my day. Although we couldn't figure out where the small bags of rice were and I almost bought a 15 pound bag of rice. I would have been eating rice everyday for the rest of my life to get through it all. Oh, and I found the best kind of Jasmine tea ever, it is the kind Christy and I drank when we went to the Chinese restaurant in Korea. It was a beautiful restaurant in the middle of rice paddies and we sat outside on a misty night eating fun stuff like sea urchins and drinking jasmine tea, and I haven't been able to find the same kind since. But Super-H Mart is fabulous (so of course they had it)!!!!

Last night Erin came over and we sat on my wonderful balcony with wine and candles and talked. It was such a nice relaxing evening and it makes me happy to just have one on one time with a friend, where neither of us has anything we are rushing off to do. So often when I hang out with friends it is in big groups, or there is a limited amount of time, or we are at a debate tournament. So it was nice to have such a relaxing evening.

So, I am supposed to be studying for a Midterm I have in an hour and a half in my Korean Lit class. But I have suddenly developed a bad case of senioritis and don't really want to be studying. But just so I don't feel too guilty, I am going to stick to the theme of Korean Literature. Here are a few poems that I rather enjoyed.

LikeThe Wind Leaving The Lotus (by So Chongju)
Sorry,
not utterly sorry,
just sorry enough
for parting,

not utter parting,
but for parting with the promise
of meeting again
in the next life perhaps;

not like the wind
coming to the lotus
but like the wind leaving therefrom;

Azaleas (by Kim Sowol)
When you leave,
weary of me,
without a word I shall gently let you go.

From Mount Yak
in Yongbyon,
I shall gather armfuls of azaleas
and scatter them on your way.

Step by step
on the flowers placed before you
tread lightly, softly as you go.

When you leave,
weary of me,
though I die, I'll not let one tear fall.

Sometimes you meet someone randomly, like standing in line to get lunch or riding the elevator in the subway, and they are so nice and funny that you wish that you knew them better. That happened to me today. It's almost a shame that there are so many people in the world that I will never have the chance to know better. I remember when I first realized that the world did not revolve around me (contrary to what some of you may think it did not happen last week, but when I was 3 years old). My mother was explaining to me that other people think and have their own worlds and lives that continue when they are not around me. It was a very overwhelming concept when I was 3 and continues to be an overwhelming concept. I suppose I should try to keep it in mind, everyone has had different experiences and lives and I will never be able to fully grasp what any other person has experienced in life. At the same time though, I wish that I was able to know more people intimately enough to gain a small glimpse into their world. Maybe that is why I love fiction so much, it is a chance to pretend that I can be inside someone's head and understand their experiences.

Update:
Friday I rented a car from Bargain Buggies. I asked for the smallest car they had. I was thinking a Kia or the infamous Daewoo. No, I got a bright purple Suzuki x-90. It was truly terrible, but I was running late, so I took it. Then we hit traffic on our way to swat because apparently a tractor trailor is now a terrorist threat (huh?) so they had to close down I-95 for an hour and a half. We sat in the traffic waiting for the terrorists to go away. Oh wait, there weren't any terrorists, just a confused farmer. The tournament was fun, dandy, delightful as always.

Saturday I was regretting some of the night before (like the Kamikaze shots). Denise and I got home at a decent hour, went grocery shopping. I won the Swat pool for who would make it to finals and win the tournament, that was exciting, I never win anything. But everyone was out of town or studying on Saturday night and Aaron and I wanted to do something. So we took the top off of the X-90 (it is supposed to come off, don't worry) and drove around town. We went to NOVA comm college, and all the way around Haines point where we watched planes take off and land (I think we may have also witnessed some drug deals, but I'm not sure). Then we went to the FDR Memorial which is my new favorite place in the city. I've always loved that memorial, the water is so soothing, yet also symbolic of the different terms of office. But the quotes on the walls seemed especially relevant considering the current situation our country is facing. I wish someone would make President Bush go look at the FDR Memorial and read the quotes. But I doubt even that would change his mind. Then Aaron and I drove up M Street, visited the Messners and then drove up FoxHall Road to visit Mt. Vernon and the Marriot Residence, across Chain Bridge to the George Washington Parkway and then home. For those of you who don't live in DC-- that is a lot of driving! But the weather was so beautiful and by midnight there were very few cars on the road. It was a perfect way to end my spring break. And although the car was ugly as sin, I grew attached to it. Although I wouldn't want to own one.

Some things make me very sad:
From cnn.com "White House says diplomacy has ended."

I don't like war. I don't want to go to war. It scares me.

la la la!

"Sometimes when you are in a foreign country you start to miss the small things- like sassy Puerto Ricans!" --Cody

If you wanted the sky
I would write across the sky in letters
That would soar a thousand feet high
To Sir, with love

The time has come for closing books and long last looks must end
And as I leave I know that I am leaving my best friend

If you wanted the moon
I would try to make a start
But I, would rather you let me give my heart
To Sir, with love

I am visiting Adie at Depauw University in GreenCastle, IN (don't worry I'd never heard of it either). I am having a wonderful wonderful time! I was excited about seeing Adie, but wasn't sure how much I would like the campus. But I am having a great time. I love Adie's friends! Friday night we went to a frat party, it was so much fun. The entire basement was covered in black plastic and had spray painted words all over it. Yesterday we went to Jo's junior recital, ate dinner at the famous Marvins (its a 5 star restaurant according to the menu), made geisha shoes out of wood for Adie's art project (I got to play with power tools) and went to a few parties in the evening.

Things that make me happy on a warm spring day:
-A chilly breeze to remind you how warm it is
-SweeTarts
-Wearing a tank top for the first time in months
-Sandals bought at Walmart for $1.99 without thinking I'd really get to use them
-Having nothing to do
-The Navy Band
-The way a Sunday afternoon feels calm and happy and never seems to end.
-A song that is able to capture all of my feelings and put them to music

superfluous