Homeward Bound

From May 18th to May 24th, I had the opportunity to be at home for the first time in three years. It was a blessing and a wonderful experience.

The early plane ride to Philadelphia was made possible by T.K. I probably should have slept more before this trip, but I couldn't help it as my roommates and I had to watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Let me tell you this, it is a great film! The PS3 game itself is not too bad either. I have a thing for the old school arcade games.

Home changed a lot since I last visited. However, some of the negative aspects haven't changed: our redneck neighbors. Never have I seen some people whose only joy was to take advantage of others and gets mad when they are exposed. Unfortunately for us, they are vocal about gossips. Such is the unfairness and discrimination that roams around in suburban places.

I finished cleaning out the garage, mostly, while I was back. Set up a few shelves and rearranged some items. The house itself is a lot more crowded now because we have seven cats coming in and out of the house. Funny thing about them is that they are composed of the mom and her six offspring. Having cats can be fun at times, but there are certainly a lot less birds and beavers coming into the yard as before. Not to mention, I didn't see any rabbits either. Then again, the rodent problem seems to have disappeared.

Having home-cooked meal again was a blessing. That hasn't happened to be in years!

The missionaries actually stopped by during my stay. I believe they haven't visited us for years. I figured that they were probably there because they knew I was home. You see, I don't mind people encouraging my family to go back to church, but they seem to forget that nobody wants to go to a place where they do not feel welcomed... Members of the church need to realize that their actions do affect others.

I can't even remember the last time anyone from my home ward helped us with any service projects. My mother and I did the bulk of the work in our yard. Of course, if the bishop had a cold, everyone would rush to the rescue. I don't even know... Bottom line is, if the missionaries are willing to help out around the house every once in a while, I'm all for that. As long as it's not an empty promise. That actually happened once.

Regardless, I am firm and unshaken. Things can only improve in the long run.

On the way back, I had the chance to check out JFK International Airport's new terminals. There was a high profile event taking place at the time. That terminal apparently cost $1.4 billion to construct! I came back to Utah and went straight back to work. It has been a tiresome weekend and I'm sick of covering for people for the time being. I need a break from covering extra shifts, so sorry guys!

When I stepped into the house, my roommates mentioned that they had a surprise for me, and they had left it on my bed. I walked into my room to find a letter that I had been anticipating. That completed my week-long journey to home and return to Provo.

Now, I shall spend more time on my personal projects.

Ever Tired

You would think not taking any classes during summer would grant me more free time. The reality is, no. The only plus side to this is I have a somewhat flexible schedule that doesn't impose deadlines on me.

I used to keep a list of things to write about in my blog this past school year; then, laziness got to me as soon as stress from school eased off. Since most of my time has been diverted to work and studying for the MCAT, I'm planning on holding off the restaurant runs until near the end of May when I return to Utah.

Luckily, I've been working on other projects with my roommates. In addition to household projects around the Pinecone, I happen to be involved on T.K.'s project to raise funds for his summer study abroad. This endeavor is also sponsored by NixArt Films. I hope this works out because it would be fun to see T.K. off to England and boosting all of our resumes.

Other than that, life has been a massive Minecraft session recently. I can't believe I got myself into the game...

Last, but not least, I'm glad I have the roommates I do now. Here's a little sneak peak on what we are trying to do. Be on the lookout for Bridge to Cambridge and NixArt Films!

Emerging From Oblivion

Happy little birds!

Due to finals and moving processes that happened in the past two weeks, we had no Internet; that is, until today.

The great thing about having a house is that there is enough space for everyone. Remember, I have five roommates. For the first time in a while, I don't feel cramped in my lodging. It's the first time I'm living in a house as a college student, so it's a novel experience.

Having my own room again in a few years is refreshing. At the same time, I'm not quite used to being by myself again. The last time I had a private room was Fall of '07.

The house also offers some considerable projects around the lot, especially the yard. We are slowly getting there in terms of aesthetics. In terms of functionality, we are mostly finished. The only major projects we have left are refining the Internet routing and the garage. I might post pictures and whatnot on Facebook as we go along.

Since I have Internet again, I can push forward with my plans. For now, having placeholder picture will suffice. Oh yeah! It is Spring Term. I will try to post more often because I have time now.