it'll take some gettin' used to...

Well i guess i'm getting kind of alright here... just that:

1.) i'm still refusing to sleep at normal hours cos people that i chat with are online when it's in the morning here. And i'm usually tired by the time i get home.. so what happens is i sleep from about 7pm to 9-ish... then people from other rooms or those who just got back from parties come to our pad and start talking away... so i make friends and be nice. One thing i did when we settled down the other day is, being the oldest guy in our pad, enforce a no tobacco no alcohol rule in our place -- 24/7. So the afterparty's at our place, and it's kinda weird cos they talk about the weirdest things (to be discussed later.) when they're all gone, about 2am, then i hit the sack again. and i wake up at about 7am. That's kind of like the cycle for me.

2.) Conversation topics. I mean, all they talk about is fashion, the city, and TV. I'm not exaggerating. So i was kind of like stunned when they started laughing away about the latest trends and stuff -- simply because i was clueless. But they were nice about it and thought that i only knew perhaps some of them 'cos i'm Filipino, right? then they talked about their favorite shows, and they went insane again. Then the list went on. then they came to me and was like, "how about you, Albert?" I just thought i should be true to myself and not be a hypocrite so i said "Desperate Housewives". and there you go. all the closet Desperate people emerged. hahaha. lovely. It also amazes me how so many things happen here. Like one of my apartment-mates went to a magazine shop and bumped into Method Man of the Wu-Tang Clan... 3 blocks down the road! Then we're getting backdoor passes to MTV VMA afterparties (which i'm not going for. really.) and stuff like the Tony Awards next summer. awesome right? Then madison square garden has tons of performances. Eric Clapton's coming next month! and lots of other things... it's just that...

3.) i don't wanna be broke in New York. hahaha so i'm very very stingy on a lot of things now. Yesterday i went out for dinner with my apartment-mate Michael at a Japanese restaurant, since he was craving for sushi. This was after the NYU president's welcome speech to the entire freshman batch (the one where Alec Baldwin ditched us -- he was supposed to give the opening address) So i ordered a plate of chicken stir-fried udon. 11.90usd. PAIN... excruciating PAIN. then thats excluding tax (about 8% i think) and tips (which is usually 15% of everything). PAIN. I SHOULD HAVE GORGED ON THIS IN SINGAPORE OR SOMETHING. meal plans are coming to effect soon. hooray.

4.) I kind of need some prayer here... cos I can't seem to find any other Christians here (on my floor at least). You have no idea how central is partying to their culture here. Our courtyards are packed with people smoking, and girls are so free to roam around in the apartments of boys and vice versa. I can't wait for school to start so i'll have an excuse to chase girls out of my apartment. Anyways, i'll be going for church definitely this coming Sunday. I really need some spiritual family.

5.) so many other things: phone lines, bank accounts, i met singaporeans -- fresh out of army, trying to sound cool in an American accent. I mean they're nice and i like the company 'cos they're from Singapore and all, and i feel at home with them... but they use the word "man" too much -- in a very ah beng way.

"i think you're right, man"

"that's cool maaaannn"

and many other things.

Anyways, some photos:

NYU President John Sexton delivering his welcome message: "when you see me on the streets, you can come up to me and say ' John, give me a hug' and i'll gladly give you one!" Classic.

The rest of the freshmen who couldn't fit into Gould Plaza, spilling into the streets. nice NYU banners behind.

Stern Business School building. beautiful.

Thinking about it, it's just so hard to live life in two dimensions -- two time zones. Like 8 hours i try to make friends and keep my composure in check, cos i get frustrated about how lots of things work here, especially the mindsets of kids (yeah, they're kids. all kids.) Then for another 8 hours, i try to be the same old bert to people that i love. You guys mean too much to me. Then for the rest of the 8 hours, i try to catch some shut eye.

In other news... i need to talk to somebody... real soon... any Singaporean... my accent's getting stronger... it's like a cancer growing in me. When i'm alone in the room i still practice all my different voices and stuff, but without practical use, it will soon wither off... hahaha

Enoch, bon voyage ok? main aim -- settle down. and wallowing in self-pity or doubting yourself doesnt solve anything... it's human to perhaps worry and miss people for awhile, but you have to move on. I have to admit, i'm not really the best person to say this, cos i'm still having problems dealing with it now, but at least we try ok? All the best man. Tell me when u get there.

To everybody else: i miss all of you, and really hope to catch you online so we can catch up on each other, ok?

take care y'all!!!

I'M OUT!!!