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USA

Jess — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:23:00 +0000

Forcing people to study continuously for 4 weeks is cruel and unusual punishment, so I need to vent.

I don’t carrrrrreeeeee anymore. Just let me come backkkkkkk!

Yeah, yeah. I’m leaving in four days, but the closer the day to leaving comes, the more excruciating each remaining day is. On the bright side, I’ve got a concert and BBQ to look forward to.

One to Go

Jess — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:36:00 +0000

Hey friends and family! I blog to you today from the King’s College library while eating an over-priced but delicious yogurt/granola combo.

I survived my exam double header and celebrated with a walk along South Bank and a small trip to Greenwich. We walked from Waterloo Bridge to London Bridge along the river, drinking up the scenery on the first sunny (and warm) day in a long time. It’s really hard to believe it’s June, because temperature-wise, it seems like I’ve been suspended in April for the past two or three months.

Highlights of the walk were the massive street art displays on the outside of the Tate Modern building and then of course… food. We arrived to London Bridge right around noon and just in time to slip into Tapas Brindisa, a Spanish specialty restaurant that is always completely packed with a huge wait outside. Even though Jared and I didn’t exactly know what the hell a tapa was (our general idea was proved wrong when the first dish was brought out), I have always wanted to eat there. It was some good eating and reminded me of the days of living it up gastronomically in Croatia. I had some steamed mussels and a pork fillet dish, Jared had mackerel and chorizo on toast, and we shared some goats cheese with grapes. And to end the meal, in Eurotrip fashion, we finished up with a shot of espresso with brandy! Mmm.

Enough about food. We then went to Canary Wharf to check out all the fuss about the other financial center of London. Big buildings, investment banks, lots of people rushing about in suits. Not much to write home about overall. But it did remind me a lot more of the United States. Streets were wider, more people were driving cars, and there was that nasty urban sprawl feeling that I get when I’m walking around San Jose, CA.

From there, we walked to Greenwich where we headed to the Great Royal Observatory. Greenwich was really pretty and had a lot of charm and its university (or some university) seemed so luxuriously campus-like compared to the schools in London. We walked past a music school and we could see a flutist standing in the window while hearing violins and drums from other directions. Surreal. These students looked a lot more happy carrying their violin bows around campus than the London students with their noses buried in the Financial Times.

We made our up the hill and walked through the exhibits, most of which were time-keeping-related. Who knew that keeping accurate time was such a complicated process? I didn’t even know how my digital watch worked until I read a little blurb. Then we finally made it to the part that everyone cares about: the Prime Meridian Line. We queued up, straddled it, took a picture, and went on our merry way.

That’s enough recapping for now. My next exam is on June 11th and until then, I’m studying and preparing for departure. I’m currently packed up for the most part and living out of a suitcase but more disassembling of my room will soon be underway.

Check out some pictures from South Bank, Greenwich, and the state of my room post-exam here.

Exam Seclusion

Jess — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:50:00 +0000

For the past two weeks, I’ve been one of two places: the library and my room. After two terms of slacking off, I can’t really complain. But is 7 months of freedom worth 1 month of seclusion? Yes, yes it is. But I still think that I prefer the good ol’ balance of work and play at Georgetown.

So far I’ve taken one exam and have three left to go. June 3rd will be an excruciating six hours of test-taking and after that, I will feel more or less liberated despite having one to go. I have a nasty feeling of being trapped in school while everyone else’s summer has started, just as I had that idle feeling about starting school so late in October. My inbox is less full, friends are online less often. God, my reliance on the internet for happiness is alarming. Ha. (I deactivated facebook for the next 2 weeks, fyi).

One major cling to my sanity is Kate over in Lyon, France, but she leaves Europe on Monday and I know that I will have to combat the feeling of rising anxiety about being stuck alone on this continent without her. Ahh. What happened to Jared and the other Gtown crew? They’re still there… exuding masculinity and testosterone in full force. And let’s just say… I’ve reached my limits. I love them, but I am a girl god dammit. Sometimes, I want to watch The Notebook with a tissue box, or in my budget-constrained state, with a roll of toilet paper.

I’m ready for the estrogen-fest that will be my house in Burleith. Perhaps I will be singing a different tune in a few weeks. But until then… 6 girl-friends. Living in a house. I can’t wait! I somehow predict that I will take one step in the house and burst into tears of joy. But this is possibly my imagination running wild with dramatic homecoming scenes.

In good news, I’ve seen more climbing people thanks to actually studying around LSE. That’s one benefit of this exam period. Alright. Back to studying. Back to reading. June 3rd will be a good day once its over. Send me emails if you are inclined. Hope everyone is well!

Final Exam Attire

Jess — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:40:00 +0000

You know… if I had known about the King’s College Maughan library earlier, I would’ve been a hell of a lot more studious this year. My little bedchamber is crippling to motivation and conducive to laziness, so it’s pretty essential I finally found a better study venue.

Finals exams makes me think of sweat pants, hoodies, glasses, coffee. Yet I show up the library fairly well-rested, at least wearing jeans and wondering if I even need a cup of coffee. Other people are wearing dresses and skirts and heels and are looking normal. Where are all the chain smokers that look like they haven’t slept in days? Where are the people who haven’t showered or brushed their hair since their last final?

I’ve been wearing my Pres(entation High School) sweats to at least one final since my freshman year of high school. I guess this’ll be the year where I break from the trend.

Smiles and Some Doom

Jess — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:51:00 +0000

Living on a tight schedule of school and work is a tough adjustment following 6 weeks of flying by the seat of my pants. It’s not so much that I have a lot of classes or lectures… I don’t. It’s just that the sense of urgency and anxiety about revision is creeping up and days are just going by. Combined with the impending doom of exams, I really want to savor this last month and a half in London by hanging out with people who I potentially will never see again for the rest of my life. That’s dramatic, yes, but also a real possibility. I haven’t seen some high school friends for a few years because we’re on different coasts. Different continents could prove an even greater obstacle.

That’s all gloom and doom, I know, but I’ve been almost all smiles since coming back to London. I returned to work today for the first time in 2 months and was unfortunately greeted by a notification that I need to have over 100 pounds deducted from my salary for running a credit note incorrectly through the system almost 3 months ago. Yes, I am pissed. And no, I have no real idea how to accept a credit note at the till. And that’s why, as a part-timer (and an irregular part-timer at that), I always ask someone else to do it for me. And now… here I am in the red and owing the damn company money. So for the next three days I work, I am paying off debt. Bollocks, as they say. Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks.

Still, the day turned out to be good. Selling spring merch is far from the hassle of eager ski-loving shoppers. I could relax a little bit more and have fun with co-workers. Anyways, work again tomorrow. Afterwards, I’m heading to Waterloo with an LSE climber/co-worker (yes, my two worlds merge) to check out the Cans Festival. It’s a street artist exhibition featuring Banksy and other artists. Oooh, I walked by one of Banksy’s newest pieces (shown above) the other day while walking to a friend’s flat on Essex Road… cool stuff.

Another thing. I’ve learned that in situations where you can grin and bear it OR complain, you should always complain. When my showers were perpetually lukewarm, I just accepted it and took cold showers. Then I complained and I had warm water. But still, my water pressure, even water volume, was sub-par. Only now with a month and a half left did I complain. And now I have amazing water volume. You can actually hear water running now when I take a shower. Soooo glorious. Lesson learned: complain. Always complain. Haha.

Alright. That’s all for now. Take care everybody.