Jasmin's Birthday 2010!!

*is almost dead from blog posts* Must.. keep.. blogging. Leaving for Hawaii tomorrow and have to start out fresh for those blogs, but I need to wake up at 3:45. ~_~ Oh man, I hope I can sleep on the plane.


Jasmin's birthday was the 2nd of January. Yayy, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! While she was away in Guam for a couple weeks, Erin and I decided that we'd surprise her with a party, but we realized that to really make it a surprise we'd need to act like there was nothing suspicious. So we asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday. We planned it, we made an event, and we invited all her friends. But little did she know that this event wouldn't be the only one that weekend...

My post about the holidays continues at this point. Jasmin and I were hanging out at our friend's New Year's party, and at around 8pm we began to get tired and headed back home. Upon finally arriving back after gas and groceries (x_X), I led Jasmin into her apartment unsuspectingly. She rounded the corner into the kitchen and SURPRISE!!! A huge group of her friends were there to greet her, some in pajamas for an old-fashioned slumber party. ^_^ Even those who couldn't stay the whole night, she really appreciated you coming and truly surprising her with this event. We watched movies in Hello Kitty party hats, and counted down at midnight just like we had the night before. Then, CAKE!! Our friend Liz had made a banging 6? 7 layer red velvet cake? In any case, it was amazing, and the cream cheese frosting tasted like cheesecake on its own, with flowers made of marshmallows placed around it. I'm actually still making my way through it to this day.

The party went late and numbers began dwindling, but those who remained found some space on the floor or couch and went to sleep. In the morning, we had breakfast with waffles, eggs, bacon, and scrapple. Then Jasmin opened presents and it was very exciting. She got cute tupperware, a computer case, a weighing scale, a home-made hat, and a sewing machine. More friends started arriving for that day's activities. The event that Jasmin knew about included lunch at Chipotle, roller skating, go karts, and whatever else, but we were so full from breakfast that we pushed Chipotle back to dinner (I was so full that I didn't eat for the rest of the day).

Once everyone was gathered and ready for the day, we went to go roller skating. As we drove by the go karts, there was no one there and we figured that it must have closed due to being so freaking cold. As for roller skating, I hadn't gone since middle school, so I was a bit hesitant to see how much (or how little) I would remember. To my great surprise, after strapping on some inlines I was ready to go like I had just skated yesterday. I suppose it's like riding a bike, retaining muscle memories so that I didn't even have to think about skating backwards. Jasmin was doing well too, and our friends as well (apart from a few unfortunate spills). All-in-all everyone agreed that this was a great idea and that it was a lot of fun.

We went straight to Chipotle afterward and entertained the idea of seeing a movie later. However, everyone was exhausted and that probably would have ended in all of us sleeping through it, assuming we could afford a ticket at this time of year. So we got some drinks and batteries and went home to hang out and play some Rock Band. We also played cards and other games into the night, until the last person left sometime after 10pm. So in the end the party was over 24 hours long, and some actually stayed that long, haha.

Thanks everyone for coming and wishing Jasmin a happy birthday! She had a great time on her first birthday state-side. ^_^

Pictures on Facebook
Pictures on Facebook 2

Recap of 2009

Despite what I made it sound like in comparison to 2008 (@Jasmin), 2009 really was an awesome year when I look back on it. There was traveling, fun experiences that were new or traditional, and I learned a lot. Here are some particularly notable highlights:

• New Year's 2009 - I had just gotten back from my study abroad in Japan when 2009 hit, and I began the year in the same place that I ended it: at Winston's house.
• Return of the Jasmin - Jasmin had been in Guam up until the beginning of February, when we threw her a killer surprise party. Except, you know, it's not really a surprise when the secret is spoiled. :[ Pictures
  
• One Year - Jasmin and I celebrated our one year anniversary together in February, and it was lots of fun; a whole day of our favorite things. ^_^
  
• Snowboarding with Friends - it was my second year snowboarding, and for my third and fourth tries I think I was finally getting the hang of it enough to teach our friends. Jasmin got her dream Tokidoki board so it's a shame we can only go a few times a year. Pictures 1 Pictures 2
  
• Celeste Visits - my friend, Celeste, who I met in Japan visited DC from Chicago in March with her boyfriend. It was the first time I was able to have this reunion of sorts, and it certainly won't be the last! Pictures
  
• Sakura Matsuri - now armed with knowing first-hand how Japan performs festivals, it was interesting to compare it back to how we imitate the Japanese. Oh how I wish I could have seen the sakura bloom in Japan! Pictures
  
• March of the Animals - I have to mention this event because all of us bringing our dogs and meeting for this march in Baltimore was just so much fun. Let's do it again in the future! Pictures
  
• End of Semester - there were lots of ways to celebrate the semester's closure. For one, the departure of a friend to study abroad; for two, it brought the beginning of summer; and for three, the graduation of other friends. And events for all! Departure Pictures Summer Pictures Graduation Pictures
  
• Philippines - this was, without a doubt, the biggest event of the year. Jasmin and I traveled to her parents' residence near Manila, and we had an amazing two weeks hanging out there and traveling all over the country. I will never forget the delicious food and how kind Jasmin's parents were for showing me a great time. Hopefully I'll be able to return in the near future and see and learn even more. Blogs
  
• No Summer Job - though I failed in my attempts to work during the summer break, I did learn a lot about how to search for jobs and how to perform in an interview. I also learned how to look for places to live, which is good.
  
• Otakon - my sixth year at the convention, and the second time I stayed all weekend in a free hotel *dances*. Still no cosplay yet, but I actually worked this year and got into the convention for free. Which reminds me, I never got a refund for my original badge... Blogs
  
• Van Visits - one of my best friends from Japan finally drove his ass down from Philly to chill in Baltimore in August. Still as fun as ever, it was good to see. Hopefully we'll hang out again sometime soon. Pictures
  
• Birthday, Take 22! - I spent my 22nd birthday similar to how I spent my 21st in Japan - with Japanese food and karaoke. It was a great opportunity to expose this lifestyle to some of my friends, and I think they enjoyed it. Pictures
  
• Halloween - the first time I really celebrated Halloween with my friends like this in the states, from what I can remember. We all dressed up and waited for kids to come by, but only one did. ;_; Pictures
  
• Graduation - marking the end of my college career! It feels so good, but sooo wrong... O_o Blog
  
• Snow Storm - just a couple weeks ago we got two feet of snow in MD of all places!! I haven't seen this much snow in a while, and luckily I drove home just before it got too thick to see through, much less drive. Shoveling was a pain, though. Pictures
  
• Haircut - yes, it's that big a deal.

So there you have it, folks. My 2009 experiences in a nut shell. I also managed to learn more Japanese, including almost 400 kanji I think, and if you've been following my blog I wrote a ton more of my events in Japan (16 to be exact). I have a fresh new motivation to learn Japanese, so I'll be continuing into 2010. And of course, exciting things are to come with Jasmin, I'm sure of it!

Holiday 09-10 Events

Post-graduation has been a busy time so far, busy enough that I seem to be avoiding a lot of those inevitable grown-up tasks that are now expected of me. But let's not worry about them, I'll have plenty of time to stress out when I get back from Hawaii!

The day after graduation I decided to take some drastic measures to highlight the changes not only of my freedom into the "real world," but also to turn over a new leaf for the decade that began a few short days ago. So I cut my hair to the shortest it's been in almost six years.

Before

After

I'll tell you, the best part about it is that it cut down my shower time by at least half. And now I get to use my Gatsby products - Japanese styling... stuff. I've been able to surprise a few people so far, but unfortunately not all of the reactions have been positive. Namely Jasmin's, since I look like I'm 14 supposedly.

The next day was Christmas, and as-per-usual it was a small family occasion consisting of 6 people and a big dinner. I didn't ask for much, and was able to make out with some great under armor, a 1TB hard drive, and some GRE study books among other things. Eventually I decided to get a few things done, and I sort of forgot it was even Christmas. haha But it was relaxing, and fun. It's too bad Jasmin was still in Guam, I missed her!

Finally Jasmin got back home two days later and it was happy times again! We exchanged presents, Jasmin receiving Christmas and birthday presents from my family, and me receiving an awesome watch from Jasmin's parents for graduation. Wow, I'm really going to have to thank them. Jasmin caught me up on what she did in Guam and how her brother's wedding went, and I bored her with a play-by-play description of my exams and the sleeping I did afterward.

It was a slow and uneventful week leading up the New Year's Eve. We had plans to do something big with our friend Gary, like going into DC or Baltimore to celebrate at a club. We found good places through some quick research too. However, meanwhile some other friends of ours were planning their own party and Jasmin and I decided to go to that one, where we'd know almost everyone. The party was at our friend Winston's house and we were there from around 8 until 2. When the countdown came, we were in the middle of charades and stopped for exactly 10 seconds to celebrate 2010. Then we went right back to playing. Hurrah. Gary, luckily, made plans of his own and we didn't have to feel guilty about leaving him behind.

The next day Jasmin and I went to a family friends' New Year's party that they have every year. Food is always plentiful and great there, and it's packed with interesting people, but we go mainly because we're close to the family and the kids are essentially our cousins. I was FINALLY able to bring Jasmin here (being our second New Year's together), since she has always spent the holiday on Guam, and I think she enjoyed herself.

And you know what else she always spent in Guam? Her birthday, on the 2nd!! Stay tuned for that blog, yo.