Cactus and Indianapolis

hey guys. I really should update this blog much much more frequently than I am doing at the moment. There has been so much happening!

last Thursday, We went to Caroline's house to have dinner/pre-drinks to go out to a club called neon cactus. I had to go to the dining court for dinner (stupid meal-plan) so I wasnt there for dinner. Tim made this awesome awesome lasagne. even though I was really full, I had to eat some because it was really awesome. I think Tim should make meals more often instead of going to the dining court... Nora also made a home-made bread. That was GOOD too! hmmm I wish I could cook like them. We were just hanging around, drinking (again... sigh), pretty much making fool of ourselves. Tim (The guy next to me half undressed) was hilarious. he is like a big brother. way too funny. After all this shenanigan, half of us decided to go to the neon cactus, the other half still undecided.

Eventually we all got to the cactus. Remi (the guy to the left) really really wanted to go. Awesome club. all of us drunk and dancing like crazy. really sleazy massive club. all the music are like typical club music. Should i call that R&B? but anyway. Me and Erik left at 1:30 because we had 8:30/9:30 classes and couldn't afford to skip them. but the others stayed till 3 or 4am. it is awesome that everything is walking distance. its like It just took me 30min comfortable walk to get home. So I was again sobered up by the time i got back home.


For the last weekend, I went to Indianapolis to see the bike show called "Moto GP" It was interesting. I wouldn't have gone to it if someone I knew were going. But I went there with Tim, Marion and a couple of Marion's friends. So I had a good time. The weather was pathetic. It was wet and miserable. So I was like concentrating more on staying as dry as possible rather than enjoying the race. Some Aussie was competing as well actually. His name was something Stoney? But I dont know. I really wanna go back again to sight seeing and stuff. The city looked pretty cool. That's pretty much it from me :) Cactus night was fantastic, and Indy has a potential.

It was so awesome talking to you guys on Saturday night. I enjoyed it.
We should do this more often! just you know when you are all at Paulette's or Matt's, just connect me to the skype and we have a chat :)

Missing you guys heaps!

Boiler up!

Kumiko

My First football Game

Last saturday started very interestingly. The first home football game at Purdue. The Purdue tradition of the morning of the home football game is the breakfast club. This is the event where you get to dress up in crazy Halloweens costumes and start drinking ridiculously early in the morning. The bars open at 7 in the morning.

I thought I might as well try out. why not? I went there as a scissors. A lot of people dressed up crazily. The first impression of the breakfast club was not very good. It is way too early in the morning. I only had 3 hours of sleep. and the shit vodka I had at the bar was not very pleasant. It was cold. the bars are crowded. my scissors costume is in the way of everyone. But some people put a lot of effort in so it was rather interesting. I was dead tired and hungry by 8:30am.

I went for a dining hall for the breakfast and by the time I finished eating it was time for the football game.

The game itself was quite boring. I didnt understand the rule and it was stupid that the game was stopped every 5 seconds. But the marching band there was FANTASTIC. I wouldnt have been able to do it. It looked really really awesome. They formed a block P and 3 or 4 other patterns. It was impressive. The music they do during the game was quite cool. So I am really looking forward to the Boiler Box Band. It is going to be really really fun!

After being exposed under the Sun, We went for a fountain run. I wouldnt have done it, but I was dressed appropriately enough. So what you do here is you pretty much run through a fountain. There are so many fountains within the campus but this is THE fountain to run through. It was really really chroliny but it was really really refreshing. Good times.

The night was quite interesting as well. I was meant to have a quiet night in, because I have been up drinking since 7 in the morning... But I somehow ended up in a Mexican restaurant drinking margarita with my Aussie mate Tim and a few French girls. I LOVE margaritas! they are so yummy! but i was a good enough girl to put myself to sleep by 12:30 :)

This week shouldnt be a hassle in terms of assignments and stuff. I finished almost half of the assignments that need to be handed in throughout the week. So it shouldnt be a stress. (fingers-crossed). Sigh I think next week or the week after I have a few evening exams that count 20% or so. God, this country is crazy

Boiler Up!

Kumi

Yo yo

Hey all! How are my favourite people in Australia going?? This week has gone really really quickly. Past Monday was a public holiday. so the week actually started 2 days ago. But almost weekend! woohoo!

Since whenever I posted my last blog, it has been a pretty interesting week! Sunday, I got invited to this guy's lake house, that I randomly met at a call-out. The house was absolutely amazing. like exactly like what you would see in all those filthy rich MTV reality shows kinda thing. We had an awesome awesome fun. Played pictionary. I think I need my Laura as a partner... I didnt go too well playing with all these American people... But it was fun. I lost my voice then second time since I came to US. It still sounds funny too...

On monday night, I had to stay up till 2am in a computer lab trying to finish up a lab report... It was gigantic. I had to wake up at 6:30am the next morning to hand in the lab report that we finished the day before.. It was fun :D

Since then, have been just normal uni days! trying to finish up assignments and tests and stuff. I like my lab group members though. They are like the nicest people I have ever met! So I actually have fun meeting up with them at 7:30 in the morning :) they are good bunch of people.

Love

Kumi

Gus it is!

Okay, the name for my bike is Gus. Woohoo!

After I went out for the dinner last night, Gus broke down on me.... I had no idea about the bike, so my Swedish nerdy friend Erik took a look at my bike. He said he could fix it if he had his "tools". So hopefully Gus is going to be fixed by today sometimes. Apparently the nut? for the back wheel is really loose so every time I try to paddle, the chain is pushing the back wheel forward and causing a massive friction to actually ride a bike. Or something like that.

Last night, we went out to the bar first time ever in Purdue (well for me anyway). It was quite fun. The atmosphere in the bar was definitely different to the bars in Melbourne. I met heaps of people and they kept on shouting us drinks. The drinks are so much cheaper! I ordered my usual Vodka with OJ but it only costed me $3.75. We had this really sugarly shot. Have no idea what it was called. Red something something... Oh well.

Oh my god, check out the massive Corona bottle!! It is pretty much twice the size of what you can get in Australia! It is really gigantic! I couldnt finish even half of the bottle before getting to the point of if I drink anymore, I would throw up...

I think I saw fair bit of strange "bar tradition" at harry's last night. I dont know I cant quite explain, but if someone drops his/her drink, there is this chanting that we all have to do and stuff like that. It is pretty crazy. Apparently Harry's chocolate shop was actually a chocolate shop back in the day with a hidden bar at the back...

We left the bar at about 12:15, Erik and I dropped Stacey off at her apartment and went pick up his bike and he walked me home... It took about 2 hours. by the time I got back to my apartment, I was pretty much sober but really really tired. Had a very good night I suppose! You know what? I really really felt like maccas last night and we walked passed it on the way to Stacey's. but I resisted my temptation... when I come to think of it, I dont think I have had maccas in US yet... hmmm HOW CRAZY.

Anyway, Brunch time! I'll talk to you guys soon!

Love you heaps and missing you even more!

Kumi

xx

Name my bike

Hey! I finally got a proper time to myself after uni. It is actually really relaxing. Since Monday, after uni I was always doing something and I didnt really have time to relax and stop for a while. it is quite nice to actually have time to write my blog properly :) Last time, I was rushed by Pat.

Yesterday, I went to this Internation Centre and grabbed a free bike. How adoreble is she! she is like an old school bike. If there was a competition on the oldest bike in the campus, I think my bike can win. I was talking to my frined from Indiana about my bike and she told me this tradition that they have going on here. Aparently if you are naming stuff, car or bike or whatever, you have to pick the first letter of the colour of your stuff (in this case its G-reen) and you have to pick a name from the opposite sex (Male). So we were thinking about it and all we could come up with was Greg and George... but my bike doesnt look like Greg or George. We kinda thought about Ginger, but its not really a guy's name is it... so if you could think of something, let me know.

I had 2 music auditions today. One for the Volleyball team and the other for the symphonic band. I got in both! I was so excited. The Symphonic band is the top band interms of the wind symph, and if you couldnt get into the Symphonic band, you are going to be put in the Concert band. There is a time conflict for me for the symphonic band so I knew I had to go to the concert band. After the auditon, the guy was trying to convince me to drop the class with the time conflict so I can get into the symphonic band! isnt that great? they said I had a realy good tone and technique was excellent! I was sooo happy about that :) That's probably thanks to my awesome sax teacher Ms P :D :D

anyway that's all the news for me apart from my crazy assignments due on tomorrow... I shall go check out the laundry now tata!

Ku

First Day "Back" to Uni

Yes. I finally started uni here! woohoo!
Today was a little bit full on. Started at 9:30 in the morning and had 5 hours of lectures till 5:30pm. I had a lecture for every single subject that I am taking this semester.

I thought Monash was hard working university comparing to some of the Japanese university, but you have to come to Purdue to find out what the actual hard working university is like! Every subject has at least 10 Homework assignments to hand in and 10 little quizzes, as well as 3 mid-semester sized exams at night every month kinda thing... Hmmmm it is good that it is going to keep me busy until the end of semester but I might actually be popped by the end... This week, I already have 3 things to be assessed including 2 quizzes and 1 HW assignment.

Tomorrow, I have my first 7:30am class EVER! nope, I am not excited at all.... But I finish at 1:30pm so its a plus, i suppose.

The past weekend has been quite a blast, actually. I met so many exchange students like I am through a picnic that was happened to be held right next to my apartment. I met a couple from Australia, about 4 from Japan and so many from France. One Swedish guy that I met was quite nice too. after the picnic, we went to some guy (that i had never met) for a party. It was quite a blast. His house was quite tiny but there were about 50 people in there... it was really hot inside so we had to spend some of the time outside breathing... It was quite fun! I dont know why I didnt meet these people before...

Sunday, I went on a trip to Lake Michigan. The Lake Michigan was HUGE. it looked like an ocean. There again, I met quite a few nice people too. I really like the girl from Adelaide, Stacey. She is quite funny and really fun to be around :) The bus trip from West Lafayette to Lake Michigan was 3 hours. so we had to spend 6 hours in the bus, but it was kinda good chatting away with some total strangers in the bus :) I love talking random stuff!

Apparently today there was a welcome reception for exchange students... but I had a class right on the reception so I couldnt get a free lunch or meet new people. hmmm I actually havent met American kids apart from a couple I met through the band camp. Oh by the way, I could not get into the Marching band here :( Well I am kinda sad but not really at the same time. I really dont know what to feel about it. It would have been a blast, but by doing 2 hours of practice everyday and Saturday game, I would have no other time to do anything else, you know. I am still going to be playing in some form here. I am having an audition for the concert band and Basketball Band or something to support basketball players. No time for Jazz though, sadly my timetable doesnt let me to any Jazz apart from the top one. well I dont think I am good enough for the BEST Jazz band at Purdue... hmmm no.

Meh, I am kinda neutral at the moment. I cant really say I am the happiest person in the world but I am pretty happy :)
hmmm yeah I probably should go to bed preparing for the class at 7:30 tomorrow :S

Love you heaps
Kumiko

Official Last Day of the Band Camp

Today I had my last day for the AAMB try-out band camp.
Till yesterday, we either did playing rehearsal or marching rehearsal.
But today, it was both! it was so hard! As well as trying to play the un-familiar music, we have to make sure that everyone is in the line for sides and forward/back. It was really hard.

I dont know if I did a very good job of it. But i think the experience I had for the past week has been so tremendous that it does not even matter if I get in or not. Being able to play in the marching band would be so awesome but it is a lot of commitment.
You will have a rehearsal for 2 hours everyday and every Saturday we are playing somewhere.
I am not really sure if i am up for this kind of commitment. Being in US I kinda wanna see and travel around for the weekend and stuff if possible. So either way I win, I think.

If I get in the marching band, it will be a really American experience. and if I didnt get it, It would still be okay, because I can still join Jazz/Concert bands which have less commitment and have a weekend to myself! When I was talking to upperclassmen (3rd/4th year), apparently chem eng here in Purdue keeps you really busy. So it might actually better if I wasnt part of the marching band... not too sure. we have to see.

also, we marched from the drill field to the Elliot Hall of music (massive Robert Blackwood Hall est place to practice/perform music). It took us 30 min! but we did crazy moves and played 3 fight songs. by the end, I was sweating so much! apparently they do that every friday for rehearsal and every saturday pre- football game! That would be awesome awesome fun!

I will find out the result tomorrow morning. But I will have to attend the international student mandatory meeting, so I wont be able to be at the actual meeting. I will find out the result later than everyone else, which could be good :) And I'm finally meeting up with this guy from Adelaide, Daniel! We have been facebooking each other for a while while trying to organize the trip to Purdue. So I'm going to go grab lunch with him and go to Walmart to get a mobile phone so you guys can text me :D

Finally uni is starting up next week! I cannot believe I am looking forward to it so much...
ah yeah, also, I went and bought text books. the text books here are SOOOOOO expensive. I found an eng book I used in heat and mass transfer at Monash here. they were selling it for like $200!! i got it for $100 or something... even considering conversion, it was ridiculous!!!!

Okay, I am stinking hot so I might go have a shower :)

Love you guys heaps!