Who Needs Summer, When You can have Homework!!

Hey guys, it's been a while. I did promise a Japan and Vancouver (for some) post, but that'll have to wait until I have more time to revisit my pictures, and recall all the fun times I had on those trips. I mean, writing about trips always takes up a load of time, which is something I don't have.

I came back from Taiwan thinking that my reading and writing for Chinese has improved, but it seems like I have a long way to go. While I may be spending a lot less time on homework and studying compared to the non-native speakers of the class, I'm still spending a great deal everyday just trying to keep up. I mean, we finish roughly 10 lessons (1 unit) in 2 days. To top it all off, I'm also working at a company every Friday and Ma's lab every Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday; AND I also have to save up several hours each day for MCAT studies. Man, where did my summer vacation go?

Oh right! This past weekend, I hung out with Samantha and Heidi on Friday. If you follow my Instagram, you must have seen the pictures I took with Samantha's Akitas (Hummus and Mochi). I really want to take them home (even though they bite), but I don't think her family will appreciate that. That same night, I went to the 626 Night Market in Arcadia to meet up with JonMichael who had recently came back from Taiwan! I took my brother with me and we met up with him. Surprisingly, I was also introduced to several of his Rancho friends, making the night all the more exciting. But as expected, the 626 Night Market cannot be compared with the Taiwanese night markets. The food here is unbelievably overpriced and not authentic as I had expected. Man, I really miss those fried foods back in Taiwan.

On Saturday, Samantha, Heidi, Patrick, and I went hiking near Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. We had originally planned to hike to the Hollywood sign, but they recently closed the trail for renovation purposes (until August, boo). Because of that, we headed to a different hiking trail near Griffith. We spent the next hour or two driving there and waiting for Patrick on the mountain. Why? Well, since there was no signal there, we couldn't contact him as he drove up the mountain, so he ended up driving to the opposite side of the mountain (where there's signal) before we managed to reach him. Haha. First world problems. Eventually, he found us and we hiked up the mountain (more like a hill). We took a few pictures and left to Joe's Falafel's to eat Mediterranean food. So good.

Anyway, that's all the time I have for today. Sorry!

-Jeffjeff