Tom's Tea House

Leah C.

November 30, 2009 - 2:00 AM

I've heard of Tom's Tea House many times from my Chinese professor, and today or I guess yesterday (since it is 2AM) was my first time eating there. I was told by my professor that this is the place to go if you wanted real Chinese food in Eugene, and I would have to agree. This is definitely where you would go for a home cooked meal. The restaurant is a tiny place on 13th and Hilyard right behind Dairy Queen. When my friends and I first walked in we were greeted by an old couple. The restaurant was really cute, just like a mom and pop place with children books lying in a pile on one table. The old women tended to the cash register and the cramped dining room and her husband worked the stoves. After we had settled down, the tables quickly filled up with students looking for a delicious meal. We were lucky to have come in first because I was starving!

 

We ordered 4 dishes, BBQ Chicken, Mao Pao Tofu, Beef Tenderloin and a Lion's Head Hotpot. We were really curious what the Lion's head was and it turned out it was pork meat balls cooked with rice noodles and vegetables. Interesting name, but otherwise very good. Looking around the place there were photos of graduates from the University of Oregon, students posing with Puddles the duck, costumers who were probably teachers dining at the restaurant. A newspaper clipping framed on the wall revealed the younger chef in 1976. There were also signatures on the wall from sports players and a Matthew something from what I could see. This restaurant definitely has its charm and the historical connection they have with the U of O students and faculty members can definitely be found through the memories of their customers.

[0 Comments]

House Divided

Leah C.

November 29, 2009 - 11:00 PM

This Thanksgiving break was the first time I went back home this term. College is fun and all, but deep down inside I really miss my family. During the past 3 years at the University of Oregon, I've felt most at home my Junior year. I've made many great friends and I am involved with several student groups and clubs. I know my way around Eugene as if it were my own neighborhood, and with the free bus service provided by the university I can go almost anywhere. Apart from all this, I have been feeling homesick. Two years of discovering "freedom" and being "independent" is nice, but I find myself missing home more and more lately. Perhaps adjusting to college life in the beginning had clouded my homesickness. Everything seemed so new during my first two years, and there was so much to be seen and done. Granted I went home more often during my freshmen and sophomore year which was probably why I never felt like this before. All I can say is, it was great to be back home.

 

During Thanksgiving Day we went over to my uncle's house for dinner. It was really nice being with family again, with the usual rivalry smack talks over turkey, ham, and sweet yams. Yes, my aunts and uncles are all beavers, while my cousin, sister and I are the Ducks. Youtube videos of the "I Love My Ducks" were being cheered and booed at, and talks about the rose bowl game, and whose school is better in "blank," were tossed across the table. I guess this is what they call, a house divided. I should probably bring one of those flags divided by the two logos of the UO and OSU mascots painted in green and orange next year. This is another reason why I love going to UO, there's so much spirit, and it has this college town feel to it. People are not afraid to show off their colors, or talk about their love for their school. It's so important for anyone who passes through either college to take pride in where they went, even though the two schools are only about an hour away from each other.

Anyway, there are only 4 more days until the big rivalry game, and 14 days until I'm home again. I can't wait to see my little brother, mom and dad again. I miss home cooked meals and simple conversations to catch-up with everything in the house, and every time I go back it seems like my brother is growing taller and taller. Time is going by too fast! The end of the term is nearing and a new year will begin. Sometimes I just wish time would slow down just a little bit, enough for me to catch up on the most important things in my life, and one of them is quality time with my family.

[0 Comments]

HKSA, CSSA Karaoke Night

Leah C.

November 26, 2009 - 8:00 PM

Last Saturday the Hong Kong Student Association (HKSA) hosted a karaoke event with the Chinese Students Scholars Association (CSSA). This was the first time that HKSA had hosted an event with another cultural club in 2 years, and what a success it was! We had about a hundred students attend the karaoke event. Song requests were taken at the door, and those who were interested in participating in our singing contest were able to signup to win a $15 dollar gift card to Starbucks.

 

The event was held at the Emu Fir room, with doors opening at 7:30pm and ending at 11pm. Overall, the night went smoothly with only minor problems with the microphones. There were hundreds of Chinese and English songs to choose from and requests were gladly taken. The main purpose of karaoke night was to invite members, and students to experience a popular hobby for many in China and that is to get together with friends, eat, and sing karaoke songs. Snacks were provided by both clubs, free of charge. Muffins, cookies, chips, and vegetable platters were available for everyone to snack on. We also had Costco size packs of soda and water bottles that took up an entire table. 

 

All through the night, both Mandarin and Cantonese songs were sung, (the most two popular dialects in China). Unfortunately there was only one English song that was requested throughout the night and that was by the U of O Wushu Team. I bravely joined them in singing, "I'll Make a Man Out of You," from the Disney movie, Mulan. This was probably the second time I've sang in public, It was so much fun, just getting in front of the crowd and making a fool of myself and to hear the applause and cheers from the crowd. It was also really exciting to see so many friends who came to support the event, which made all the time and effort that we had put into "Karaoke Night" worth even more.

 

The Hong Kong Student Association would not have been able to pull this event off in the matter of two weeks without the support from the Chinese Students Scholars Association. They helped us so much with all the technical work, and It was a great way to establish connections between the two groups. In the future, I hope to work with them again and with many more groups as well. One of my main goals for the club is not only to teach and support the Hong Kong Culture to the campus, but to also connect and give help to other student groups as well. As a whole, these cultural groups are examples of how diverse the campus is, and to extend a helping hand and to meet new people from different background is what makes the University of Oregon so unique.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[0 Comments]

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Leah C.

November 25, 2009 - 11:00 PM

Apologies for the lateness of my blog, as the end of fall term draws nearer, I find myself overwhelmed with so many things on my agenda. Scrambling to get everything together, I sometimes feel hopeless, and lost. Usually I am able to pull myself together, and meet everything at the deadline, but last weekend was terrible! So bad that I had to request extensions for two deadlines. One of them for my blog entries, and the other my digital arts project. I had never felt so overwhelmed with work before, and I am somewhat disappointed in myself for asking for these extensions, but I simply was unable to pull everything together. I had been sleeping around 4-5am in the morning for the past 2 weeks, and didn't get a wink of sleep on Tuesday because I was studying for my geology midterm. Besides the midterm on Tuesday, I also had a biology project paper, and a movie poster I was designing for my digital arts course due on the same day!!!!
On top of that I had a cultural event scheduled on Saturday the 21st with the Hong Kong Student Association. We had been planning and working with the Chinese Student's Scholar's Association to host a joint cultural event: Karaoke Night (I will write more about this in my next blog.)

 

So this is what my workload looked like:

 

November??- November 20th:

 

* Bio experiment/paper, art project (vector work takes 14+hours), geology Readings.

 

* Planning karaoke night/meetings with the Chinese Student Association.

 

* 8-10PMWushu practice MWF (Missed Wednesdays practice for HKSA meeting, Friday's canceled.)

 

November 21st (SAT):

 

* Worked on vector image for art project ( Photoshopped crashed, lost 3 hours of work...)

 

* Went to help setup HKSA/CSSA karaoke event at 6:30PM-event ended at 11PM.

 

* 11PM Cleaned up, and had "dinner."

 

* Worked some more on biology paper, I was doing a behavioral experiment on geese.

November 22nd (SUN):

 

* Continue to work on art on art project

 

* Continue to work on biology paper (Collected more data on geese behavior/aggression at Millrace and Alton Baker Park.)

 

* Started going through notes and study guides for geology midterm.

 

*Panicked about my deadlines.

 

November 23rd (MON):

* Continue work on art project

 

* Finished biology paper ( 5 page report with table).

 

* Studied all day and night for geology midterm.

 

* Skipped wushu practice.

 

 
November 24th (TUE):

 

* Turned in my paper, and gave an informal presentation in biology.

 

* Took geology midterm. ( Was dozing off during the test!!!!!!)

 

* Worked as much as I can on the art project due on that day (extension was given).

 

* Presented the progress of my movie poster in the digital arts class for the critique.

 

November 25th (WED):
*Mass cleaning of room ( so dirty...)

 

*Packing/leaving for Portland

 

*Writing this blog.

 

I am home now and I just can't believe I made it through this week, but I still have many things to finish, such as my blog entries and the art project. I also have another 2 projects coming up, and 2 finals to look forward too. It is great to be back home for Thanksgiving, but I will not be able to relax until the beginning of winter break. Its gonna be another long week, and all I really want is sleep.

 

 

[0 Comments]

My schedule

Leah C.

November 16, 2009 - 2:00 PM

I realized that I have not written much about my schedule for this term! I am currently taking 16 credits (4 classes), two of which are to fulfill my general requirements, and the others my digital arts major. I have been taking Animal Behaviors, N.W. Geology, Digital Imaging, and Programing for Artist. So far I've found all of them to be very interesting, but what amazes me is the openness of my schedule this year, I have one class at 4pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, and a free Friday.

 

When choosing my fall schedule, I was unaware that my schedule would end up like this! It feels almost too good to be true, except for the fact that my Tuesdays and Thursdays classes are from 9am-6pm, with no break in between. On those busy days, I usually pack a sandwich or a little something to munch on during class. Other than that, I really love having the extra-free time in which I can wake up late, and have the whole day to finish my homework and projects.

 

My schedule also gives me the opportunity to spend time on my extra curricular activities, such as managing the Hong Kong Student Association, blogging for the annual givings program, and my involvement with the Wushu Team. As you may have read in my previous blogs, I am currently the CO-Director for HKSA, the Hong Kong Student Association. We have weekly meetings every Wednesday around 7pm, alternating between the committee and general meetings. As for Wushu, practice is on Monday and Wednesdays from 8pm-10pm, and Fridays from 5pm-7pm. Blogging usually falls during the weekends, when I am free.

 

Am I being crazy for trying to fill up my schedule? Compared to the last two years, I feel like I have a lot more time on my hands. I took Chinese during my freshmen and sophomore year, and I spent almost everyday studying, or doing homework for that class. It was a big commitment and I usually spent a good chunk of my day translating, or memorizing each character. Now that I am no longer learning another language, I find myself being able to attend more group events, and social gatherings. I also applied for a job at the Controllers Office for ASUO just last week, so that I can hopefully make a little extra money to save up in my bank. I feel like I'm doing too much, but at the same time I can. I am not trying to achieve anything, a few of my close friends have asked me why I keep such a busy schedule. My answer is that, I enjoy it. I really like being involved in groups and events, and I love learning wushu, in fact its something I've wanted to do for a long time. I will continue with this so called busy schedule, as long as I can. I will still find balance between my classes and extra curricular activities no matter what my class schedule looks like next term. All I can say is that this is the best term I've ever had at the University of Oregon!

 

 

[0 Comments]