VACATION activities

the chinese new year holiday, the two weeks that i get off for it, makes me incredibly happy. probably happier than any other holiday i get off, because it's not a holiday i am used to having. it is also a holiday with no obligations for me. i can sit at home all day every day for two weeks and no one could really tell me that there was something else i should have been doing, since for me it is not a family holiday, nor is there any other tradition that would make me feel like i should be participating in some sort of activity. so, i can create my own activities! this is excellent and feels like a real holiday.

the first thing i did was READ. i don't think i've read for fun in about 10 months. i was SO happy.

of course, there is my thesis. but it's amazing how much easier it is to work on it when i haven't already been working for 9 or 10 hours and when i know i will not actually be going to work anytime soon! i really hope to have a complete draft by the end of this week.

sometimes i eat strawberries and chocolate chips. the strawberries are SO good right now.

i watched terminator salvation. haha. yay robot movies!!!!

and i WROTE LETTERS. this is something else i haven't done in a couple of months. i got all this wonderful stationary for christmas too (and bought other stationary that i saw that i couldn't resist...) and have not used any of it until now! [note to self: no matter how cute stationary is that you see in stores, you DO NOT NEED to buy anymore for a very very long time!!]

and i continue to write my thesis... the end is much more in sight. i still feel like i want it to be over. but it isn't this terrible thing hanging over my head and pressing down upon me like it was before, because i am on VACATION.

and instead of just eating straight spaghetti, i now take the time to put vegetables in it too. =) and i put mushrooms and tomatoes on sandwiches now instead of just tuna and cheese. and i bought a bunch of fruit. and i want to bake cookies. so. don't worry, i am eating better food now. =)

further plans include a settlers game night in which i will make japanese curry for dinner (yay, i will actually COOK something! you may think i never cook and don't really know how, but really, it's just a matter of time), spending time with chinese friends, and more of the above types of activities. yay!

[also, strawberries remind me of a video game-like cartoon shaped thing, but i don't know why.]