VN school, etc...

So we just wrapped our first semester today. I crushed the final exam, but likely because I'm probably the only student who freaks out about it the night before and actually studies. The youngins probably think I'm crazy for it, but I can't let them show me up! I was so proud that I was able to memorize a poem to recite for the oral portion of the exam. (I'm such a fob!!) Anyway, after the exam came the "party" in the auditorium, where thank goodness Kam (Tuti/Sao Mai) and I managed to get out of the group presentations on front and center stage. (Phew! My group was really terrible. Our restaurant skit, which we briefly rehearsed, was the worst thing I've ever seen. No insult to the kids-- they all agreed that it was just bad.)

I was mildly disappointed that when certain kids in each grade were picked to go up to the stage and receive a gift, my name wasn't called. Kam was called up, and so was another kid who is a total misfit. Maybe they just... made a mistake... I felt a bit better after Kam opened her gift and it was some weird combination of items surely purchased from the dollar store or a similar venue. She even got some '80s style hair ties (you know which kind I'm talking about-- not scrunchies, but the kind that are kind of wooly and can thread apart if you pull on one piece... classic!) Another redeeming part of the day was when the older sister of a girl in my group came up to me, for no particular reason, and quietly said, "My sister thinks you're nice!" and then proceeded to walk away. It was so the awesomest moment of my day. It felt good to get a small dose of popularity from the kids, especially since Kam is usually the kiddies' favorite (boo!).

During the party, Kam, Auddie, and I kind of stood around and ate the weird combination of food available (cheese puffs, pate-chaud, fried chicken, banh bao, etc...) and talked about all the VN school characters. This one 8th grade girl in Auddie's class who was clearly in her glamour-shot phase (she always looked like she was posing for something, even when she was just standing there!) asked auddie for her "Cell," so she could call her. Doubt it!! Girl's only 11 years old. And then there was another girl in Kam and my class, who actually was in her glamour-shot phase, because apparently she and her friends "hang out" at Springfield Mall and go to Hollywood Shots (or something?) and take portraits together all the time (weird.).


Anyway. I just got back from the gym and as I was massaging/rolling my leg out on the big styrofoam roll thing, I got into another "gym" convo with some guy. He was like "Oh, you've got the IT band thing too?" and I said, "Yeah" (not really knowing if I did, just assuming he must know). Then he came over to me, said something about how rolling it out is only going to do so much... then the next thing I know he says, "Mind if I try this actually?" And he steals the tool I'm using and starts using it and making "ooh" and "aah" stretching sounds. I'm thinking, "ooook, give it back, there are others.." But then he continued to talk my ear off (most of it actually helpful in diagnosing what's wrong with my leg), and even admitted to me that he's usually not this "garrulous," but he knows what I'm going through because he did the same.
So yeah, I'm just becoming friendly with everyone at the gym, I suppose. I think I've got a problem with my IT band. I hope I can fix it. Maybe my new shoes, which Huan is supplying me for Christmas, will do the trick. I sure hope they do, because this week I signed up for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in April (gasp! Am I crazy?), and I'll need all the time I can get to prepare. Updates on that to follow. Happy pre-xmas weekend to all!


Current Music: Magic in the Air, by Badly Drawn Boy
Current Mood: spirited