I came up with the title of this post based on the lyrics of one of the songs in the anime ROD the TV (ROD stands for Read or Die). Although the song is in Japanese, I believe part of the lyrics mean "nostalgic wind".

On one particular day, I was on the second floor of one of the various buildings we have on my high school campus. If there's one good thing about this campus, it's probably having a second floor. Sure, it's a hassle to get to a classroom on the second floor (and even worse if you happen to have a locker up there - unless you have classes near to the locker), but it does provide a nice view. It's a good place to people-watch. No one suspects that they are actually being observed from the top. (And I noticed for the first time that there are just a few flowers in the square area around a tree. I never really saw it before because I've usually been thinking about something else, or someone has been sitting there, blocking my view of the flowers.)

It was a pleasant day. The sky was blue, even if there weren't any impressive clouds around (I remember last year I was always staring up at the clouds when I ran during PE. A part of me got angry because I didn't have my camera around and would miss good photo opportunities, but another part of me was just glad to see something beautiful). There had been a breeze blowing. I stood by the railing and looked out at the elementary school that is next to my high school. Even if that wasn't the elementary school I attended, it still brought back a wave of longing for the old days. It's hard to remember what it was like to play on the playground every day and still feel like it wasn't enough time; and I try to remember what it was like to actually have SSR, Silent Sustained Reading, every day.

And pen pals, that was something we only had in elementary school... Just the other day, I read the story "Correspondence", about a girl named Henrietta "Henky" Evans who writes letters to a boy in South America. (He never responds, though.) I was thinking that it would be nice to have a pen pal. My mom doesn't understand what's so great about writing snail mail. She thinks it's a waste of time and money (for stamps) to write to people who live nearby. But even that's kind of nice. It's exciting getting a letter in the mail from a friend.

I wonder why we never spent a really long time in school sending letters to our pen pals. We would maybe send a letter, get a reply, and maybe send one more, maybe not. It seems like we never really kept up the correspondence for long. (And since I was young and ignorant at the time, as well as not knowing where my pen pals lived, I had to rely on the school to get my letter to my pen pal.) I really think there ought to be a program of sending letters to a pen pal for older students, like what there was in "Correspondence", not just the occasional time where you have to do it in elementary school. It would give me a little something to look forward to. And I might meet a wonderful friend.

Labels: correspondence, elementary school, high school, letter, lost art, lyrics, mail, memories, nostalgia, pen pal, rod the tv, second floor, song, view

Last weekend, my family was going to visit my mom's friend's new house, and since the University of California Berkeley was along the way, we decided to pay it a visit.

That was my second time visiting UC Berkeley. The first time was quite a while back, and I don't really remember it anymore. So it was basically like going there for the first time.

I kind of worried that it would be like betraying Stanford, because I heard that Stanford and Berkeley are rivals in football...But I do have to check out other colleges, after all. :p

The campus is different from Stanford, that's for sure. Berkeley is fairly close to the ocean, and so it has a cool, fresh sort of feel. Stanford is drier and it has palm trees and such. And Stanford looks rather symmetrical. Click here for a picture of Stanford. Click here for a picture of Berkeley. Stanford appears to have Spanish architecture whereas UC Berkeley looks kind of...Greek, perhaps, with those columns? D:

Unfortunately, since I went there on the weekend, some buildings were closed, and it was rather quiet around the school, at least in the buildings. But outside there were students going on their laptops or relaxing. I saw people playing frisbee, walking their dogs (well, maybe the people walking their dogs were just people who live in the city of Berkeley), and people kicking a little beanie or bag kind of thing around. (I found this really funny because in the Sims 2 University expansion pack, you can do that very same activity)

It seemed like a pretty relaxed atmosphere, and it seemed I didn't feel as sick when I could feel the refreshing sea breeze. Maybe living by the ocean would actually improve my health and perhaps cure me of allergies...And there would be nice photo opportunities. When the sun was setting on some water it was really stunning. (But I was in the car, on the highway...I couldn't stop to take pictures)

Ah, yes, and my mom's friend's house...It was located in a nice place. From the master's bedroom, you almost have a view of the water. I bet if they lived a bit farther down their street they'd have a splendid view. Their house is big and pristine. It's neat and there are fake flowers (which are not as good as real flowers, but still pretty, and they don't die...) placed around the house. My parents think it's too big, but I'm the kind of person with a "bigger is better" attitude towards houses... XD

One of the most memorable parts of Berkeley, anyways, before I forget, was the Sather Tower, otherwise known as the Campanile. It is open for certain hours each day, so if you pay a small sum, $1 or $2, you can go up to the top in the elevator. (It is free for students of Berkeley, though.) I went up there around 4 pm, so while I was looking at the splendid of view of the surroundings, suddenly, a really loud clanging sound resounded in my ears. It was so loud I covered my ears. The sound came from the bells of Sather Tower, and as I was right next to them, they seemed very scary indeed.

But the view is really good from up there. It was a nice day, and you could see the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance... I'd like to live in the city of Berkeley. It seems like a beautiful place, even if the population is a little big for my liking.

Labels: architecture, bells, berkeley, california, campanile, golden gate bridge, health, house, ocean, photography, sather tower, sims 2, stanford, university, view

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