Edenvale Branch Library

Maybe it’s because I go here so often or because I was too preoccupied with the friend who went with me that Wednesday, or maybe both that I didn’t take any pictures of our trip to the Edenvale Branch.

Recounting my long bike ride to her house, I admit that I am a girl. However, when I am with this friend of mine, I always feel like a knight who has to protect my precious princess from every harm.

So, yea I kinda like her cuz she makes me feel “manly.”

But that’s not all. Sarah is daring, outgoing, and chic. She’s got the hots for vampires and love novels. She’s probably everything opposite of me but I love her even more for that.

ANYWAYS. I digress.

The Edenvale Branch Library. It feels like home to me. I’ve walked through every aisle and browsed every shelf (yes, even the languages and biographies) and spent many of my days here just browsing, doing homework, having meetings, dating, you name it!

This stop was a date with my longtime friend, Sarah. You know that friend you haven’t met for a long time but when you see each other, it’s like they never left?

Yea, that’s not Sarah. xD

Time passed so long between us but it’s great to get together and find each other again.

Speaking about finding each other, we watched “17 Again” that day. Sometimes it takes a guy going through puberty twice to find out what he wants to do with his life.

And other times, it takes a girl travelling to all 23 libraries in San Jose to decide what to do with her summer.

And her next stop is the Cambrian Branch Library on Monday afternoon!

Educational Park Branch Library

Not to brag or anything but I think I’m pretty cool.

If I travel a road once, I’ll be able to find my way back even with a few detours.

Well, I’ve been to downtown SJ only 100 times so I easily figured out the way.

OMG THE EDUCATIONAL PARK BRANCH. It opened just this May but even I’m surprised.

I walked through the doors and FELL IN LOVE.

How can you NOT?

The colors, the space, the AC, everything was just so BEAUTIFUL. LOOK AT THE THAT EXPENSIVE HP.

I wish I could study here everyday…sadly this is just a short stop along my travels. But I swear I’ll come back here just for the hp. Someday. Even if I have to bike 5 miles for it. ❤

For my lunch break(I survived the day on Chocopies), I visited the Overfelt Garden Park right across the parking lot.

Looking around, I felt as if I were roaming a secluded forest in the middle of some Chinese wildland.

But of course, that’s not true. Looking around, I also saw buildings looming in the distance.

Jaylee told me about this one college that has a giant jungle of trees in its center. I found that weird yet oddly appealing. One mustn’t forget nature!

On the way home, I timed myself.

I left library heaven at 7:00PM. I arrived home at 8:15PM. But, no worries, it’s only because I took a lot of stops along the way to take pictures and enjoy the breeze.

I bike pretty slowly guys. What takes googlemaps 20 minutes will take me 40.

I go at my own pace where I can enjoy the world as it turns. Slowly.

I see the flowers breathing and people walking. Children running through water fountains and the world feels like it’ll never end.

Downtown San Jose is definitely much more lively at night.

At the end of the day, all these moments rush past and fade in time but I feel at peace.

The lightrail has many stops.

So until we all reach our destinations, let us enjoy the little stops we encounter along the way.

Speaking of my next stop, off to Edenvale Branch Library it is!

Evergreen Branch Library

My plans to travel to East Carnegie Branch were foiled by my father who insisted I stay at home on Saturday else he’d revoke the family’s pho eating privileges. (We eat out every weekend)

Therefore, that post has been delayed, however, I did go to the Evergreen Branch Library on Monday afternoon!

The way there was quite exhausting. Although it was closer than the Hillview Branch, I felt like the road would NEVER END.

I perilously passed the crowded streets of South King Rd and dangerous Asian drivers. It was quite a delirious ride.

Half the time I was asking myself, “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO YOURSELF.”

“WHY IS IT SO FAR. WHERE IS THIS LIBRARY.”

Until I finally reached it. This is my reaction.

The Evergreen Branch Library. Contradictory to the image that “Evergreen” brings to me, Rich houses in the hills, the library is quite the opposite.

As soon as I entered, I was invited by a hundred different voices and a large number of yelling as parents chased after their children.

It’s definitely a lively place.

On my way here, I spotted a dog running in the streets.

It fearlessly ran past the giant truck that threatened to squash it and blankly aimed straight toward the freeway bridge.

I was afraid for it. So I followed. But it just kept going faster thinking I was chasing it! So in the end it disappeared from my sight.

I wonder if the dog ever found its way home?

Where does the road stop?

I finished Requiem by Lauren Oliver yesterday. That ending was, I’m sorry for my language, TOTAL BULL. It didn’t even end.

What happened to the resistance? Did they win? Lose? Did she get back with Alex? Did Raven really die?

Oliver leaves much to be desired and I didn’t feel complete at the end.

The same thing happened with a movie I watched on Sunday. The boy didn’t even get over his stuttering in the end, which leaves me wondering, WHAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT?

So many open-ended endings. But, they MUST have done it on purpose. Why do these people write such endings?

Thinking rationally, maybe they didn’t want to tie up the loose ends. I should write up the ending myself. Is there ever such a thing as the right ending?

The road never really ends.

Road goes to road, rivers flow to seas to deltas to oceans and come back again.

Heck, we all end up in the same place anyways.

ANYWAYS. Speaking about roads, the next road I take is to the Educational Park Branch Library!

Hillview Branch Library

I tried to go early today but an exhausting 2 hours later, I am just reaching my destination.

On my way, I absentmindedly kept going straight. straight. straight. (It’s 4 miles of straight road) I am SO LOST. It can’t be THIS FAR!

This is a new place. I pass Happy Hollow, Spartan Stadium, Viettown… I pass the most ancient parts of San Jose; the bricks feel like they’re about to fall apart and wildflowers outgrow their boundaries.

Yet, after the stretch of archaic factories are also blocks of newly constructed plazas and fine eateries.

Finally, I reached the end of Story road and the beginning of the hills and figured, “This can’t be the right way.”

So I U-turn and backtrack my way to the turn I forgot to make.

There it is! My golden chalice. The shining beacon of libraries!

The Hillview Branch Library kind of reminds me of West Valley. Inside, it is very spacious. Indeed, everything here is like one size bigger than Pearl xD.

I think they have a circle theme going on here. The library itself is like a circle and everything, although spaced off, seems to point to the entrance atrium, like a half circle almost.

In actuality, it’s shaped like an edged-off right angle but the interior has no angles really.

It’s very warm(not literally, all libraries have AC thankgod) and loud. Many families take their young children here and they run around having fun. You can hear them from across the library! But I had no trouble finding a place to settle down.

Now I’m SURE that they have this butterfly theme going in all the libraries.

I spent my time wisely here reading The Handmaid’s Tale.

Right now, Ofred is conflicted. She aimlessly goes through the days without a single thought. Her body lives in the now, but her mind and her heart live in her lost past. She lives in her memories of her husband and daughter.

Everyday I feel like her.

Dumbledore once said, “It’s not wise to linger in the past and forget to live.”

But, that’s not always true. Sometimes you need to take a step back in order to move forward.

That was me today. So hey, when you’re lost, whether on a roadtrip to the library or to LIFE, it wouldn’t hurt to go back and see what you missed.

Speaking of moving forward, Saturday morning I’ll be travelling to the East San Jose Carnegie Branch Library!

PS: (Congratulate me please. This is the farthest I’ve biked yet! A total of 15 miles is no small endeavor for a non-athletic girl like me!)

Pearl Avenue Branch Library

Getting here was no biggie. I took my sweet time and left the house at precisely 2: 35PM. Maybe I should have just biked all the way there from home. Pearl was not even a mile from the lightrail station.

Last month, my friend Jayle told me that if I count a hundred airplanes, I can make a wish. Today, I was on 95 airplanes.

95 airplanes in the sky. Coming home.

The Pearl Branch is pretty small compared to the others. Bookshelves are everywhere and tables are tucked between aisles and alongside the warm-toned walls.

I love how all the libraries have this nature, plants, flowers, animals thing going on. And then they all have some form of weird art.
Pearl has an upside-down pyramid and I’m not sure all those scrawlings actually mean anything.

Everywhere I walked, the library was packed. I finally decided to set up camp on a small corner of the teensroom.

I was briskly typing up my wonderful report of Joyce Ellington when suddenly my laptop goes BLACK. All efforts to restore it were futile so I brought back up:

The Handmaid’s Tale.

I was just finishing the part where the Commander sticks it in when my eyes linger to a pair of tan legs walking in front of me, then to my right.

I look at his profile from behind. Sturdy legs strengthened from biking. Strong arms trained through extensive hours of gaming. He wears an old hat. Black, scrungy (yes it’s not a word) hair. I’d know that shadow from a mile off but I continue my reading. It’s too good to be true.

Until it becomes true.

Today, he walks toward me. It’s like a dream when I look up to see him.

If you were here long enough, you’d know that I had lost a friend a while back. But as we’re talking, it seems like the fight never transpired. As if it was just a minor rift in our space and time.

And then he’s gone.

I can’t let this great opportunity escape. I pack my bags frantically and race around the library trying to find him. He’s not here. No. Not there. When I run outside to the street, I don’t see him. Just as I walk to the library to search again, he walks out. I take my chance, “Are you hungry? I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”

— The first picture I took on my camera was my octopus, Phillip. The second picture on my camera is my best friend, Phillip. We’re eating at Panda Express. Then. And now. 96 airplanes in the sky. —

I walk him home. To tell you the truth, I stalked his house yesterday after my lonerphase at Joyce. I stopped across the street looking into the window where I knew he’d be.

97 airplanes in the sky.

Who knew the next day I’d actually see him in person? And talk to him? And laugh and smile? We arrive at his house 3 hours after our encounter at the library. “Do you remember our old handshake?” He asks. And just like that, a simple gesture worth so much more. An unspoken pact of friendship.

98 airplanes in the sky.

But this isn’t the end. I still haven’t apologized yet. Next time I see him, I’ll make amends.

99 airplanes in the sky.

The last time I counted airplanes, nothing happened. But maybe this time, Jayle was right. As I turn to my block, the last plane flies home.
My first miracle has come true. I wonder what else lies ahead in my travels…

Speaking of which! I’m off to the Hillview Branch on early Friday morning! And it looks like this time I won’t be able to get off with anything LESS than 5 miles of biking… T_T

Joyce Ellington Branch Library

(I’m actually writing this while at the next library on the list:)

There’s an interesting quote I heard in a drama recently.

“Being lonely means you need someone. Being solitary means you need no one. Like standing on the Himalayas alone and blocking all the wind.”
-Monstar ep.8 (21:00)

I felt like that today. Me and my bike. I’m solitary. In a place where no one knows me, I am at ease.

Today was a good day for biking. Cars were forgiving when I felt reckless. A boy waved hi to me on the street. ^_^

The Joyce Ellington Branch. Its architecture and design is vastly different than the surrounding area.

Out of all the libraries so far, Joyce is the most crafty I’d say. The interior is decorated by hanging paper fan decorations and handmade flowers.

In the children’s section is a giant butterfly mural. Not only is it beautiful, if you take a closer look, you’ll notice that all the creatures are from childhood stories like Red Riding Hood, the three mice, squirrels in Snow White.

Because every childhood memory should be complete with a wicked witch. They drew the scariest laughoutloud evil mastermind ever.

Around 4 my stomach began to grumble and gargle. Near the library is Japantown. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’ve been there before.

My first thought was to go to Kumako Ramen. This place holds special memories. When I arrived, the owner said it was closed and would open in an hour.
At first, I’m let down. My good feeling of being solitary is gone.
Now, I’m glad. If it wasn’t, I would be eating. Alone.

So I went back to the library, ate my riceball so I wouldn’t faint and … plopped myself right in the teensroom and ensued a sweet nap until 5:20!

I usually don’t dream. I usually don’t remember either.

I am running. Running in the dark. From what I don’t know but I know that stopping won’t be in my best interest.
I’m running so fast I trip on my own momentum. Falling on my face, I turn and roll over just to fall into a darker abyss.
Stars shine a million lightyears away and I’m falling endlessly…Just when the stars shine brightest, I plummet into a soft body of brown feathers.

When I come back to the restaurant, I’m not hungry anymore. Next time I return, I won’t be alone.

Next post on the Pearl Avenue Branch Library will be up soon!

Rose Garden Branch Library

This week’s fortune cookie read (more or less) as so:

“Advancement comes with hard work. Adventure is happiness.”

So I took it upon myself to challenge both today! Starting with the first.

Volunteering at the museum on Mondays is always slow but only if you THINK it is.
I brillianized the windows,
cleaned the shelves,
stocked the trays with fancy feathers,
swept the floor,
and was even ENTRUSTED to choose the PAINT for the paint wall due to my excellent abilities.

Needless to say I left my mark in every shift after. Time never passed faster.

ahh the Rose Garden Library. Well, it definitely lives up to its name.
It’s a nice little place. Spacious and comfortable. Made me wish I lived there.

(By the way, if you guys ever visit this library, make sure to visit the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden right across! It’s HUGE and there’s roses as far as the eye can see.)

Today, I was alone. But when I’m on my bike, I seldom feel lonely.
There’s a difference to being alone and being lonely.

Traveling to new places, seeing new things makes me forget about my lonesome in strange lands.

In any case, I’ll divulge a little something for keeping me company on this lonely site:
Since the first library, I’ve been leaving notes of my travels behind the Teen room.

Hidden behind books, magazines, papers. I leave behind memories of me hoping they will enlighten some young fellow who crosses my path. Good luck finding them! xD

I biked with all my might today. Went farther north than I ever traveled for a library, and found a calm state of mind. Now, I can carry my 10 ton bike with ease up and down stairs.

Today is a day of accomplishments. A blissful Monday. I wonder what tomorrow shall bring.

In any case, I’m going to Joyce Ellington Branch in downtown San Jose tomorrow after volunteering. May my luck prevail!

Seven Trees Branch Library

(BEWARE: this post is really depressing and boring. Stawp now and wait for the next update)

My eyes squint.
The sun rises high in the sky.
The wind blows humid waves.
I take off.

My back is still sore from yesterday. My skin burns. Today is a bad day for biking.

I dare not take any chances today.

The Seven Trees Library got remodeled a few years back. I remember when I was little and my parents took me to the small run-down library near the church.

My favorite book series were Arthur and Bionicle.

10 years later, I’m taking myself to this place. Brand-new. I don’t run around like I used to. But I walk down the aisles slowly, like a passing leaf in the wind, extraneous to my surroundings.

On my way here I was cussed by a driver, honked by a car, stopped by a red light, hit by the heat wave, and saw too many cars for my liking.

Although it is quite ironic of me, the truth is I’m afraid of cars.

Not being in them physically, but facing them. Biking next to them. Colliding with them.

…

It took me three hours, but I finished a book in the library called 24 Girls in 7 Days. It was about a smart boy who didn’t know how to talk to girls but needed a date to prom so his friends set him up with each of the 24 girls. In the end, he technically went alone. But he got over his fears of girls and even asked one out to eat.

I wonder, can I be like that?

I’ve hit a car before. The front wheel and bumper. No big deal. Only a scrape on my eyebrow.

It might be that my fear of cars would be easily alleviated if I just fixed my brakes or bought a new bike and some protective gear, but even if I didn’t do that, one of the things I hope to gain out of this quest is to stop being so afraid.

I’m here to live so why am I so afraid to?

Life is green, why can’t I take a chance and go?

Someday I hope it will turn into a real smile.

This post was a bit delayed huh? I guess I couldn’t put it to words until now.

Saturday morning, I will be heading to Santa Teresa Branch Library. Until then, I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day celebration!

Tully Community Branch Library

Monday morning felt like a thousand Kelvin degrees of heat before I even got out of bed. I did NOT feel like biking 3 miles in this heat to the library so instead I went to Barnes & Nobles with my sister and read books where the AC was cold enough to make me shiver.

Ahh Tuesday morning, MUCH better.

I think I made a point to say hi to every passerby I saw on my way to the library to entertain myself. Some people just nodded but one guy actually asked me “How are you?” and although I yelled back, “Good!” Deep down I was thinking, “Oh God, get me out of this weather.”

When they finally finished construction on the library a few years back, I was surprised at how beautiful and big and architecturally intricate it was. Love the WOOSH in the front. ❤

When I finally got the chance to pass the automatic doors, the WOOSH of cool air came on me like a Heaven on Earth.

At first sight, the Tully Branch is like a big rectangle. Things can seem to be in disarray, but one thing you CAN find here is people. People and chairs. It’s a pretty comfortable place to work in.

Oh, and also these really cool circley thingies that blow AC into your FEET.

And.. I’m not sure what that is up there. All part of the “architectural intricacy” I suppose.

I had no trouble finding a cozy place to work at. Heck, they even have mini-couches lined along the children’s place. But beware, you will be susceptible to slumber in many of these comfortable chairs.

I went out to eat Chinese food with my family this Sunday. Being Chinese, they gave us fortune cookies. Being a sweets lover, I opened one.

“You will receive unexpected support this week.”

So I do believe it was a miracle when my friend came to the library today to check up on me. And this was the same person who told me on a regular basis to “wear your helmet” and “bike safely.”

His support wasn’t unexpected or grand, but when you’re biking in the heat wave of summer, it’s hard to think anything positive.

Yet when I look back at this friend’s care and constant worrying, I know I’m not alone. I felt so horrible Monday, but I kept going today because you people give me the reason to.

Friends are great. I once had this friend. He was everything to me. A friend, a father, a mother, a brother. But now he’s … gone because of my stupidity. Perhaps, after I conclude my quest, I will go to him and make amends.

For friends help spin the webs that shape your life and keep it together.

Tomorrow I’m off for Seven Trees Branch Library! FIGHTING!

Willow Glen Branch Library

Of course I’m genius enough to venture to the library on the hottest day of summer yet!

And of course I take the elevator down to the station, walk out and see that the lightrail JUST closed its doors.

So mother told me to invite some friends. I did. Guess what?~ He overslept and I bounded down the road in solitude.

Not that I mind. I like biking alone. It’s more comfortable when you don’t have to worry about the other person hitting a car, person, or you. I have myself to worry about and that’s enough.

The Willow Glen Branch Library. Well they definitely live up to it’s tree-ey name. The Children’s Room is green and naturey all over.

The odd thing about this library, I couldn’t find the restroom. or the quiet reading room. All I found was that I couldn’t find anywhere that felt comfy enough to do homework. So I settled for the nice courtyard outside in the library (does that make sense).

Instead, more than appreciating its seclusion or its openness, I just felt oddly estranged from this library and its people.

I see them from the blurry view of the window.

Now don’t listen to me. Willow Glen is a wonderful place! They have a strip mall nearby too!

Perhaps the heat caught to me and impaired my vision. It seems that I was always at the right place at the wrong time today. Missed the train, friend overslept, came home at the hottest time of the day.

These aren’t my words, but they resonate in my mind:

Timing is more important than preparation because it’s hard to get that moment back once you’ve lost the timing. Because time waits for no one.

Next time I’ll be sure to go WAY earlier. Speaking about next time, I’m heading for Tully Community Branch Library, 3 miles not including lightrail ride, on Monday morning!