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| Trying to smile...I forgot about the “June gloom” phase of the year. Is it just a So-Cal thing? Anyways no sun always makes me a bit sad. Something that always seems to cheers me up is…
Music - It's s such a huge part of my life. I’ve always said my ipod with a battery source (or whatever existed before ipods) would be one of three things I would need to bring if I was ever stranded on a deserted island. I’m constantly listening to whatever at home, at work, or in my car. And I really love it when a certain song reminds you of a special person or an occasion or event. It could be a song that you’ve heard a million times but something significant happens while it’s playing in the background or something and then it sticks with you forever. Here are just a few: - Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue: taking the scenic route (aka ghetto path through Compton) to Santa Monica
- Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys – Get Low: Wailing at the top of lungs with friends as well as complete strangers at the (now defunct) Cantina.
- Christina Aguileria – I Will Be: a former crush used to play this on the piano for me
- Montell Jordan – This is How We Do It: A classic song from my 6th grade end of year party. We were supposed to have a swim party that day but it rained…in June.
- Boyz II Men - End of the Road: My cousin first played this song for me in elementary school and then I was hooked. My mom later got me their album (my first CD) for my birthday.
- Aqua – Barbie Girl: At a red egg baby party (yeah you have to be Chinese to understand that), all of the younger kids taking turns listening to this weird song someone brought on their CD player, thinking it was like a parody and not believing it was actually a real song.
- Fat Joe & Terror Squad - Lean Back: from one of the many awesome Iphi roll calls
- Numa Numa song: my college roommate showed me this video before youtube existed and I remember watching it a gazillion times trying to figure out how he sung along and got the facial expressions just right. And now they sampled it on the TI/Rhianna song.
- 50 Cent – In Da Club: an ex dancing to and singing this to get me to laugh and loosen up
- Rascall Flats – Bless the Broken Road: So I think this was the remake because I remember hearing it on Dawson’s Creek years ago. Yes that was my favorite series in high school. Anyways they played this song when Dawson was searching for his soulmate, Joey after she walked in on his ex trying to get back together with him.
What plays on the soundtrack of your life? | | |
| Life ChangesI started drinking alone. Ok that statement might be misconstrued so let me explain. I used to think that the idea of people drinking alone was kind of, well, pathetic. It’s supposed to be a social activity! I don’t down shots or hard alcohol or anything that extreme. But I’m comfortable having a beer with my carne asada fries (mmmm) or a glass of wine with my chicken at supper. It helps that I found a tasty beer and type of wine that I like and doesn’t really taste like beer or wine. 
I recently started running. Yeah I know, big whoop. But if you knew me, I have no stamina or endurance. I used to get tired riding my bike from my apartment to campus at Davis. And when I did go to the gym regularly, I would avoid the treadmills like the plague. So now in an effort to be healthier and get some exercise, I picked up running around my neighborhood. Ok, maybe it’s more like half speed walking and half jogging.
I’ve started to strike up conversations with random strangers. Or at least try to. A friend on a recent trip inspired me to do so. How else am I going to ever meet new/interesting people? But I’ve never been that bold or confident. He says all it takes is a little time. Easier said than done, right? Still I’ve got to try and step out of my comfort zone, even if it’s just for a little bit.
I’m trying to stop sweating the small stuff. I’m the kind of person that cares way too much and thinks every thing has a double or hidden meaning. But I would never speak up. It would just fester within and eventually that frustrated feeling would diminish slowly and be replaced by some new annoyance. However there are so many things that were beyond my control – that sluggish car on the freeway, the messes my roommates leave in the kitchen, the person who insists on taking the elevator for one floor, how men and women are treated differently at my job, etc. I’m trying to rise above and be the better person.
I think I'm finally going to get a place of my own. My landlord is kicking me out. So I'm going to try and find my own apartment. I've always lived with someone - at home home, in the dorms even though I had a single, I practically lived on the second floor with the guys, and then when I moved to LA. But it's gotten to be too much drama having roomies, especially recently. And I think I've gotten to the point where I'm probably too old to say I live with roommates. I used to be scared of living alone too. But I just gotto buck up and do it. Hopefully I can find some place I like. *crosses fingers* | | |
| Still Wired...So I just got back from the Green Day show and I'm still too hyped up from that to sleep. It was a small promotional show and I had won tickets. Which in itself is a cool thing since I never win anything. But they are so awesome to see live. Lead singer and frontman Billie Joe really knows how to put on a show. He's so energetic, always try to pump up the crowd and encouraging us to sing along. Plus the whole band really looks like they put 110% into their performance and are enjoying it too. Now I want to go see their tour show when they come into town again! 
I almost forgot the best quote of the trip. Maybe more funny if you had been there but we couldn’t stop laughing. “How many kids do you want to have?” - General question at the table to the guys “Eight or six.” - Jeff *Blank, horrified, stunned and speechless look* - Jae “With how many women?” -James
Basketball playoff season is really the only time I try to keep up and get into basketball. You know, besides all the Kings updates my brother gives me. Most of the games are on TV so it’s easier to keep track of and you know they’ll have some coverage of it on the news. (Which if you live in LA, know that they’re so biased here and usually only cover Lakers and Clippers highlights.) Anyways the one pet peeve I have during this time is all the stupid Lakers flags that are attached to the cars. Every time I see one, I want to rip it off and stomp on it to pieces. Too violent? Seriously, they only come out during playoff time. And it’s the only memorabilia that I see become more popular. There’s still the same number of people sporting jerseys or baseball caps. (btw, is it still called baseball caps for basketball?) Grrr. The flags are such a distraction when you’re driving. And I’m sure it doesn’t make a lot of difference but doesn’t it cause just the teensiest bit of drag on your car, wasting gas and contributing to the detriment of our earth. Oh and darn the Lakers for winning tonight!
Definition of a Friend Buffer: A friend who you need around to act as a shield or cushion when hanging out with other people that you might not know or like or feel uncomfortable being alone with. There are many different types of friend buffers or various situations when you might need one. Maybe you’re having a party and inviting everyone you. Of course it’s attended by your different groups of friends from different parts of your life. So you gotto be that ‘constant,’ the person everyone knows, can make the introductions, and make sure everything goes smoothly. Or maybe you’re getting together to catch up with an old friend or someone you haven’t seen in a long time. You used to be good friends but you’ve grown up and you’re both different people. It could be awkward if you don’t have the same interests or run in the same circles. So maybe you need a mutual friend or someone who’s in the same boat as you. Then there’s the friends that you’ve strictly only hung out with in a group setting. But one day, a situation might come up where you could end up alone. So you desperately scramble to find someone, anyone else to be there for fear that it could be unpleasant. So you could be each other’s friend buffers. You could just be the friendliest person of the bunch, who gets along with everyone and acts like the buffer without even really knowing it. Most of the time I’ve required friend buffers. But recently I’ve had to be one and I found I really, really suck at it.
So I heard this happy story the other day about this guy who was dating this girl for a little while. And during one of their dates at a bar, she ordered a beer and the bartender asked if she wanted a chilled glass. The girl declined and opted to drink it from the bottle. Apparently this guy thought that was the hottest thing ever and cheesingly asked her right there if they could be exclusive. That’s what they call a deal-sealer, right? There are always lots of discussions about the opposite, deal-breakers like people who are rude to waiters, or hairy backs or your choice of religion. But you rarely hear about the success stories – they bake your favorite dessert even though they don’t cook, they get you the perfect birthday gift even though you mentioned it in passing months ago, when they surprise you about their football obsession or secret love of Dancing with the Stars. What’s your deal sealer – how or when did you know the one your with was the one? 
I listen to entirely too much talk radio at work. I can’t help it - it helps to pass the time during the sluggish mornings. Anyways I’ve picked up some odd phrases from the variety of radio hosts. When something’s cool – it’s “awesome with awesome sauce.” When you want to reject something so stupid and ridiculous – “nope.com.” When you despise something so much – you can get rid of it with the “murder button.” When something’s completed, finished or done – it’s “crocodile dundee.” Ok yeah I know these sound silly, but they totally come up in conversations. So I have to hold my tongue as to not sound stupid and have everyone look at me like, where did the f did that come from. Like that inside joke with Robin and Ted on HIMYM where they have to salute after anyone says anything that could be construed as a military rank (major, corporal, general, etc). | | |
| Back from the East Coast...So I'm back on the West Coast finally. New York and Boston were awesome. More on that at the end of post including the few pics I have. It was supposed to be a longer trip but I had to get back for a school thing yesterday. The rest of my friends stayed till today and I'm sure had tons of fun without me. That's what sucks the most, I think - not that I only spent like 24 hours in Boston but that I had to miss out spending some quality time with them. We've been pretty good friends since college and although I think we've kept in contact pretty well considering out busy schedules and long distances, it's definitely hard to get together on a regular basis. This was the first time in four years being all together again. It's hard but I like to think of it like the good things don't come along very often and they take work, right?
Speaking of work, I had my license test over a month ago and my time would free up without all that studying but it's still as hectic as ever. I had been out of town or occupied with something or another every weekend since then. Work sucks and is slow and I'm not enjoying what little I have to do very much right now. But that is where I spend the majority of my time when I'd rather be doing so much more. I also had to take a promotional exam a couple weeks ago even though the rumors are that my company is in a hiring/promotions freeze. So what was the point? I'm relieved that the TV season is basically over. I have to admit I'm way too addicted to the tube and literally feel tied to all the shows I watch like I'm personally vested in them. This school thing totally sucks. I don't know what exactly I was thinking when I decided to get my masters part time. I must have been on some crazy pills. But I stuck it out and it's my last quarter - hard as ever but still my last. Though I still have a couple projects and a final to get through. That school thing I had yesterday was the comprehensive exam and I'm pretty sure I failed it as I didn't have that much time to prepare for it and study. So that means I'll have to go back for another quarter. All these things feel like the never-ending story of my life. And that's why I was so excited about my mini-vacation - I desperately needed some time to get away. Some vacation it was though - missing a third of the planned trip and to top it all off, I had to finish a school project that was due during the trip. So I didn't even get to enjoy it to the fullest extent.
Ok so if you skipped ahead to this part, you can basically ignore the above venting. I wasn't my usual picture-whoring self because my friend had this super nice camera that we used the most. So I apologize for the lack of interesting pics. Hopefully I'll get those soon and have them up on Picassa. Highlights of my trip include: Watching the sunset from the top of Rockefeller Center, a 3 hour bike ride/tour of Central Park, the craziness of Times Square, a Broadway show with Lauren Graham (of Gilmore Girls fame), hitting up a hidden 'speakeasy' in the alleys of NYC, devoring cheap and tasty lobsters, reminiscing over drinks at a typical Boston sports bar, Fenway Park, blueberry beer...   (That's me and Abs at Fenway, btw) | | |
| Posting from NYC!Yea, I'm in the Big Apple. More on that later. But first gotto get these thoughts out there first.
Airlines need to stop advertising all their cheap flights everywhere, please. It’s way too tempting for a travel bug like me, who has very little vacation time. I saw one today for $299 one-way ticket to Australia . I want to go!!! Aww man, so many places I want to go. Flights to like Ireland and Amsterdam and Denmark and Switzerland are all so inexpensive. Not to mention all the transcontinental flights – Philadelphia , Florida , New York , Boston , etc. Here’s hoping prices stay low, at least until I accumulate more sick leave. Is it really still lying if it’s by omission? I know something about someone because someone else told me about the something but the someone has yet to say anything to me about the something. Wow, sounds like a spy novel or something and confusing to boot. But yeah, I guess I haven’t tried to be subtle or really brought it up. But still, it’s something kinda important and there was a semi-announcement made except I wasn’t there. I’m trying not to dwell but I’m sort of always the last person to know / find stuff out. Sometimes I think that I’m still friends or keep in touch with people because of where I currently reside. Most everyone I know from growing up and from college is still in Nor-cal. But being one of the few who defected to So-cal, I have one of the few places that people can crash at. Not that I’m resentful or bitter that people stay at my place. On the contrary, I’m grateful to have at least now reconnected with some old friends. And I always have a blast when there’s company. It’s just sad when they leave. Come visit – you’re always welcome! I’ve been noticing more and more of my friends have been drinking wine. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re all getting older and wine is the more “sophisticated” choice over shots, cocktails and even beer. But I just started warming up to beer. I used to be all about the fruity-girly drinks. Something about the wheat and barley flavor was a turn-off. However I’ve come to acquire a taste for beer. Now I need to move on to wine? Seriously? I guess it is like beer but grape flavored so it shouldn’t be that hard adapt to a new drink. And it is supposed to be good for you. But I don’t know if I’ll ever be a wine connoisseur. What’s next? Cognac or whiskey? That’s what my dad and I imagine, older people drink. | | |
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