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Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Post Chinese New Year
Another new year has come and gone, passing us quietly like wind-blown dried leaves scraping against the damp earth. For some, the new year simply meant another ethnic holiday. For others, it symbolized a day of religious observance. For me, the new year represented a time of self-reflection. I won't divulge any details but I have to admit I have changed quite considerably since the more known New Year on the first of January. I find it strange how my views and perspectives have transformed before me in such a short period of time... But what I find even more intriguing is how I am slowly getting to know myself more each day. If the new years truly embodies the notion of change, my soul is unequivocally experiencing a renaissance.
Concorde
I'm sorry about that little piece above. I just needed to record my thoughts. So, back to what I've done since the last entry- On the evening of Chinese New Years, I ended up going to the Concorde in Hollywood which opened about two months ago. Supposedly this place is a celebrity hot spot, especially on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It was pretty dead on the Thursday I went though. Venue-wise, it's a quaint and cozy place, which is an euphemistic way of describing it as being small. But unlike other cramped clubs, this place did feel like a good place to chill and hang out at.
As for the crowd, well, I know Farmer John would have loved seeing his fellow farmers out partying. It was quintessentially a sausage festival... Who knew Chinese New Years and Sausage Day fell on the same day? =I Fortunately, the friends I went with were great company and I had a fun time. My boy Winston also had a blast, but sadly, so did his liver. I won't go into too much details because I don't want to embarrass him, (moreso than he already is) but let's just say that night was all too reminiscent of the time he and I got FUBAR-ed up in the bay area. Coincidentally, Stacey was there during that infamous night, as well as with us at Concorde. Hmmmmm... I wonder what the common denominator in this equation is. Hmmmmm. LOL. In anycase, I had a good time, and from what Winston remembers of the night, so did he.
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I don't mean to end this entry so abruptly, but I got some things to do. So here's a quick intro to today's eye candy: She is the sister of the former model Saffron Aldridge, and the new star of the Vanderbilt Jeans campaign. Here is the lovely Lily Aldridge. YUUUUUUmmmm.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Happy New Years all! Did you get your overweight red envelopes? Or were your envelopes on the Atkin's diet this year? I haven't spent Chinese/Vietnamese New Years with my family for the past three years. Thinking I'd be too old to receive any green-dyed paper crammed in red miniature sized wrappers, I was pleasantly surprised to discover I wasn't. (too old that is)
Every family has a different set of beliefs, but today my family is not supposed to buy anything. The idea is that if you spend money on the moon's birthday, you'll be spending money everyday afterwards as well. Other families have other idiosyncratic proclivities, but I guess the bottom line depends on how superstitious one is. And even though I don't believe spending money today will affect the girth of my wallet, I am trying to follow my mom's advice. That means, if I go to a club tonight, I have to be able to get in free... And I would also have to bring my own bottle of Jose to get my fade on... And I better have enough gas in my car to make it to whereever I'm going. Possible, but it's going to take some effort on my part.
To see pictures of this guy and his wooden companion, click here
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In other Ted news... I finished my law school applications!!! Granted I heard some people are already receiving the replies from their schools but at least I'm done with this annoyance! Now I just have to wait and pull my hair out. I also have to start looking for a job. They say the economy is supposed to get better... I wonder which economy they're referring to. =I Anyway, enough negative remarks for one post. Happy New Year to everyone again.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Puritan Computer
In this day and age, when you surf the web, you get bombarded with countless numbers of plug-ins and adware campaigns. Some sites give you the option of declining the installation of a certain plug-in while others subtly rape your computer beneath your noses. You don't know any kind of spyware or software has been installed until you actually start noticing differences in your computer's mannerisms. I happened to visit a malicious website that installed something in my computer. There was a cleaner available, but it proved to be a mere squeegee, cleaning my computer's windshield well but not addressing the thick grime caked everywhere else. So after a moment's pause and thought, I finally formatted my computer.
Now everything is fresh and clean. Even though it's always a hassle re-installing all the software and programs, I just love the virgin feel of my computer. If only the floppy drive and keys on the keyboard were a little tighter... hahahaha.
2 mile marathon
I woke up bright and early today to try and get the worm. Okay, bad joke. Anyway, I've been working out at the gym consistently for the past few months, but I haven't been doing much cardiovascular exercising so I decided yesterday to start running. Not only because my heart needed some attention, but I hated how my stomach always reminisced about the days when it had six friends attached to it.
So this morning, I successfully fought back the urge to crawl back into the warmth of my bed and started my run. It was cold and grueling in the beginning and it stayed that way to the end. lol. Even though my body did warm up, my legs and heart felt like they were going to explode. I only did 2 and a half miles today, but it felt like I competed in an ironman contest. If I want to make this a habitual activity, I have a long way to go. My legs are already telling me they've had it for the year though. =P
Saturday, January 17, 2004
A Beautiful Mind
Two nights ago I went to Anaheim with my parents to have dinner with one of my dad's business associate from Oregon. The associate's family was visiting California because they wanted to spend a few days at Disneyland. Besides my shock at how much Disneyland has changed during the past 10 years, (okay so I haven't been there for awhile) I was more taken aback by my dad's colleague.
For lack of a better word, the man I met was a genius. What made him even more unique was that he was affable, sincere, and down to earth. I have met my fair share of professors and individuals who are very intelligent and quite mentally endowed, but their heads and egos ended up being so big they would plunder the earth of sunlight when they stepped outdoors.
Back to my dad's business partner, I had trouble keeping up with his stories. Not only was he a reknown physicist, he was also involved with Hewlett Packard (he actually was a close friend of Mr. Bill Hewlett himself) and Boeing early in the 1950 and 1960's, tinkering with various computer-related topics, which back then was as familiar to the world as privacy is to a Jehovah's witness. I also heard about other global adventures, one detailing how he and a group of American physicists went to Japan to help solve the problem of inconsistent times the trains there were experiencing.
I was not expecting my dad's associate to hold so much knowledge and zest for science and health. Even simple chatting with him numbed my mind because he seemed to know so much about everything and anything in life. I found myself nodding and saying "uh huh" like I knew exactly what he was talking about so often, I felt like my mind had reverted back into it's primitive state... not a state of bullshit mind you, but one resembling a typical caveman's extensive vocabulary, "uh-huh."
As my parents and I left the restaurant, my dad told me in Japanese "Kareha daibu motterune, atamani." Roughly translated it means, "That guy has a fairly good brain, huh." Dayamn, if the Japanese have a way of using humility in their conversation, that was one exemplary instance. My mind was still recovering from the overload of information and interesting comments it was ambushed with earlier as I drove back to my house. It is amazing how much potential the human brain has. If only all of us had the extra synapses my dad's colleague exuberated, the world would be such a different place.
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Personal Statement Remix
So I thought I produced an above average personal statement, but after asking Z to help with the editting, I officially retract my opinion. Then again, most editors are not as critical and talented at writing as Mr. Z what I mean, and that is exactly why I asked him to be the final editor for my paper. My toyota tercel introduction has been revamped so that it now looks like a Camry. At this rate, the essay will no doubt become a Lexus SC 430 with a huge samurai wing. A big thanks to Z for helping me out in my time of need. Another thanks to Joe who recently proposed a different theme and outline for my essay. Good lo man. Your idea sounded good, but I just couldn't stand the thought of writing another entirely new draft. And finally, one last thanks to the people who have given me helpful suggestions and endured numerous read-throughs. You all know who you are!
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Chill Days of Chilly Days
This past weekend was pretty mellow, but it was really fun. I started Friday night off by filling my stomach with sashimi. Jennifer and I went to Ai, a Japanese restaurant in South Pasadena, which had an hour wait for a table. We chose to devour the ocean critters at the bar and got seated in 20 minutes. It was my first time really eating sashimi since I've been back from Japan, but I must say I wasn't disappointed, despite Jennifer's claims that the sushi would have been better if the head chef prepared it for us.
Saturday afternoon was spent at Q's in Old town shooting pool with Z, where I managed to get schooled like a Malaysian high school truant. After the beating stopped, Z and I headed out to Nela's place in Ontario to celebrate her birthday. Z brought the snickers-brownie cheesecake he made, I brought two types of guacamole I whipped up, and Vu delivered Popeye's Chicken to everyone's digestive tract.
There was no set agenda but once people started getting a little intoxicated, the night became more entertaining. From sporadic serenades to indoor computer generated bonfires, the night was filled with laughter, interesting remarks (thank you mat) and more drinking and singing than should be allowed. All in all, I had a great time and met some new people... or should I say got reacquainted with people my crump memory failed to remember during those previous encounters. lol. But it was good times, nothing but good times.
Thursday, January 08, 2004
So the saga continues and I am still working on my law school applications. Fortunately, my personal statement has somewhat of a personality now and my transcripts and letters of recommendations are slowly getting sent. Of course I have to wait for the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) to gather all relevant information they need to compile my individualized report.
I'm not sure how long it takes for the LSAC to actually create my file, but two of my transcripts were supposedly sent before Christmas and there hasn't been any confirmation of delivery at all. Guess I'm going to have to call them up either today or tomorrow. Today's agenda is going to involve me filling out 10 different forms. You can see how diligently I am working on that now as I simultaneously update my journal. hahaha
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2 quick birthday shoutouts. One to Stacey who had a nice get-together at Hollywood's Magic Castle last Saturday. There was one magician that captivated everyone and did so within 2 feet of his onlookers. I still can't believe the things he did. Supposedly it took him 10 years to perfect a trick that took 2 minutes. Now THAT is dedication... But it paid off because I, like everyone else, felt like a little kid again, enchanted with the prospect that magic really does exist.
The second birthday shoutout goes to my good friend Joe. I've known this cat since second grade. I've watched us both grow into the men that we are today. Okay, so I watched me grow into the man that I am. hahaha. Just playing Joe.
Last night a couple of us went to Westwood to have dinner with Joe. For dessert, we proceeded to the Cheesecake Factory, where we tried getting cavities in our stomachs. The funny part of the night happened when six waitresses came out to sing happy birthday for Joe. Before I get to that part, let me teach all yall a new Korean word, chaji. ( pronounced Cha G)
Cha G means dick in Korean... No not the slang meaning, but the actual meaning of a dick; penis; italian squash; need I go on? So when Joe went to use the facilities, I called the waitress over to tell her it was Joe's birthday. She took his name and said she'd come back fifteen minutes later. As I was finishing my honey vanilla latte, I was thinking to myself, "Everyone and their mommas have this done when they celebrate the day they came out naked and screaming. Let's flip the script and do something different."
So I call the waitress over and asked her if she minded calling Joe by his Korean name, Chaji. And I said this with the straightest face, even when she asked me "You mean Cha and G as in the letter g?" Everyone else was busting a blood vessel trying to hold their laughter as I proceeded to win an emmy.
So Joe comes back, sits down and out pops six waitresses with the usual cake and lit candle. All I have to say is I have never heard six waitresses sing "Chaji" in such beautiful harmonized voices. I think I even heard one waitress put vibrato on the G part. hahahah! Joe didn't quite catch it right away, but two seconds later, a grin the size of a fat man's ass crack showed and he busted up laughing. Man, it feels good to be in fourth grade again. hhahaha
Anyway, enough of that. Joe, some people think you turning 25 means you turning one year older; others think you turning 25 symbolizes you turning one year wiser; I like to think of you turning 25 as another year I had the honor of being your friend. You've been my boy since day one, and I'm glad nothing has changed. Happy b-day man.
Saturday, January 03, 2004
Happy New Years! I know I am three days late, but in some asian countries, people celebrate the New Years up until the 4th or 5th so this celebratory phase and expression is still valid in my book. How was everyone's New Years? I ended up going down to San Diego to celebrate not only Time's birthday, but Vu's and Casey's birthday as well. It was a fun filled night that kind of took a strange twist in the end due to one restaurant owner who happened to have a stick stuck in his azz, but other than that, I had a blast. A big birthday shout out and thanks to Vu for organizing everything.
Pimp Taku Otsuji, whom I met in Japan, is studying abroad in Oregon for one year. He decided to come down to L.A. to visit cuz... well come on now, it's LA! So I had the pleasure of showing him around town as we cruised to a club in Hollywood and stopped by my favorite restaurants. Taku also came down to partake in the countdown blowout bash in Diego. Taku, otsukaresama!
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