I Am No Drunk

New Beginnings

2011-01-02T23:04:00.000-08:00

The new year has started great so far. It is only the second
day, but I spent the whole weekend in good company.
Surrounded by family and awesome friends. Lalaine,
Christina, and I tried a new restaurant on Clement called Q.
Their food was delicota. We all shared our plates so we each
had a taste of their mac and cheese with tater tots, their
angus burger, and their salmon burger. Every dish was equally
good. I just found out that this place was featured in an
episode of "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives," so my word is for real.

After our meal, we walked down the street to get some dessert
at Toy Boat. This place has a mixture of desserts, sandwiches,
and vintage toys. Inside, it looks like an old-fashioned diner. It
is small and the booths are not very spacious, but that's okay.
Lalaine had a tiramisu and Christina and I shared a New York
cheesecake. That thing looked like a big slice of cheese. It was
decent. Overall, it's a nice place to chill and have a snack.

We met up with Alvin, Rich, and Tiff for drinks on Geary at this
place called Buckshot. It's a cool place to hang out and play
games with friends, but it was a little loud on this night. We
stepped into a heavy rock night I guess. I wanted to hang out
at a low-key place, so we migrated to Fizzee's down the street.
This place was definitely more laid-back and embodied a
Cheers-like vibe. The Asian bartenders were all very friendly
and accommodating. There were a couple of drinks that I tried
for the first time like a Snake Bite, a French Kiss, and an
Amaretto Sour. All tasty in their own ways. Eric H., Bobby, and
his lady friend also hung out with us for a bit there. Some
played pinball and the rest hung out at the bar and chit-
chatted, such as myself.

The first night of the year was a happy one for me; and I only
hope that sets the tone for the rest of the year. I have new
goals, a new internship, and a new attitude to take on in 2011.
I'm looking forward to some good changes, growth, and a lot
of learning.

Counting Down To 2011 With The Family

2011-01-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

End of the year message

2010-12-30T00:44:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS!!! CHEERS TO 2011!

A Bittersweet Christmas Week

2010-12-29T03:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I know it's practically New Year's Eve,
but I just haven't had the chance to hop on the computer lately. It's
been a very merry and not-so-merry past week. The winter sick-
ness caught up with me and I ended up having to spend my days on
the couch. Except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which was
weird. I thought I was getting better, but the day after Christmas I
felt like so much SHIT. I guess my immune system decided to liter-
ally give me a two day break so I could revel in the excitement that
comes with my favorite holiday. I ended up missing out on my friends'
after-Christmas potluck/party. I was sooo looking forward to it, but
for some reason, I was feeling dizzy and I had this huge headache. It
was the worst feeling. I remember I kept thinking, 'My equilibrium is
out of whack.' The last thing I ever want to feel is dizzy, so it sucked
big time! Seriously, one of my new year's resolutions is to take better
care of myself so that I feel physically healthier. I'm tired of feeling
shitty and feeling how unhealthy I really am.

Christmas was pretty chill this year. As usual, I went to my uncle's
house in the city and we did all of our traditional stuff like take family
pics in front of the tree; and then the kids individually call and pass
out the presents. I mainly got clothes and money. I've been wanting
noise-isolating, crisp-sounding headphones so I used some of the
money to get myself a good pair at Best Buy. I did my research first
and picked a high-rated model and brand. I read good reviews from
different sources, so I stuck with it. I've only had it for a day and I've
just been sitting around enjoying my music and how good it sounds.
So, if you're looking for a good set of headphones, I recommend the
Sennheiser HD203. It even got higher ratings than some Bose and
Monster Beats models. You can score too like I did 'cause I got it on
sale and it was SO much cheaper than those big brands.

Andres the Giant

2010-12-15T03:05:00.000-08:00

Speaking of baseball, I met my first Giant... Andres Torres!!!
He did a signing at Lefty's in Burlingame and Lalaine and I
decided to go. He's done a pretty spectacular job throughout
the season, despite brief struggles and unfortunate health
conditions. He was the perfect Giant to meet first and he was
sooo nice and generous to all the fans. I was really nervous
about this meeting mainly because I didn't know what I was
going to say to him. I wanted to congratulate him again on his
World Series win, but that didn't happen. I didn't really say
much and he was the one who asked if I wanted a picture haha.
I ended up wishing him happy holidays and of course, Lalaine
had to laugh about that one. I have a reputation for saying the
most random things in the most polite manner when I meet
someone famous. I can't help it!

Btw... he's holding the ball he signed for me.

Before Andres, I had a chance to see Tim Lincecum up close,
but I didn't really meet him. It was a weird situation that
happened after a night game. The guy actually left and then
came back. Christina and I like to joke around that he came
back for a toothpick since he had one in his mouth when we
saw him. As he was driving to leave again, he actually pulled
over to sign some autographs for the fans who were still
waiting around. I didn't rush to get one because I was feeling
a bit of disbelief and I tend to hold back when a famous person
is around. I wanted Christina to meet him for sure since she
did have a goal to give him a CD that was supposed to be a
birthday present. It was her chance and she accomplished it.
I think it would be pretty cool knowing that your favorite
player has a CD that you put together. It would be even cooler
if he dug the CD so much, he constantly listens to it; which I
hope is the case. Christina's one lucky gal!

Let's Try This Again

2010-12-15T01:03:00.000-08:00

This is my first post in 2010 and the year is almost over. I can never
keep up with this blog. I always pop up once every year since I first
started blogging for school purposes, promising that I will update
and post on the daily. I just can't do it. I barely use the internet now
since I only really check my emails. I guess I came back to the blogger
world so that I can keep myself in tune with the web more often. It's
been four years since I started posting thoughtless entries about
different topics and elements of geography; and I almost immediately
incorporated special events, memorable moments, and random
thoughts of my own life. The posts have helped me visually remember
a good chunk of my college life. Now, I am almost beyond that stage
and am ready to take on what the real world has in store for me.

Some updates...
After living in San Jose for 6 years, I moved back to Daly City since
I'm pretty much done taking classes. It's not the best place to live,
but I gotta call someplace a home. I just have to knock out two
internships and my school career will be over. I am sooo happy I
don't have to think about finals anymore. I would be incredibly
stressed at this very moment.

I am dealing with a different kind of stress these days as a commuter.
It is not easy, but I still work at school to earn some income. It's really
not benefiting me since most of my money goes to transportation. Why
am I still there?

I have devoted a lot of time to a new interest this year: baseball.
Religiously Giants baseball. Of course, I'm gonna root for my
hometown team and their season turned out to be an amazing
and sensational one. They freakin' won the World Series! Following
them since the first month of the season, it never crossed my mind
that the team was gonna go all the way. It was definitely a journey.
I'm glad that I was able to join this ride up until its historic end.
Not very many things can excite me more than Giants baseball.
I am forever a fan!

Looking onward to the next post!

Nein! Nein! Nein!

2009-09-09T21:09:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know that it means "no," but it does sound like "nine" and we all know what today is. Maybe I'm just obsessed with the movie "Inglorious Basterds." If you have not seen it, I recommend it to you. That is, of course, if you are not someone who gets tremendously offended and/or grossed out by the Tarantino violence. It may just be one of my favorite movies. I know this because I would not mind watching it again; and there are very few movies I feel that way for.

So, what does it mean when these same-three-number dates pop up? Do we get luck? Do we get bad luck? I kinda like to look on the bright side, so I'm hoping good things come with these hyped-up days. I'm sure they are just like any other day, but we can all dream a little about a bunch of numbers. I was in Vegas when it was 7/7/07. I was freshly 21 and in the perfect place for such a date...and what exactly happened? No big bucks that's for sure. What happened today? I overslept and missed my first class. Yet, here I am being optimistic thinking about these same-three-number dates. They have to mean something. Otherwise, everyone wouldn't be talking about it so much. We only have three more years in our generation's lifetime to celebrate and rave about these dates. Maybe I will do something completely outrageous in the last year.

Going back to the movie...if you have seen it, enjoy this song and you will know that the GAME IS ON! GRR! Click here to hear the music

If I had a Twitter...

2009-09-07T00:15:00.000-07:00

I would've "tweeted" something like this...

"Just saw a new Snuggie commercial on TV. Why the f--- are these people raising
the roof every time they are shown dancing? Reeally hip guys... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVrnKBHQBKQ&feature=related"

Whale Wars

2009-05-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my roommate Albert and I were letting T.V. distract us from final exam focus. He put the channel on Animal Planet, which was showing an episode of "Whale Wars." I have never heard of the show before, but watching the last fifteen minutes of the episode was so intense, my curiosity got the best of me. I researched the show online and found that they are going to premiere the second season soon, which is apparently "more dangerous, drama-filled, and controversial than ever," according to its website. To sum up what I have seen so far: the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is out at sea on " The Steve Irwin" trying to locate a Japanese whaling fleet. The Japanese fleet claim they are whaling for research purposes, but the Sea Shepherds think otherwise. Because the Sea Shepherds strongly believe in saving the whale species, they are trying to track down the fleet to try and stop them. When I started watching, two members of the Sea Shepherd were being held captive after hopping aboard one of the Japanese vessels. It was scary because you could see how frightened they were. The other reality shows have nothing on this; this is as real as it can get. It is kind of like watching pirates fight for whales. It pains me to watch the Japanese fleet slaughter whales. The strange part is when they do it, some of the crew members are carrying handwritten signs saying "We are doing it for research." It is all really mind-boggling. I really want to see the outcome in the second season, which premieres on June 5th. I saw the commercial and they were throwing certain types of bombs on each others' vessels. Too intense.

My First Guitar (But, my second baby)

2009-05-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

I finally bought an acoustic guitar on my birthday!!!
I've been wanting to get one and learn for some
time now. I still have my first instrument, a clarinet,
that I played for eight years since I was in fourth
grade. It's currently not in top-notch shape, but I
refuse to give it away. Being in marching band in
high school was not always easy and it probably
seemed like I hated it, but I really enjoyed it still.
It's been five years since I stopped playing clarinet
and I just feel like I need to start a new musical journey. Corny! It's true though. Music is important to me. I absolutely have to incorporate it someway or another
in my life. Or else, I'll feel like I'm missing something.
I'm ready to take on a new learning process. BTW, I
really got all those accessories with the guitar in the
picture. It was such a good deal! The guitar sounds wonderful! The man that helped me totally sold this
DG-8S Fender. I'll be sure to update on my progress.

I. AM. RESURRECTING.

2009-05-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

Hello people of the blog world! I'm making a comeback. At least,
I will try to. Seriously... I don't know who reads my stuff anyway.
Ah well. It's nice to just write (rather, type) about the interesting
things in life instead of think of the stress that comes around this
time of year. I find it calming to pen the good times I have stored
in my head. Let's see what I can update you on...

I am still in school. Although, I think I am close to finishing. With
my own calculations, I can tell you that I have about a year left. I
am expecting the pros to tell me otherwise. I hope I am accurate.
I'm cutting the school talk here. I'm supposed to get my mind off
of it.

I moved to a new place... the infamous 470s. This was the last
place that I ever thought of moving into. Practically everyone
in the frat lives here. No offense to any of them. I just like to
have my space. It's really evident because I am always holed-
up in my room. I guess living here is not that different from
my old place; in terms of me communicating with the outside
world. Now, I just live in my own little box. I'm such a hermit.

So, I met this hot guy at the mall. That's pretty tacky huh? It
gets better. It was actually Robert Pattinson. Or, to the
millions of Twilighters around the globe, it's Edward Cullen!
(screams!) Let me tell ya... it was absolute frenzy. Also, let me
tell you what it wasn't... violent and riotous. At least, not as ex-
treme as other people made it to be. It was all over the news
and people explained it as if we were wild, predacious animals
causing havoc at the mall parking lot. Bogus. There was a
stampede and some pushing. It felt like entering a concert
when the doors first open. Some people want to go up-front
near the stage, so they rush or run in a little bit. Then, when
the mass of people finally come together, there's just natural
squish-and-push action. Girls...

When I found out that the guy was stopping by Stonestown
Galleria in S.F. during his promotional Twilight tour, I knew
I had to go. The mall is literally a five-minute drive from my
new place back home, but I still went super early. When I got
to the front parking lot, there was already a lengthy line of
mainly girls. I was already thinking that there was no chance
that Lalaine and I were going to meet him. I still waited and
less than half-an-hour later, everyone started running toward
the mall entrance. So I started running too. On the way there,
I was pushing this girl in front of me 'cause she was running so
slow. I was actually giving her an extra boost. I made it to the
glass doors. I got kicked out eventually 'cause the security
didn't want people blocking that area. The whole morning was
just an unorganized mess, which was annoying 'cause the sec-
urity would shout at everyone and people would shout at each
other to move the line back. Nothing worked, so they finally
told everyone that the signing was cancelled. When Lalaine
finally came, I stepped out of the line. The line seemed to go
on forever. I can say there was about a thousand or less people.
A huge portion of them left when the cops forced them to go.
One worker even said, "For the love of Twilight, please leave
the premises." WTF! HAHA. Lalaine and I decided to stick
around anyway and waited in a much smaller line. After a
while, they moved the line inside near Hot Topic, where the
signing was supposed to be. The workers kept saying it was
still cancelled and were giving us discount fliers. When they
finally opened the store, they let small groups of people in to
buy the tour shirt, which we had to buy to meet this dude.
They were also giving wristbands, so we were thinking,
'Why would they give them out if he wasn't coming?' We
still bought the shirt even though they kept lying to us.
Later, after lunch and a jumbo Margarita, Lalaine and I
went outside to find barriers being set up. The guy was
definitely showing up. A group of us decided to start a line
along the barrier. We waited for another four hours or so.
Within those hours, employees would come out and talk to
people and try to keep the secret to themselves. One guy
finally confirmed Robert was coming and everyone got all
excited. At least, the crowd control was better.

When the guy was ready to do the signing, the workers
brought us up to the store in small groups. Lalaine and
I were in the top ten, so it was pretty scary. When we
got into the store, they shut the doors behind us. We
all looked toward the back where he was, and he was
nervous too! He put his head down like he wanted to
hide. There was also a handful of reporters, interview-
ers, etc. standing around his table. It made me nervous
to see them hovering around like that. Even more than
meeting the guy himself. When it was my turn to meet
him, it was so awkward walking over to the table 'cause
I could feel all these eyes looking in my direction along
with the bright lights. We exchanged greetings and I
thanked him for coming to S.F. I told him about how
crazy it was in the morning and that I hoped that he
wouldn't go too nuts. He actually finished what I was
saying and laughed. Then, he asked me what my name
was and how to spell it. I told him it was spelled like the
drink. He wrote my name on a poster as I spelled it and
said that it was not the right spelling. I was like, "Yeah it
is!" He asked if there was supposed to be a "u" in it. Then,
he added that it (his spelling) must be like the pizza. I just
laughed and thanked him and that was that. I thought it
was hilarious how we had a mini argument about my name.
I felt like I was up there for a long time. It was pleasant.

Since then, I have found two videos and a picture of my
encounter with him online. Did I mention I was wearing
a hood when I met him? What a weirdo.

Christina made a screencap of one of the vids.

Personalized

The Return of the Photoshoots

2008-09-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

Isn't that precious?

Do you remember the "Rockstar!" photoshoot that I posted last year
around Halloween time? Well... we're bringing back our photo adven-
tures and this time... Lalaine and I are reliving our childhood by
giving the footsies a comeback! Randomly shopping through the girls
and boys section at Target can inspire some crazy ideas. I was trying
this sucker on in the boys area and I could not stop laughing. They
sure are comfy, but cannot be worn at this time. They be bringin'
some extra heat!

She's a purple leopard and I think I'm a cool athlete... with our Mickey props.

Laugh out loud...wooow

In the end, I decided to be a fiesty cat too. Rawr!

Yeeah... I don't know what happened there. I still like my footsie fit though.

To be continued...

Moment of Truth

2008-09-07T06:08:00.001-07:00

If you're an avid reader of my blog, which I bet is probably just me, you may recall that I did an entry about my experience as an extra in the upcoming movie Milk. Well, the trailer is finally here! I am now very excited to finally get a glimpse of the movie I have been anticipating. Apparently, a premiere is going to take place in the Castro late October. I may want to check that out. I'm eager to finally see Harvey Milk's story, played by one of my favorites. If you're interested in seeing the trailer in a better HQ, you can watch the Apple version. I was able to spot a little portion of my face in the last crowd shot right before it whites out at the end. Haha. It's no big deal, but it was a great opportunity to be part of it all. Thank you. I can say that I was technically in the movie even if you can't see me clearly. Here's the Apple version:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/milk/

Twilight Updated Teaser Trailer 2

2008-09-07T05:45:00.001-07:00

It could be like the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings kind of craziness. It definitely targets the young audience. Hey, I'm diggin' it.

Twilight Updated Teaser Trailer 1

2008-09-07T05:39:00.001-07:00

Just to give you an idea of what the film adaptation of the book is going to offer.

The Twilight Saga

2008-09-07T04:15:00.000-07:00

You may have heard about this book, you may have not. If you have, you know that it's a phenomenon. If you haven't, you will see it everywhere once the movie is ready for promotion. People are crazy about Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga. I am a fan myself. Thanks to Lalaine, who shoved her own paperback copy in my face, which is also now mine. Normally, I don't like to read for fun while I'm in session at school. However, it took me a week (this past week) to finish the first two novels in the series. They're pretty fat too. I just couldn't put the books down. They're insanely addictive, but they're also the kind of books that you don't want to finish because then it will all be over. Either way, you're stuck in hole. My mind is concentrated on thinking about the story a lot. It's ridiculous. Like everyone else, I can't wait until the movie comes out in November. I don't want to watch it on the first day though 'cause I know there will be madness and a frenzy of young girls screaming and swooning over the film's highly-populated number of hot men or even women. That last bit I don't mind. If you need a little background on the story, it goes like this: Bella is an ordinary, simple city girl who moves to the small town of Forks, where her dad lives. Living in a new place is obviously a challenge in the beginning, knowing you have to get used to everything and meeting new people. During the lunch hour of her first day of school, she notices a table of unique people. They are seemingly flawless, good-looking, and a little off at same time. She can't seem to stop glancing at the one boy that appeals to her most: Edward. Eventually, she finds out that he and the others are vampires. She also realizes that she's in love with him, as he is with her. The rest of the book provides a well-detailed story on the relationship that develops between Edward and Bella and all the emotions, complications, and events involved because of the differences in their existence. It's a love story. If you decide to read it, let me know if it sucked you into the whole mania of the saga. No pun intended. Haha.

FYI: After Twilight, the series continues with New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. The books are everywhere. You'll notice once you recognize and know the saga.

Time for some updating

2008-09-07T02:23:00.000-07:00

What a great summer it has been! It was probably my most productive summer yet. If people ask me how my summer went, I can't say "nothing" as a reply this time. So what did I do exactly? Let me sum it up. I worked for just the month of June. I spent 4th of July weekend watching three little piggies. I took and survived two history classes in summer school. I passed both with double B's. Immediately after, I went to SoCal to enjoy Disneyland, California Adventure, and Hollywood. Back home, I celebrated Xtina's 21st year of debauchery at Cafe Kokomo. I had to bust out with my awkward salsa dancing, but the band was peachy. I also went to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to accompany the kiddies. Chrissy and I had our 2nd Sean Penn marathon at her crib. I took two of the kiddies to watch The Dark Knight (with a portion of the city also watching it) at Metreon and fed their hungry little tummies at Denny's after. Nightlife was only two nights for me: one at Suede and one at Temple; both in SF. I saw Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton from Fresh Prince) go into Temple for the Gumball 3000 party. The next day, I walked up and got lost in the hills of Nob Hill. Extreme exercise. I went there with my two nephews to check out this year's Gumball 3000 kick off in front of the Fairmont. We saw David Hasselhoff (all tanned, lean, and tall), Tyson Beckford (sassy), and Bam Margera (surprised me). Later on that day, I went to Projekt Revolution with Lalaine. I LOVED it, except Busta Rhymes wasn't there. I love Linkin Park regardless. For Chrissy's 21st, her, Zheena, and I kept it light and chill and ate lunch at Fuddruckers. Zheena kept getting hit on by the same guy. Then, Chrissy and I watched "Tropic Thunder" and "Pineapple Express." They were equally funny to me. I can't say they were hilarious, but just enough to satisfy my comedic mood. I was able to hang out with Alvin and go to the wonderful world of Target. I only read one full book over the summer and it wasn't great. I started reading Gossip Girl (if you're familiar with the show), but I couldn't come up with the right mindset to complete it. I suppose those were all the highlights; minus the negatives that I previously wrote about.

Oh did I mention that I just love Michael Phelps?!? I mean, who doesn't love the guy?!? The Summer Olympics was really fun to watch, I must say. I haven't been this much into the Olympics since 1996 with the "Magnificent 7." It's over now, but I'm still fascinated by the history that Phelps created. Swimming was what I looked forward to the most. He's just crazy GOOD! The guy's a fish! I'm mostly amazed because of his motivation and inspiration that helped him achieve his goals. He came into Beijing knowing what he wanted, and he left with exactly that and more. That is very inspiring. It makes me very proud of him and his representation of our country. Yet, the guy's so humble about everything. He's so cool! He deserves everything he has. I heard he was in the Bay this past Thursday. Aww...I missed out. It would of been a pleasure to see or meet him in person. At least, I'll get to watch his appearances coming up this week on tv.

This post really hurts to read huh?

Just a liiittle bit angry

2008-07-23T00:39:00.000-07:00

When I finished summer school, I thought I was going to have
a fabulous, relaxing summer; and that I wouldn't have to worry
about much. I was going to Disneyland. I was going to have
some fun with friends. Of course, life just doesn't work out that
way. No matter what, there is just something to stress about.
Just when you think you have sunshine, a thick cloud passes
through and takes it all away. First my camera gets smashed.
Then, I found out yesterday that I was a victim of fraud. Some
dumbshit charged about $225 from my account. I handled it
immediately and everything will get fixed. Now, I just feel extra
cautious; especially when it comes to the internet. F you who-
ever stole from me!!! Why you gotta be such a douchebag!?! I
hope the karma comes around to beat your ass. People...stop
being so sheisty. Nobody likes being/feeling cheated.

R.I.P camera

2008-07-21T02:55:00.000-07:00

My wonderful digital camera went through a major accident Saturday night. Sadly, it did not survive. It's partially cracked open, the glass is completely shattered, and there are several dents. It can no longer function. I dropped the Canon; it got run over by an suv; and after that one single second, it was gone. My fault. It was only a year, ten months, and nine days old. Rest in peace camera. We captured a lot of good times (fantastic photos) and moments together. Sad face.

I Love This Clip

2008-07-06T01:15:00.001-07:00

"I Love Lucy" is my favorite show of all time. I grew up watching the show and I can't get enough of it. This is one of my favorite clips. Enjoy! Hahahaha...

Another linky link

2008-06-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

I recently bought this book on the left.
If you constantly find yourself making
lists or you just simply find joy in list-
making, I recommend this book to you.
I, personally, was not always a list-
maker like two other people I know,
who devote their organization and
enjoyment to this useful outlet. This
book is filled with list-formatted pages
that allows you to record different
aspects of your own life such as
accomplishments, life goals, hobbies,
habits, favorites, traits, and many other
interesting subjects. There are also
blank pages where you can create your
own categories. I think one of the best
things about this book is the illustrations

associated to each particular list. They're hilarious! Today, I decided to go
electronic and make my own listography site. Yes...there is a site as well.
I think the site is more flexible because you can always create your own
categories; whereas the book already provides you specific ones. It's quite
fun. I also recommend signing up if you want to be a little more organized
or you just want to use it to help you remember things pertaining to the
present or even the past. If not, then you can just check out my shiz under
"links." Scroll down and click.

Again with animal artists

2008-06-15T06:57:00.001-07:00

Lalaine called me two nights ago and recalled an old post I did here about painting gorillas. She told me to turn on the telly to Animal Planet because they were showing an episode on "Extraordinary Animals" about an elephant that also paints in Thailand. I was taken aback by his artistic abilities. I was speechless. I was also laughing hysterically because of how shocked and amazed I was. I love this kind of stuff! The elephant's style in this video is so simple yet exquisite. I love how he strokes the paint onto the canvas because you can actually get a sense of feeling from the mammal. The elephant's paintings were also showcased at a London art gallery and the people who analyzed them had no idea they were painted with the elephant's own trunk. They also showed elephants playing steel instruments assisted by a conductor. Animals are so wonderful. Watch this big guy and his skills. It's cute how he carries his painting supplies to his work station.

New Site

2008-05-19T00:49:00.000-07:00

I spent a good portion of this past day making a profile
for this music site called last.fm. I originally just wanted
to figure out how to put music on this site, but I realized
there was more to the process and I ended up making
another website. Now I have two profiles of some sort.
No Myspace. No Facebook. I am glad I don't have them
'cause based on how much time I spent on making the
music one...I would be in front of the computer screen
all day. Anyway, I inserted a player on the side with a
couple of the songs that I first searched up. I have an
extensive and quite random list on the actual website,
which is clickable under "links." You can get an idea of
how cracked-up my taste really is. I say it like that be-
cause there's a crazy variety of genres in my playlist.
It's like I'm going through mood swings or multiple
personalities. I told you...I listen to anything and almost
everything. Check it.

Remember... music is a way of life.

Happy belated...

2008-05-10T00:23:00.000-07:00

I didn't do anything again for my birthday. I have
not had any big birthday celebrations in recent
years. Not even last year. Well, I went to Vegas,
so that made up for it. I have more excitement
going to other people's birthday shindigs than me
having to plan my own. Plus, my birthday always
falls in one of the last weeks of school when it's
the most stressful for me. Wow...I should have
some fun sometime. Yikes!

Check out those bomb ass birthday cupcakes! Lalaine
and I made them ourselves. She just bought this book
called Hello, Cupcake! that teaches you how to
make all kinds of crazy cupcakes from furry animals
to the Starry Night painting, which is way too expert
for me. The birthday one was our very first project.
It's not the same as the one in the book, but it still
came out cool. We made our own version with Scooby
Doo baking cups and Scooby Snacks (which are sooo
good by the way), wafers, and chewy Sweetarts.

The next day we experimented with some leftover
cupcakes and we made hula girls. This one obvious-
ly took a little more time and effort. If you can't tell
what the ingredients are...we used crumb donuts,
vanilla wafers, dyed icing, hardening chocolate, cho-
colate Pocky, and sprinkles. Talk about saaweeet!
Mine came out a little corroded. Can you tell which
one is mine?

I'm getting ready to bite her head off. My hula girl has lopsided, disproportioned
breasts and a scary face. Absolutely not the physique a hula girl should have.

A New Favorite

2008-04-22T16:27:00.001-07:00

I watched a lot of movies this past weekend. One of them was "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," which of course was really funny. Another one, I can add to my tiny list of favorites. One called "She's So Lovely," directed by Nick Cassavetes. Let me give you my version of a quick description...

sean penn. robin wright penn. john travolta. james gandolfini. harry dean stanton...

a crazy, pregnant woman. literally missing husband. she smokes and drinks. gets beaten up and possibly raped by next door neighbor. finds husband at the bar. husband is furious and wants to know who fucked her up. she doesn't tell him, fearing he might end up in jail for life. he goes ballistic and ends up shooting someone anyway. they are crazy for each other. he ends up in a mental institution for a while. she remarries and has two more children. he gets released. she still loves him. she has a big decision to make between the two men in her life. who will she choose?

Sorry it's not the best summary I can offer. Believe me, if I gave a proper one, I would write way too much. The plot may not be the best, but the acting was astonishing. It's not a well-known movie either, so if it pops up somewhere, just watch it! You will laugh. For now, watch this dance scene. "It's De Lovely."

Spring Break 08

2008-04-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

I actually went somewhere for Spring Break this
year. That's very rare for me. And no, I didn't
go to Cancun to get shit-faced drunk and show
boobage to the whole island. Not my thang. I
did, however, go to Lake Tahoe for the first time.
I went snowboarding with a couple of friends and
a few new people from Miami. I had a lot of fun
hangin' out with everyone. Snowboarding was a
different story. Let's just say I took in a lot of
damage. It was probably one of the most frust-
rating activities I've ever done in my life. It
made me angry 90% of the time. I just had no
control over my board. The first day, I swear I
was going down the hill at about 50mph. I could
not stop. I would either get pissed or laugh at
myself when I fell. I laughed 'cause I imagined
what I looked like going down that slope at high
speed. I imagined peoples' reactions as I busted
my ass several times. At least, the snow was
soft that day. The second day was something
else. The snow was hard and icy and it was
windy. I didn't have a ski mask, so my face was
getting attacked by the ice pieces flying through
the rough wind. The hill us girls went on that
day was a little scarier 'cause there were no
barriers on the side making it slightly more
dangerous. I gave up a lot quicker and walked
down the hill the first time. The second time
I snowboarded down a smaller hill at high
speed again and fell super hard on my back.
Now that was a pain that confirmed I was over
it. I was hurting so much I was lying in the
snow for about two minutes. When I got up, I
realized there were blood spots on the snow
where my back was. I found out later that the
blood was mine and I totally effed up my lower
back. It was all scraped and inflamed. Nice!
Don't get me wrong...if I knew how to snow-
board, I would probably have a blast. The
nightlife was more chill and relaxing. We had
decent dinners at a buffet and Hard Rock Cafe
both nights at Harvey's Casino. When we left
Lake Tahoe, we stopped by Sacramento for a
couple of hours before we drove back to San
Francisco. We decided to do a little sightseeing
with the girls from Miami. We went up to the
tourist spot near the Golden Gate Bridge to get
some amazing photos of the view. The crazy
thing is...I've never been up there and I've lived
in the City all my life. I do appreciate my home-
town more nowadays. Afterwards, we drove
down Lombard and ate dinner at Bubba Gump
at Pier 39. (Someone was crushin' on the wait-
ress that night haha.) Lalaine and I got back to
San Jose pretty late. I was exhausted and I had
a midterm at 9am the next morning. Oy! Until
now, I'm still a little sore.

On our way to the Heavenly Resort in Lake Tahoe

KaayJaay

The first day: I look 4 feet tall in this pic...Lalaine and her cool gear

The gals: Me, Lalaine, Melissa, and Karla (the two from Miami)

The guys: Mell, Chad, Brandon, and Julius

The second day: after my final fall. Looking very Asian.

Going down on the Heavenly Gondola...pretty high up there!

Also where we met cool LA-ians Thomas (Ryan Gosling look-alike) and Sheila.

Matt and Mell...mmm potato skins.

Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe

Miami friends

In Harvey's Casino...the night we sang Disney tunes in the van

The view from our condo the morning of our last day

Beautiful Lake Tahoe

Um...I don't know

On our drive back home

The main six overlooking the Bay and the Golden Gate.

Can you tell I'm freezin' up there?

Poster status...you could see my house from there

Which one needs to use the military bathroom?

Creepy...in one of the bunker rooms

City by the Bay

Imagine being on the other end of the line...Posing on the bridge

I like how I'm the only normal one in the center of a random picture...Great background!

Looks like those professional school dance photos.

Asian Forrest Gumps

Dinner at Bubba Gump at Pier 39...this is how you get the waiter/waitress' attention

Muse - Map of the Problematique

2008-04-06T16:06:00.001-07:00

It's a kick ass song! Ultimate music that will make you want to drive faster. I really want to see these guys live!

Movie Stills: On the set of "Milk"

2008-04-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

The Original Rainbow Gay Pride Flag

We are the extra extras

The set in front of City Hall

Myself and Zheena (future movie star)

The "real" extras...very retro

A blurry Emile Hirsch as "Cleve Jones"

"Cleve Jones" and "Harvey Milk"

Wonder if he can play us a little jig...

Sean Penn getting ready to shoot another take

Denis O'Hare as "John Briggs"

Another of Sean ("Harvey Milk")

I like this one - Christina, Myself, and Zheena

Me trying to tell you that I have back pain

It's ridiculous how close we are

Sean's stand-in preparing for the parade scene

Last shot of the day

It was the first movie role for all of us as extras.

Now Zheena can start her movie resume. Look

out for her in the future on the big screen. In

the meantime, we will look for ourselves during

"Harvey Milk's" speech in front of City Hall;

when the movie hits the theatres. Haha.

My Acting Debut

2008-04-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

There have been a couple of experiences in my
life so far that I would put in a book of unforget-
table moments. One event was one of the best
concerts I have ever been to...The Civic Tour
with Good Charlotte and New Found Glory on
May 31, 2003. Lalaine and I (and 18 other fans)
got to spend the whole set onstage with NFG. It
was pretty crazy and awesome. It didn't even
feel like we were standing in front of thousands
of people. The last song was wild 'cause we got
to move around on stage, but I just kept hiding
behind people to avoid looking like a jumping
monkey. My leg started cramping too, so I was
scared of falling and making an ass out of myself.
Nonetheless, I felt very lucky to be chosen from
the thousands. Anyway, although that concert
was fantastic, this post is not about it.

Recently, I took an opportunity to be a part of a
movie that's set in my hometown. It is about
Harvey Milk, who was the first open gay man to
run for office in San Francisco, and the story of
his life leading up to his assassination. Sean Penn
plays Harvey Milk and the supporting cast in-
cludes Josh Brolin, James Franco, and Emile
Hirsch. I originally thought I would check out
the movie set to see James Franco 'cause I am a
fan of his. Then I realized that I would be part-
icipating for the wrong reasons. I didn't feel right
the more I thought about it. I was about to back
down on it because I felt bad. The experience of
being part of a movie was more appealing to me,
so I decided to do it. Plus, Ms. Christina Atienza
asked me to accompany her. I mean, think about
it...how many people can say that they have
been in a movie? I know we're only (unpaid)
extras, but it is like driving. It's a privilege.

March 9, 2008- I got up really early to commute
from San Jose to the City before the call time of
the shoot. I met up with Christina and Zheena,
whom I haven't seen in literally a year. Ohh I
missed them cheecas! It was nice catching up
on the way to Civic Center. When we got there
we didn't see many people there. We saw a
marching band and a stage propped up. We
ended up across the street from the City Hall,
where all the other extras were. More and more
people came as time passed. The "real" extras
came out as well with their legit 70s gear. I
really felt like I was in the 70s, which by the way,
is a decade that I liked learning about. The actual
extras represented a strong group of homo-
sexuals, same-sex couples, and transgenders.
Some of the apparel was interesting to see. The
whole atmosphere was interesting because a past
decade was brought back to life. Appearances.
Old automobiles. Scenery. There was even an old
Muni bus. Everything about the set was pretty
cool. One of the extras was dancing around shirt-
less with no music and doing pushups. Crazy!
Before they started filming, a Sean Penn stand-in
tested out the mike and the main guy who gave
us instructions for the scenes spoke to us about
our job as extra extras. Sean Penn came out and
that's when I thought 'This is real now. We're
making a movie.' It was surreal seeing all the
actors and crew involved. Zheena pointed out
Emile Hirsch, whom I barely recognized 'cause
he was sporting a huge curly afro and ginormous
spectacles. He was Napoleon Dyamite's groovy
twin. Maybe his uncle from the 70s. During the
shoot, we all ended up near the stage mixed in
with the real extras. All three of us were pretty
close to the front center. It was weird seeing
Sean Penn standing in front us as he delivered
his infamous speech. We shot several takes. It
was tiring. Weird right? I had no idea I was going
to have back pains just standing in a crowd clap-
ping and cheering for "Mr.Milk". Sean did an im-
pressive job. It seemed like it didn't take him
that much effort to perform a victorious speech.
I observed live that he is a good actor. I also
have to mention that in between takes, there
was a lady carrying an umbrella over his head
the whole time. I would take that job any day.
Haha. Emile Hirsch didn't seem to have to do
much for his part 'cause he was sitting around
most of the time. Oh yeah, James Franco finished
filming his scenes, so he wasn't there. Ah well.
The second scene they shot was one where
Harvey Milk sat atop a Volvo as he paraded down
the street in front of City Hall, with his supporters
cheering him on. That scene didn't require too
many takes. During this time, all three of us were
hungry, so we decided to take a break from the
shoot to grab some BK. We had the intention of
coming back. Of course, when we do come back
to the shoot, our biggest fear bit us in our asses.
A majority of the crowd was gone. The crew was
condensed and the stage was taken apart.
However, Sean Penn was still filming a scene in
which he walks out of the City Hall and comments
on another person's remark. We stood across the
street to watch. It didn't last long. After they
finished, Christina and Zheena were on a mission
to look for Emile Hirsch. We walked around City
Hall and sat on the street for a while. At one
point, Christina recognized someone who looked
like Sean. Surprise! It was him walking on the
street leading to the City Hall's entrance. We
were too scared to approach him. I personally
didn't want to interrupt whatever he was doing
'cause he looked like he was in a hurry. When he
came out of the City Hall, he left in a car. The
man's got things to do. No need to bother him.
We didn't find Emile either, so we called it a day.
The overall experience was draining, but
fascinating. The whole process was fun. It was
an eye-opener for me. I enjoyed everything
about it...especially all the observations I took
in. Definitely a learning experience. If an opp-
ortunity like that comes your way, I say do it!
I would do it again no doubt. Just let me know
where to sign up!

Oh by the way, what was up with the laughing
fest on the BART, Christina? Sean Penn is after
you.

Wondercon 2008

2008-03-03T23:18:00.000-08:00

This was my very first time going to Wondercon.

I went with Lalaine and her brodah. I can't really

say too much about it because I didn't check out

everything. When we got there, we went straight

to the hall that had all the panels for certain up-

coming movies. We watched two panels. One for

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall," a comedy starring

Jason Segal, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell

Brand (he's pretty crazy), and Jack McBrayer.

The movie seems funny. Something I may want

to watch. It was also my very first panel. I felt

special to be a part of it. The second panel was

for "Wanted," starring Morgan Freeman, Angelina

Jolie, and James McAvoy, who was the only one

there for the panel. The clip they showed for the

movie was a never-released clip. So I felt special

about that too. After the panel, Lalaine and I were

lucky to meet James McAvoy up-close and personal.

(We both got wristbands while waiting in line by

doing a simple, small drawing to meet him.) It really

was pretty personal. Each person had their own one-

on-one time with him, which allowed for short conver-

sation. I asked him how his visit was to SF and he said

he didn't spend much time here because his flight was

cancelled the night before. Then, I thanked him for

coming up and said "Good luck on the Oscars," which

was that Sunday night. He was a very nice person. He

even introduced himself and initiated shaking people's

hands. Usually it's a restriction for some reason. The only

negative was that we couldn't take a picture with him.

We got his autograph, but I prefer pictures. It's more

exciting that way. After the signing, we went to go check

out the massive area with all the artists, vendors, and

freebies, but it was almost closing time so we didn't get to

look at everything. I was considering buying a Yoshi plush,

but I didn't. Maybe next time. I went on the first day and it

wasn't too crazy. I didn't get to see that many people

wearing costumes. I heard it was pretty crowded over the

weekend though. No matter what, I still had a pretty awe-

some time. (I want to mention and thank the lady that was

behind Lalaine and I in line. She gave her wristband to me.

That was very kind of her. I didn't get the chance to thank

her again when I left the panel.)

My Kelly Claaarkson pic. It's her drink, her video hat.

I look sick. Literally. I was.

Ohh the irony...

Jason Segal...the dude trying to "forget Sarah Marshall"

Kristen Bell...she's Sarah Marshall and that

Veronica Mars/Heroes chick

Mila Kunis...It's Meg from Family Guy and

Ashton Koosher's gf in That 70s Show

(a lucky guy got to take a pic with her on this stage)

Russell Brand...yup, he's the crazy British dude.

Youtube him. He's quite strange.

Jack McBrayer...and one of the writers

James McAvoy...one of the nicest people I've met so far

My poster. He even personalized it! It's a little

cut off. It says "Choose Your Destiny 2008."

Thanks James!

I watched the Academy Awards two nights after

meeting James McAvoy and I thought it was so

weird seeing him there. It's like 'Hey I just met

that guy in person.' He's very Scottish. He's

pretty well-known for his role in "Atonement."

The only movie I've seen him in was new movie

"Penelope." It's a cute movie. I liked it.

Classic Fresh Prince Moment

2008-02-18T20:44:00.001-08:00

Heelarious!

The Year of the 22

2008-02-06T00:14:00.000-08:00

It's a brand new year (yeah, I know it's
month 2). Brand new attitude. Brand
new goals. Brand new classes. Brand
new coif. Brand new earrangs. Brand
new spankin' shoes. Brand new age for
some of my good friends. Looking
forward to what this year has got for
me.

Just a random day in San Jose...

2007-12-06T23:54:00.000-08:00

December 5...
It was just like any regular Wednesday when

Lalaine and I decided to take a walk through

"Xmas in the Park." Lalaine never experienced

this San Jose tradition, so we figured this

specific day was the perfect time to go.

Originally, we wanted to go for the funnel cake.

We never got one. Lalaine was a little bummed

out that she wasn't at the Dane Cook show at

the "Shark Tank". We still had a dandy time

walking around the chilly streets of downtown.

Pretty handsome horse

Tropical Holiday

Who doesn't like those face cutout boards?

Gingerbread Fam

Mmmm looky looky here...

Soo after driving around and getting lost, we

ended up at the back of the "Shark Tank"

with several, but not too many people. Lalaine

and I were standing with fans who went to the

Dane Cook show. We weren't waiting too long

when we saw an SUV pull up. Next thing we

know, Dane comes out! We super cut people

who were waiting there longer than us. Dane

was a really nice guy. We each shook his hand,

Lalaine got his autograph, we took a picture

with him, and we got to hug him. He was just

calm and welcoming about everything. He was

supposedly going to stay out there until he

met every single fan that was waiting. How

shweet! It just shows that he doesn't let the

fame take over his head and we all know how

BIG a comedian he really is. It was our first real

"celebrity" encounter. We got lucky that day.

I'm so happy that Lalaine met one of her

favorites. Especially after a whole day of being

bummed out for not going to his show! It was

fate and it was even better.

It's Daane Coook!!!

Halloween Festivities Part 2

2007-11-03T05:10:00.000-07:00

Drink = green, tongue = yellow ?

Day 2: Club NV in San Francisco

I went back home to the city to check out

a Halloween bash at a club. Unfortunately,

the club we were supposed to go to, Suite

One8One, was suuper packed with people

waiting in two long ass lines. Tiff's brother

knew some friends who were at Club NV,

so we decided to go over there. The place was

cool. I liked seeing all the people in costumes.

I had a good time hanging out. Dancing was

fun, but I wanted more of it.

Cuzzos: the cop and the French maid. Diana and her bf Eugene: the Scream dude

Why party like a rockstar when you can party with a rockstar!

Such a pretty...drink

Us ladies...kind of hazy

French maid...stop drinking and do your work!

Halloween Festivities Part 1

2007-11-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

My friends and I decided to actually do something

for Halloween this year for the first time. I never

realized that Halloween was so much fun until this

year. Pretty sad huh? I can't believe I missed out

on Halloween activities in all my years in college.

Oh well...now I know I'll be looking forward to it

in the years to come. I'm already wondering what

my costume will be next year. Let's wait and see

how much more slutty costumes are going to be.

Day 1: Gyro's Screamfest/Dinner at CPK

Michelle and Bonnie were Mickey & Minnie. How cute!

Before heading out

Lalaine the Sailor and Mell

The famous Disney couple at Gyro's

Chucky says "Keep away from my mamosa!"(or the rock chick will (happily) kill herself!)

An innocent maid getting sliced by Chucky (Tiff and Perik)

Ze ladies: Mickey, Minnie, Frenchie, Rocky, Sailey

Ze fellas: Melly, Chucky

We were supposed to go through the Corn Maze in

Fremont, but there was a ginormous snake-of-a-

line an hour before closing time. Dangit! I was

looking forward to it. There's always next year yo.

Pre-Halloween Dress Rehearsals

2007-11-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

I realized that my blog is more of a visuals

site. I like to take fun photos, so why not

share them? I think this is the 3rd time

that I mentioned my interest in "fun"

pictures in my posts; so it will be what it

will be. Enjoy my public mini photo

collection. Keep those photos comin'!

Inspiration for my costume

The birth of my outer rockstar

Album cover bitches!

Costume completed...Lalaine's a rockstar at heart too

But this was her real costume

Another half a year passed...

2007-11-03T00:42:00.000-07:00

Back from another hiatus from the blog world.
It's funny 'cause I look at other peoples' blogs
(i.e. Perez Hilton, PinkIsTheNewBlog, the
Superficial, Post Secret) all the time and some-
how I just forget about my own. Well not today.
I gave it so much thought I decided to give it a
makeover. I don't think anyone really checks
out my page anyway to notice, but it is super
different now. It needed a new look. I changed
the layout, my profile, and even the heading of
my page. It used to be called "Inner Thoughts
of a Quiet Soul." I figured it needed a change
because I don't really record my deep dark
feelings, thoughts, and emotions on here. My
heading was basically a lie. So I kept it straight-
forward and simple...I Am No Drink. That's the
truth my friends. I need a fresh new start. I
just hope I can keep up with my blogging. Ah
heck! Who am I kidding? I'm not a gossip
blogger. Let's just get something started shall
we...

21

2007-05-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

This pic is exactly a year old. Throwbaack...
Good times and nice picha.

"Margarita's Manic Mizithra Monday Madness"

It's a good day for an update...

2007-05-07T01:13:00.000-07:00

Hellooo!!! It's been a while hasn't it? Any reasons?
Ehh...I don't know. Bored with its contents. Too
lazy to post another picture. No tiiime. Forgot.
Ahh well, I'm back! I realized that I don't really
write much in this here blog of mine. I know I
did for my class journals, but other than that,
you mainly see my f.a.c.e. I can't get too personal.
All that nonsense is for my real journal anyway.
Otherwise, there is no point for that silly ol' book.
Oh well, pictures are more interesting to look at
anyhow. They're fuuun. Plus, they help me rem-
ember more of the coolest moments in life. So here
...let me share some with you.

Cinco de Mayo - We celebrated together!
Happy Belated Birthday to the ever-so-dearest Alvin!

One of the funniest people I have ever known:
Brian. Look at him as he tries to fight to pay for
the bill.

Tiff - This wonderful chick celebrated with us too.

Man! That plate was hot to me face. I got a
steamin' facial!

His name is Alvin. He was my prom date. He
looks at me weird.

The MGH Semester

2007-05-07T00:30:00.000-07:00

Of course I had to add some pics from this
semester's activation and banquet.

Activation:

I didn't go to the actual process of initiation, but

I came just in time to take this shot with my line.

Dandy isn't it? Congratulations GJ!!!

Banquet:

I had fun. There wasn't too much delay. Food

was good, especially the meat. Chantha dropped

my camera in a glass of water, but luckily it didn't

break. The glass of water did. Dancing is always a

blast. I liked my dress. Somehow, I still felt like

something was missing.

Family pic...with a Loyal?

Another one of those line pics that we oh-so-love taking

There goes GJ reppin' the T

Aww...Lil and Big

Such a nice Christmas-y pic with my "grand"

I'm ghetto-fab with Albert's stunnas.

Congratulations to my Big and Trevor for making

it through their semester as pledge parents. You

guys did a great job raising beautiful, successful

children.

Marie Guiab Harvey Pledge Class

2007-05-07T00:25:00.000-07:00

Our Baby Cody

2007-02-14T00:24:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce you to Apt. 7 's pet guinea pig.
He's a cutie!

New Semester

2007-02-14T00:22:00.000-08:00

MODal STATis

2007-01-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

circa 2004, project deviantart
design: excentric samuel

"It is announced" by disingenuous
"She doesn't see it because she has no taste for it.
She doesn't hear it because she doesn't want to.
She doesn't speak it because it must be announced.

And so it is."

Model: Margarita

Mood of the Day!

2007-01-08T13:39:00.000-08:00

SO EggCited!!! Yippee!!!

Geography Journal Number Fifteen

2006-12-11T02:05:00.000-08:00

In this entry, I would like to reflect on my
overall thought about the class. I can say
that it was a better experience than the
first time I took the course. I like the
teacher's strategy because he used a kind
of visual that can make the lectures a lot
clearer and easier to understand. I missed
class when we did teacher evaluations, so
this is my chance to critique. I actually
prefer using words than ratings anyway.
It is a lot more effective. Overall, I think
the teacher did a nice job delivering his
lectures, which I thought was a challenge
because he had to speak for about two and
a half hours. That is a long time! Good job
for taking the "staff" position and teaching
at SJSU for the first time. The only thing I
would prefer to change is the printing of
lecture handouts. Saving paper is important.
Students can make use of their notebooks
and fill them out with all the notes they need.
I learned a lot from the class nonetheless.

More pictures...

2006-12-05T00:42:00.000-08:00

...from the last chapter meeting/G.A.S anniversary.
Memorieees!!!

Geography Journal Number Fourteen

2006-12-04T02:04:00.000-08:00

Today was technically the last day of class.
We watched two movies that made me
think. One of the movies disussed global
environmental issues. I learned that de-
veloping nations make up 20% of the
world, and surprisingly use 70% of the
Earth's resources. Using resources in
developing nations can be a hazard and
unsafe for its citizens. The water may not
be sanitary and can cause many diseases
and illnesses. I hope that someday the
water systems in these countries would
improve. In the next video, a fact that
caught my attention was that we will have
half the water that we have now in about
25 years. That is pretty scary. Water is
important because we use it for everything.
That is the disadvantage because we really
cannot do much about it since we do need
it for everything. The only thing we can do
is try to conserve it now and not waste a
single drop.

Last Day on Ex-Comm...

2006-12-03T17:58:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day as an ex-comm member
of the Fall 2006 semester. It's sad. It was a
good group that got along quite nicely. This
whole semester went by smoothly as well.
Congrats to the new members of ex-comm.
I hope this bunch has a great, fun semester
like we did. Our meetings were so fun. If only
other people got to see that. I am going to
miss it all. Thanks ex-comm for making it a
superb experience! Thank you Ajay and Sun-
shine for the lovely gifts/memorabilia!

Here are pictures from the last meeting/dinner
at the Cheesecake Factory:

The ladies of ex-comm

G.A.S members

Historians!

Everyone

"Lady and the Tramp"

Thanks Ajay for treating us!
Most of all I want to thank Paul for being my
co. He was the creative brain for most of the
projects that we did. Without him, we wouldn't
have been as successful as people claimed we
were. It was good times working with him. We
had fun with our job. It's over now. He and
Amanda will do wonderfully in Public Relations.
(You better treat your lil right!) Thanks for
everything. Give yourself a pat on the back. You
did a fantabulous job CO!

Now, it's time for a break...

G.A.S One Year Anniversary

2006-12-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

It has been exactly a year since we crossed
and became official members. Seems longer.
Our class was a good bunch and we connect-
ed pretty well altogether. I miss everyone,
especially those who I haven't seen. Happy
One Year G.A.S! What's that smell?!?

Last year:

Yesterday was the one year celebration. I
came late, but I was still able to hang out
for a little bit. There weren't many of us,
but that's cool. The people who were
there were enough to make it enjoyable.

Ke'ala was a special guest

Funny...espicy corn

Rest In Peace.

2006-12-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

I was shocked when I got the phone call
this past Thursday night. My cousin
passed away the night before. It was so
surprising and all of a sudden. A year
ago, she was healthy and as happy as I
always saw her. They told me that they
found a tumor in her brain this year and
that her treatment was doing well.
Unfortunately, her cancer spread. She
was born on the same day as me. She's
only 49 years old. It was weird seeing
her at the viewing. Brought back familiar
memories. At least she's free from the
pain. I will miss you Ate Dory.

Last Christmas 2005

Geography Journal Number Thirteen

2006-11-27T23:18:00.000-08:00

I learned a lot about trees and clear-
cutting today. Clear-cutting refers
to the hundreds of trees that are
being cut down in a short period of
time. I am actually not sure if they
still do it nowadays, but I know that
it was a big enough problem that
people protested against it. I believe
people reduce the amount of trees
being cut by making them certified
or by variable retention. People make
sure that they work around the trees
that help the forest survive. I also
learned that the demand for wood will
increase 40% in this decade. I feel that
wood is like water because it is needed
for many things. I like to reuse paper.
I try to avoid throwing paper away. I
do not use a new notebook until one is
all used up. I do it because we need our
trees more. I do not understand how
people can throw blank sheets of paper
into the garbage. It bothers me.

Elvis - "Marguerita"

2006-11-27T15:30:00.000-08:00

If anyone is wondering where I got my name from, here is your
answer. I was Elvis' love interest in the movie "Fun in Acapulco."
He serenaded me with this song. HaHa. Yeah right! I wish! The
real girl he's serenading in the movie is the blond beauty Ursula
Andress. But really, my mom got my name from this movie be-
cause she really liked this song, and the movie, and Elvis. I think
it's cool to have a story behind my name. If you read the summary
about the movie somewhere, I find it quite funny.

My Full Thanksgiving Weekend

2006-11-26T23:36:00.000-08:00

I finally got a decent break from school this
past week. Thanks to Thanksgiving! BUT, I
must say the eating madness started a day
earlier and a couple days longer than I
expected. So, all weekend was all about
extra hours of sleep and over-eating. I am
very thankful for finally gaining back some
of the things that I have been lacking. Just
thinking about these past few days makes
me full. I hope the laziness doesn't stay with
me for the rest of the semester. I won't let
it. Shoo!

Wednesday: Day #1 - Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner
So, Bonnie invited me to "the friends'" 2nd year
Thanksgiving dinner at her house in SF. Thank
you for the invite and taking the time to cook a
scrumptious meal for all of us. It's greatly app-
reciated. The get-together was really fun and
it was a great way to kick off the break. The
food was yum, the random pics were funny,
and Cranium is always a good game to play.
Oh, and we had a good laugh in the end when
we did icebreakers. Jean's laugh is so contagious!

Roomies

My favorite pot holder

OoOo...check out those mashed potatoes and salad

Paul trying to open the cider with his teeth and not succeeding

Happy early Birthday Gerald!

Sassy

Photo fun!

The guys...if only Es was there

All but one

Thursday: Day #2 - Thanksgiving Day
Went to my uncle's house in the city for our
yearly tradition. Same, usual stuff. We all
eat at random times throughout the whole
day. The kids run around nonstop and pre-
tend they're in some sort of club. The adults
gossip and ask the same questions. "Do you
have a boyfriend?" or "You're really 20 years
old?!" They just want to dig out such oh-so-
interesting information, so that they can
make conversations a little more juicier. I
probably wouldn't say anything anyway.
What they don't know makes things a little
more fun and spontaneous.

More food to check out

My cousin got it hard: food coma

Load #2 - Boy, do I look excited

I ate soo much that night I couldn't sleep! I felt so
bloated my stomach felt like a huge balloon. I
wanted to prick my stomach with a needle, so it
would Kablaam! burst like in cartoons. Never again.

Friday: Day #3 - Shopping Day
Was I one of those people who waited in line all night
to get a hold of the cheapness of products? Heell no!
I already hate having to wake up early and I would
just get more grouchy if I were to be surrounded by
raging shoppers fighting over stuff that somehow
became of main importance in their lives. I did go to
the mall later on in the day though. My cousin
wanted her daughter to take pictures at Picture
People for her 3rd birthday. That was a pain in the
ass. After that, my mood just went down the pipes.
It was nice seeing Bonnie working at the picture
place, but she got to see a side of me that she
probably never seen before. HaHa. It was nice
seeing Jon too at the lovely Boudin's. I never
want to take kids shopping again.

Saturday: Day #4 - My niece/god-daughter's Birthday
I got up early today to go to Chuck E. Cheese for
Courtney's birthday shindig. Good thing it was
held earlier in the day 'cause that meant less
kids. I sat at the table most of the time. There
was hecka food! The cake was the best part.
Soo goood! Happy Birthday "Diana Ross!" I
loove yoo!

Later on that night I went to Richard's early
birthday dinner at TGIF. So many birthdays
this week! I had fun. I got to see old friends
who I haven't seen in a long time. I finally
got to meet Rich's girlfriend, which was nice.
Everyone is still the same. Richard is not a
teen anymore. Happy early Birthday Broham!

Geography Journal Number Twelve

2006-11-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

In Chapter 16, we learned about erosional
coastal processes and landforms, which
caught my attention because I have
actually been on a wave-cut platform and
I knew exactly what the teacher was
talking about. I climbed up to the top of
the platform and the view was amazing.
I also wondered how the structure was
made. It resembled a pyramid with huge
steps. I researched it in the book. A wave-
cut platform happens when wave action
cuts a horizontal bench in the tidal zone
and extends from a sea cliff out into the
sea. Over time, if the relationship between
land and sea level changes, terraces and
multiple platforms form like stairsteps.
It is weird how nature works. The plat-
form that I stood on was in San Diego at La
Jolla Beach. I actually like that beach better
than Ocean Beach in San Francisco. It is
usually too cold to go there.

Congrats to the K.F.W class!

2006-11-19T16:44:00.000-08:00

Activation:

Yay! Every single one of the K-Dubs crossed.
They are now official Gamma Betans! And...
Aleida and Kari are officially in the family!

Trustworthy

G.A.S minus Eddy

I'm the original "Chapter Advisor" biznatch!

Freshman year friends...where's Brenda?

Wonderful Ex-Comm plus Albert

Banquet:

It was pretty good. I would of had more fun if
I wasn't so tired and somewhat sick. There
was plenty of food. At least our historian
video worked. The whole thing was literally
made last minute. Kudos to Ke'ala and Steven
for their imitation of Paul and I. They were
right on! Funny.

Congrats to these two for winning pledge awards!

Trustworthy table

Look what my little made me! Loove it!

"The Crazy 88." Paul really looks like his character.

Hey look! It's Paul and "Paul?"

The only picture with my mask. It hurts to wear it.

Geography Journal Number Eleven

2006-11-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

What is the difference between caves and caverns?
Nothing. They are the same, just different words.
A cavern is just a bigger cave. In the beginning, I
thought there was a difference. I have always
wondered what it would be like to go into a cave.
I would definitely visit one. I have two thoughts
when I hear the word cave or cavern. One is an
episode of "Scooby Doo", my favorite cartoon, and
the other is "GoldenEye N64," my favorite shooting
video game. Usually, I would assume that people
would think about bats first. I just have weird way of
comparing things. I looked up two terms that are
associated with caves. Stalactite, also called a drip-
stone, is a type of mineral that hangs from the ceilings
of limestone caves. Stalagmite is the same, but instead
of hanging from the ceiling, they rise from the grounds
of the limestone caves. Some of them look like icicles.

Geography Journal Number Ten

2006-11-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

The lecture that we had today contained topics
that I really wanted to learn about. The mat-
erial that the teacher covered in class involved
earthquakes and volcanoes. Sometimes I think
about earthquakes and how overdue we are for
one. At least that is what I heard. I get worried
about the outcome of an earthquake. I also think
about the strength of an expected earthquake.
Will it be worse than the Loma Prieta in 1989?
I really hope not. I barely remember what
happened during that earthquake. I was only 3
years old at the time. The only thing that I can
recall was that there was a blackout. I do not
even think that our apartment complex got
destroyed. My mind goes crazy sometimes and
I start thinking about an earthquake hitting right
at that moment. I scare myself sometimes. Also,
when we were learning about Mount St. Helens,
I got excited because I did a report about it in
junior high, so I knew some facts about it. The
picture I drew of the volcano is what I remember
most about the report. It is a little similar to the
picture below.

Muse - "Starlight"

2006-11-05T03:47:00.000-08:00

This is the song that I am currently and continuously listening
to at the moment. I just can't stop listening to it and I hate that
because that means I'm going to get tired of the song quicker.

I don't want that, but I think this will be one of those songs that I
will never get tired of. What can I say about it? Somehow the song
just makes me happy. I envision being in the comfort of my home-
town and watching the bright sun rise at dawn while this song

plays. Corny, I know, but really...this is what comes to mind first.

It also brings me back to when I was a kid for some reason. I don't

know. It's a great song! His voice reminds me of the lasting power

of Bono's echoing intonation combined with Thom Yorke's haunt-

ing/mesmerizing style. I like. Now, listen and enjoy the music!

By the way, I hate the "Halloween" movie theme song. It's torture
for my imagination!

Happy Halloween Folks!

2006-10-31T01:24:00.000-08:00

Don't have too much fun. I hope
everyone has a safe day. Remember...
don't eat too much candy either! It's bad
for you, I promise.

This is how I've been feeling so far this week.
Aah, help me survive. When kids are out and
about excited about their costumes and candy,
I'll be sitting here studying bones, blood, respir-
ation, urine, and health. Sounds like everything
a victim may lose in a horror flick aye? My day
is scary enough. I'm going to kill this midterm.

Excessive consumption of Halloween candy makes
me ill. Seriously. I feel like I got bashed in the head
and now I feel maliciously crappy. Boo!

Geography Journal Number Nine

2006-10-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

After the midterm that we took today, we watched
a movie that introduced what we will be learning about
in the second half of the semester. The movie focused
more about geology, which I realized is a lot more inter-
esting after watching the movie. I think the main thing
I knew about geology is that it is the study of rocks. The
subject covers more than that. The movie talks about
the different layers in the earth's core. There are four
layers: the inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust.
The movie also talks about how mountains and canyons
are formed. I was more interested in learning about why
volcanoes and eathquakes occur. The animation in the
movie captured my attention. I think I would have a lot
more fun learning about the different topics of geology.
I have a lot of pictures that I can use from previous
road trips as well, which should be very exciting.

Geography Journal Number Eight

2006-10-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

Today was an interesting day because we had
a guest speaker come in to talk about weather.
He is meteorologist John Farley from NBC. His
presentation was quite entertaining. It seemed
all natural to him like he has done plenty of
presentations before. I like how he had a sense
of humor while talking about a subject that many
people just do not know much about. I actually
got a better sense of what meteorology is all
about. I have a friend who is majoring in meteor-
ology that came to the presentation as well, and
I understand what she is feeling now. She always
said that people did not get why she was so inter-
ested in meteorology. It really is interesting and
she is thankful that some people actually see that
now. I thought it was funny when John was men-
tioning that meteorologists are 85% accurate in a
short-term forecast. He said he was 90%. Funny
man! I have not seen him on t.v. yet. I am just
curious about what he is like in front of the camera.

A little venting...

2006-10-17T01:47:00.000-07:00

It's late and all I can think about is
how this week sucks. It only started
yesterday. Too much going on in my
head. I hate worrying about things.
Makes my weird side come out. It's
like I really wish I was in a shell that
could block away everything around
me. So then my mind makes me go
crazy with all the worries and
thoughts that run forever. I don't
even know why I do this to myself.
Thinking too much. A lot of the time,
I'm unsatisfied. Like with my paper
for Geography. I hope I don't screw
up my next project this week. So so so
much to do. Let me take this moment
to say the week sucks. Open my eyes
and process it more. It will be over in
no time. Still, the cycle never ends.
Time to embrace my precious break:
sleep. In six hours, it will be another
slap in the face.

I just wrote this so that my hair could
dry. But seriously, this week sucks ass!
I don't feel like socializing. I'll be inside.

Geography Journal Number Seven

2006-10-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

I just read an article online about a big hail-
storm that took place in Armidale, New
South Wales. I have never heard of any-
thing like it before learning about the
subject in class and reading about one of the
occurances. I have seen a strong hailstorm
before, but the hailstones were probably as
big as pearls. The story that I read contain-
ed hailstones close to the size of baseballs.
This hailstorm took place on September 29,
1996 at approximately 3:30 p.m. In a short
period of time, the storm got stronger and
more violent. Bigger pieces of hailstones
were falling from the sky, breaking car win-
dows and t.v. satellites, and even tree bran-
ches. It seemed like an intense storm that
may have been a disturbance to people in
houses. It probably sounded like other
people were throwing objects at the house.
It turns out that 80% of the buildings and
about 3000 cars were destroyed. The da-
mages were not too severe, however. It did
take around 200 million dollars to repair.
For a person standing outside, it must feel
like people are throwing snowballs at him/
her, which can hurt. Fortunately, no one
died during this hailstorm.

Celebrity Status

2006-10-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to the Campus
Movie Festival with some old
friends. It was good times re-
uniting and connecting. They
all seemed excited to go to the
event. I went to support the
makers of some of the films that
were especially made for the
CMF. There were four groups
that I knew who were part of it.
One group was Jen W., Mike, Paul,
and Theo. Another was James and
his crew. Then, there was Caroline
and her crew. And, there was David
John and his posse. I think all four
groups did a pretty good job on their
films. I have my opinions on them,
as well as the others films I have
seen, but I would rather be asked
about it than jot them down here. I
was pretty amazed with some of the
films they showed in terms of quality
and effects. Margaret Cho should of
had more onstage time.

I had a great time watching the show
with old buddies. My friend, Richard,
liked this one film in particular because
he was diggin' the music. He had so
much compassion for two slow songs.
What a softie! Anyhow, I think we had a
little too much fun after it ended. Check
it...

Jefferson High Kids: Perik, Me, Rich, and Alvin

Oceana High Kids: Bonnie, Tiff, Jean, Paul, and Lalaine

Shots from the CMF Red Carpet...

"The Stylish, Golden Couple"

"The Designer"

"The Heiress"

"The Stressed Director"

"The New Charlie's Angels"

"The Starstruck Bystander"

"The Up-and-Coming Duo" Bitches!

We're all celebrities now. That was
simply amazing. After, we all headed
to the Cheesecake Factory. Yes, this
was the second night in a row. Can't
get enough of it. It was a special occ-
asion after all. No cheesecake this time.
Sigh.

Family Photos

2006-10-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here's some shots that I wanted
to share from this past week.
Pictures are fun...

Bowling Night

Papa Leema and kids

The pledges got our sign down

Trustworthy Family Dinner @ Cheesecake Factory

Line Pics:

G.A.S kids (missing Anisha)

The Ultimate Family

The dinner had a good turnout for a plan made
last minute, which was Mike's nice idea. It was
entertaining and yummy. It's always hard to
communicate with a big group at a table. I think
everyone had a good time though. I hope Aleida
and Kari had a nice experience at their first
family dinner. I had things to think and worry
about, but the get-together helped me forget for
a little bit. My cheesecake was delish as always!

Geography Journal Number Six

2006-10-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Chapter 7 has an interesting section about
different types of clouds and fog. I did not
even know that there were different kinds.
People can categorize certain types of clouds
by observing their appearances. These types
of clouds include stratus, cirrus, and cumulus
(which has a shape). The height of a cloud can
also be determined and categorized. These
clouds are called cirro and alto. Nimbus clouds
are clouds that bear rain. I like altocumulus
clouds because they have a fish-bone shape.
I also like cumulus clouds because they are
puffy and remind me of pillows. I am not fond
of cumulonimbus clouds, however, because I
get scared of lightning and thunder. In terms
of fog, I am used to foggy weather because I
used to live in Daly City, which is known for its
never-ending foggy weather. I cannot imagine
what it would be like to experience the "Tule
Fog." I bet it is really scary and obviously dan-
gerous. I picture myself sitting in the back of
a car with my hand over my eyes like I am
watching a horror movie, but instead, it is be-
cause the car is driving through thick fog.

Ready to drop.

2006-10-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

Have not slept yet. Yet, I'm
still online doing this. Oy...

Service #1 - Running on no sleep. Yes, applies to both of us.

This is how we feel in the early morning. I almost fell asleep standing.

So tired she couldn't stand it

Service #2 - A little more energized. This is my soccer buddy!

My "Lil sister" Vannie. The kids really thought she was.

Still, the day wasn't over after this.

What's the point of this blog? This is what happened
when both Big and Lil went through a whole, busy day
experiencing sleep deprivation. We survived it all.
My eyes are ready to rest now. Good night! Thud.

Exactly a year ago...

2006-10-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

I found out who my Big was.
I have known Tiffany Ma for
a whole year now. I feel like
I've known her for many.
She's amazing! I <3 you Biggits!
Thanks for everytang. (Don't
worry, you'll get your late present.)

BSR Fall 2005

My lovely line

Trustworthy Bigs and Littles - Gas Class

BSR Fall 2006

Big and Lil - Happy One Year Sistah!

K.F.W Class Littles

T-Dubs!

I had fun at BSR. Wish more
people came out though. Oh
well, I'm in the best family! <3

Mr. Arteest

2006-10-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

"Mike the Artist" is what this photo is called.
He really was an artist! Check out that stance.
He's in character. He looks like he's posing
for a calendar photo shoot for November.
This gorilla is great!

Gorilla Art

2006-10-04T01:24:00.000-07:00

So, Tiff was telling me about some
of the speeches that she was
listening to in her class. One of
them was about these two gorillas,
Michael and Koko, who painted their
own interpretations of certain things
in life. I wanted to see the paintings, so
I looked them up and learned. You see,
Michael had a serious passion for art
and his paintings. Koko only painted for
fun. Apparently, Michael was pretty
good at describing emotions, memories,
and lies through sign language. This
probably contributed to the specific
meanings of his artwork. Some human
artists were actually envious of the art-
work because of the credibility the
pieces have earned. The art was "pure."

"Anger" by Michael
What he thought and painted of this emotion.

"Love" by Koko
Her flavor of love. She knew this one pretty well.

"Dinosaur" by Michael
He used his favorite T-Rex toy
to help himself out with this one.
He used the toy to get the scales
effect.

"Stink Gorilla More" by Michael
A bouquet of flowers. "Stink"
meant flower or the odor.

"Apple Chase" by Michael
My favorite. It's the most accurate
one obviously and he did it from
memory. He must have really
adored his dog, Apple, whom he
loved to chase.

I have no life in the wee hours of
the night when I really should just
sleep.

Can't sleep just yet no. I'm watching a
"Miami Ink" marathon.

Geography Journal Number Five

2006-10-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

What do garlic and early morning have in common?
Not breakfast. The aroma of garlic can be smelled
during the coolest time in the morning. I did not
know that until it was mentioned. One day after
that, though, I definitely smelled it and it was really
clear. When I think back, I realized that I would
smell food outside sometimes. I just thought that
people were cooking delicious breakfast. Gilroy
apparently processes garlic now. The wind coming
from the northwest is supposedly very strong, so
that is why the strong scent of garlic is carried in
the air, and it can be smelled in certain areas.
I wonder if anybody else notices the early morn-
ing scent. Speaking of garlic in Gilroy, I have been
to the Garlic Festival twice. I really like eating the
garlic popcorn. I have never tried the garlic ice
cream that everyone seems to talk about. I should
one day, especially since the festival always takes
place in super hot weather. The heat makes it hard
to have fun.

T.R.P. Kids

2006-09-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

This past week sucked. Tired. Yester-
day was a day that I looked forward to
though. Two of my middle school
friends, Perik and Brandon came down
to visit. I really didn't think they were
serious about it. The other three guys
didn't show up, but that's okay. I have
known these two since sixth grade. I
haven't seen Brandon in five years.
It's so weird, but so nice to see him
again. He goes to Santa Clara Univer-
sity and is going to graduate next year.
That's what he said. Perik, on the other
hand, is a working man. He works at a
company called "Nice Collective" in S.F.
He works as a fashion designer/graphic
designer. Wow! He says that he's their
bitch over there. Good for him. His
dream is to work in New York for Marc
Jacobs. I can see that happening.
Brandon wants to work at New York
Life Insurance. High ambitions these
two have.

I had a fun time hanging out. It was a
good way to end all the stress. Well,
most of it anyway. We ate at Miyake,
had a crazy journey searching for
dessert and "Take on Me" by Ah-ha
on Perik's CDs, picked up dessert at
Santana Row, and came back to our
apartment and engaged in a photo
shoot. Those two are super and so full
of energy. I missed them, even if I
went to high school with Perik. Those
boys are good friends. Thanks for
coming dudes! Thanks Perik for driving
too! I'm looking forward to more hangouts.

My "deciding what to order" face

Playing "Six Degrees"

Enjoying

What's wrong with this picture? Perik.

A good one. Brandon and us girls.

Paranormal.

Group shot!

Blue...like someone's expression

"So, when are we going to hang out again?"
they ask. I don't know, you guys tell us.
Come on, Brandoc, we need to go photo
shooting one day! He said we would. Oh,
he also said that I changed a little bit. It
must be the hair.

Geography Journal Number Four

2006-09-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

During this week's lecture, one of the topics
that I found interesting was about land-
water heating differences.

The main difference that I learned is that land
warms and cools faster while water warms and
cools slower. I was so interested in the facts
and the diagram of the topic, that I took more
notes about it during the lecture. I learned
that water will evaporate when it is heated.
According to the book, it states that "84% of
all evaporation on Earth is from the oceans."
Water is also transparent and light can shine
through it in a depth of 200 feet. Solid ground
is obviously not transparent. Water has a spe-
cific heat, which refers to the amount of energy
it takes to heat an item, compared to land.
Water has movement as well. It is capable for
water to mix, such as surface and deep currents.
Land is solid. In terms of marine vs. continental
effects, water heats up slower than sand even
when there are equal amounts. Although most
of these comparisons are common sense, I was
still interested in learning about them. When I
think of the deep ocean, I think of how scared I
am of water. I think it is because I almost drowned
when I was younger, and that caused me to be
traumatized for life.

New Found Glory's New Album

2006-09-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

(Look. The CD's personalized)
The album just came out this past Tuesday.
The style is a lot different from their prev-
ious albums. I like to call this new one their
"settling down" album. A good amount of
the songs talk about relationships and their
sound has really toned down. In their older
songs, their song topics were more of a var-
iety and contained high energy riffs and
beats. Now, you can really tell that they're
starting to hit the reality of being in long-
term relationships and building families.
The singer is also singing to his fullest
ability. They did say that this album is the
sound that they have been wanting and are
fully satisified with it. This album was re-
corded in the same house where Incubus
recorded their "Morning View" album. Now
this album was also the album that changed
Incubus' eccentric style of music. They too
became a little mellow after recording in
that house. Must be some kind of paradise.

I think I'm starting to get used to NFG's CD.
It's such a big difference that I kinda can't
believe that it's them. I'm not saying that I
don't like it. I just need to adjust to it. I'm
just going to keep listening to it for a couple
of days or so. Meeting them again brought
back great memories. I love this band! I
want to see them in concert again. Oh...
and no they're not a Christian rock band.
They're punk.

Like the Good Ol' Days

2006-09-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Lalaine and I went to
see New Found Glory at Tower
Records in Mountain View. They
were doing a signing over there
and we figured we would go
since it was so simple to meet
them. It was a wait in line until
you get to the table to meet them
kind of deal. In the beginning, we
weren't that excited because we
knew that it was just going to go
by and we weren't going to say
anything to them. Like what the
heck do you say to people that
you don't really know? Sure,
they're in a band and there
could be plenty of questions you
can ask about their new album
or something. Still, sometimes
you feel weird for asking such
questions. NFG's a well-known
band, but they're really easy-
going and approachable. What
I like most about them is that
they're just like their fans. They
come out to hang out with them
after shows. One of the nicest
group of fellas in their industry.
Their sense of humor is also a
plus in my book. Hilarious!

So, when Lalaine and I were
looking for the place, we got
so lost that Lalaine was start-
ing to get a little road rage
out. It turned out that the
Tower Records was so much
closer to the beginning of the
last road we turned on than
where we ended up. The funny
thing was that it also ended up
being at the same area as the
place I was making comments
about. There was a restaurant
named "La Salsa" and I kept
saying the name in weird ways,
so Lalaine and I kept laughing
as we passed through it. So, I'm
blaming "La Salsa" for distract-
ing us. Haha. Kidding.

Meeting the band was an okay
experience. It was just like I
expected it to be. It was quick
and I didn't even really say
much. There was this fool who
hecka cut me right when we
were at the table though. I
was pissed because he talked
so much that he stole my
thunder. All of the guys were
paying attention to him and
I was just there standing next
to him waiting for them to sign
my CD. I really wanted to tell
him to shut up, but I didn't
have the guts to do it. He
ruined my moment. Lalaine
had better times. She took
pictures of and with them.
Hey, and they even said her
name right, which is a big
thing to her. I'm not deva-
stated or anything. At least
I accomplished one thing: I
made Chad (guitarist) laugh.
Yes! Points for me! It's a big
deal because their humor is
so outrageous, I didn't think
I could be a person to set off
his haha's. Overall, it was fun
seeing and meeting NFG again.

Messin' around in line...

Lalaine looks so happy. Haha

Me...and the guy who kept yappin' away.

Chad and Jordan

Ian and Cyrus

Lalaine and Steve

Why we got lost. I look really pissed.

Say it...with attitude

2006-09-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

"Break it, so I can sue you!" - Quote of the day

Geography Journal Number Three

2006-09-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

One interesting topic that I learned
about last week was about Joseph
Kittinger and his participation in
Project Excelsior. I was so amused
with the brief story of his excursion
that I wanted to do a little more research
on it. Kittinger did the project with the
ambition to determine the issues of high
altitude bailout. Apparently, he took
several of these high altitude flights with a
high altitude balloon and open gondola. His
record-breaking flight occured on August
16, 1960, since he did reach an altitude of
102,800 feet, and the highest parachute jump.
His record fall lasted four minutes and
thirty-six seconds. His parachute opened
when he was at about 14,000 feet.
Then, he landed eight minutes after that point.

Now that is what I call intense skydiving.
He was ultimately brave for doing all of
these high altitude projects. I can barely
stand being in airplane altitudes and he
flew much higher than that. I give him
much appreciation for his courage. I
found out that Joseph Kittinger is still
alive and flying. It is obvious that he has
a huge passion for it. If I were to inter-
view him, I would ask him what his
secret is. I know I am terrified of flying
and I just want to know what he feels
about it. I also want to know more in
depth about what he felt during the
whole experience of the project,
physically and emotionally.

The moment I have been waiting for...for weeks

2006-09-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

Yay! My camera finally came in after weeks
and weeks of miscommunications and emails.
I had to re-order it and now it's next to me
on my couch as I write this. I played with it
for a little bit after I took it out of our package
mailbox. It's exciting to have, but everyone
else is probably used to having a camera. Hey,
gimme some time. It's just like all new things
you want and get, it's exciting to have in the
beginning and you get used to it until you get
something else. This is the current object of
my affection. Something to play with every-
day, for now.

What do you want, may I ask?

2006-09-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

So, two nights ago was a

scary night. Lalaine, Tiffany,

and I were all doing our own

things out in our living room

when out of nowhere some-

one knocked on our door. It

was almost 1AM! Who the

heck would that be? Normally

if people were to come over

they would call first or some-
thing. The knocking was so
gentle, it would of been im-
possible for anyone to hear
in any other room. Both
Lalaine and Tiffany looked
through the peep hole (I'm
too short to even try) and
saw someone they did not know at
all. Supposedly he was a guy with a
gray shirt, a mustache, and some-
thing to drink. At one point, he tried
turning the knob as if he would have
easy access to get inside. What the
heck was he thinking? He kept
making the same attempts during
different time periods within the hour.
Finally, we decided to all go into the
bedroom, so we can shut off all the
lights to shoo him off.

2AM was approaching and I was ready to
call it a night. I layed in bed and once again
heard the footsteps nearing the front
door. The knob on the door was trying
to get opened again. Now that really
scared me because it didn't make any
sense why this person kept doing that.
If he really wanted to get someone's
attention, he would have knocked
boisterously or something. I scared the
other girls when I came into their room
to tell them that he was back. Apparently,
he wasn't giving up. I looked through the
crack of the curtains and I saw him, sitting
at the top of the stairs. What did he really
want?

All three of us were standing in front
of the closed-curtain window in the dark.
Then, we all saw his shadow move toward
the door. He moved the knob again. His
actions were way too suspicious, so Lalaine
ended up calling the cops. I stood there with
Tiffany's huge new pan in my hands just in
case. The guy disappeared when the cops
came. The two of them knocked on our door
and asked us questions. "Why did you wait
an hour to call us?" one of them asked. We
just thought he would go away since we
never responded to his knocking. The whole
thing was weird. I hope he doesn't come back.
We have already planned our defense strategies.
Perhaps "Home Alone" serves as inspiration.

Geography Journal Number Two

2006-09-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Last week's lecture had some
pretty interesting topics that
I would like to share in this
entry. Most of the inform-
ation was about what a
typical globe or map of our
world looks like and how to
read the features on it. Some
of the features include: latit-
ude, longitude, great circles
and small circles, and prime
meridian and standard time.
Latitude measures north and
south and a ladder can be
used as an analogy I suppose,
to remember the direction it
measures. Then, longitude
measures east and west and
are not equidistant. Another
interesting fact is that there
will be a new law next year
in which daylight savings
time will start a month
earlier than usual.

http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=84+Godeus+St.+San+Francisco+CA&ie=UTF8&amp;amp;amp;amp;z=19&ll=37.742621,-122.421126&spn=0.000899,0.002076&t=h&om=1

Above is the Google Maps link
to a satellite view of the place
where I used to live when I was
a toddler. I found it interesting
that I can actually zoom in to
the actual building in this
version of map sites. However,
I agree with the teacher that
this form is not always accurate.
In the photo, the arrow points
to a building that is right behind
another building. If I remember,
the apartment that I lived in
should be where the front building
is. Also, the apartment in
the picture is located next to
another street. My apartment was
towards the center of the block.
I think it is a big example of in-
accuracy. Even when I searched
for my current apartment in San
Jose, the location was not right.
The arrow points to a tree and that
is definitely not where I live. It is
an interesting way to find places,
but I do not think it is that reliable.
Plus, it is kind of scary because of
how specific it could get.

Geography Journal Number One

2006-09-04T01:11:00.000-07:00

During Labor Day weekend, I went on a Brotherhood
Camping Fellowship with some members of the co-ed
fraternity that I am involved in. The location of the
three-day event was held at Cooley Ranch in Santa
Rosa. The ranch is private land, so there is no specific
address that can be used to locate it on a map website.
One of the member's (Paige) family owns a portion of the
ranch and she only provided us with directions straight
from her memory. The directions were pretty simple, but
the route on the way there looked a lot more compli-
cated. I think it was due to the fact that we were travel-
ing at night. We went from the highway to a curvy
mountain road that was completely dark. Paige was in
the first car ahead of two others and she was our guide;
so we barely used the written directions.

The ranch is a complicated place to search for in maps
because the place is not indicated specifically. I tried to
search "Cooley Ranch" on mapquest.com, but it did not
give me any direct directions. It did give me a map of
the whole country and some places that had part of the
name in it. However, there is a site that I found on
google.com that provided a better map of Sonoma
County, which is where the ranch resides. There is also
a small map that shows how big the ranch is. These maps
were the most informational sources I could find about
the place. I can understand it since it is private land. If
it was not private, mapquest would of definitely offered
straightforward directions.

So how was the camping trip you ask? I can definitely
tell you all about it. First, to sum it all up, I can say it
was a blast. It was not the kind of camping where all
your resources were whatever nature provided you.
We actually had a little house in the area with a kitchen,
bathroom, dishes, forks, all kinds of goods. We did
try our best to keep it close to the traditional ways
though. I guess I can say that this trip was my first
semi-camping experience. I really should have had
more outings before this. After all, I am a Taurus.

Fri. Sept.1 - Left San Jose to go on a three hour drive up
to Cooley Ranch in Santa Rosa. I left with a majority of
the executive committee members in the fraternity. The
highlight of the drive: stopping on the side of the road
right off the Golden Gate Bridge because the tarp in the
back of Sunshine's (she is the VP of Membership) truck
flew off. It was scary too because she almost got hit by a
speeding bus. The route that we took in the last hour of
the journey reminded me of a typical slasher movie. I
was waiting for some freak with greasy hair, and one blue
and one brown eye to pop up next to the president's
window. That would of been so creepy, but funny at the
same time. At least I did not say that. I probably would
of been the first to go. When we got there, we brought out
all of our equipment and went straight to the tent. We
played verbal games and solved riddles. Then, everyone
knocked out. It took me a while to sleep and when I did,
I kept waking up. I was not used to sleeping without a hard
wall above me. Also, my imagination was running wild.

Sat. Sept.2 - Sleeping in the morning felt great for some reason.
I think it was the cool, fresh air. After breakfast, we learned how
to post up the American flag and then went on a hike toward the
creek. It was all rocks over there, but I managed to find one
shaped as a heart. Aww. My co, Paul, stepped on a little frog.
Poor thing. It lived. After that, all eight of us went on a safari
ride through parts of the ranch. That was a highlight. I got
smacked in the face a couple of times by branches, saw some
wild animals, chased a boar down a path, observed gorgeous
scenery, and got splashed on driving through the creek waters.
It was such a perfect day and it felt really good to explore. Five
more members arrived to join in on the fun. (There were thirteen
of us total.) We all got split into three groups. I was in the green
team, the "Gumbies." I came up with the name. He was the first
thing that came to mind. We had the least people. In our groups,
we did three "workshops" on how to build a campfire, build tents,
and "cross the lava." Our team did the best job with our strategy.
Later on after a delicious dinner, we sat next to the campfire to do
our skits that we planned out beforehand. Our group based our skit
on how to survive a chapter meeting. I had to impersonate someone
that was "too cool" for me. I tried to be as loud as I could. We ate
smores to end the night. Then, everyone did their own thing. I ended
up with the group of people who were telling ghost stories. I did not let
it get to me, but I do have a very imaginitive mind. I slept in the
biggest tent with four other people. In the middle of the night, I heard
scary coyote sounds. They sounded like they were in excruciating pain.
My imaginitive mind was ruling again. I was freaked out!

Sun. Sept.3 - After another morning of breakfast, we all started the day
with a hike. There were huge rocks all over the area that we had to cross
through. I brought up the fact that I felt like I was on the kids show "GUTS."
A couple of us were making fun of it, as if we were on the "agro-crag" that
was always the last challenge in the show. Some of us had to walk across
the creek with our socks and shoes. We reached our destination point and
did icebreakers before we got picked up to go back to our camping site. After
lunch, we had free time to swim while the other five members who came late
went on their safari experience. It was nice to sit around by the pool and
watch people jump into the freezing water. It was like they got shocked with
first contact of the waves. The others also went swimming when they
came back. Then, we all participated in a relay race created by Ron (one of
the VPs of Fellowship). Now this was when the "Real World/Road Rules
Challenge" type of activities came into play. The green team was ahead during
the first half, but the red team won. I could not believe it! They had a riddle
and our team had a 100 piece puzzle to work on. Oh well. It was all fun and
games. I was so worn out after that workout, I went to nap. It was a good one
too. Another campfire night followed dinner and we had to act out another
skit. It had to be about risk management. So, our group just did the whole topic
in general and how it is supposed to be common sense. We concluded campfire
night with sing-alongs, jokes, and banana boats. Yum! Our VPs of Fellowship
ended the whole weekend by connecting our circle by having us hold a rope
and cut pieces to wrap around our wrists. This indicated that our connection and
experience would always be a part of each and every one of us. It was a lovely
moment. The songs that we learned from Sara (the other VP of Fellowship) were
fun to sing. We sounded good.

Mon. Sept.4 - I woke up to a freezing morning. We ate breakfast for the last
time and packed up everything we had. Everyone also had the chance to
sign a huge card for Paige's (one of the Secretaries) super generous parents
for letting us hold our event at their ranch. We all had a grand time the
whole weekend. We even shared our thoughts with each other one last time.
I was going to miss it, but at the same time I was ready to go back to city
life.