what the hell?

I did my laundry today,
When I opened up the washer,
My two best shirts were knotted together
As though they were making out.
Even shirts get more play than I do.

My boss sent me an email today telling me not to come to work but I didn't read it until I got to work but then they ended up locking the gate and now I'm stuck here because my key to the gate doesn't work.

TRAPPED IN COSTA MESA. SEND HELP!

So I guess there's nothing to do but update both of my blogs.

I went to Fullerton on Tuesday because some old high school friends wanted to eat at Waco's Tacos, which turned out to actually be Rockin Tacos, for dinner. We didn't stay long enough to be in any of the pictures that they take every night. Afterwards we went to a Starbucks and just chatted until midnight. It just made me realize how much I need to get out of the state of California, no matter how much I love it, just so I can experience new things. All their talk about iBanking and what not flew right over my head. I also realized that ever since they left Troy, a lot of the girls have been getting their freak on. Haha.

Around 12 the Starbucks closed so I had to get back to Irvine. I lived about 10 minutes away from the Starbucks and I actually got off the freeway to go home but I decided against it thinking, "The rain doesn't seem too bad, I'll just chance it."



This was probably the worst driving experience I've encountered. Not being able to see 5 feet in front of you, having water move your car around like it was a small pebble, and having lights on your dashboard turn on that I've never seen in the two years I've driven the car. All very scary, I thought I was going to bite the big one and die right there. I mean of all places to die I don't really want to die on the 55 Freeway. Driving onto the 73 was just as bad though, right when I got off the connector from the 55 to the 73 I literally had to stop my car because there was zero visibility. I eventually made it back but I had to drive on the left side of Bison into CV because the right side was so flooded.

Update: 1/2: On Wednesday I went to the ARC with Julie and Ali and met up wtih Roo, Le, and Both Davids. Since it was the twin's birthday we decided to go out to eat to celebrate by going to Kabuki's in Cerritos. We were gonna go to Guppys afterwards but the twins needed to go back to UCI so maybe another time for that.

Thursday: Hung out with more Troy people again. We went to go eat at the Pho place near AMC 20 and then we went to Jack In The Box so I could get my fry fix. Then we met up with John Carroll at Tea Zone and then I went home

Friday: New Years at Mark's. Michelle rotates the wrong way to pop open the streamers, Silly String Fight and No Dennys this time.

Year In Pictures 2004

I'll have other updates later.

Thursday: Ate Thanksgiving dinner with the family, then stayed up all night and left at 4AM to goto Best Buy for Black Friday.

Friday Morning: Asuka was nice enough to tag along with me and wait it out but I'm pretty sure she regretted it because even before we got into the store she wanted to leave. Haha TOO BAD.. :/ I got a hard drive and a couple of DVDs. Some Asian family had 5 hard drives which had rebates limited to one household.

Friday Night: There was a lot of confusion about where and when this place was, I tried to call everyone and get it all organized but unfortunately I had very limited amount of time to do it. I'm sorry if I forgot to invite you or if you couldn't make it for one reason or another but I tried my best and it's very hard to remember everyone especially when they never ever ever talk to you even though you spend your whole time on AIM just waiting for that person to IM you and say "hi" or even just sign on AIM.

They also decided to prank me by telling the Buca employees that it was my birthday and as a result I got four waitresses to dance, sing and shake their boobies in front of me. The two in the middle were the best ones out of the group although I might have to reconsider it if I can get a picture from someone. Afterwards we went to Heroes briefly to have a couple of drinks. Then we went over to Don's house to play some Poker which I ended up losing in the end because Mike Chen is a stinkin' cheater.

Saturday: Went with family up to Palm Springs. We were going to goto Cabazon but we couldn't find parking even after an hour so we just left to go gambling. We decided to go eat and we saw a Burger King so we exited only to find out that this was the place where they filmed that scene in that Peewee movie where he's in the T-Rex. So my sisters and I took pictures with the T-Rex and the Brachiosaurus that was there .

After that we drove to the Casino, it was called Aqua something. I decided to play Blackjack even though my previous outing wasn't so good. But I ended up winning $20 even though I was up by about $70 or so at one point. Stupid hustler dealer screwing me out of good cards at the end

Also Troy people: Please post pics of the waitresses at Buca's, thanks.

I had this long thing about my locker from High School except I accidently closed the window.

Let me just say, my locker was my locker. From my four years there no one else used that locker but me. So when I closed that locker for the last time my Senior year I wondered, which Freshmen is going to inherit my locker next year? Will that Freshmen think and wonder about it's previous owner? Probably not. Just like me, the thought of it never really came up until it was pointless because the locker wasn't mine to call mine anymore. So now that it's been another four years. That locker is going to get a new owner within a year and maybe the current owner will be thinking, "who had this locker before me?" But probably not.

So why am I reminiscing about a stupid locker or is this some stupid metaphor or maybe its just because its me writing at 4:30 AM in the morning now even though I started this at 4 only to have to write it again fifteen minutes later.

I guess it's just like 4 years ago all over again. I'm heading into my 4th and final year at UCI, I feel like I've accomplished nothing and I'll probably end up feeling nostalgic about some other stupid inanimate object. I just hope it starts out like my senior year of HS but doesn't end like it did.

Night.

CA Semi Formal was last night. I didn't win for webmaster but I still had a blast.



Linda and her date Van: Van is the brother of one of my oldest friends Don. Van, Don, Linda and I all went to Troy in Fullerton, CA.
She was in Co-ed Dance with me for CA and I will miss her hitting me or stepping on my foot during practices.



Me, Sam, Linda, Ken, Victor



Me and Tiffany: Tiffany is so easy to tease. Maybe 'cause she's such a tease? Haha just kidding.



Me and Caroline: Such a flirt. But what a nice flirt she is!
Too many people already overuse singing that infamous Outkast song about her (or at least just named after her). She's not the reason for the word witch, I don't think anyone wants her to crash, crash, craaaashhhh into a ditch. But the song did get something right, 'all the guys would say she's mighty fine.'



Me and Casey: The other Culture Night Chair. This girl worked her butt off just so we could have a nice show. She went to all the dance rehersals, opened her house for us to party and trash and on top of that she's a fellow ICS major! Go ICS!


Me and Adrienne (x3):
Picture 1: Head cut off
Picture 2: Head cut off
Picture 3: Knees cut off
Bad photographer? I'm too tall? You choose.



Me and Phil: I met Phil at Ski Trip. I talked to him because I had no other choice, he slept in the same room as I did. Haha.



Me and Patricia: Dance Dance Co-Ed Partner. Why does she keep kicking me? Oh it's part of the dance? Right, okay, but we're not doing the dance?



Me and Jack: The "Old Guy" on CA. To me he was just another guy in CA. So very nice, drunk or otherwise. He always made sure things went right and it's going to suck not seeing him next year.



Me and Kat: Next year's CA President.



Me and Sam: Next year's IVP and my current and next year apartment mate. Man you think guys think his hearing is bad? Try having to deal with that every night and then having to deal with him hocking up loogies. Haha just kidding Sam (I'm not kidding about the hearing and loogies though).



Me and Teak: Let me just say that without Teak I would not be in CA at all. If anyone epitomizes what CA is all about, it would be Teak. Nice, funny, outgoing and willing to talk to anyone. I'm glad he was able to show up for a few of the CA meetings this year.


Me and Victor: I don't get why people say this guy eats a lot. I mean when we were freshmen all he would ever do for dinner is eat ONE SERVING of food from Pippin and then leave. Granted Pippin's doesn't have the most ideal food but still. One plate man? That is so weak Victor! But seriously this guy's pretty cool when he isn't being so mean.

Another year of college and CA is over. Just one more year for me.

I say, no matter how bad the photo is, you should never delete something from a digital camera. There are exceptions to be made of course but it feels weird to delete a picture. I don't want to sound corny but I mean you're claiming this moment into a bunch of binary ones and zeroes that will never be duplicated again. Isn't it scary? Like you're deleting time or something. I look through my pictures and there's a number missing so I cringe knowing that I'll never know what I took a picture of and decided it was unworthy to keep.

Just so you don't have to read me mumbling here is a picture of a statue cow.

Apparently I'm part of Jane's Harem even though I never filled out the application to be one. Also I posted the picture (from Jane's private collection, a collection of her harem nude!) because this is the only one I have from that day. My parents camera ran out of batteries and apparently no one wanted to take a picture with me :(

So yesterday was the last day of ICS 171 sans finals. There was this project due as well at midnight so I had to pull an all-labber in the ICS labs. Well I didn't finish because this thing, I managed to complete the 2nd part but not the first. So I went home at around 10 to just get the hell out of there and turn the project in. All I have left to do is study for the final on Tuesday.

Also, I missed the NFL season because of this project. But eh, Washington vs NY Jets... not exactly the most exciting of games but c'mon the first game of the season and I missed it :(

Edit: I forgot to mention a few things.

The glow from the lights in UCI give off this nostalgiac type of feel. When I look at them it reminds me of so many things that has happened the past two years. The one thing I associate them with most from Freshmen year was after leaving the ICS labs.

When I left the ICS lab on Thursday, it was dark outside, which reminded me of Freshmen year, 1st quarter where the whole ICS H22 class would be literally stuck in the ICS labs until 1:00 or so, whenever it was due. I also remember going to the Denny's a lot before it was shut down by Kerpal and his two types of chicken.

Sophmore year, most of my memories about the lights are walking down from Campus Village to go to the bridge to walk over to the University Center to get some boba at Cha. Ah, the classic Cha Run. Such good memories from Erik and I walking down to the bridge talking about various things.

So I guess the point of this was that I get so nostalgic about everything I see. I don't really enjoy things when they are currently happening. Not until some time has past and something I see triggers that memory do I miss those times.

When I went to eat sushi with Don, Jimmy, John Shin, Derek, Gary, and Victor. I drove to Don's house for the first time in a while. All I could think about were the parties we had in his house from the past two years. Looking at it now and then thinking back to when the place was full of people and how we totally trashed his house... haha just kidding Don...

I think I might have written about this before (LOL REDUX!!!) but I love The Wonder Years. But I mean who doesn't? It's such a great show. I mean not to sound like every other article written about the show but it really reflects what an average teen goes through in their lives. Sure it is set in the 60s/70s but the stories are just as relevant today because it's about all the same things: parents, friends, girlfriends, sports, peer-pressure and narration by your older self.

But speaking seriously about the style of narration for the show... I think that kind of relates to me because I'm always looking into the past and reflecting upon my choice of action and viewing it from the point of perspective I have now. I mean some of the funniest moments from that show came when the narrator already knows what has happened but we're watching it unfold for the first time (unless you've watched it before).

And Winnie Cooper, Winnie Friggin' Cooper. I think she represents what most guys wanted back in high school, right? Not the hottest girl in school but just someone who was beautiful, who worried more about things other than how she looked all the time, just someone who wasn't so self-absorbed or shallow. Even though technically they didn't end up together at the end of the series (and from what I recall never again), Kevin and Winnie represent the sort of soulmate ideology so many people at that age believe. Basically, "They're perfect for each other, what could go wrong?" kind of idealism. And I think I like the fact that they don't get together as it shows that not everything you want in life will happen, not even if it's "destined to happen."

I think I've written too much already so I'll just end it here.

So my cousin graduated from high school on Friday and my sister graduated from college on Sunday. I helped them take a lot of pictures with their friends.

This is in complete contrast to what happened during my graduation. My family stayed outside 'cause they thought that I was going to come out. The whole time though I was waiting inside for them. :(

Yeah so anyone who has a picture w/ me at graduation from two years ago. I MUST HAVE IT!!!

I also decided that I must clean up my room at home. It's been really really dirty for the past year or so. The walls are really icky too. Lots of tape and stuff left over from posters. You know how some calendars and posters have that sticky solid material on the back? The stuff that looks like its a piece of foam only its white and sticky. Well never use those to put stuff on the wall. It fucked up the walls in my room. I think I'm gonig to put up some posters to make it look better.

Another problem is that I'm a huge pack rat. I have all this random shit from Junior High and High School. I just can't seem to bring myself to throw away stuff even if it was like a homework assignment that I got a bad grade on. I need boxes to store these in, place them in an attic and then come back in 5 years and go through the stuff... I kinda have a box like this for all my stuff from senior year of high school. All the stuff I collected from the dances, alot of my ASB gear (well my jumpsuit, visor and sweater), and my notes from my classes. I'm accumulating a lot of stuff from my college days.

I also should probably put up some picture collage like James and Pranav have. But I dunno, I don't like that idea too much because if someone comes over and sees that theres only one picture of them on the wall, they'll probably be wondering why I don't have more pictures of them. I was joking with Pranav the other day about why he only has one picture of me on his wall of friends collage. Of course I was just joking and now that I think about it, I'm glad he only has one picture of me. *Gaydar goes off*

So my second year here at UCI ended, I took my last final today at 8AM and went up to the wire trying to complete it. And now Donny just moved out and went home to attend his sister's graduation... at Troy

Has it really been two years since we've graduated? I still vividly remember the graduation practice and the first bonfire we had. Now two years later it seems as though time flies by so fast yet I feel like I haven't done too much in my college career. But then again I recall feeling somewhat incomplete at the end of my sophmore year at Troy. I think what will really count is what I do with my next two years at UCI. I think Junior/Senior year were the most fun I've had so I'm hoping for a repeat of that. Joining CA this year has me definitely looking forward to next year.

So much has happened this year, which I guess I will write about later on when I have nice long break to write about it. I will be busy until about Sunday or Monday so have fun everyone who is coming back this weekend. Everyone should give me a phone call or IM so we can plan something. We all must hang out sometime, yes?

My dad called me earlier tonight.

As my mom is usually the one who calls me, and I knew my dad would only call if there was a technical problem, so I knew that there was something wrong.

It took him a while to get the words out. I'm not sure if he couldn't bring himself to say it or if he was too scared for me...

He told me that my grandpa (his dad) had died.

This wasn't exactly unexpected news. My mom had gone back to Taiwan a while ago to visit him in the hospital. They really didn't explain too much to me about it, just that he was very weak and in the hospital.

While I understood the situation. Death to me is still an unexpected thing. This is the first person that I knew who has died. I had seen a video of my great grandfather's funeral when I was little but I hardly knew him.

My only real memory with him consisted of him and I playing catch when I was real young. Since he hadn't visited the States in a while and I never having the chance to go back either, the last time I saw him was when I was in the 4th/5th grade.

When my dad told me the news, I felt empty inside. Mainly because I was trying to imagine that the person who I had played catch with when I was young, didn't exist anymore. To me, that's mind-boggling. It's just so incomprehensible to me. I don't know if that counts as an emotional response but that's all I could feel at the time. Trying to figure out whether someone who once existed and interacted with me could now... not exist, at least in corporeal form.

I know many of my friends this year have experienced the same thing. I apologize if I didn't say anything beforehand and I hope my silence wasn't represented as lack of respect. Like I said, I haven't dealt with death before I would feel out of place trying to comfort someone when I myself have no experience. Even now though I still don't feel that anything I say would help with the loss.

School's started again.

I had two classes today, one at 8 and one at 11. Waking up at 8 wasn't that bad but I think it caught up to me because I fell asleep at my 11 'O Clock class.

Edit: This is indeed a sad day. My hardcore cool blue sunglasses that I've had since the end of senior year in high school has unexpectedly died.

Let us all have a moment of silence.

20, a nice even round number. Half way to 40, quarter of a way to 80.

Today was the second time at a birthday party for Mark. Only this time it wasn't near Diamond Bar, and this time it was without Don and since there was no Don there was no way for us to get lost in Puente Hills and therefore end up ending at Chili's; not that that would have been bad.

Anyways Mark shows up in a blindfold and we all laugh, hahaha... The servers seemed really rude at the beginning just because we needed another table. We ate and chatted for most of the dinner.

Lots of pictures that I wish there was some way to post them on my website.

Afterwards we went to go get boba and then to Pranav's to play some Halo.

Sometimes I can think of a great title but not a great writeup. Sometimes I can think of a great writeup but severly lacking in its title.

This time I don't really have either a great title nor a great writeup to follow it. But I felt like writing...

1. Why doesn't anyone update with any frequency?


2. I joined a club, club Chinese Association


3. For joining CA, I went with them to the beach (late night bonfire)


4. I saw someone get pants*, and no it was not a girl.


5. The Super Bowl is tomorrow and I have yet to mention it until now. Probably because not many of my friends are big football fans. Go Raiders because I want to see Tim Brown win a Super Bowl.


6. I thoroughly enjoyed Donnie Darko. I think that it would have made more sense to people if they also introduced the time travel pamphlet they mention in the movie. There's a website for it so if anyone wants the link, just IM me.


7. At present I have about 169 people on my buddy list, of which I talk to about 30 on a regular basis and with conversations. Add ten to the total if you count the number of people who only IM me because they want something from me. (When is this essay due? Do you have the problems from two days ago?)


8. Erik recently regained his yearbook from an anonymous female and that got me to think about my yearbook and all these people who wrote keep in touch in my yearbook and left their phone numbers and e-mail addresses. I wonder if I should try them and see if they're actually real. Oh yeah and speaking of my yearbook: Ross forgot to sign mine.


9. Speaking of which, Liz and Ross are big supporters of this site, yet I never talk to them online.


10. Does it make me a phony if I call those numbers, e-mail to those addresses or talk to Liz and/or Ross?


11. I mean phony in the sense as in would they think I am like one of those ten people on my buddy list. Someone with a hidden agenda and only IM'ing you now because I want something from you guys. Like maybe I want you guys to switch your phone service from AT&T to MCI.


12. But I think I'm worried more about what I would say then worried about being phony. I think a lack of topical conversation is my biggest concern when I talk to people.


13. Speaking of which, is my writing terrible? I try to put some sense of humor into my writing but I don't think I'm a terribly great writer. I'd actually prefer to talk to people rather than write to people. Inflection, Intonation and Timing.


14. I miss everyone but they're all up north, all the way east or just too busy here with their jobs.


15. I feel like one of those people who reminisces too much about high school. But people say that high school is the most exciting period in your life. But that's only if you were some kind of mega-popular captain-of-everything kind of person. High school for me was just too much drama, way more than I bargained for. I think if I ever become a writer (read: UNLIKELY) for some high school tv show then I would have plenty to write about.


16. I like UCI, it is a safe environment. But a little too safe. A car can make it more exciting. Car can go far. Car can go far enough to get boba.

My updates are kind of lagging so bear with me.

On Thursday, Victor came by UCI to visit. He brought along Minority Report, which I had already seen but not on the wide screen TV at Arroyo.

And afterwards we watched another movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Now while I enjoyed this movie as a kid, I still enjoy this movie now but not because of the same reason. When I was a kid, this movie was all about the action. Turtles flying, Foot Soldiers... flying, and Casey Jones. Looking at it now, it's more of a comedy. The same things happen but the movie just seems dumber and more of a joke than anything else. That's why some things are better left in your childhood. When you're smaller you enjoy what you're doing rather than trying to pick up the flaws and figure out what's wrong with everything. Take the movie American Ninja. I use to watch that movie every single day when I was really young. The action scenes to me at the time were just awesome. FREAKING NINJAS I TELL YOU!

So about 2 years ago I recently came across it on some cable network and I'm watching this scene where the main character (Joe I believe) is in this warehouse and he's being ambushed by all these ninjas. He goes into some room where you can't see any of him but the shadow through the window. Then suddenly you hear some hitting and grunting and ninjas are flying everywhere. If it had been the same 7/8 yr old kid I woulda went, "THATS AMAZING!@!@#$@ OMG!" but in actuality I'm just looking at this event in disbelieve. I'm thinking, "Wait a minute, I saw two ninja shadows but that dude just kicked three ninjas out of the room? What the hell?!"

So moral of the lesson is. If you enjoyed something immensely as a child; whether it was a cartoon, book, movie, tv show or videogame, stop and think about it. If you haven't been in contact with it but you enjoyed it immensely as a child. DO NOT GO BACK TO IT! YOU WILL REGRET IT!