Sin City

Another weekend, another post... nothing really new to report i suppose. So what's been goin on... well this past Thursday my uncle and cousin Bobby came over to visit. It was kind of funny, because all they talked about with my parents was how Bobby needs a wife and kept talking about mainland Chinese girls and how to set him up and stuff with women. Pretty interesting life my cousin lives... he's a lawyer in LA, and travels a TON. He was telling me all these places he's been... not to mention he runs marathons. Pretty crazy stuff. That kind of life isn't really me, but it sure is interesting to hear about. So anyway, Friday my uncle gives me (and my brother) one of those red packet things for Chinese New Year. I thank him, and don't really think much of it or open it to look at the time. The next morning, with my parents out, i go downstairs and decide to take a look at it... open it up.. and see a check for $3,600. Stare at it for a bit. Re-read the number. Read the written print. Three thousand six hundred dollars only. Stare at it a bit more. Take a look at the one for my brother. $3,600. Think to myself... "Hmm, well that's interesting." Read mine again. Jaw drops. Eyes bulge. You get the idea. I know most of that is going right back to my Mom for my car, but dang! As Chris Rock once said in In Living Color, "good lord that's a lotta money!"

Speaking of money, my watch battery died last week. I've been looking around for watches, as well as thinking about buying some sunglasses. It's really tempting to spend the money and pick up $100 watch or glasses. I'm still kind of debating how much i want to spend on these things, as it's really hard for me to fathom spending that kind of money on accessories. I think a 30 dollar watch would be just fine though. It's really hard for me to decide on these things since i'm so indecisive anyway, plus i'm not even sure what looks good on me. Anyone want to help me pick out some sunglasses?

I watched the movie Heat the other day... it was fairly boring and dissapointing. I don't know, it's supposed to be a "crime drama" or "epic" type films, but i found most of the film slow and plodding. Some of the characters were interesting to watch, but i ended up spending most of my time with the movie just on in the background while i did other things. My brother was right though, the shootout at the bank was absolutely amazing. I'm glad i decided not to just buy the DVD blindly, but it was worth watching i suppose.

The last few weeks i've been totally into Sin City. I downloaded and watched the movie trailer a few times, and it just looked so interesting that i went and ordered some of the comics. I've read 3 of them so far.... the first book, "The Hard Goodbye", the second book "A Dame to Kill For," and the 4th book, "That Yellow Bastard." I have the 3rd book on order and it should be coming soon... the movie is going to be based on books 1, 3 and 4. So far, i love the comics. They've got a great style, not to mention a noir-ish feel to them. Cops, thugs, sleeze, that type of deal. Frank Miller rules. I think i'll get around to buying all 7 books sooner or later. The movie comes out April 1st, and even the song in the trailer kicks all sorts of ass. The Servant - Cells. Download it from me =)

So what else? I don't know... anyone want to stalk this girl that works at Marie Callender's for me? Hehe. I think i'm starting to get a bit of a tummy... hmm. And here i thought i could stay skinny forever. Hmph. Guess i really need to exercise some more. I finally bought Back to the Future on DVD the other day. This is heavy. I guess that's all... after the Laker game i think i'll head out and run some errands, stare at more watches, buy myself some more socks, and deposit my 3 grand =) Hehe. Man, i always hear about asian kids getting these huge payoffs for Chinese New Year. It finally happened to me! I feel so special! So now that i'm rich, anyone know a girl i can spoil with my new found wealth? =D

EDIT: Oh yeah! Congrats to Jennifer for medaling in Fencing for the first time. And Happity Birfdaze to Anna who turned 21. Yayz!

la de da...

A nice "3 day weekend," although not really 3 days for me since i had to work on Sunday. Regardless, i was able to keep busy most of the weekend, which is always nice. I'm just happy i'm finding myself occupied most of the weekend instead of sitting around doing nothing all day. If i only had a girlfriend to fill out the rest of my free time =P So where to begin... Friday night, went out to EZO Noodle Cafe and to see Constantine with Jennifer. EZO was pretty cool... for the first time, i got to eat Ramen noodles at a restraunt and not the packaged kind! I was so amazed... nice little place, with very tasty noodles. Not to mention california rolls =) A bit expensive for the actual noodle bowl though, but it's not too bad since we always share food. Anyway, after eating, off to watch Constantine. It was a pretty decent movie... it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. Just a solid supernatural flick that was worth watching. Plus, i'm a Keanu fan, so i had to see it. Pretty interesting storyline, although i don't think they did a good job explaining a lot of the details as to what exactly is going on. I heard that the film is quite different from the comics too. Ah well, Keanu giving Satan the finger made it worthwhile.

Saturday... got out to play basketball again, which is always great. I love getting the exercise, and i hope we can manage to play every week (outside of Nik's stupid practice tests). Spent the late evening watching the NBA All Star festivities... a sweet Slam Dunk contest this year. Good stuff. Also went out late at night to Denny's with Jennifer. We sat at the bar for the first time... kinda cool. Makes it feel all real diner-ish. Hehe.

Sunday... worked for 6 hours. I like the short days... it goes by so quickly. I swear, i'd gladly work 6 days a week for 6 hours a day then 5 days with 8 hours. Oh well. They bought us pizza for lunch, and bought way too much, so i got to bring home a whole X-Large pizza with me. Got home, watched the All Star game... nice showing from Kobe, although the West lost. Tried to help Andy fix his comp, but it looks like his motherboard fried =(

Today... went out to Taiko with Jon, Abe, and Andy. Pretty nice going there as a group. Taiko just doesn't seem as special as it used to when i was younger. I guess since i eat out a lot more, it just doesn't feel as unique. Still, nice to go out and eat. Afterwards, went around to a few stores with Jon... picked up Chicken Run on DVD. I've been meaning to get it for awhile, as i'm a huge fan of those movies like Wallace and Gromit. I was going to watch it this afternoon, but decided to watch Finding Neverland instead. Pretty good movie... a tad boring to me in the middle, but a real sweet ending. One of those fairy taleish stories that are just magical to watch. I'm not sure if i liked it enough for Best Picture, but then again most of those movies arent really my cup of tea. Still, i'm a big Depp fan, so i hope he wins an Oscar. And now... i suppose i'll throw on another movie to watch. Tomorrow's another 10 hour day at work, so i gotta sleep early. I guess that's it... hmm, i should call Harriet too.

Blizzard Stuff

So Blizzard kicks all sorts of ass and gives us a lotta cool things, so i decided to take pics of them and put them on my page. I got the mugs, cards, and lunch bag today. Sweeeet.

Check em out here: Blizzard

Gotta work this weekend... they let us choose between Sat and Sun, so i picked Sun since i wanted a day off. Although if i worked Sat those hours would have been counted as overtime. Oh well. I'm exhausted.

Anyway, time to relax... hopefully basketball tomorrow.

Out of Me Mind!

I think all the hours and overtime at work finally caught up to me tonight... with 4 straight 10 hour days, waking up at 6AM everyday, and loading myself up with coffee and caffine, by my last hour of work tonight was pretty much a blur. My mind was elsewhere... couldn't concentrate on what i was doing at all... i hope i sent people the right emails. The terrible part is that it isn't getting any better, although finally we get a regular 8 hour day tomorrow. However we may need to work mandatory overtime this weekend, and i might lose my Monday holiday, which kind of sucks. Not that i was going to do anything anyway, but still. I need to catch up on my movies! On Tap: I Heart Huckabees & Finding Neverland. Also planning on watching the new Keanu movie Constantine this weekend with Jennifer. Been hearing mixed things about it, but it looks cool from what i've seen. Plus, it's Keanu. So yeah. =)

I talked to Rachel for the first time in quite some time today when she called me at work. It was nice talking to her... i hope I can hang out with her sometime soon. I'm sure it would be good for me to hang out with her; a relative i can be close to would be nice.

Harriet sent me a sweet Harry Potter Valentine. It's cute and much appreciated! :)

So after watching the Sin City movie trailer, i've been wanting to get into the comics. I ordered two of them online, and i recieved the 2nd book today. I'm not sure if i should wait and read the first book first. Oh well. I love the style of the comic from what i've browsed through. The movie looks bad ass too.

What else... Fantasy Baseball is starting! Check my AIM profile for league details. More people the better. And would make things interesting, so feel free to invite people!

I think that's it... the rain came back. Stupid rain. I've been wanting to wash my car for awhile too. Hmm... do i want to wear my new shoes in the rain... hope people enjoy their 3 day weekend. I hope i don't have to work, although in the long run i probably won't mind much. Not like i have any plans anyway, although i wanted to play basketball... dang it. NBA All Star weekend though! Yay!

I’ll give a little bit
I’ll give a little bit of my life for you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me
See the man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you’ll be surprised

Saw

Another nice weekend for me, as i managed to take care of a lot of things i was hoping to, as well as picking up a handful of things i've been wanting to get. So where to start... Saturday, managed to get out and play basketball. Had a lot of fun playing 2 on 2... a lot more exercise then playing with 3+ on a team, and i think there's a certain dynamic that goes on that makes it especially fun. I'm not as sore or anything as i thought i would be, which is a good sign. I think i had a lot more confidence in my shot, which helped out a lot. Hopefully we can play every week =) I also went out to breakfast that morning with Jon and his wife Erica. It was real nice spending time with them just chattin and what not. I'm happy knowing that when one of my friends gets married and moves on in life that the camaraderie between us didn't change, and that it's real easy to chat with both of them together. One of these days we should go out to eat again.

Today... a lot more cleaning. Gave my bathtub a good scrubbin with Ajax, as well as cleaning up my toilet and bathroom counter. Had the rubber gloves on and everything! I think i'll settle in nicely to a weekend cleaning thing... seems to work out nicely. My room is still kind of a mess... and i'm still trying to throw out all these old knickknacks and what not. Also went out to run some errands, and got my self some new shoes! Some Adidas Superstar Feather shoes from Sportmart for 30 bucks, 57% off... they're labeled basketball shoes, but they're gonna be my new casual everyday shoes now, with my other Nike's for sports stuff. Trying out that Axe deoderant spray too, so hopefully i smell extra good!

Got a few more movies under the belt that i was hoping to watch. Caught Shark Tale... not a bad film. A little straightforward and predicatable, but a few funny scenes in it and the voices were enjoyable. Something about it just lacks the heart that Pixar films have though.

Just finished watching the movie Saw... great movie. Definitely gonna buy this on Tuesday now. Just a great thriller, with a twist at the end that i never saw coming. I'm a sucker for twists at the end of films. It wasn't really as much of a horrow movie as i thought it was going to be... a few creepy things, but mostly suspense. Plus, it never falls into the trap of cheap scares where things just jump out at you for no reason. A few gory and cringe-worthy scenes in there, and some real innovative props used. But a definite recommendation from me to check out.

Overtime is scheduled for M-W at work... so i get to put in even more hours. Valentines Day is tomorrow... a lonely day for me, but alas, what can ya do.

A Little Reflection...

So i went out to dinner with Jennifer on Tuesday, just hangin out and what not, and afterwards i came to a realization about her, us, our relationship, and just people in general. Whether or not it's all true is beyond me, but i'm sure everyone that reads my page knows how much i like to observe and reflect on these sort of things as they relate to myself. I suppose i would have made a decent sociology student what with all the time i spend analyzing these things that happen in my life.

Regardless, it's always been an issue between me and Jennifer concerning my life; the direction i'm heading, the goals i set for myself, and my overall contention of staying in my comfort zone. I've talked to Jon about this, and even a few friends over the last year or so when we broke up. Even though we're no longer a couple, it still comes up as a topic of discussion, and it often turns into something i get annoyed/bothered about. As it were, it came up again on Tuesday on the drive home from dinner, and some conclusions were finally drawn in my noggin. First, it's obvious that i'm pushed towards certain actions by Jennifer because that's the type of person she wants; as a boyfriend or husband, it's always been her interest in being with someone with loftier goals and a greater sense of adventure. And naturally, this is her main reason for our seperation. That's perfectly fine with me, but the fact that these matters are still brought up as friends still irks me. I think the problem comes because she has this ideal that everyone should share these beliefs; that everyone should simply yearn for bigger and better things while exploring the world. It can't but not cross my mind that some of these changes in my particular actions are a result of the idea that if i shared and acted on these beliefs, it would also mean the possibility of our relationship changing.

And while i may be jumping to conclusions, i've also realized that you can't force or egg someone on to do something that just doesn't fit in their character. Your dreams and aspirations are fine, but that doesn't mean that everyone must share these same ideas as to what constitutes a full and meaningful life. Whose to say why certain activities are required to be a better person? I've been told that i need to travel and go out and meet new people; but quite frankly, why should i when i'm happy with my life? Everyone needs to live their life to suit their own needs. I understand the want and desire to "improve" the lives of those close to you; but in the same vein, a realization should be made that people are going to be different. What fits in your life doesn't fit the same way in someone else's. And that's not to say that at some point in my life my current outlook might change. But why tell me i need to travel when i'm the happiest i've been in ages?

My thoughts on this are a little disjointed and muddled as far as phrasing goes, but i suppose my point is this: people are going to seek different things in life, and go about it in a way that matches their own character. You shouldn't have to change that or point others in your direction because you feel that's right. It just happens that i'm satisfied with my place in life as it is; the time may come when i want to seek other adventures, but telling me that i need or that I should do certain things to better myself isn't going to help me. Let people be themselves. Let me be me.

On that note, work has been a little strange this last week due to several employees being let go. After speaking with my manager for a few minutes this morning, i was assured that i need not worry about my job security and discussed any interests i had in moving to other areas within the company. I've been really impressed with the intimacy that employees have shown in this regard, and i'm comforted that i'm in this sort of environment. I love my job and i love the company. Nothing would please me more then to spend my career here.

Of course i still wish the right girly will come along, but i can wait. Hope the people i sent Valentine presents to enjoy them =)

Weekend rain stinks...


If you should fall, you know I'll be there
To catch the call, you know I'll be there
I'll go anywhere, So I'll see you there

I don't care if you don't mind
I'll be there not far behind
I will dare, Keep in mind
I don’t care
I’ll be there for you

Ah... weekends...

The more days that pass the more i'm feeling comfortable with life. As Jennifer said the other day, this is the first time in a long while that i've been content with life. I love my job, i'm busying myself with movies and TV in my spare time, cleaning up my room(s), getting out and playing some sports when i can, watching the Lakers, some light reading, and video games. It's a far cry from where i was 4 months ago. I think right now, everything has settled into place. I don't find myself bored or reaching out for things to do to keep myself occupied. I have money to give to my mom, as well as enough to purchase whatever odds and ends that i need. I can afford to treat out friends and family... the only thing lacking at this time is the want for a special girl in my life. But given the amount of time i'm spending on other things, it's not as much of a worry as it used to be. Maybe the steady influx of other steady female influences have softened that blow. Being able to talk to Harriet has helped the most, and having others around to talk to as well have certainly taken the burden off any loneliness i had before.

Friday after work... went to some Indian restraunt with Jennifer. I'm not a big fan of Indian food, although the dishes we had weren't too bad at all. It's still not something i'd seek out to eat though. Afterwards, just spent a few hours hanging out which is really comforting. Went to Best Buy so i could pick up Green Day's International Superhits CD. Off to Dairy Queen where we split a Strawberry Shortcake and saw these people with the dinkiest little doggy ever. So cute :) Like you could hold the lil fellow in your palm and see his little paws dangling. Ahhh.. i'm such a softie. Also went over to Sportmart... where i happen to buy myself a new basketball and a Lakers visor. Then off to Target where we just kinda hung out and i bought Jennifer a few hair clip things. All in all... nice to be out on Friday, although both of us being tired ended the night early.

Today... i slept in til 9! That's pretty much sleeping in for me these days. I got to try out my new ball this morning at the basketball court, which was nice. Hooray for new stuff :) I also finally got around to watching Scarface. Cool movie, and i can see why it's ranked so high by movie fans. Some brutal scenes, and a very interesting character in Tony Montana. I wish i saw it before playing GTA: Vice City, because that's all i could think of during the movie. Well, that and Montana saying "Say good night to the Bad Guy." I miss Razor Ramon :( Some more cleaning today... i think it'll take awhile before i get everything organized the way i want. Even so, i'm having fun doing so.

Superbowl tomorrow! I'm not sure if we decided where to watch it, but i asked my parents so it'll be cool if we decide to watch it here. No big deal though. Go Eagles! I don't know what it is about fans of Boston teams... there's just a certain smugness that they have which is more annoying then most.

Valentines Day is next week... i wish i had a sweetie. But in the mean time...

Movie Quiz

Want to match wits with me? Download and try out this movie quiz on an Excel Spreadsheet. Just input the name of the movie in the screenshot and see if you get it right. For the record, i got 38/60. Me and my brother combined got that up to 45. If you beat me, let me know :) And if you've been utterly humiliated by my dominance, let me know too so i can feel good about myself.

Movie Quiz