What Am I Doing...

Not sure what i'm doing these days... i feel like something's missing; like I should be out doing something and having the time of my life, but I don't know where, who, and how I need to go about it. There just doesn't seem to be anything to look forward to, or to get excited about lately. Blah! *tears hair out*

After grabbing lunch with Jon today, i ended up heading to Barnes and Noble and spent over an hour relaxing at the coffee shop, and started reading Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down. Jenny said it was good, and so far she's right. It's about 4 people who meet on top of a building all ready to commit suicide. It's pretty interesting, with each individual giving their perspective of the situation. Reading there was surprisingly relaxing... no distractions, air conditioned... just me, my iced cafe mocha, and a book. Maybe finding peace is the way to go... although doing it alone can only go so far.

Tomorrow... i'm going to find another quiet place to read. I think i'm going to visit the nearby pool, bring some music, a towel, and just lay back, get a tan, read, and relax.

Movies seen lately... saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Pretty good and fun action flick. Also watched Wedding Crashers. Pretty funny, but i think its a bit overrated. Wasn't the crazy stupid movie I was expecting, but still a good watch. I still need to watch The Island. I wish Jennifer was back.

Tired... haven't been sleeping well at night either. I'm getting more exercise too, so i'm not sure what it is. Maybe too many wandering thoughts in my mind...

At least i'm having more fun talking to my coworkers these days. I was a bit worried after moving desks, but i enjoy talking to some of the guys.

I'm out of thoughts... or don't know how to collect them. Ah well. Poof.

Beaches, Fires, and Monkeys

Not much going on this weekend... this morning i woke up early and couldnt get back to sleep, so i decided to take an early crack at some basketball. I was going to head to the park by my house, but the parking lot was full, as for some reason a TON of people were at the pool. I rolled down to Orchard, but decided to try Heritage, and ended up playing a couple games with some people there. Kind of interesting, with mostly older white guys though. I pretty much sucked and couldn't seem to finish any drives, but oh well =( It's nice getting more games in with other people rather then just shooting around myself on the weekend though. Although I think i'll go shoot around at my park tomorrow morning if i can.

This last Thursday I went to Huntington Beach for Anh-Thu's sister's birthday. I think i have a new found appreciation for the beach. Not only because i get to see cute girls(!) in skimpier clothes (!!), but its just awfully relaxing there. I don't swim, so the ocean water isn't too big of a deal for me, but I think I could just totally go there, sit back, and relax with a book and get a tan or something. I've never been much of a beach guy before, but maybe that'll change. Of course, I did feel a little out of place since i was just there as Anh-Thu and Nik's friend and being old =( No one wants to be a third wheel! Geez, i really need a girl to do these type of things with.

It was also pretty cool staying there after the sun went down, as all the girls there lit up the pit for a big huge fire, with us just throwing random trash in there. Fire is interesting to watch... not that i'm some pyro or anything. It's just mezmorizing to me. I'm not really sure why, I guess its just the nature of it. Or maybe the romantic in me. Shrug.

Got my hair trimmed, since it was pissing me off all week as it just wouldn't cooperate with what i wanted it to do. I'm such a girl.

Anna's back from Hawaii with the Hula Monkey i requested. I want my monkey darn it! Where are you!?

Speaking of Monkeys, here's the little monkey that Betty stitched up and framed for me.



Ain't he adorable?

For music fans, this is a really cool mashup of Weezer's Beverly Hills, We Will Rock You, and I Love Rock and Roll.

I've been watching their Keep Fishin video too because they have the Muppets. I love the muppets. Mahna Mahna.

I think that's it...

It's just the thought of you
In love with someone else
It breaks my heart to see you
Hangin' from your shelf

Oh girl, when I'm in love with you
Keep fishin' if you feel it's true
There's nothin' much that we can do
To save you from yourself

Some Goings Ons

Been a week since the last update... I don't know, guess I've been lazy or haven't had too much to report.

Betty stopped by on her way back to SD this weekend. Haven't seen her in months, and she gave me one of the coolest presents i've ever recieved in my life. It's like a framed picture of a sewn monkey. I'll take a picture of it later when i have the chance. Anyway, something like that means a lot... its just incredibly caring, sweet, and cute all at once. One of those "awwwwww" type of deals that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and stuff. Hehe.

What else... i'm FINALLY getting around to getting my car re-painted. Ran down to get another estimate during my lunch break, and i'm going to bring my car in on Monday morning to get it done. Estimate was $285 bucks for the paint work on my bumper. Bleh. Ah well, nothing like a big dent in the wallet. Still, something i should have got around to doing like 2 months ago.

Worked a bit of overtime today... and pretty tired to show for it. Plus it was freakin hot when i was driving to the Paint place. The temp thingy in my car said 102!!! I'll go to sleep after finishing this.

Still on my smoothie binge... its kind of a lot of money to spend, but i can't resist. I think i'll limit them to the days i'm out playing sports though. Mmm.... smoothie. I have to say, the energy boost i had yesterday seemed to work, as i seemed to be especially active playing basketball that day. I'm getting more comfortable playing with my coworkers, although i'm still a bit too reckless and careless with the ball. I need to learn how to play smarter and not jam myself trying to drive to the basket and get stuck.

What else... what else... finished reading Harry Potter the other day =) Pretty cool book, and a fast read. How often do you see people finishing books in like 2 days? I really need to go back and re-read all the other ones now though. Buying the last book makes me want to buy the rest of the set, hardback covers of course. Although i'm going to be 300 dollars poorer, so I really shouldn't yet.

Not much else going on... I keep thinking i was supposed to do something this weekend. Guess not though. Wednesday is already over... gosh, the days and weeks seem to go by so fast these days.

Anyone want to watch The Island this weekend?

Juiced Man Stan

Well, not Juiced like Jose Canseco juiced. Especially if it means the buttocks. Anyway, this last Sunday i went to Juice It Up and picked up a smoothie after work since it was really hot, so this whole week i've been on kind of a juice addiction, picking up different smoothies before work at the Juice It Up by UCI. Probably not a good thing for me, since they cost me like 4 bucks, and i still end up buying lunch later in the day, so spending like 7 bucks a day isn't too kind on my wallet (thats half an hour of work!). Still, i can't resist them as they're awfully good. Plus, i get to add those fancy schmancy boosts to them. Maybe those Protein boosts will make me get bigger =) So anyway, it's my new goal to try as many different flavors as i can. So far, i've tried...

Strawberry Wave (very tasty!)
Melon Madness (eh, not so good)
Tropical Tango (alright)

and i think Passion Punch (not bad).

So we'll see how long i keep this up in the morning, since it does mean i have to leave for work earlier and spend extra monies. But with me playing basketball and football during my lunch breaks, these come in pretty handy in the mornings to give me energy and stuff.

Not much else going on really. New building at work isn't too shabby... a few quirks, but i'm getting used to it. Everyone else gets this Friday off, but again Support guys have to stay. I do have two extra float days now that would be paid work hours.... i'll need to take advantage of that sometime this summer. Maybe just take a random trip somewhere in California or something. That would be nice.

Gotta get an oil change on Saturday... and nothing else really planned. I should have the new Harry Potter book to keep me busy reading. I should really read out in the sun and get a tan. I'm awfully dark since i'm out and active so much now during the week, but my body is still kinda light, so i need to even myself out. Of course my mom just tells me to go pull weeds =(

I want to find more things to put on my desk at work now that i'm settling in. Suggestions? Ideas?

Weekend, Movies, and Spongebob

I ate Spongebob shaped Macaroni and Cheese the other day. Jealous? Yeah, you're all jealous!

So... not much going on right now i suppose. Friday was a short day since the movers began taking our stuff to the new building (it's funny, because we're on the second floor and the first floor is some UCI Cancer research place, and we have a LOT of smokers). So in the afternoon, a handful of us from work went over to the Spectrum to watch Fantastic Four. It was a decent movie, i suppose. Nothing particularly special about it, but just a fun film to catch in the summer. There wasn't really as much action as i was hoping/expecting, but there were some cool moments. The Human Torch and The Thing were fun to watch and were the best parts of the movie. Well, besides Jessica Alba anyway. She brings teh hot! Oh so hot. Brings back memories of drooling over her in Idle Hands back in high school. Haha. Anyway, it's worth watching if you like superhero movies. It's no Batman though.

What else... Saturday, spent about an hour shooting hoops. I also tried to go out in the afternoon and get some reading in by spending some time at Barnes and Noble, which failed miserably. I was hoping to find a book and a seat or at the coffee shop, and just sit and read for a few hours. But not only was the place pretty packed so i couldn't find a seat, I also had a hard time finding a decent book to read. I think i'll take Jenny's suggestion and check out A Long Way Down when i have the time. I kind of just decided that with Harry Potter coming out on Saturday, i would just wait and buy that to read. Anyway, wandered around B&N for about an hour, looking at all sorts of random stuff. You know some guy's book ranked Kobe Bryant the 6th best guard? :)

Well anyway, with nothing really at B&N, I went over to the library. I haven't really been there in awhile, its kind of weird to go back. I pretty much grew up with my mom taking me there when i was little, checking out kids books, doing reading fairs in the summer, and even hanging out there after high school. It hasn't changed much, except for the addition of more computers and stuff for people to use, as well as wireless access i think. How odd is it that a library, a place for books, has gone digital? Anyway, there really isn't much of interest there... and all the books are like 20 years old or something. You know, i think if i became successful i would donate to the library. Anyway, i also stopped by the used bookstore to look around. There's actually some decent books there for like a buck or whatever. I remember when i was in middle school I bought a ton of books there to read. Ah well.

So as far as Harry Potter goes, a few webpages are offering that you'll get it right on Saturday if you order before this Monday. I was looking at B&N's webpage first, then checked Amazon, and remembered that Burger King had some promotion to get Amazon cards with money on them. Me and Abe got shafted though when we didn't get the cards going through the drive thru. Grrrr. I'll still probably order the book from Amazon later tonight though. I don't think trying to find it on release day is such a good idea. Harry Potter is interesting, because while a lot of people make fun of it or dismiss it as a children's book, i'm pretty sure that once you start reading a couple of the books its really easy to get into and involved in. I'm not caught up so much in the mania for it, but they're entertaining. Definitely something to keep me occupied and way from the ol' computer.

Today... heading into work in a couple hours, as i volunteered to help put together our computers in our new building. I don't mind the extra work... and its not like i have anything better to do on a Sunday. It isn't anything particularly difficult either, and it'll be nice to be in the new building for a bit.

Oh, I finally saw Napolean Dynamite the other day. Eh. Not impressed.

I Hear Fireworks

Sitting around... watching the Dodger game in the 11th inning on this 4th of July, and not doing a whole lot more.

Didn't end up doing a whole lot today at all... was too lazy to head out to a basketball court. I did end up wandering around in the afternoon and dropped by Best Buy and purchased the Smashing Pumpkins Greatest Hits CD. After hearing news about how Billy Corgan wants to reform the band, it made me go back and listen to a few of their songs and got me to go out and buy the CD. The Pumpkins were one of my favorite bands out of the 90s, especially because when me and my brother first got CD players back then i remember him with Siamese Dream (which strangely enough is now mine, and in my car) and The Offspring's Smash as the first CD's he bought. Still, while the possibility of them returning doesn't interest me all that much, they have multiple songs that I absolutely love, from various eras of their music. I'm a bit more partial to their harder rock stuff like Eye or Zero, but hearing Cherub Rock and Today brings back a lot of memories.

I'm starting to love these Greatest Hits compilations. An easy way to pick up songs I like from various bands. I guess i'm just not big enough of a fan or get a chance to listen to that much music to make buying 3 or 4 albums worthwhile (except Linkin Park). So i currently have collections from Offspring, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311, and Green Day (hmm, I actually have 4 of their CD's now). They work out perfectly in my car, and occasionally when i listen to music at work.

I was looking at various DVD players today too. I'm a little peeved, because i know my mom was looking at my bills again when she brought up money with me again. I'm really angry that I can't maintain some sort of privacy. It's too bad, because i feel obligated to continue living at home and help when I can with a lot of the bills that I share with the family, not to mention things like my car. Still, I know that means she takes the time to sift through, pick up, and look at my card statements. I'm going to start keeping them elsewhere because of that. I'm grateful that living at home means less living expenses for me, but I deserve a little more respect. I miss living on my own in San Diego. Parents can be so annoying. No wonder i'm so quiet and keep to myself.

Awesome, Dodgers get the win.

So a brand new pic of me over there on the right, which is also now used on My Space and Friendster. I'm pretty insecure about myself, and never think much of myself appearence wise, but I liked the way my hair looked that day and played with my digicam a bit before going to the beach. I guess everyone has a little bit of vanity in them ^_^ Still, i'm not used to compliments so Anh-Thu saying I looked alright made me feel good, and kind of nice that Judeeee and my cuz Rachel commented on My Space. Although Judee compared me to guinea pig hair. I don't really know if that's good or bad. =P

Appearence is a funny thing, because it's something i probably think about a lot more then I let on. It's annoying, because I do want to look good, and I want people to think I look OK, but i'm so unsure about myself that I don't know, or never take what others say to heart and just think they're trying to be "nice." I can't believe I spent that much time worry about those things, like spending time trying to do something with my hair, using all sorts of retarded face stuff (that don't seem to work, damn it), worrying about a tan, getting a little more physically fit, and all that sort.

Ah well, short week of work, as Friday is going to be a half day for us while we move buildings. Hopefully I end up catching Fantastic Four on Friday afternoon with some coworkers though. Should be an interesting short week.

Happy Independence Day!

Posted by Stanley at 9:06 PM | 1 comments read on

Eventful to Relaxing

Been kind of a busy two days, followed by just a relaxing one today. I suppose that's a decent way to spend the long holiday weekend.

Anyway, Friday was a pretty relaxed day at work, with emails pretty much being cleared out entirely. I love those days. We got more details on our impending move to a new building, which should happen at the end of next week. We also found out that the entire Support department is going to get shafted out of future Show and Tells, which are presentations to show employees upcoming work. From now on, only employees in our department who have worked there for a year or are seniors/leads can go. I'm pretty pissed, because i was able to go to the previous one and it was one of the perks of being a permanent employee there. I think it's pretty unfair for the support departments to be singled out like that. We already never get to do any of the things the other workers do, like movie days and short days. And now, we lose this priviledge. Gah. Nothing like making it known that your job is expendable and worth less then everyone else, no?

Anyway, in the evening Nik, Abe, and I met up with Randy and headed over to Randy's brother's place to play Hold Em'. It was pretty fun with 8 people there total, and we all played pretty decent. Haven't played cards in awhile, so it took a bit to get back in the swing of things. The cards were coming out incredibly odd that night, we just a ton of Flushes being drawn and a ton of lucky cards coming out. We ended up playing until 3 AM, so pretty much 5+ hours of cards. Even though it was only 5 bucks to join, we played no limit which made things a lot of fun.

So with a long night of poker, I only picked up about 5 hours of sleep. Saturday morning, I got up and went out for about an hour to shoot around on the basketball court for some extra practice. Afterwards, went and picked up Abe and headed off to CDM for a BBQ on the beach with Anh-Thu and a bunch of her friends as well as Nik and Bryce. It was a lot of fun, and I haven't gone to the beach in quite awhile. It was pretty sad though, as it took us an hour just to get a fire going since it kept going out on us. Yeah yeah, I guess my charcoal sucked. But we finally got it going, and got to eat some delicious meat brought to us by Anh-Thu and her dad, as well as some tasty, burnt ass hot dogs! As burnt as they were, they were damn good! Really!! Anyway, spent some time just hanging out on the beach, getting a bit tanned (although the sun went away after a few hours =( ), and just hanging out. I had a lot of fun... and looking at girls on the beach isn't too shabby either =). Thanks Anh-Thu! I'd love to do it again sometime soon!

As we were leaving the beach, me, Abe, and Bryce decided to go play basketball when we got back to Irvine. So right afterwards we headed down to Heritage for some pickup basketball along with Bryce's friend. I gotta say, we all played together really well and kicked a lot of ass on the court. We played quite a few games, and won all of them except for the last one when we were already dead tired, and we only lost by two points too. I think we must have won like 4 or 5 games in a row playing 4 on 4, and were there for over 2 hours. It certainly made me feel a lot better out on the court, especially against some random players there. There was quite a cast of characters, including this big black guy that Bryce had some good battles with in the post, this real good philippino guy with a girl that played (it's difficult to play a girl, no idea how agressive i should be), this random dude that didn't speak english with some weird ass shot. Anyway, it was great exercise, even on half court. I think i liked it better too since it was less tiring then playing full court, and the court is actually big enough that 4 on 4 works out real well with plenty of movement. Anyway, hopefully we can do that again or a few times during the summer. Good playing.

So it was a pretty exhausing saturday, especially since i was out playing basketball twice, threw a football around at the beach. Surprisingly enough, i'm not as sore as i thought i would be. I'm spending today, Sunday, just relaxing, doing some cleaning of my room and my car, eating pizza from Little Ceasar's (i like their pizza, over at Kmart/Sears), and watching some DVD's. It's Jennifer's birthday, so i wanted to take her out, but i guess she's busy. Ah well. Happy birthday anyway Jennifer!

Catching up on some DVD watching. Watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind today. I love that movie, although it puts a lil ache in the heart. Something about Kate Winslow in that movie... very lovely. Got Pirates of the Caribbean playing in the background while i cleanup and write this. Watching pirates and all the lingo makes me want to play the Monkey Island games. I'm Bobbin. Are you my mother?

No plans for the 4th... was hoping to watch fireworks, but oh well. I guess i'll just try and hit the basketball course and maybe wander around for a little shopping or something.

Happy 4th everyone!