Sam's Blog

Well, it's been almost 4 years since I've been on here. It feels weird typing up this post. I feel like I don't have much to say these days because I am not in the habit of writing in a diary or in general anymore. Life kinda just happened and I stopped writing about it. Mind you, my life isn't exciting by any means, but I just stopped all of a sudden and never got back to it.

Another election year is upon us. It's just crazy how even in this day and age, we only have 2 viable candidates (Roseanne Barr doesn't count). You're either into one or the other. Many of my friends argue that our vote doesn't matter because we are in California. It is a bit true, but there are so many other things on the ballot that are actually pretty important to the state of California that I feel like everyone should be informed and have an opinion about it. I am not really into politics that much, but my husband is and he is very passionate about it. Just ask him - you may regret it because he will talk your ear off or maybe even argue, but it's a fun time...especially over a few beers.

Lots of things have happened. Meeting new friends and saying goodbye to old ones. Weddings, funerals, births, and everything in between. A lot of friends have kids now so we don't see them as often. I wonder how we will behave when we have kids. I hate it when people bring babies and toddlers to restaurants and movies. I know, it's bad, but I may be one of those people soon. We do want kids, but I joke that we will not take them out in public until they turn 4. That would be ideal! Of course that won't happen, but I do hope that we get to go out and see friend's and family often. Everyone says that we will never be 100% ready but there is one thing that I would like to have before having kids - washer/dryer inside our unit/condo/house. That would be awesome. As I watch our friends kids grow, it amazes me how much stuff there is out there for new parents and how much research I will have to do (not that I won't enjoy it). I figure that my parents were able to raise a majority of my siblings in Cambodia and I was born in a refugee camp and we turned out okay so that is reassuring to me. I mean, if you think about it, the infant mortality rate has changed so much in just a 100 years, it's crazy. I am really excited to start that part of my life soon.

Not much has changed - I still love my friends and family dearly. Though some have moved far away and others have moved back to LA, I try to keep in touch as much as possible. Now that Facebook, Instagram, Skype, FaceTime and Twitter is second nature to everyone...it makes checking in on friends a little easier. A part of me thinks that people are getting lazier since it's so easy to find friends and "chat" with them. I still value long phone conversations and written letters and emails. I still try to send out cards as much as possible, although I find myself slacking a lot more these days too. I too have gotten lazier and know it so when I have some free time (which is rare these days because work has been really busy) I try to write to friends as much as possible. Josh's grandma writes all of her grand kids once a month. I think it's sweet that a 91 year old still does that. And Josh, being a boy and not the best at keeping in touch in general, rarely writes back. I write on his behalf sometimes, but it is just an example of how different the generations are now. My grandma was born in the 1920s in Cambodia and it's awesome that she can Skype with family in Cambodia now. She only kinda gets it, but it still amazes me as well. We've come a long way.

As you can tell, I haven't been writing much these days. A lot of things have happened but then again, it feels like nothing too much has changed. First and foremost, the biggest thing that occurred this year: Josh and I got married! In March, we decided to do a very casual "signing of the paperwork" to make it official, which included a lunch with our families and Shahab being our minister-of-sorts. A reception will definitely follow sometime next year. I haven't quite gotten around to planning it these days. Life overall hasn't really changed. We were living together already and we pretty much acted like a married couple so there was not much of a change to be had. I like that nothing's different ?it's a reassuring feeling to me since I was afraid that getting married would somehow change the dynamic of our relationship. The only major differences are that we have a joint checking account and Josh finally has consistent health care through my job. Oh, and the whole name changing thing will happen soon but I am not looking forward to the long, long process.

I am still not used to calling him my "husband" yet. I always catch myself calling him "boyfriend" which is sad because I should be at least calling him my ?ianc? Come to think of it, our original Anniversary is coming up this weekend. I don't know what would count as our Anniversary since the day we officially got married was on the Ides of March. Not the most ideal date, but maybe it could be the date that we have our reception too. In any case, I have a feeling that we will have to choose something logical because I doubt Josh can remember all of these dates. He has a hard time figuring out what day it is sometimes. That isn't a bad thing ?he's home a lot more often now that he quit his production job. He's working on his thesis and teaching two classes. Hopefully his thesis won't take too long, but I have a felling it will be about 2 years, give or take. A lot of people take so much longer, but since he's been putting it off for so long, I hope he will be able to trudge along and finish it sometime in the near future.

Another change - I decided to go back to my previous employer after 8 months at my "new" job that I mentioned last year. Don't get me wrong, I liked it and the people were great, but I went back for a promotion. I haven't written in so long that I am already approaching almost a year here at work already. The people are great as well and the job is satisfying overall. There are definitely pros and cons about both jobs but for now, I like where I am and am starting to feel more comfortable with everything. The transition period has been tough, but I do enjoy the challenge. I try not to get caught up with everything since I realize that it's not brain surgery?o one is dying and people's lives aren't at risk. Knowing that gives me a little perspective on things and it helps when I'm stressed out and allows for problem solving. I am learning a lot and growing in my career. I like that feeling and knowing that I will be able to move forward and eventually get promoted again when I am ready (that is, if the economy allows it).

A few of my friends have gotten married over the past few years. It's a weird feeling knowing that you are getting older. A friend of mine is pregnant already and I still feel like it's too soon, even though in actuality it is a normal time for them to have kids. I went to my 10 year high school reunion this summer and it was strange. It was nice seeing everyone again but it was weird because it feels like everyone is at a different stage in their lives. Some already have a few kids and have a wonderful family. Others are just now figuring out what they want to do with their life and are in school or training for a specific job. There are some that still don't know what they want to do, which I think is perfectly normal. I can't expect myself to know what I want to do with the rest of my life when I'm 27 years old. The future looks good, but with everything going on right now ?the economy, wars, etc., it's hard not to be worried. Going back to Modesto was fun. I hadn? been back in a few years since none of family lives there anymore. So many changes to the city, but everything is pretty much the same in a sense. I still know where everything is ?all of the streets and local hangouts are there. It was really comforting. I saw tons of people that I hadn? seen since 1998 and it was great catching up with everyone. I was hoping more people would?e attended, but it was a decent turnout. I am trying to keep in touch through MySpace and Facebook, but even that is getting hard these days.

Link: http://www.beastieboys.com/

So I was listening to KROQ the other day and "Intergalactic" came on. I soon realized that I still knew all of the words to the song and that it's been 10 years since the song came out. Wow! I vivdly remember getting that album at the Tower Records across the street from the Vintage Faire Mall in Modesto. It was the summer after high school graduation, right before my 1st year at UCLA. The world seemed so full of possibilities and I had no cares at all. I was so excited about college and what it had to offer. I remember listening to the album "Hello Nasty" over and over that summer. I was hanging out with Erica and Brenna with all of our fun skater friends. Cruising around and hanging out with all of our friends - that's all we did. It was a great summer. Actually, it was an awesome summer - with an awesome soundtrack.

Link: http://www.sarabmusic.com

Well I've decided that I should be more active on here. I know that I will be making a lot of changes to this site. A few color and template changes are in my head and I will try to see if I can change it up by the end of the year. I am not sure if it will happen at the rate that I am going though. I feel like every time I want to write on here, I sound boring. It's not like I have tons of things to share either, but I used to come here to just give a summary of the things I do. After a while, I realized that I've just been working most of the time and then just hanging out with friends. Nothing too noteworthy, but a bit more stable. Hopefully I will get back into the rhythm of things and post here more often.

A quick overview of the things:

Got a new job - totally different type of place from my previous employment, but I've learned so much already. Always short-staffed but a great learning experience with the industry that I am in and a good test with dealing with stress.

Josh and I got engaged a few months ago! Hasn't really changed the status quo of our normal day to day activities though, which is a good thing for us right now. The wedding will be in a few years - we are not rushing into that at all. Haven't decided on one single detail of it yet.

We may move soon. Our rent keeps on going up more and more each year. I kinda want to have a place that we can all "our place" and mean it. The current apartment that we are in used to be Josh and Kurt's place, so I always think of it as such for some reason. I hate apartment hunting.

Went to New York and Chicago for work. First real official business trips and they seemed a bit rushed, but fun. I was lucky to have gone to those cities when the weather was favorable. I had an especially great time in New York. Met up with a lot of old friends and had great food and tons of fun. I miss it already - although I know that I only go there when the weather isn't too extreme. I know I can't handle humidity or cold weather, which is why I love LA.

My car is officially 1 year old. I named her Aoki. She's been so dependable and wonderful - even though we've taken her up North about 4 or 5 times and a lot of trips home and to Ventura. It's such a great car and I love it so much still!

Since I've last posted - a lot of friends have moved out of LA. It's sad to think about all at once because it is quite a lot of people that left. They left LA and went to...Ohio, San Diego, Chicago, New York, Mountain View/Palo Alto, Costa Mesa, and Colorado. Bummer that it all happened within the span of a few months, but everyone left for good causes, so I wish them well!!

Link: http://www.peterbjornandjohn.com/

Yay! Josh is back!! It's so weird how my habits have changed over 3 months. I guess I have to get used to him being home, but it's not a bad thing at all. I just have to be a bit quieter in the mornings when I get ready. We have been watching a lot of movies and just hanging out. I love having him back - I missed him so much.

In other news, I got a new job! It's a promotion but it's for a different company entirely. Although it's across the street from my current job, I know that there will be a lot of changes. I am going to have to be more responsible and have a larger role at work. It's all exciting and scary at the same time. I will miss my current coworkers. They are so great and very supportive. It was about time for me to move up from being an assistant - in my industry, the average lifespan of an assistant is 2 years - which I am a bit shy of, but only by a few months. This new company is a lot smaller on the West Coast (headquarters are in NY) and it caters to a different audience, but I am up for the challenge. I am ready to move on and learn! I start April 30th, so I am still at my old job for a few more days. I am so behind at work and am trying to catch up as much as possible before I leave. It's going to be a fun time!!

I am so glad that The Sopranos and Entourage are back. It makes Sundays more enjoyable. Nate, Mike, Josh and I are starting to go to quiz nights at a local bar after watching the shows. It's a lot of fun and we are always looking for that 5th person to join our team. I am thinking that after a few weeks, we will be at the top! Yeah!! It's so much fun!! I also like it because the bar has Strongbow on tap. That's excellent.

Nothing else to report really. My new car is doing fabulous. It has about 6,700 miles on it already (it's been 7 months) but that's only because it's been up North 3 times already. But Aoki is doing great and she is performing wonderfully.

I'm only worried about finding a new apartment in West LA. Josh and I are looking for a bigger place and I am not sure if we can find one for a comparable price. It scares me but then again, we might luck out. If you or anyone you know has a place in mind, let me know!

Link: http://www.hellogoodbye.net/

Hello Stranger.

Yes, it has been months. I guess I was suffering from too-busy-restless-writer's-block syndrome. It's been a very different couple of months. Josh has been in Luxembourg since the end of December. He will be back in a few weeks, but it has felt like a long, long time. I miss him terribly. We?e done the long distance thing in the past ?for an entire school year. But he was in Ventura and in driving distance. This time ?it? a 9 hour time difference and thousands and thousands of miles away. It has been rough, but it? almost over! Whee!!

A lot of things have been going on lately. Another birthday passed and I am officially old. My mid-to-late twenties. Where has the time gone? I really don? know. These past few months have been a really good experience for me. It has been a test in a lot of ways ?a test of my relationship with Josh and a test of all of my friendships. It? nice to have a lot of support from my friends. I feel truly lucky that they are around and that we are able to hang out as much as we do. I would be completely lost without them.

I went to New York for New Years and visited Kate and Amy. I had a fabulous time and I ran all over Manhattan and Brooklyn in a week. It was exhausting ?but tons of fun! I love that city. I? not sure if I can live there permanently, but a visit is definitely wonderful. I think that I will try to go back sometime this year. And depending on my work schedule, I may be going there for work in the near future. But I? not sure about that yet. Work has been a bit overwhelming. We had massive layoffs a few weeks ago and we are understaffed. I am picking up a lot of the slack on my level and it? starting to get a little bit better, but it? still hard. I am currently in the process of looking for a new job ?a promotion to the next step in my career. I started the process before the layoffs, but I have been on a few interviews and I am hopeful that I will find something very soon. I love my current workplace though. I love the people and the atmosphere. I will miss it if I leave. But there? not many opportunities in my building right now and unfortunately, I may have to work at a different company. It? not a bad thing ?it?l just make the transition a little bit harder, but I think that it will be good for me. Most people tell me that I will be back and maybe after a few years, I will be. Who knows at this point. I am just trying to do the best I can and hope that something comes up for me. Fingers crossed.

I?e been gone for so long that I don? know what else to write. I? sure things will come to me slowly. I am going to try to post more. That? a goal of mine that I?e had for a while. I? just now paying attention to March Madness. Go Bruins!!!

Look out New York! I'm going to be in town for New Years! Woohoo!! I'm so excited...I'm so scared!!

We beat USC today!! I've been waiting for YEARS for this moment. The last time we beat them, I was a freshman at UCLA. This also means that they are not going to the National Championships against Ohio State anymore. Woohoo!! BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!

I just need to name it soon. Any thoughts??

Link: http://www.snowpatrol.com/

I had a Grey's Anatomy Marathon last weekend and watched it all day Saturday in preparation for tomorrow's season premiere. I'm excited because TV is back again. It's not that I watch a lot of TV. I just watch a few shows. But I love Tivo and the fact that I can watch it anytime I want to is very appealing to me and I like the fact that I can pick and choose instead of flipping through the channels to see what is on at that moment in time. I love technology. Also back is The Office. I'm such a sucker for the Tim and Pam story on there. I know that they cannot get together and live happily ever after because it is, in fact a sitcom. So I am just along for the ride. I am liking the new show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip even though I've only seen the pilot. It is VERY Aaron Sorkin and has a lot of elements of his old show, Sports Night, which I loved when it was on syndication. I am staying tuned for it every week and plus, there's nothing else on Monday nights anyway. I say give it a chance if you haven't already.

I saw The Last Kiss again on Friday night and it is better the second time around. Not to say that it wasn't good the first time, but I was able to observe more this time. It's such a great film and Zach Braff is fantastic! Last night, the lovely Alexis and I caught an early screening of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. It was so intense and abstract and raw. It was so good in a painful way. I've been looking forward to it since it screened at Sundance and got a huge buzz. The cast is spectacular and Robert Downey Jr. is so intense and pensive in it. The violence scared me even though I knew a lot of it was coming. It's a great story and definitely worth watching. It should be in NY and LA next weekend and hopefully it will get a wider release a few weeks later. Please look out for it!

Not much to report here except for my most exciting news in a long long time - I'm finally going to get a new car!! Hooray!! It's taken me so long, but I am picking it up on Sunday and pictures will be posted very soon. I don't think I have ever driven a brand new car before so this will be all new to me. I can't wait!! That's about all that is going on right now. Sorry I don't have much to report.

PS - I love you M. Be strong because I know that you are stronger than you think.