Sam's Blog

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

It’s hard not to believe in fate sometimes. I have been reminded this time and time again recently. Chance encounters with old, old friends are happening a lot more and reconnecting with friends occur more frequently now. I know that I’ve been saying that a lot, but it’s just so crazy if I think about what it takes to be at the same place at the exact same time as someone that I actually know (without planning, of course). I had a random craving for chili cheese fries today (which is such a rare craving for me) and the only place that I knew that made decent ones was the little “burrito stand” that was right next door to the old sandwich stand. I never go to either of the stands. I always forget that they are options for me when I go to lunch. Anyway, it was my first time going there and as I am eating, I see a familiar face and hear a familiar voice. It was JoGo (Josh Gonzalez) an old friend from college. I was so surprised because he moved to New York for medical school. He was on his spring break and it was so nice to chat with him. He’s crazy smart and I am glad that he is doing well over there. But it just boggles my mind that I ran into him. It was so random.

I think that Amy and Angela and I have inadvertently started a knitting night on Wednesdays. We have been meeting up for dinner and then go over to one of our places and knit and chat and watch movies and TV shows. We’ve been doing this for the past few weeks and it’s been working out nicely. I’m about 2/3 of the way done on my scarf and I am anxious to finish it. Tonight was a laxed night with spaghetti and meatballs and watching old episodes of Scrubs and Arrested Development and we watched Under the Tuscan Sun for the first time. (It wasn’t as great as I had hoped. It was actually kinda sad and I wasn’t expecting too much drama in it.) I am glad that the old roomies are able to hang out often and now I have to get my other old roomies from last year together and hang out soon.

I got an email today from my friend Amy P, who is currently living in Japan, and she told me that one of our mutual friends, Brian, had recently gone to Cambodia and he was sharing his pictures. They are very beautiful and show a lot of great sites, including Angkor Wat. I want to go there so badly. I am planning to go there within the next few years.

It was such a warm and beautiful day today. I am glad that I was able to enjoy it for at least an hour during lunch and I actually sweated today. As normal, I am enjoying it while it lasts. I hope that it will be like this next week when Daylight Savings Time kicks in. It will be so awesome to have more daylight. Yay!

S&TC quote of the day:
“Today I had a thought. What if I...what if I had never met you?” – Carrie (Season 6 – An American Girl in Paris (Part Une))

Link: http://www.greenplastic.com/

There was a man standing in front of the Medical Plazas today carrying a "Thou Shall Not Kill Terri Schiavo" poster. He was pacing up and down the entryway. I didn't get mad, but I was a bit irritated. I can tell that he had made the sign himself and made his message big enough to read from far away. He even included a picture of her on it. But the best part was that it was laminated. The entire huge poster board. I couldn't believe that he would go through all of the trouble. But it was something that he felt strongly about. It was funny to watch people's reactions to him. No one really cared at all. The doctors walked by and he tried to heckle them, but I was confused because isn't Schiavo in Florida? Was I imagining this? Because what can the doctors at the UCLA Medical Center do about it? And who really cares anymore? People are so sick of it already. I am sick of it. It was a fascinating experiment nonetheless.

So I got a call from Anastasia today telling me that there was some mail at my old apartment. I swing by there after work and pick them up. Mostly junk mail, but there's a huge ivory envelope. I open it and it's a wedding invitation from my old dear friend from junior high, Sokhary. Sokhary, Anna and I were inseparable in junior high and had so many adventures together. We went totally separate directions in high school and lost touch for a while during college. But we were able to reconnect these past few years and it's been nice. Sokhary and her fiance, Alan, have been dating since 8th grade. That's 12 years total. Yup, 12 years, my friends. That is sooo long and I am happy for them. The wedding is the end of May, which conflicts with my tentative east coast vacation, but I am sure that I can find a different weekend for that, though I know that Ramona is graduating law school in DC that weekend as well. I hope I am able to work things out. It is such a weird feeling that my friends are starting to get married. Some have been married for years, but I feel as though the upcoming weddings will hit home the fact that I am getting older because I'm done with college and that's technically what people are "supposed" to do. It's such a scary thought in many ways, but I am glad that they are finally getting married. It's about time!

Dinner with M tonight was fantastic. She was still recovering from being sick in Modesto this past weekend. She is such a family oriented person and I admire her dedication in seeing her family frequently. I think that she sees her family more often than I see mine and it’s quite sad because she drives 5 hours to get home, whereas I only drive 45 minutes. Just typing that statement made me feel kinda sad and like a bad daughter. Well, I introduced M to Barney's Hamburgers in Brentwood (not to be confused with Barney's Beanery, a totally different venue). I was craving beef. I don’t crave it that often, so it felt a little weird. Maybe it’s because Josh is vegetarian now and all that I see in the kitchen is pretty much meatless. Who knows? I am just glad that we went because the Western burger hit the spot. It’s amazing how long a week’s worth of events build up to the point where M and I are able chat about them during our time at dinner. So many things happened while she was in Modesto and I missed out on a very nasty voicemail that M got from an old high school friend that was mad at her for not calling. It’s funny that M did try to call, but the number was out of order and she never told her the new number. I can’t believe people get mad over stupid things like that. Poor M. She’s way too nice for her own good.

For mainly selfish reasons, I am glad that Angela is no longer working full time. It allows for more chatting and lunch dates with me. Yay!

SaTC quote of the day:
Big: This is fun.
Carrie: It's not supposed to be fun. This is somebody's wedding. (Season 1 - The Chicken Dance)

Link: http://www.etext.org/Mailing.Lists/house/

So I read this morning that Paul Hester, the drummer for the band Crowded House was found dead in a park. I wasn’t too sad about it because I never knew the guy, but it just affects me in a way that I liked some of their music while growing up and it’s always sad when you hear about people dying so tragically. I then got emails at work notifying me of all of the patients that had passed away this weekend. That really hit me hard because there was one patient that was just in the clinic last week and I knew the other patients as well. It’s so hard because I feel really bad for their families so much. Most of the time we never see their family ever again because it’s too hard to come back or they don’t want to associate with our facility because it brings back bad memories. I understand how they feel. I couldn’t go into a hospital room for years because I hated the smell because it brought back memories of visiting my father in the hospital. Same reason why I wouldn’t eat chicken salad sandwiches for years. And then I read about the earthquakes in Indonesia. Argh! Those poor people over there are still trying to rebuild from the tsunamis and now this. It is so unfortunate and heartbreaking. Ok, no more depressing talk.

I so desperately wanted to leave work early today because it was just craziness. I needed to unwind and was able to, luckily. I met up with Lisa, Shahab, Aussie, and Josh at Acapulco’s. It was nice to see Shahab and Aussie especially. I haven’t seen them in months. Aussie is such a great storyteller and she told us about her misadventures during her stay in Vietnam. I will remember to never say the phrase “under your skin” in front of her anymore because of it. Lisa also had very amusing stories as well. Shahab has been so busy and we hardly see him anymore, so I hope that that changes in the near future, especially since I am getting an itch to play some poker soon

SATC quote of the day:
Charlotte: I can't believe you're dating a politician. You're not even registered to vote!
Carrie: It's the undecideds they're really after. (Season 3 – Politically Erect)

[Kent, Christy, Angela, Sumi, Eva, and I singing Dione Warwick’s “That’s What Friends Are For” on our way back from Cerritos today.]

I had a wonderfully random and spontaneous weekend. I didn’t have too many things planned this weekend and thought that it was going to be low-key. It was relaxing, but it was filled with many adventures.

On Friday night, Josh and I watched Harold & Maude. I have seen it in the past, about 14 years ago, so I didn’t remember a thing. It was a fantastic movie and I can tell that a lot of people were inspired by it. We later went to Jamie’s party with Michelle Chung, whom I haven’t seen in a long time. It was very nice to catch up with her. Gabe made an appearance as well and we all hung out, like old times. Michelle and I realized that though years have gone by since she’s seen Jamie, no one’s really made a significant change in personalities, either for better or for worse. And that was a good thing. I met a few cool people and we just chilled there most of the night.

I really had no plans whatsoever on Saturday. I started the morning off slow, sleeping in and watched a few episodes of The Office for a while. It is so much better than the American version and I am wondering why they are bothering to make an American version when the British one is so much better. I just don’t see why they can’t air the British version and let it be. It did so well on BBC America. Anyway, it was such a beautiful day and I didn’t want it to go to waste. I wore a skirt during the day, for the first time since summer. Lisa and I decided to go to Color Me Mine and paint stuff. I painted a toothbrush holder to match my new polka dotted bathroom towels. She painted a cute mug. It was fun and we stayed there a lot longer than expected. We decided to hang out at The Grove, where we saw Brandon Boyd, of Incubus fame. He really was so cute in person. Yum. We shopped and basically hung out. It was so nice to do that with no time constraints or anything to worry about. We had dinner at Marmalade Café, a place that I have wanted to try for quite some time. The food was excellent and I was able to get to know her better. We actually see each other pretty frequently, but I realized that I still didn’t know about her life and her family, etc. So we chatted about her journey to Africa, a lot of our mutual friends, and her new job. We later met up with Tripp and watched The Ring 2. I was thoroughly disappointed (especially since I paid $14 to see it at the Cinerama dome) and it wasn’t that scary. There were pockets of scary scenes, but the storyline and plot had a lot of holes in it and it made her look like an unfit mom throughout the entire movie. I just didn’t care about them anymore.

This morning, we had another PRO meeting. We changed it to a weekend for the first time and it was very fun and informative. The dynamic of the group is great and we all seem to have similar views on many topics. After the meeting, we went to “Little India” in Cerritos. I had been there before with my sisters, so I was somewhat familiar with that area. It was nice to go with Eva and Sumi because they knew where all of the good shops were. I had my eyebrows threaded (my 3rd time ever) and Kent, Angela, and Christy wanted to watch because they have never seen it done before. The lady that did me was so fast and it didn’t hurt that bad. It is actually better than waxing, in my opinion. On our way back, Kent called Eva and I and made us change our radio station and sing along. “That’s What Friends Are For” was on and knowing that it was rare for us to hear that song on the radio anymore, I seized the opportunity and sang along. I surprisingly knew all of the words. Funny how that happens. I haven’t heard that song in such a long time, but yet I can still sing along. It’s great actually. I am glad that this weekend was spent with people I didn't know very well on a personal level because I was able to hang out with them and get to know them better.

SATC quote of the day:
Carrie: Come on, you wouldn't commit to a nice guy, given the chance?
Stanford: I can't even commit to a long distance carrier. (Season 1 – The Monogamists)

Link: http://www.whitestripes.com/

So I was talking to Amy yesterday and I realized that we are bored. We are busy girls, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just very stable right now. Boring is actually good for her and me. I know that she will be going through a lot of changes in a few months and I know that it will be challenging to get it back to same level of stability in a different town with different friends and work. It’s not like we don’t have hobbies either because between both of us, we have tons of things that we like to do and they keep us very busy. But it is a weird feeling that I cannot describe. I go through the motions and do all that I can to have fun and enjoy life. No drama or craziness right now in my own life (though I know that my friends are going through a lot of interesting situations right now). But life is sweet and I have no complaints.

And Kurt, you and your family are in my thoughts. I am here and am at your disposal. If you need me, you know how to find me.

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I went to see a sneak preview for the new Todd Solondz movie, Palindromes. [I think that my favorite palindrome is: Nate bit a Tibetan, for obvious reasons. I don’t think that I have ever said that to Nate, but when he gets back from St. Louis, I will definitely bring it up.] Like every other film he’s made, this one was equally as disturbing, but not as depressing as some, which was quite refreshing. It had many depressing elements, but I didn’t want to kill myself or anything after watching it. He touched on a lot of hot political topics such as abortion, religion, free-will, pedophilia, sex, and so much more. It was a bit hard to watch at times, but overall, it was a great film. He used 8 different actresses to play the lead role and interchanged them throughout the film and I think that it was done very well. There was a Q & A afterwards with him and for as much as I prepared for his tweekiness, it still wasn’t enough. His mannerisms and speech and voice and everything combined was hilarious and yet very real. He is such a weird guy, but for him, it’s okay. He seems to be doing well despite all of his idiosyncrasies. Twas lovely and these little advanced screenings and Q & As remind me of how great LA is. You can’t get these screenings in Modesto, though I hear that they will be releasing Episode III a week early there. I guess George Lucas isn’t that much of a bastard father to Modesto than I thought. I guess people can change.

SATC quote of the day:
“I'm trying to change my bed karma. I figure if I can make my bed a place I really want to be, others will feel the same.” – Miranda (Season 2 – Was It Good for You?)

Link: http://theclashonline.com/

I heard a report this morning on NPR about the growing tension between the US and Venezuela’s leader, Hugo Chavez. This is not news to me because I’ve been following it pretty closely this past year and a half. It’s just sad that it is still going on and I would like to think that the US wouldn’t be involved at all if it wasn’t the fact that Venezuela is the #3 supplier of oil to the US. The tensions have not affected the oil business thus far, but if things don’t get better, we may be paying so much more than the $2.49 for gas that we are paying now. Eek! That scares me. I remember being introduced to this whole situation by the Irish documentary The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. The documentary follows Chavez and his men through the short-lived coup d'état that occurred in April 2002. Please watch it when you can, it’s such a great film.

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I had dinner with M, as usual, and we went to Trastevere, an Italian restaurant that she had never been to. The salad was fabulous (which is all she really wants anyway) and the pasta was yummy. Definitely will go back soon. A lot can happen in a week. We had plenty to talk about and I found out that she met a new boy (who sounds like a great match for her) and will see him again soon. I am excited for her. I live vicariously through my single friends sometimes. It’s all about the giddy excitement of meeting someone new. I am perfectly content with my monogamous relationship. I am just excited for her new flame of sorts. She deserves a good guy and I hope that he is one of them. But we will see! She is also branching out and meeting some of my other friends. It’s so nice when that happens because it becomes a smaller circle.

I talked to Michelle today randomly. I haven’t talked to her in a long while. She and I are in the same place in that we want to reconnect with our old friends. So I am happy to see that we are going to hang out more again, even though she lives in Burbank. Yay! I don’t see her enough. I have lost contact with some friends throughout the years, but it’s these random encounters that just make me feel as though I am still doing something right.

SATC quote of the day:
“Your good friend Miranda has just taken a piece of cake out of the garbage and eaten it. You will probably need this information when you check me into the Betty Crocker Clinic.” – Miranda (leaving a message on Carrie’s answering machine) (Season 4 – What’s Sex Got To Do With It?)

Link: http://www.4ad.com/artists/catalogue/pixies/

I just love it when we randomly get food at work. This time, it was BBQ tri tip and chicken. Great food and it made me happy. It almost made up for the crazy day at work. It’s always nice to get free food. I was able to use my lunchtime to hang out with Lisa, whom I don’t see too much of these days. She’s crazy busy with her new job and hardly has time to sleep. Poor girl. It was nice to chat and catch up. She always has good stories to tell. I miss living with her.

Angela and I went to the new Westwood Novel Café to catch up on some reading and do some writing. It was a very cool place, full of books and comfy couches. It was a restaurant of sorts in that they serve a lot of food items like breakfast and sandwiches, but it had a relaxing feeling to it, one that allows you to stay there for hours reading and writing. Angela and I hadn’t seen each other for a few days, which is a long time for us to be apart, so we caught up on each others lives. It was nice to not have to worry about anything else…work or studying or anything of that sort. I am so glad that I am not allowed to bring my work home with me. It’s a nice feeling.

I talked to my family quite a bit this past weekend. I haven’t been over there very much lately and I feel bad, but I had the film shoot this past weekend and I wasn’t feeling too hot anyways. My mom called me out of the blue and just wanted to chat. That may sound normal to most people, but our relationship is not like that at all. We never really talk and when we do, it’s always about something like car insurance (since I am on her policy) or something technical like that. I was glad to talk to her and find out more about her life. I never really think about her happiness much, which I know sounds really bad. But it just never crosses my mind because I assume that she is happy, like always. She seemed happy, which was good, so I don’t think that I will have to worry about it that much. I guess I was just surprised, that’s all.
My dad and grandma called me too. Apparently my grandma had minor surgery on her arm to remove some benign cysts. All I got to say is: No one tells me anything in my family. I am always the last to know. She is recovering just fine, but I am still kinda bothered that no one told me. I know that I would’ve done a better job at visiting if I knew that was the case.
My sisters were in the LA area and called me several times for directions and such to a lot of different places near me. I found it a bit odd that they didn’t invite me on their exploration, but I think that there were a lot of friends with them, so I didn’t mind too much. They are about as directionless as I am, but I try to help when I can. I think that I may go home this weekend sometime, so that way I can see everybody and also to pick up the things that Nathalie (my sister) brought back from Cambodia. I can’t wait to see what they are.

SATC quote of the day:
“Charlotte was thrilled. Anthony was like the pushy Italian mother she never had.” – Carrie (Season 3 – Running with Scissors)

Link: http://www.nin.com/

I woke up with a sore throat Thursday. It was awful. I have had recurrent sore throats throughout my life, mostly during the winter time and it’s usually pretty mild. But this time, it hurt bad, really bad. Bad enough to the point where I started losing my voice and my boss saying to me, “You don’t look so good.” So I went home an hour early that day and it was St. Patrick’s Day, so I had to go out. I met up with Nate and Lisa at the Cat & Fiddle in Hollywood. It was packed and full of young blood. I didn’t stay for too long, but M and Tina stopped by and hung out for a while, so that was cool. The next morning, I woke up and still wasn’t feeling too well, so I called in sick. It was nice to sleep in and lounge around and relax. My throat is healing just fine now. I finally watched Gangs of New York. I love Daniel Day Lewis, he’s awesome.

I had dinner with Wen at Furaibo, a Japanese restaurant that was new to me. It was excellent food (especially the chicken wings) and great service. Wen and I realized the fact that we have never had dinner by ourselves before and we’ve known each other for about 5 years. I am glad that he sees me as a friend, rather than just “Josh’s girlfriend.” We joined up with a few others to watch Steamboy, the new long-awaited film by Katsuhiro Otomo. I was tired and it was an epic film (= very long). I did like it though, but they could’ve done without some scenes. I was debating even going at all because I knew that I had to wake up for the film shoot the next day.

I worked on another film shoot this weekend. The call time for yesterday and today was 6:30am at LMU. Yay! It was rough getting up earlier than I usually do for work. But the shoot went smoothly and we ended at reasonable times both days, so I am glad. I met a lot of new, cool people. They are a fun bunch to work with and I think that I will be working on their future films next year as well. At least I know that there will be opportunities to look forward to. Apparently, they all think that I look like Jamie, but I just attributed it to the fact that she is the only Asian girl in their program (even though I don’t think that it is true). Jamie and I do not look alike at all, and after shooting outside all day, I am a lot tanner than before. After two days of manual labor, light reading, knitting, waiting, accidental tanning and tons of snacks, I am just plain tired. The downtime on the shoot allowed me to catch up with friends from out of state. I chatted up people on the east coast, mid-west, NorCal, and Colorado. It was nice to talk with them, especially since I’ve been behind in keeping in touch recently.

I went to Costco after the film shoot and walked around like a zombie while looking for guacamole and other random things. We’ve been getting a lot more vegetarian items, since Josh has jumped to that side. The food isn’t bad and I actually enjoy the soy milk, so it shouldn’t be too hard for me to adjust my eating habits. I think it would be harder for Josh because he will be watching me eat meat in front of him. I don’t want to be rude, but I can’t give up meat cold turkey (hehe) like that.

Josh and I went with Wen to Ramenya, a place that I always see and always want to go to, but never get a chance. I am glad that we went. The ramen was excellent, though I am used to the Chinese-styled beef ramen noodle soups. It was tasty and so was the fried rice. It’s nice to see Wen every so often. He lives really far away, but works near here, so he’s around quite a bit now and crashes at our place sometimes.

We watched the new Arrested Development tonight and I was laughing out loud. They seriously need to keep it on the air. It’s the best show on TV right now! I love it and I am slowly getting my friends into watching it too by loaning them the first season DVDs. I am hoping that soon enough, everyone will be watching it. Yay!

Oh, and yet another reason why I have to go back to New York soon: Spamalot. Enough said!

SATC quote of the day:
Charlotte: Aaah! It's gay porn!!
Miranda: What was your first clue?
Charlotte: You said we were watching an independent film! I brought biscotti! (Season 4 – All That Glitters)

Link: http://www.toolband.com/

It’s amazing how better my day gets when I know that there will be a free lunch at work. I instantly perk up and wait to see what they (drug reps.) will bring. Today was Chang’s (not P.F. Chang’s) of Brentwood. They are my favorite as far as catered lunches go. I am happy instantly. Wow, it fascinates me that I can get like that. It’s actually quite funny to me.

I had dinner with Amy at a rib place near our old apartment. We used to drive by all of the time and say to each other that we should try it out, but we never did. But tonight was the night. It’s called Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs and it was yummy. The BBQ sauce was excellent and I knew instantly that I needed to take M there on one of our dinner outings. I think she would love it. I love finding new restaurants and introducing them to friends. It's too bad that Josh may not ever go there because he's a vegetarian now. I guess it's his loss because the food is so good.

Anyway, Amy is leaving in a few months and I cannot believe how fast time is flying. I never really see her that often, but we are trying to make knitting night more regular, so I hope that it works. We met up with Angela and knitted while she wrote her letter of resignation. She was doing her “I quit my job!” dance. It was cute. I am happy for her and I know that she is truly happy with her decision. I love it when you can feel happiness radiating from people. It just makes you want to be happy too. I finished knitting my scarf and am starting another one, but this one is a bit different than all of the others. The yarn is a lot thicker and it’s a lot harder for me to knit with it. But it looks good so far and I am excited to see the finished product. I think that after this scarf, I will move on to other things like hats and mittens or something. I am beginning to get used to knitting and am not making many mistakes. Yay!! I can’t believe that I am getting excited about knitting. I guess I am getting old!! But hey, I enjoy it and that’s all that matters to me.

SATC quote of the day:
Miranda: Whatever happened to aging gracefully?
Carrie: It got old. (Season 2 – The Freak Show)

There are many things that make me happy at this very moment. Daffodil days for Cancer Awareness, spicy laht-nah from Noodle Planet, John Digweed, cheap vintage stores, lunch with friends, Josh, vintage leather jackets, Pepsi, sunshine, coffee, reading Tripp’s book, knitting, talking to friends online and on the phone, running into friends and hanging out with them, and my coworkers.

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I had lunch with Angela today. She was so calm and happy. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She had decided to go back to school and the thought of not working seemed fabulous to me and to her as well. I am so happy for her because she genuinely seems content. I started to think more about school and why I wasn’t even planning on going back yet. It’s actually pretty simple…I don’t want to go back. I am simply not compelled to do so. Everyone keeps asking me about law/grad/(fill in the blank) school and I tell them that I don’t want to go back yet. For some reason, that’s not a good enough answer. To me, it’s all that I need to know. Why torture myself in school and hate every minute knowing that I do not want to be there? It’s one of the major choices that I’ve made for myself as an adult. I guess working fulltime isn’t as impressive as it used to be. And apparently a bachelor’s degree doesn’t go that far anymore either. I know that school and I will get back together again someday. I am just calling this a “break” for now. And who knows…maybe I will never want to go back. I guess we will see.

M and I were talking about so many similar things over dinner tonight. I can’t believe that she is working fulltime and going to graduate school at the same time. Luckily she is on spring break right now so she can take a breather. She has such a drive that allows her to run around and get her (second) master’s degree and work the same amount of hours as me. It makes me feel lazy and also fortunate that she has set aside time every week to hang out with me. I should be doing more. I just haven’t figured out what that is yet. I really don’t want to grow up yet.

SATC quote of the day:
Charlotte: We're having Trey's sperm tested.
Miranda: Is it not doing well in school? (Season 4 – Belles of the Balls)

Link: http://www.futuresoundoflondon.com/fsol/fsol.html

This weekend was mighty fine. It started off with a party for Rizwan. I haven’t seen him in a long time. We talk occasionally and try to set up plans to meet, but our schedules are always conflicting. He introduced me to all of his friends. A few were vaguely familiar. They were in Josh’s animation program and I had met them before. Dean was the only other person that I knew. He and I have known each other since first year of college and we see each other about once or twice a year. He is living in Hermosa Beach, as is a majority of my engineering friends. They all have a tendency to move in that area for some reason. The party was amusing, but I had to leave early to hang out with Greg, who was only visiting for the weekend. As I was about to leave, Adam came to the party. I haven’t seen Adam since out second year of college. He looked the same, but with long sideburns. It made him look like Ewan McGregor a bit. So we chatted for a bit and he seemed to be doing fabulously. It was nice to see him again.

It was also nice to hang out with Greg and the gang. I hadn’t seen him and Negin in a few months and they were here to try to plan out their wedding. The guys were going to get fitted for their tuxedos the next morning, so we just hung out and had Chinese food at my place. The next morning, I met up with them for lunch after their fitting. I was mad. Really frustrated. It took me about 45 minutes to get to the restaurant (it was near Fairfax and Beverly) and then it took me an extra 25 minutes to find parking. My food was cold and they had already gotten the check. Grrr. I hate LA traffic, especially on a Saturday.

I went to Union Station and Olvera Street with M to help her with her research project. We took lots of pictures of that area. It was overcast and getting a bit dark, but it was actually quite beautiful. We randomly ran into my friend, Jovon, who we went to high school with (and was in the marching band with me). I hadn’t seen him for a few months and M hadn’t seen him since we graduated high school. He looks great and just changed jobs. He always seems to be running a mile a minute, so it was a wonderful surprise meeting. I introduced M to my favorite taquito stand at Olvera Street and we walked around all of the cute shops. On our way back home, we stopped by Tripp & Kurt’s place because I needed to pick something up. They didn’t really know M that well, so we ended up chatting with them for a bit. I think thay the most pressing question of the night was: What guy would buy porn while they are on a date? It was great to hang out with them. I can’t believe that the guys will be moving in a few months. They don’t really know where yet, but they will be gone. It’s sad for me to think about.

Later that night, Josh and I went to Spundae for Rob’s girlfriend’s (Michelle) birthday party. She knew the owners of the club, so we were able to hang out in the V.I.P. section and drink champagne and hang out with the DJs. It was lovely. The venue had 3 rooms playing different types of music. The DJs weren’t too shabby and the food there was excellent. Josh actually danced for a bit and I was thoroughly amused by him and James all night. I also got a free Zippo, so that was cool. I may actual go there again next week because Armin van Buuren is going to be there. He’s pretty good and I think that it would be awesome to hear him live.

I went to sleep late last night after getting back from the show. I slept in (which felt so good) and took it easy the rest of the day. I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s (since all that we had in the refrigerator was beer and cheese), helped set up a new host for this website, and did some laundry. Hooray for last days! I just wish that I had an extra day off. I enjoy my weekends way too much.

SATC quote of the day:
“I don't believe in the Republican party or the Democratic party. I just believe in parties.” – Samantha (Season 3 – Politically Erect)

Link: http://www.blondie.net/index.shtml

I heard this song at the fabulous new vintage store in Westwood. (On Westwood Blvd., near Sandbag’s and Peet’s Coffee.) I don’t even know what the store is called because I walked by and was so excited and walked into the store right away. There was a fair mix of old and new stuff. Everything in the store was $3.99. I was elated. Like, seriously. I was sad because I only had 30 minutes left for lunch and I had so many things to try on. I got a great wool jacket, a few shirts, new bathroom hand towels, a tie for Josh, a few belts, suspenders, a fedora, a ski vest and a cute coin purse with a monkey on it. And that was only in 30 minutes. I can’t imagine how much more stuff I would’ve gotten (and more money I would’ve spent) if I had more time. It’s going to be a fun and dangerous store for me because I can see myself going there a lot. I ran into Severino there (who is probably the most frequent person that I run into on a random basis) with his coworker. Lisa called me while I was there and she met up with me. Then, I literally ran into someone in the store and she looked so familiar to me. It turns out that we went to junior high together. It was Laura (who is probably the most frequent person that I randomly run into from my childhood) and she went to Central Catholic high school instead of my school. I keep on running into her throughout my life. The last time was 5 years ago back in Modesto and throughout high school. She is going to UCLA and lives in Westwood. I am so thrilled about this chance encounter and I hope that we can hang out in the near future. This new store is already bringing people together. I hope that it will stay there forever.

Link: http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/salt_n_pepa/artist.jhtml

Work seemed to drag on and on. But I spent my lunch time with Eva. We chatted and she told me about all of the fun she had on her recent visit to the east coast. Eva went to the JFK Library and Museum while she was there. I am so jealous. I plan to go there very soon and I am looking forward to it. I think that Eva and I get each other pretty well and we have very similar interests. It’s nice to see her often and hang out and I also get to find out about great volunteer opportunities through the Alumni Association. Yay!

I was so tired while hanging out briefly with Tripp while waiting for Matthew Barney to speak and show his works at the Hammer. I couldn’t stay because I had dinner plans with M, but it was basically sold out and we didn’t get a seat inside. I felt bad because Tripp waited so long in traffic to come see it. There were many cute arty girls and guys there and I really admire their style. It feels like I am so plain and boring. Every so often, I will try something new, but I don’t think that I can get away with it as well as they can. They were very cute. I saw a few people that I recognized there, but couldn’t place how I knew them. Maybe its because I’ve been here for a long time and I’ve just seen them around campus or Westwood, but I hate that feeling of not knowing how I knew them.

M and I caught up with each other over dinner. She and I lead totally similar, yet different lives. I can’t really explain it, but we do and we somehow never run out of things to talk about. I was (still am) exhausted though. I realized that I usually see her on Tuesdays and I am a lot more energetic then because it’s the beginning of the week. But Thursdays are really hard for me most of the time. She and her roommate haven’t talked in over two months, even though they live together. It’s unfortunate, but I think that it may be necessary in order for them to coexist in the same place. We talked a lot about being judged by others and how we judge others on their choices. We ended up talking about sex in general and how no one ever really talks about it frankly. It’s just something that people don’t really talk about. I talk to certain people about it, but it doesn’t consume a majority of my conversations with them. It shouldn’t. I just think that it’s necessary to talk about it sometimes, more frequently than it has been now. But in this conservative and heavily regulated country, I don’t think that any media outlets will allow for anything like that to be out there for the public to hear and see. I think that’s why I miss Sex and the City so much.

(Hooray for having DSL again!)

SATC quote of the day:
“Sex is not a time to chat. In fact, it's one of the few instances in my overly articulated, exceedingly verbal life where it is perfectly appropriate—if not preferrable—to shut up.” – Miranda (Season 1 – The Awful Truth)

Link: http://www.fleetwoodmac.com/home.php

Another warm and sunny Southern California day. How are we so lucky? I’m just enjoying it for as long as it lasts.

Today was lovely. Despite having to wake up earlier than normal for a staff meeting, I was feeling okay. I rushed home after work to the grocery store because I was going to make lasagna for knitting night. With garlic bread from Amy and the spinach strawberry salad that Angela made, dinner was complete. We had a great time knitting and watching Shaun of the Dead. It was a lot scarier than I thought it would be. I just though that it was a comedy, which is was, but it did have some freaky moments. It was a great ride. The fantastic Tripp came over to visit after seeing David Byrne speak at the Hammer Museum. I really wanted to see him, but again, I found out about it last night and I already had plans for today. Sigh. It was nice to just hang out at my apartment and chat with my friends. It’s something that we don’t get to do often anymore because of our schedule. Our knitting circle (it’s more like a triangle) is so much fun even though it sounds like it would be boring. Tonight, we were lucky to have Tripp provide us with amusing conversations while we watched the first season of Arrested Development. But everyone had to leave eventually because we had to work or go to school tomorrow, yada yada. But I am grateful for the time that I am able to spend with my friends. I am such a lucky gal sometimes.

SATC quote of the day:
“To remember a simpler time when the best thing in life was just hanging out, listening to records and having fun with your friends. In your very own apartment.” – Carrie (Season 3 – Hot Child in the City)

Link: http://www.sarabmusic.com/

I am sad that I wasn’t able to go to Sara’s show tonight. I found out about it yesterday and I already had plans tonight. But I know she will be performing again soon, so I will have to go to the next show. I miss her stage presence and her passionate glances to the audience. She’s awesome.

It was a very sweet and mellow day. I had lunch with Vanessa and her coworker, Priya, on campus. A lot has changed since I’ve seen Vanessa. (Congrats on law/grad school babe!) She quit her job and is starting another one on Monday and she will be far, far away in a few months for law/grad school. She always brightens up my day and always has a random story to tell. It seems like all of the fun and weird things happen to her, such as chance encounters with random strangers. It was lovely to see her and Priya again and also nice to eat Panda Express again (though I don’t know why I crave it sometimes…it’s not that great overall).

This evening, Melnitz was showing Oldboy, the new Korean film by Chan-wook Park. As expected, it was very violent and graphic. It had an unconventional revenge-themed plot. It kept me wondering why things happened the way they did and I directly saw how much it affected the protagonist’s life. It’s very fascinating. I think that I will watch it again when it comes to the NuArt this month. Join me. Hooray for the NuArt!

I talked to Angela today and she went home for her sister’s birthday. I can’t believe she is 15 already! Eek!! She’s like a total teenager now and is probably thinking about boys and sex and college and all of that stuff. I wouldn’t know how to handle that. In a way, I am glad that I don’t have a little sister, but I do wonder what it would be like to have one. I wonder if she would look up or down on me and my choices in life. I don’t think that I would want to be a role model for anyone because older sisters are almost forced into being one. But I am fortunate to have 2 older sisters in my life because I look up to them a lot.

SATC quote of the day:
“Are you implying I'm some kind of Lewinsky?” – Laurel (Season 2 – Twenty-something Girls vs. Thirty-something Women)

Link: http://www.foofighters.com/

It is beautiful outside. Absolutely beautiful. No clouds in the sky. Bright sun shining. Cool, windy breezes. People are always happier on sunny days. I sure hope that it continues like this for a while. I love it!

There have been a lot of things that have been happening…not to me directly, but to my friends and their friends and/or families. I realized that my life, though stable, is a bit chaotic in its own little way. I’ve been lazy about certain things and fixated over things that shouldn’t waste my time. All in all, I think that I need to reprioritize my life. Nothing too drastic or anything, but I need some sort of change to balance out my life, in all areas.

Some of these things include:

1. Cleaning.

(I love Josh for not getting mad at me for my messes that seem to never go away.) I’ve been pretty bad lately.

2. Reading & Writing.

(I haven’t read as much as I would like to. I haven’t been writing much of anything either. My diary hasn’t been touched in months. I’ve been out of school for a long time and I cannot afford to not do anything literary in my life, it just doesn’t feel right.

3. Keeping in touch with friends, especially those that live far away.

I have been trying really hard to keep in touch with friends and family. It’s becoming a lot harder for me because of the whole dial up internet, but once that is fixed this week, I really have no excuse. I want to try to actually visit my friends as well.

4. Exercising. (Enough said.)

5. Dieting.

Not like a real diet or anything, but I’m trying to cut down on caffeine and such, like sodas and coffee. I’m cutting back on meat as well, but not enough to call myself a vegetarian or anything that extreme.

6. Sleeping.

Yes, more sleep would be nice. Given all of the extra things that I want to do, I am not sure if I can do it, but I will try.

7. Recreation.

It feels like I don’t go out enough or see people as often as I want even though I am going out and doing things. It’s a strange feeling. I just need to find a way to spend more time with my friends and family.

8. Cooking & Baking.

The fact that Josh and I do not have any real food in the fridge is a testament to how often we cook. I need to do more of it. It’s starting to get really costly eating out all of the time, though I do enjoy the social aspects of it. Must find a happy balance. I do enjoy baking though and I need to start up again. Also, I want to use my mezzaluna as often as I can, so much herbs and veggies will be consumed in the future.

I know that in an ideal world, I will be able to accomplish these things. But I am going to try hard and see what happens.

-------

After work, I met up with Amy, Lisa and Nate for dinner at Acapulco's for Margarita Monday. I know that I was trying to change my ways with the points above, but it was a spontaneous gathering. It was Lisa's first day at her new job. Apparently, it's not that bad. I am glad that she is working again. I just hope that she's glad. Her "summer vacation" is now over, but her and Nate did party it up this past weekend. Both her and Nate looked tired and though Amy and I were tried as well, they were way gone. Dinner was great. We found out that Jon has sworn off all women and is just going to play Gran Turismo 4 everyday after work and not go out, in the event that he will meet more girls. He cracks me up.

I tried out my new peasant skirt and people liked it, except for a homeless man behind Urban Outfitters. He pointed to my skirt and said, "That is not pretty." I was taken aback for a second and then I said, "Well, I'm glad you're not wearing it." I realized that I didn't care what other people think anymore, let alone what he thought. And besides, the only person that didn't like the peasant skirt was a peasant...haha, I need to stop with the corny jokes.

SATC quote of the day:
"Normal is the halfway point between what you want and what you can get." - Samantha (Season 1 - The Draught)

Link: http://www.u2.com

So my site had some problems this weekend, therefore it didn’t allow me to post. Nothing too extraordinarily exciting happened this weekend, so I guess it doesn’t matter. I am glad that it is working again.

I had a lovely time with Roni this weekend. She only stayed until Saturday, but we were able to hang out quite a bit. Watching Fast Times was…um…interesting. M and Tina were getting molested and freaked by two lesbians as we watched on. We met so many random guys from Michigan. All in all, a very out of the ordinary night.

I got up early Saturday to go to Costco with Jamie because she was helping out with craft services for one of her classmate’s films. Her film wrapped up nicely, according to her, except for a few minor scenes. She is currently trying to edit it and finish it up in time for the screening. I’m excited to see how it turns out. I was loading up her car with groceries and found 3 CD’s: The Streets, The Life Aquatic soundtrack, and the new Chemical Brothers. I forgot how similar we both were, with movies, music and so much more. I can’t believe that it’s been about 4 years since we’ve lived together…geesh, time surely does fly.

I had lunch with Josh, Roni, and M at Swingers later that day. The cousins always crack me up. They fight like sisters and they are complete opposites, in almost every way. But they do love each other like family and their bickering is always funny to watch. Roni seems to be doing very well. We found out that Ben, who also lives in San Diego, works across the street from where Roni works (which is actually in Poway). Very, very small world indeed.

Josh and I joined up with Nate and Lisa for dinner at Kabuki in Hollywood. On our way there, we saw a moderate-speed police chase on Highland Ave. It was exciting and scary at the same time. The car didn’t have its headlights on and it wasn’t going fast at all. We noticed the helicopter and its spotlight before we even saw the car and the dozen cops that followed it. I wondered if it was being aired live on TV at that very moment, but I had no way of knowing. When I got home later, I saw a glimpse of the story on the news. Sweet. But anyway, dinner was great. I really do like that place, even though it’s so far away. A lot of my friends live near there, so I know that we will be going there often in the future. After dinner, we went to play poker at Shahab’s girlfriend’s (Emily) cousin’s place in Beverly Hills. Lovely place. Emily’s cousin’s husband, Derek, is the nanny for a family there and they live on the premises. The house looked huge and beautiful and I am sure that it’s worth tons and tons of money. It was located on Elm Street, which instantly made me think of Freddie and his striped shirt. Not only that, Shahab told me that it is on the same block as the Menendez house where the shootings occurred years ago. So crazy!

This morning was the second gathering of the Brunch Bunch. I had to change locations to the Omelette Parlor because of the LA Marathon. So many streets were blocked off and it made getting through Hollywood very difficult. Josh declared that he is going to try to stop eating all meats except for seafood because he has been reading Fast Food Nation and read about the cruelty and evilness of the meat industry. I am going to see how long he will last. Anyway, a very nice time was had by all.

Afterwards, Angela and I went shopping and I bought a peasant skirt, which is very uncharacteristic of my fashion style. I am going to see if I can make it work with the rest of my closet. It will be an exciting challenge.

I found out today that Marty’s sister was in a car accident and passed away a few days ago. It was such a shock. My heart goes out to her and her family. I know that she and her sister were very close and it saddens me to know how much pain she is in. I never know what to say in these types of situations and am horrible with words. But you are in my thoughts babe. I am always here if you need me.

SATC quote of the day:
“What you did. That is love. You love.” – Magda (Season 6 – An American Girl in Paris (Part Deux))

Link: http://www.neworderonline.com/

I had lunch with Roni today. She is visiting briefly this weekend. It was a very lovely surprise. We had delightful conversations about random stuff and the past and future. I am so glad that we keep in touch as often as we do. It feels like junior high/high school all over again (minus her annoying dog that never warmed up to me). I feel a bit groggy right now. Actually, ever since I had lunch, it feels like I woke up from an unfulfilling nap. I hope I can shake it soon, especially since I will be seeing the fabulous Fast Times tonight (my favorite 80’s cover band) at The Space. They play covers of Dramarama, New Order, The Cure, Guns n Roses, Prince, Devo, and so much more. It’s cheesy, but oh so good. Come join us!

Anyway, last night, Alexis and I went to watch a Melnitz sponsored movie. I used to go watch their movies frequently, but their selection this year is good, but not fabulous. Kate was my constant movie partner and I miss her because she is so far away now. They were showing Dot the I, an independent film from the UK. It stars Gael Garcia Bernal (hottie!) and a few fresh new actors. It is about a bizarre love triangle and wasn't as predictable as I though it would be. This is Matthew Parkhill's directorial and screenwriting debut. Not bad for a newbie. He was there after the film for a brief Q & A session. He was very informative and quite a talker. I was pleasantly surprised.

People have been telling me about a girl from Modesto that is in Top Model. I checked her out and she’s not that bad, but there are some hotties competing against her. I don’t watch the show, so I am just amused by it all. We finally have a reality TV star from my hometown…I am bursting with fruit flavor.

Oh, and I posted pics of Lisa’s new tattoo. It’s a fantastic scorpion on her ankle, check it out!

SATC quote of the day:
"Sometimes you need a second opinion. With doctors, real estate... men..." - Carrie (Season 1 - Valley of the Twenty-something Guys)

Blech. My allergies are acting up again. I hate this feeling. I had a rough night trying to sleep. I was tossing and turning and my teeth hurt so badly. I am convinced that it is the sinus pressure pushing down on it, but I am not quite sure now. I finally took some ibuprofen and it started to work around 3am. I woke up with a headache and now there’s tons of pressure building up. I can’t take any meds at work because I get too drowsy and fall asleep. I don’t think my boss would like that. Argh! Fun fun. Well, I guess it can be worse.

So I found out that we’re going to definitely get our internet back next week. Yay! I have been a bit discouraged to post because of the dial up situation, but I have been trying. I have things in my mind that I want to post about, but by the time I sit in front of the computer, I forget my ideas. Such is life.

On my weekly “Tuesdays with M” dinner, we had interesting conversations about our families. We have a very similar family structure. We both have 2 sisters and 1 brother, our grandmothers both live at home, and there’s always that one sister that we don’t get along with. The only difference is that I am the youngest and she is the middle daughter. She was talking about her cousin’s new stepmother and gave examples as to why she is not a good mother and all of the sudden, she started choking. I started laughing, but then she was still coughing and then I realized that it was serious. She was able to cough it out and drank some water and was fine, but as she put it…she “choked on karma.” And that was the lesson of the night.

M’s grandma just had surgery and is very weak and I feel bad for her, though apparently she is not that nice of a person. My grandma is 85 and is in great health. She does have minor complaints and coughs every so often, but I am glad that she is doing well. Amy’s grandma was really sick recently as well, but she is starting to recover. She can’t do much since she lives in NY and it frustrates her. We all don’t see our grandmothers very often, but yet they have been a topic of conversation between us all recently. I love my grandma, but she knows how to push everyone’s buttons to the point where it’s frustrating to talk to her. And she nags, but what grandma doesn’t? I have been very fortunate these past few years to get along with her well and enjoy the time that we spend together. But my family that live with her are not as fortunate because they get into arguments with her all of the time. We all get our stubbornness from her. I wish that there was a happy balance.

Last night, Amy and Angela came over for our first official “Stitch n Bitch” session. We went to Tito’s Taco’s and stood out in the rain with no umbrella because, according to Amy, “It’s California, we don’t need umbrellas!” Unfortunately, it was raining pretty steadily, so we got all wet. Haha. It wasn’t that bad though. I took some allergy medicine and it made me feel drugged and drowsy. I fell asleep during parts of Hero while knitting. My body is so weak when it comes to drugs. I was able to stay awake for Season 4 of Sex and the City though. I am hoping to keep up a regular knitting night. Though it sounds boring, it really isn’t. I think that it’s the only time that we can get together and chat and be “girls” with our busy schedules. Anyone is welcome to join us!

SATC quote of the day:
"If two people only have one thought between them, something is very wrong." - Carrie (Season 4 - The Agony and the 'Ex'-tasy)