Josephine's Random Thoughts

My New Favorite Song

2011-08-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Kim Kardashian is many things. One of them being very beautiful. But she is definitely not a singer. Check out her song. Oh my gosh. It's absolutely horrible.

Dating B Wilson

2011-08-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

The other night, I had a dream that Brian Wilson (the closer for the SF Giants) and I had gone out on a date. It went okay, nothing special. I later received an email from him telling me he had a great time and can't wait to see me again. The tone of his email sounded forced. I could tell he was trying to sound excited. He even said, "I can't wait to see you again. Heeeeeeee!!!" I remember thinking "Brian Wilson says 'heeeeeeee!!'???". That's not a very macho thing to say... Anyway, I didn't really fall for him and he didn't for me, so why are we still dating??? Can we just be friends?!

I'm Back!

2011-08-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA for the past nine months because of huge changes. Last October, after coming back from our trip around the world, we found out we were expecting a baby. Since then, I had been obsessed with research and reading up on pregnancy, nutrition, motherhood, the usual stuff moms-to-be read about. Our daughter was born in June and life has been even busier than ever. It has been difficult to find time to do the things I thought were necessary, like vacuum. Don't ask when was the last time our carpets had a cleaning. Now, my days are spent taking care of our beautiful little daughter Madelyn. I love her to death. She's just started to smile (on purpose) and my heart swells a million times its size when I'm the reason for it. Returning to work in a week will be heartbreaking for sure.

Dream - Underground Molester

2010-11-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

I had a really disturbing dream last night. It started with me visiting a very grand hotel. The owner of this hotel has several other hotels around the world, all just as grand as this. I met up with a young friend, and he started telling me the owner isn't who he seems to be. On the outside, he is a respected and well-liked philanthropist and businessman, but underneath this facade, he is a sadistic child molester. My friend is one of his victims. He led me through a series of hallways and stairways, and finally arrived at an underground chamber lined with two short rows of stone beds. Against one wall is an elegant chair and a small altar with incense. My friend showed me a menu of items the man will make them do, in addition to being sexually assaulted. I read through the list and some of the things weren't too bad compared to being raped. One was having bugs crawl all over you. Lying on the beds were little boys. My friend told me these are his victims. He has many others, here as well as at his other hotel locations. My heart went out to all of them. They all looked so young and innocent. How can a monster do this to them?!

I started asking how they are feeling, but the man was in the room all of a sudden. I sat there not knowing what to do. He lit several sticks of incense, one stick for each of his present victims, and when he started addressing the boys, I got up to leave. He asked me where I was going. "I'm leaving." "No, you're not." He got up with a handful of incense in flames. "You cannot leave until your incense has burned out." He has claimed me as one of his victims. I started towards the door, but he threatened me by shoving the burning incense within an inch from my eye. I felt like I didn't have any choice but to sit down.

A couple of minutes later, I told him I was thirsty, so he allowed me to leave the room to get some water. I ran up and out of the hotel and bought a bottle of water. I thought, "How stupid of him. I can just run away right now. He can't find me." But I thought of the little boys waiting for their punishment. If I didn't go back, I knew he would hurt them even more, maybe even kill them.

As I made my way back to the hotel, I knew I was walking towards my death. Going down one of the escalators, I saw two friends I haven't seen in more than a year, since my wedding, and I hugged them and told them that I love them, something I've never done. They both gave me puzzled looks. A few feet away, I saw someone I really don't care for too much, but I gave that person a hug anyway to say hello. Continuing on, thoughts were racing through my head. Should I make a scene so that if people don't see me for a while, they may start to wonder where that girl who made a scene had gone? Deciding it wouldn't make a difference, I headed back to the room. I slowly crept down the stairs leading down to the stone door, taking a deep breath with every step, afraid what I would see inside. I reached to push the door open, and I woke up.

I think all of this happened because of 1) I watched "Kick-Ass" last night, and 2) I've been thinking of a couple of my friends lately. Weird how dreams will warp and bend your thoughts into something so strange.

World Champions

2010-11-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

I've never been a sports fan, let alone a baseball fan, but during the past couple of years, my husband has been trying to introduce to me the world of organized sports. It will probably be a very rare occasion that you find me watching baseball by myself (which I've actually done!), but I have come to "like" the sport, especially when experiencing it at AT&T Park in SF. The atmosphere is always incredible. I don't go just for the game, but for the food, the fans, and when we're lucky, the fireworks! This past year, I've learned a little about our team, the Giants, through my husband and Gary Radnich in the morning. I've come to like the players, like Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey and good ol' Tim Lincecum, something I never would have been able to say last year. As a matter of fact, if you asked me to name ten baseball players that ever played in the MLB, I probably wouldn't be able to do it back then. I knew of Barry Bonds, but who didnt'? But I can now! So as a friend of mine labeled me, I would consider myself to be a "casual fan" of baseball.

Anyway, I don't know what called for the long intro that has barely anything to do with the post, but the San Francisco Giants are the champions in the 2010 World Series! I've never been excited about a sporting event before, but now that I am armed with a little bit of knowledge, I actually am very excited! I definitely do not have the history many of the real fans have, but just hearing their stories, seeing their reactions, reading about their history, and feeling their emotions, brings out the little hidden fan in me too. It's contagious!! My favorite scene was seeing all the players overwhelmed with joy, jumping on each other and embracing with so much emotion. Brings a tear to my eye... and to many others too, I'm sure. It is such a wonderful thing to see something like this bring so many people together.

Well, just wanted to say congratulations to the San Francisco Giants, the underdogs, the misfits! They've been waiting a long time for this moment, and boy, they certainly deserve it. Their performance throughout the post season games has been spectacular, and none of this would be possible without Bruce Bochy. I do feel bad for the Rangers and Pat Burrell though... :(

Go Giants!!!

Photo: AP Photo (http://www.mlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/11/san_francisco_giants_win_first.html)

P.S. Now, I just hope tickets to next year's games won't be too expensive...

Dream - It's the Experience

2010-10-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago, I had a dream that my younger sister won first prize on a raffle. I heard the announcer rewarding the second place winner with a techy gadget and $500,000. I thought, "Wow!! $500,000?! If second place gets that much, I wonder how much first place gets!! Wow!!" Guess what first place received? The grand winner gets to dress up as Bell Biv Devoe (a 90's R&B trio) and perform on stage. Second place gets $500,000 and first place gets to dress up in funny clothes and jump around on stage. Wow. You've got to be kidding me.

My sister and her very wacky friend Lynda were ready to go (in my dream they looked ten years old... so cute), but they needed a third member. You can't just have Bell and Biv and no Devoe. So I reluctantly agreed to do it. I was in the shower getting ready, but thinking, "This isn't a PRIZE!! It's TORTURE!!!!" I don't want to dance on stage!!! Second place is so much better!

Here, my dream ended, but without understanding the moral of the story. It's not the things that you can buy that are important, it's the EXPERIENCES you gather through life.

Screw experience! I'd rather half a mil!

Rebecca

2010-08-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

My older sister highly recommended Rebecca to me a long time ago, but I finally got around to it a couple of weeks ago. When I received my copy from the mail, I was a little disappointed and a bit hesitant to read this because of the book cover. It looked really cheesy like a Danielle Steele book... I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but people do! That's why there are book cover artists! Since this was agreed upon as our next book in our book club (comprised of two, sometimes three, people), I started Rebecca without expecting too much.

This book is told through the voice of a nameless young woman who falls in love with a very wealthy, older man. The majority of the book is spent on his estate, Manderley, made popular by his late wife Rebecca. Even though Rebecca has been dead for nearly a year, it seems as though she is still alive, her presence felt throughout the mansion, even at the edge of their property by the gray, hungry sea. Reminders of her exist almost everywhere. The heroine seems to be drowning in Rebecca's past.

I finished this book several days ago, and I find myself still thinking about that time, that world. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daphne du Maurier is a very talented writer. Her words transport you to that time period, that estate, that room, experiencing the very feelings the narrator is feeling. It started off a little slow, but things pick up. There are twists and turns that blew my socks off! Thinking about it gives me butterflies. :) It starts off being a little naive and youthful, but quickly becomes haunting, beautiful, and sometimes sinister. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm recommending it to everyone.

The Great Gatsby

2010-08-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

I remember reading this book sometime in high school and recall thinking it was "not bad". And this being my husband's favorite book of all time, I decided to reread this great American classic a few days ago. I don't recall the story being so tragic, leaving an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Being the sucker for romance, I would prefer it to have a happy ending, but I'm sure it wouldn't be as popular if it had. Fitzgerald's way with words is truly amazing. The way he chooses to describe something may be nothing like what I would have thought. Through his eloquence, I saw ordinary things at a different perspective. There were countless times while reading where I stopped to imagine his words. I found myself thinking "wow... that's nicely written." I have to admit that in some cases, he's so eloquent, that I found some parts difficult to understand. Other than that, I thought it was a great book. I can't say that it's my favorite, but it's definitely good.

I Know this Much is True

2010-07-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

I bought this book at an airport several years ago. This was chosen because it had Oprah's seal of approval and was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. I've never read any books from Oprah's Book Club, but just assumed it was supposed to be good... Forward to three years later, and I'm finally done with the book.

If it took me three years to finish it, it's obvious I wasn't too fond of it. I actually had to start all over again which was a pain because the whole book was rather depressing. It's about a pair of twin brothers Dominick and Thomas. The first is "normal" while the other suffers from schizophrenia. One day, Thomas hacks off his arm in a library because of the voices in his head and is immediately placed into an institution. A portion of the book takes you through the obstacles Dominick, the "healthy" twin, goes through to try to help his brother, while a large hunk of the book talks about their past growing up with an abusive step father and a mother who's afraid of her own shadow. The story of his grandfather is also told through an autobiography his grandfather left behind before he passed away. That was the most interesting part...

I find this book to be quite depressing, dark and moody. There is not one happy person in it. Happy moments can be counted one hand, and those are always crushed by something horrible that happens afterwards. Almost everyone has major mental or emotional issues. This was just not my kind of book. I like to escape to different times and places to experience adventure, romance, good humor... This book didn't deliver any of these. If you like books that are dark and depressing, this one's for you!

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff

2010-07-21T23:31:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Jesus' childhood told through the voice of his childhood best friend Biff. I am fairly ignorant of the stories told within the bible, but apparently, all of the stories that have been written only includes Jesus' birth, skips his childhood and early adulthood, and continues when he is in his 30's. I think. This book fills in this huge gap. Since no one knows what really happened in these three decades, the author Christopher Moore, fills us in and writes of Jesus and Biff's adventures during this time with a really big dose of humor. I laughed out loud several times, so it was definitely an enjoyable read. I think it was a little risky to write a book like this because chances of offending people may be pretty high, so having a good sense of humor is a must. But Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Son of a Witch did say "Lamb is hysterical, sexy, and really deeply moving: Moore performs a sleight-of-hand, a balancing act, of fiendish exactitude - not an ounce of bathos too much, not a shred of potential heresey for anyone who takes the story too seriously, not a joke-op missed." And not only was this book funny, it also brought you through adventures of ancient lands. A bit of history, a bit of humor... Sounds good to me!

Either You're In or You're in the Way

2010-07-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

Either You're In or You're in the Way is about a pair of twin brothers', Logan and Noah Miller, adventure making a feature length film, Touching Home, with Academy Award winners like Ed Harris with absolutely no experience or knowledge of filmmaking, all because of a promise made to their dead father.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. It was a very easy read, written as if they're just talking to you. It sounded very honest and it was like you were sort of on the ride with them. Different emotions were stirred through their story - humor, anxiety, love, frustration, disbelief, and so much more. I'd recommend this anyone who wants something fun and easy.

Puerto Rico - Day 6

2010-07-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

Even though we were on a tropical island in the Caribbean, the days leading up to day six has been somewhat stressful. Why? Well, Mae and I had booked a day of adventures for this day. In every respect, Mae was extremely excited. But me? I agreed to do this reluctantly.

I admit it. I'm a big scaredy cat. But I like to push myself to do things out of my comfort zone thinking I may get over my fears. Scary things I've done include skydiving, snorkling in underground tunnels, skiing on the intermediate slope, jumping into a pool, walking across a wooden log over water, eating some of my mom's cooking (yes! these are in fact very frightening to me!)... that's all I can think of right now. No matter what I do though, my fears are never overcome. I am still afraid of water, heights, tight spaces, some of my mom's cooking, but what I do gain in these experiences is confidence and the knowledge that the chances of something bad happening to me is pretty slim. And after doing these "dangerous" things, I always am glad I did it. No regrets. (Except for my mom's cooking.)

So when I agreed to do this adventure, I knew that I would not regret it, but the fear of jumping into water was truly petrifying. I HATE water. I HATE heights. What I would be doing is the combination of my two biggest fears. The thing about this day was that our adventure was never confirmed. They needed a certain number of people to join in order to make the trip profitable. During this time of uncertainty, I was praying we would receive a call saying the trip has been canceled. My prayers weren't answered. The evening before the big day, we got a confirmation that the adventure was on.

On day six, we woke up waaaay before sunrise, packed some food from our inn's kitchen (the employees here are the most helpful ever!), and waited for our cab. After waiting a pretty long time, we were finally on our way to our meeting spot. We got dropped off at our location. Odd. No one was there. We peeked around the area, but didn't see a group of people with activewear, a bus, nothing. Mae called our point of contact and realized we were at the wrong place! Luckily, we were close. We ran, fearing the bus would leave us. After signing our lives away, we hopped onto the bus with the Aventuras Tierra Adentro team and were headed to El Yunque National Forest for a canyoning adventure.

While most people in San Juan were probably still warm in their beds, we were in a bus with the most entertaining crew. Ever. The group leader fed us information using lots of jokes, and the bus driver (and also the second in command) contributed by adding his own sound effects. This delivery not only woke up everyone, but also made us feel comfortable and safe having them as our guides.

The active part of our adventure, the activities that I stressed over, was finally about to start. I was just praying that I would come out of this unscathed. After gearing up and passing a few safety lessons, we made a short hike down a steep hill to get started on some via ferrata, a route equipped with fixed cables and metal rungs as footholds and monkey bridges, a very simple bridge made entirely of ropes. We then rappelled down to a platform and from there, ziplined into a cold pool of water. Once everyone had been dunked, we jumped into the water once again and swam towards a roaring waterfall, checked out some little white crabs clinging to the damp walls of the waterfalls mouth, took some photos and swam towards land and clambered back up onto the rocks. While they gave us a little time to rest, we were served a bit of hot chocolate. After a few minutes, we grouped up and continued our adventure. The via ferrata continued. We carefully crossed gulches via two cables, one to hold on to and one to step on, while the terrifying white water made its way down many many feet below us.

Next up was a zipline that would stop mid-way, and we would unclip ourselves from the cable and free fall into the water waiting below. Oh boy. This was was when I started to panic. Remember I told you that I'm afraid of heights and water? Well, this was pure anguish. While others went ahead, a mental war was going on full force in my head. "Should I push myself to do this? But I really don't want to! I am truly truly horrified of this. But you should do it! Everyone else is! But I have to drop into water! That's crazy!! What's the alternative? Go to the end of the cable and jump into the water from some rocks that are waaaay up high! Oh my gosh!! I can't do that either! What if I jump too close and hit my head on the rocks and die?! Might as well just fall from the cable!! But I can't!!" And so this continued up until the guide asked me if I was going to go for it. I honestly don't remember my answer, but I was stopped halfway through the zipline and was told to unclip myself by swinging my body up. I tried, but didn't have the strength or just couldn't figure it out (probably because I was petrified), so I asked them to just let me off at the very end. There, they told me I had to jump into the water from the rocks. I looked down to the water to see how long the jump would be. Holy mother of god. I can't do that. That's insane. I will die. They kept trying to coax me, but I just couldn't get myself to do it. I finally got my way and chickened out of this portion and made my to the group by hopping down some rocks.

The entire group climbed back up onto the rocks where I had just been. We had three options here. One, jump from ten feet (where I just was which was already the scariest thing I could imagine). Two, jump from twenty feet. Three, jump from thirty feet! These were all approximations, but this certainly looked a lot higher!! None of these options sounded good, so I just stayed at the lowest elevation. There were several girls in my group, including Mae. Others climbed up to the other levels. One girl had the guts to go to the highest one! One by one, they jumped off. It was finally our turn. Some of the girls weren't scared. Mae was excited, but she stayed with me until the end. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who was scared. Another girl needed some support as well.

When it was finally my turn to go, I was frozen. I couldn't. I was already unwilling to go once, how can they expect me to do it this time? After a lot of encouragement and a lot of deep breathing, I was ready to go. I stepped to the ledge and looked down. Oh god. I can't do this. I stepped back. Crazy. More encouragement and deep breathing. I fearfully approached the edge again, looked down, and felt a small nudge on my back. With that, I tried to launch myself as far from the rocks as possible so I wouldn't smash my head and kill myself, held my breath, and waited for impact. Splash! As quickly as possible, I kicked to the surface, and once my head was no longer submerged, I screamed. That was exhilarating stuff! It wasn't bad at all!

You see that cable in the back? That's where everyone jumped from.

We were all supposed to swim to another waterfall to take a group photo. It was not that easy. The rocks at the foot of the fall was heavily coated with slippery moss. People were sliding around everywhere.

Once our photo opp was done, we all swam back to dry land where we had lunch. I think we were supposed to continue down the hill, but they were afraid of flash floods, so our next little task was to climb up a rock wall to get back up to higher land. Again, we had three options, extremely easy, very easy, and easy. Cool. I've rock climbed before and didn't think it was too bad, so I chose the very easy option, the middle one. Man. This was not "very easy". More like very difficult! Some holds were far from each other and some were pretty small or at weird angles. By the time I climbed up to the top of this vertical face, my muscles had become soupy mush.

The rest of the trip was easy. We were all urged to dunk ourselves in a very cold pool of water before starting our way back up the trail. This helped with the heat. We hiked back to the trailhead, rested, changed, and were on our way back to civilization. But not without a quick stop at a roadside food stall! Mae and I shared lots of deep fried stuff and a virgin pina colada. Soooo good. It was such an excellent way to wrap up a day of adrenaline packed activities. This day had been wonderful. I pushed myself to do things I have only dreamed of doing but was afraid to actually do it. Everything about this trip was incredible, and I really thank Mae for her encouragement and sisterly ways. She watched after me like an older sister would take care of her younger sis. I love that Mae.

After we got dropped off near our guest house, we showered and decided to have dinner there. How can you go wrong with a table on the sand with a view blue skies that eventually turn to hues of pinks and purples while the glow of the sun slowly dip behind the sea? It was a good meal with good conversation and more people watching opportunities.We walked along the beach that night, at times, taking photos of San Juan's night lights. This was our last night in Puerto Rico. :(

The light building in the back is Numero Uno Guest House. It's really sitting on the beach.

Puerto Rico - Day 5

2010-07-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

We were leaving Vieques today. Mae and I would continue our vacation in San Juan while my two sisters would return home to the Bay Area. Not surprisingly, we rushed to check out and return our vehicle to get to the ferry terminal in time. After waiting a while, we finally boarded. Guess who was sitting just a few feet from us? Yes, the mean man from our first night and his family. Yuck. When we reached Fajardo, we caught a cab to take us to their international airport.

For much of the ride, I was blinking back tears, tears of sadness that my sisters were leaving me! Seriously! I really didn't want to see them go. Being in a foreign place made me embrace familiarity more so. True, I had Mae with me, but it's still not the same. They are my sisters, two people I've shared so much with, and now, they were leaving me. I wanted to go home with them. Screw San Juan. I would rather be with my sisters. I know. I'm such a little cry baby. But I wasn't really going to go home with them... We said good-bye to them at the airport, and now we were on our way to Numero Uno Guest House in San Juan.

We went around in circles. Our driver stopped numerous people, asking them if they knew where _blank street is (I forgot the street name). We were pointed the wrong way at times, but most people couldn't offer any direction. Finally, after much circling around, we had arrived to our guest house at last. This place was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. It sat right on the beach, with a full view of the sun when it touches down onto the Caribbean Sea. Amazing.

Mae and I didn't waste any time hanging around our inn. We wanted to see San Juan! Within an hour, we were in Old San Juan, the heart of it all, surrounded by colorful, ornate buildings and cobblestone streets. It was so beautiful, a very different vibe from Vieques. Vieques was lovely! Don't get me wrong. It's just that after several days of leisurely island life, it's nice to pick things up a bit and be closer to civilization.

The first item on our agenda was to eat. We found a nice restaurant with street-side tables alongside a little plaza. Once again, I ordered mofongo, with crab. While eating this meal, I realized I really don't like mofongo. It's too starchy and sweet. By this time, I was really craving plain old steamed rice.

After lunch, we wanted to immerse ourselves in Puerto Rican culture and history. We decided on visiting El Morro, one of the two fortresses sitting on the edges of Old San Juan. As we made our way to this historical landmark, I snapped quite a few photos of the surrounding architecture, trying to capture the charm of this part of town. I really didn't do it justice, but here are a couple:

El Morro seemed to be steeped in history, but we couldn't truly get an appreciation for it as we arrived half an hour before it closed, and the grounds were pretty spread out. We would speed walk through passageways, run up and down narrow spiral staircases, race from one turret to another... all the while, snapping away like a madwoman. Needless to say, I didn't really get anything nice, but here's a little taste of El Morro...

The lawn leading up to El Morro's entrance.

The narrow spiral staircase in one of the turrets.

An old pile of cannonballs.

Half an hour, after numerous announcements that the fortress' visiting hours were coming to an end, we finally made our way back to the entrance. We took our time strolling across the vast lawn, taking in the cool air as evening approached.

Before heading back to Numero Uno, we had to grab some dinner. We settled on a restaurant close to our taxi drop-off area and with outdoor seating once again, Toro Salao. Mae and I shared a fantastic meal: pineapple and peach sangria, a delicious deep fried appetizer of some sort, and a mushroom, spinach, and bacon pizza. The pizza was sooooo good.

Our table offered a lot of people watching opportunities. We observed really bad karaoke coming from a nearby bar, a man creating works of art with leaves, people dancing to a live band... There was no time to linger and soak in this carefree San Juan lifestyle though. We needed to head back and get plenty of rest to prepare for tomorrow's adventures.

Gidget 1959

2010-07-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

I watched "Gidget" when I was a kid and just re-watched it. I love it just as much the second time. It makes life seem so simple, care-free, and sweet. Aaaahhh... And Moondoggy is somewhat of a hunk, aye?

Iraq? A rack?

2010-06-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

I had such a "duh" moment last night. My husband and I were sitting on the couch watching "Friday Night Lights", and there was this character Matt who was really depressed about something. Not having followed the series, I asked my husband, "Why is Matt so sad?"

He responded, "His dad died in Iraq."

"His dad died in a rack?!"

"Yeah, his dad died in Iraq."

Utterly confused, I asked again, "He died in a rack?!"

"Yes, in Iraq."

"A RACK?!"

Finally realizing what I was thinking, he sighed heavily and slowly said, "IRAQ."

Puerto Rico - Day 4

2010-05-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

This day was pretty much the same as the previous day: late breakfast, relaxing time at our suite, and when we were finally hungry again, we got ready to leave for the day. On this day, we returned to Santana Row and visited another open-air restaurant called Bili, named after a rather strong drink they are known for.

In addition to their potent alcohol, their seafood was delicious. We had lots of deep fried food, which is always good, and seafood paella with a whole lobster on top!

After our scrumptious lunch, we decided to head back to the same beach. Again, we ate. We drank. We slept. We played. And took lots of pictures... which was one of the funnest things we did!

The sun had long set by the time we were ready to go. We were once again faced with the difficult question: What shall we eat for dinner on our final night in Vieques? Mucho Gusto! I think we ordered a few of the same things for dinner, but what was worth mentioning (again) is their templeque! This is the BEST dessert I've ever had in my whole entire life!! It's a coconut pudding that was light and not too sweet. Pieces of fresh young coconut were layered in between. On top of the pudding was a layer of condensed milk, and piled on top a gargantuan dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon. How good was it really? We ordered one pudding for the four of us to share. Wowed by its incredible taste, we ordered another. When the server returned, we had to order two more! It was soooooooo good!! What a way to end our stay in Vieques. That meal wrapped it up very nicely.

Puerto Rico - Day 3

2010-05-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

Vieques is a slow island with not too much to do. On our agenda today was... nothing really. "Relaxation" if I had to really choose something. We had breakfast rather late, as usual. I think it was this day, or actually the day before, that we were introduced to cashew fruit. The caretaker of the inn's little restaurant asked us if any of us had ever tried cashew fruit. All of us shook our heads with puzzlement, not knowing that cashews had fruit. She boasted about its power to heal (it apparently has a lot of vitamin C and antioxidants), the deliciousness of it, and that she ate a few every single day. To satisfy our curiosity, she retreated to the kitchen and brought back this pear/bell pepper-shaped fruit with a cashew stuck to the end of it. The nut reminded me of another type of nut...

Image borrowed from www.artsnuts.com.

She asked us if we wanted to try it. Of course! Why pass up the chance to sample something new?! We each got two or three thin, juicy slices of the fruit. Mmm. After the first mouthful, none of felt it warranted a "m-m-m". It was more like "eck-eck-eck". Tart. Rubbery. Waxy. Weird. NOT good. I ate most of mine because I'd feel bad for wasting the woman's efforts, but a couple of others in our group couldn't get themselves to take another bite. Eating that wasn't easy. Deep breaths preceded every bite.

The fruit wasn't great, but our surroundings certainly delighted us. We sat outdoors every morning, next to the huge tamarind tree that the inn was named after. Our tableware was colorful and cute. Paintings of shutters and planter boxes full of colorful blooms were found on almost every window. Beyond the inn, we could see tiny but lush islands sitting on the waters of the Caribbean.

After breakfast, we wandered back to our suite to nap, read, and hang out. I tried out the hammock, but flipped over and scratched up my elbow. :( Reverting back to something less adventurous, I just sat and read by the pool and the beautiful tropical flowers. The view was beautiful and the weather was perfect. This looks like the backyard of a drug lord or something... So nice.

And my stylish amphibious shoes were still a great hit with my sisters.

Once we had our fill of doing almost nothing, we wanted to get some good Puerto Rican food. Tom, our kayak guide, suggested this one place on what we named "Santana Row", a short row of open-air restaurants and bars facing the beach with strands of colorful lights hanging from the street lamps. This was considered to be the hip part of the island, and we were staying close by.

"Mucho Gusto" was the name of the restaurant. We were seated promptly in the indoor dining area. We ordered Medalla (beer), Puerto Rican gumbo (sooooo freakin' yummy), squid salad (absolutely delicious), some sort of deep fried seafood with lots of batter (much better than the ones we tried our first night in Vieques), and grilled salmon with fried plantains (yum). We were all so grateful for Tom's suggestion. This was the first great meal we've had since landing.

After we devoured our meal, we headed out in search of nicer beaches. But first, we snapped some pics along Santana Row. Couldn't resist. It was rather pretty out there.

The main roadways in Vieques are paved and just wide enough for two cars. But there are roads that snake throughout the island that aren't as nicely maintained because of lighter traffic, fortunately. These are nothing but dirt paths making their way up and down steep grades, with massive potholes that can do major damage if you're not careful. And passing other vehicles is always a bit exciting. Imagine if the car had died on one of those roads. I think we'd still be in Vieques!! Driving on these roads was like a little adventure - out in the middle of the jungle on these perilous roads (OK, exaggerating a bit), and no one knew where we were. FUN! And I was so happy to have driven on these the next day. So fun!!

Plant life in the tropics is very different from what we'd see in the Bay Area, as you would already suspect. We saw these trees that looked a little eerie. Very cool.

After quite a lengthy search for a nice beach, we finally came upon something that was on the side of a highway; don't even know if it was a marked beach. The water looked peaceful, the sand clean, and the presence of a family of foreigners made us feel safe. Here, we unpacked all of our gear again and continued our newly found lifestyle of living as if all worries have evaporated into the warm tropical air.

There, my little sister was interested in improving upon her photography. OK. So I asked her to take a photo of me with the beach and skies in the background. She snapped a photo and asked me how it looked. I laughed and told her it was horrible!!

To the left of us lay a bunch of rocks that looked like beached sea monsters, very pointy and rough monsters.

A couple hours have passed, and the foreign family had already packed their bags and left. The four of us were the only ones left on the beach. It was nice to be in solitude but our wary eyes continually scanned our surroundings to avoid any potential trouble. Inevitably, a while later, a small group of locals stopped at the parking area. A couple were lingering while the rest started to make their way down to the beach. I'm sure they were harmless, but we couldn't shake off the feeling of vulnerability, so we agreed to gather our belongings. Within 60 seconds, we were done. The speed at which we packed merited an award. After we climbed back up the short trail and into the car, we all burst into laughter. We were ridiculous.

On our way back, we stopped for some ice cream!

We hung out at the Tamarindo for a while. By the time our tummies started growling, it was already sort of late. It was like night no.1 all over again. Restaurants that looked good were already closed. We came upon a ceviche bar. I love ceviche! We went in and were told that they're out of ceviche. How can a ceviche bar be out of ceviche?! That was funny yet frustrating. A few buildings down, we finally found someplace that looked decent and was still open. Here, we were introduced to "mofongo". From what I remember, mofongo is made by frying plantains, then mashing it up, put into a mold, and fried again. First couple of bites were good, but it became too sweet and starchy after a while. Maybe it's because I'm Chinese, but I'd much prefer regular ol' steamed white rice.

As we were driving back to Tamarindo through Santana Row, we noticed a lot of people milling around the bars. Why not get a drink too? We chose a lively bar with a lot of outdoor seating, ordered some drinks and got really flushed. :(

Mt. Hamilton

2010-05-09T14:26:00.001-07:00

My husband and I drove up to the observatory on Mt. Hamilton and took a few photos before being shooed out by the nasty old security guard there.

Puerto Rico - Day 2

2010-05-02T23:33:00.000-07:00

When I awoke the next morning, one of the first things I thought of was the argument from the previous night. I wondered if he did complain to the inn's owner, but why dwell on such things?! I was Puerto Rico! Forget about that asshole! Have fun!!

After enjoying our complimentary breakfast, we were ready for the day's activities. What first? To the grocery store for snacks and beverages! As we pulled out onto the main road, we were greeted with a blatant reminder that we were in a rural place. Roaming the narrow road were horses! Three of them! They weren't startled by our vehicle and were used to grazing alongside the road. We drove by slowly and snapped a few pics as a reminder...

After that, we wanted to check out the beaches. Many of Vieques' beaches are named by color, for example, Red Beach, Green Beach, Blue Beach, etc. This was the US Military's doing. I don't know why they couldn't come up with more creative names, but whatever, that's what was on the maps. According to our research, there were a couple of beaches that deserve a visit, so of course we seeked them out. Frommer's suggested a secret gem of a beach so we checked it out. Disappointing.

After driving around and stopping at several places to see if we've come to the correct destination (another Frommer's recommendation), we finally made the right turn and arrived at Red(?) Beach.

This beach, one of their nicest, was alright. There was one thing I liked about it; it was secluded. I guess I've just been spoiled by the beaches of Thailand (specifically Similan Islands), but it wasn't really what I would expect from a Caribbean island. The sand was coarse and strewn with seaweed/kelp, the water was cold, and skies overcast. Of course you make do with what you have right? We plopped our stuff down on a smooth spot of sand and just... relaxed. There was a lot of talking, listening to music, picture taking, reading, a bit of drinking and some exploring. Nice and relaxing.

After about a couple of hours, it was time to head back. We had a busy evening ahead of us.

I'm pretty sure we had lunch, but don't remember where...

Oh yeah, and we received a note from the staff asking us to respect other guests while using the pool. Pft!

Anyway! An adventure was awaiting. We had booked a tour to first go kayaking through mangroves and then check out a unique and magnificent spot, Mosquito Bay. After meeting up with our tour guide Tom, a white guy with a blond ponytail, a slight surfer accent, and really cut shoulders, we were led to a hidden opening where we would board our kayaks and unknowingly start the extreme workout that was in tow for us. I paired up with my older sister, while my friend and little sis shared a kayak.

Off we went. We rowed along a wall of mangroves on our left and the open bay on our right. Mangroves are beautiful and creepy. Their sturdy roots grow above the water, many times intertwined with each other, and are topped with a headful of little green leaves.

I've gone kayaking numerous times, but never have I ever had to exert so much energy! Paddling through the mangroves should be relaxing and tireless, but it becomes quite frustrating if your paddle gets stuck between the meshed roots in narrow waterways. This happened to me and my sister several times. People in kayaks close by helped us as we tried to maneuver ourselves out of our little pickle. Thank goodness for them!

Those moments were frustrating and tiring, but my energy was completely drained as we rowed out of the mangroves and toward the open sea. Sea water was rushing into the bay as we were rowing out, which made for some grueling rowing. Our guide warned us to stay close to shore, otherwise, you may face the possibility of getting pulled out to sea by the current. But not too close! You may risk getting slammed into the rocks! As we rounded the rocky cliff, we finally saw the beach where we would shore our kayaks. It was so close, but getting there wasn't easy! We would ride the wave in, but then it'd carry us out. This called for some mean paddling, my friends. Finally! The base of our kayak hit sand, we clambered out, and trudged our way onto the fine sandy beach. My arms felt like jell-o, and I was hung-gry! After all the kayaks were beached, Tom served us our meal, vegetarian pasta salad. He hacked open a coconut and we all took sips from it. That was good to tie me over, but I needed more food. We all hung out for a bit and watched the skies change to hues of pinks and purples. It was a beautiful sunset. As the last shades of purple faded into the black skies, each kayaking pair were handed a glow stick. We would use these sticks to guide us to Mosquito Bay.

This particular night was a moonless night, the best conditions to visit Mosquito Bay. It sounds horrible like it's infested with mosquitoes, but it's not. The water here is full of micro-organisms that glow on contact.

Rowing back into the bay was a thousand times easier than rowing out for the current pushed us along. We continued paddling across the now pitch black waters below the pitch black skies, trying to follow the blinking light that was Tom's kayak. We started bumping into other tour groups so knew we were close to our destination. Someone else noticed it first. I heard excited oohs and aaahs from another pair and I look into the water. The environment here is truly breathtaking. As you glide through the water, you can see a trail of tiny little lights following you. Every time you dip your paddle into the water, a splash of lights appear and just as quickly fades away. I dipped my hand into the warm water and cupped a little water in my palm. There was a few sparkles, but soon disappeared.

Tom told us we could swim in the water if we wanted to. Just make sure the kayak is tethered to his. As people started jumping into the water, of course, Mae with curious nature, took that opportunity as well. I was reluctant to go, but with a little coaxing from my little daredevil friend, I slipped off the kayak and into the water. Wow. The water was warm like bath water, and with every little movement, a burst of light would appear and trail off to nothing. I'd lift my arm from the water, and hundreds if not thousands of lights blinked at me. It was magical. Something I could never have imagined, but am so glad I experienced.

Since it was so dark, I wasn't able to take any photos of these incredible moments, but here are a couple from the site where we booked our tour. www.biobay.com These photos weren't manipulated in any way. This is how it actually looks.

After much time enjoying ourselves in the warm glowing waters, it was time to row back to shore. When we got back, we thanked Tom and all of our tour mates for such a wonderful time. Everyone was so nice and helpful. It wasn't only in the mangroves where we encountered some difficulty, but in Mosquito Bay, things got a little hectic as there was so much movement from the people and the kayaks. Some got hit in the head, another fell off... I think my little sister got kicked in the face while trying to help someone who was having trouble getting back into the kayak! It was a little insane.

The four of us climbed back into our car in our soppy clothes. All but Mae. She was smart enough to bring an extra set. By now, it was pretty late. I don't remember if we tried looking for a restaurant that was still open, but I recall not having any dinner that night. The three of them snacked on cookies and chips. I think I had an oreo or two, but they were stale. We were certain we'd be famished the next morning since we haven't had a real meal since that morning. After showering and rinsing out our soiled clothes, we chit-chatted for a while. We even exchanged wardrobe. They got a good laugh out of my wonderfully fashionable water shoes.

World Without End

2010-04-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Ken Follett's "World Without End" sequel to "The Pillars of the Earth". If you have read my mini-review of "Pillars...", you'll know that I absolutely loved that book and gave it 5/5 stars. I'd give its sequel 4.5/5 stars only because of one reason: I think Follett perhaps tried to tie the two books together a little too much. During the first couple hundred pages, I was constantly confused with all the characters, and the introduction of new characters seemed never ending.

So what's this book about? Like Pillars, a great deal of the story revolvs around architecture and the plague outbreak plays a big part later on. And like Pillars, the characters don't bore you. They are good, evil, conflicted, manipulative, ambitious, sexual, violent... Once you get past the insane amount of names mentioned, it's an easy read that you'll look forward to every single day. And when the end is approaching, you'll be sad that your book affair will soon be over...

Backyard Gems

2010-04-22T21:21:00.001-07:00

The flowers on our orange tree smell incredible!

Of all of the bulbs we planted in our backyard, this is the first bloom! An iris!

I can't wait until it's full of flowers!! It's incredibly exciting to see something you've given birth to actually grow and blossom!

Earth Day 2010

2010-04-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Let's make every day an Earth Day, not just one! Remember to conserve, reuse and recycle!!

Fact of the Day: Did you know that less than 2% of plastic bags are recycled?!

Puerto Rico - Day 1

2010-04-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

I took a trip to Puerto Rico with my two sisters and a great friend in May 2009, nearly a year ago, but never recounted our days there and am beginning to regret it. I've forgotten soooo much, but I'll do my best to remember. Here goes!

Day 1
We all hopped on a plane from SFO to Puerto Rico's capital, San Juan. Directly from the airport, we boarded a taxi to the Fajardo station to get to our final destination, Vieques, a small island just short of an hour's ride by ferry. I think it was a holiday or something, so there were fewer ferries running that day. Our wait at the station was several hours long and we were all left with nothing to do. A couple of us flipped through magazines, some slept, and my little sister Sandy guarded her phone by the power outlet for most of the time. Why? I really don't know!

People finally started arriving, and rows of plastic chairs started filling up. From this station, you can catch ferries to the two eastern islands of Puerto Rico, Vieques and Cullebra. They both seem to be fun, beachy, party islands because many of the locals carried large ice chests and bags of food with them. They seemed to be able to keep themselves occupied while the four of us continued to flip through mags and just chit chat. Finally, after several hours from our initial arrival, the ticket booth opened and a large crowd gathered in front to purchase tickets. The ferry arrived shortly after, but the wait continued as those passengers debarked. At last, we got on the ferry and were on our way to tropical paradise.

Upon arrival, we got into a taxi and were joined by a bunch of other travelers wanting to get dropped off at their final destinations. We were the last ones to get off, so we got a good taste of what the island looked like. Vieques didn't look like what I would expect. I didn't know what to expect really, but what I saw took me aback a little. This is a rather small island with about 10,000 inhabitants. The inner city areas are lined with small colorful houses, many of the streets barely wide enough for two-way traffic and littered with garbage. Around plazas, there are usually larger buildings, probably libraries and government buildings, designed with a Spanish influence. As we rode through the island, the sight of buildings were being replaced by lush vegetation. We were getting closer to our hotel.

After many hours of transport and waiting, we finally arrived at Hacienda Tamarindo, one of the only upscale accommodations in Vieques. This property is very quaint, with iron barred windows, round arches, palm trees, lots of tropical flowers, and a beautiful pool that looked out into the Caribbean Sea. Our room was a one bedroom suite with a pig theme. There were statues of pigs, paintings of pigs, even a pig bench! We also had our private patio area and hammocks close by.

On our first night, we wanted to check out one of Frommer's recommended places, Chez Shack, an outdoor Caribbean BBQ restaurant with a live band that sat in the middle of the jungle. When we finally found it, we found out that it was temporarily closed because the chef had quit or something. So we went for another choice on our list, but that was closed because it was getting late! By this time, all four of us were starving so settled on anything that was open. We chose a steakhouse with beautiful outdoor seating. It was a great way to start our trip; eating good food with good company.

After filling our bellies with steak, wine, cheesecake and coffee, we drove back to the hotel via one of the lampless roads winding their way through the jungle. By the time we got back, it was around midnight and because a staff member told us the pool was open 24 hours a day, we decided to go take a dip in the pool.

A few minutes into our pool time, I noticed a man standing at a hotel balcony, a couple hundred yards away. He yelled at us and told us that he's trying to sleep. Oops. All of our laughter and talk died down, and we reverted to whispers. Minutes later, I emerged from the water, and saw a pair of legs standing in front of me. That same man stood there, glaring at us. I don't want to get into the details of the argument, but he basically wanted us to immediately get back into our room, and we wouldn't. Of course we were in the wrong and shouldn't have been out there that late, but he could have been a lot nicer about it! I still hate him, stupid Steve Orwitz. I hope something fairly bad happened to you since then, like you slipped on dog poo and ruined your favorite clothing item. Grrrr... After he left us with threats, we finally went back into our room, pissed. What a way to end our first night on our vacation. I hate Steve Orwitz. We tried to lift the mood a little once in our room by telling dumb jokes. Pretty soon afterward, we said good night hoping our next day will be better.

Yosemite April 2010

2010-04-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have been itching to make a trip to Yosemite, so on Saturday, we left before the sun rose and headed to our favorite national park. The waterfalls are beautiful at this time of year, but the crowds is something I prefer not to remember. Here are some memories we came back with.

Bridalveil Falls: The sight was beautiful, but the spray was treacherous. It was freezing!!

We stopped on our way up to Vernal Falls. I saw a huge boulder with a strip of moss running down one side and thought it was so beautiful.

Water from snowmelt making its way down the Merced River.

Lower Yosemite Falls: I've always wanted to hike up to the top of both Lower and Upper Yosemite Falls, but that day wasn't the day for it. No time. So I made do with snapping away at the foot of the lower falls. The spray here was freezing as well, but my hubby bought me a beanie anticipating I'd get another headache from the cold and that made life a thousand times more bearable during those few minutes. Thanks, hubby. :) The amount of water pounding down is shocking and certainly very powerful. I can't even imagine being caught in that current. If you've never been here before, you may not have a good idea how tall this is. There's a little red dot on the middle of the right side. That's a person. Using that as a point of reference, you can get a good idea how wonderful this site is.

And here's a photo of Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. They are massive and absolutely breathtaking.

I wish I could experience Yosemite without the crowds, without the cars, without the roads. I wish I could see it in its natural state. I wish I could have experienced what John Muir had experienced. "He was overwhelmed by the landscape, scrambling down steep cliff faces to get a closer look at the waterfalls, whooping and howling at the vistas, jumping tirelessly from flower to flower."*

(Marquis, Amy Leinbach. (Fall 2007.) "A Mountain Calling", National Parks Magazine, retrieved on 23 October 2009.)

Twilight Series

2010-04-19T21:59:00.001-07:00

I found this old entry that was never published, so to my readers, my views on the Twilight series from last August...

After much resistance on my part, my friend finally succeeded into making me read the Twilight series. I'm currently on the fourth book. Overall, it's been an enjoyable read. I totally get why so many chicks dig this series. Even I was crooning over Edward during the first two books. It was written for all females (and some males) who have wanted it all, so much so that their desires can only come true in fiction. And that's one of the two most annoying things in this series. (The first is her horrible writing, but I won't get into that because you can kind of overlook that after the first book.) It's TOO MUCH!

1. Bella has horrible self esteem. She keeps putting herself down. She is convinced she is not good enough for Edward and is always afraid he'll leave her.

2. OK. We get it. Edward is hot. His eyes smolder. Kissing him makes her dizzy every time. But do you really have to mention it EVERY SINGLE TIME???

3. Does every single teenage boy in the books have to have a crush on Bella? Isn't that a bit much?

4. Her way of dealing with Edward leaving her in book 2 was ridiculous. I understand the pain, because I've certainly been there, but no one should act that way after a guy dumps her. This is setting a very bad example for young girls. They'll think it's okay to throw yourself into misery for MONTHS over a boy. That is not cool.

5.

***

This posting was never finished, but I don't want to waste my time on Twilight.

Transporter 3

2010-04-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

My hubby and I wanted to watch a no-brainer movie last night, so popped in Transporter 3. I really didn't expect it to be a great movie, because in many cases, sequels are bad, but a trilogy is worse. It exceeded my bad expectations. It was waaaay worse than I thought it was. The plot wasn't very intriguing. The story was written pretty poorly. The dialog wasn't that great. But the worst part of the movie was the female star, Valentina played by Natalya Rudakova. What in the world were the people in charge thinking?!?! They should ALL be fired!!! She cannot act and is ridiculously unattractive. Her character has no depth, though they try by making her spout out different types of foods she wants to eat... which doesn't add anything at all to the story or her character. She was just 100% horrible. The movie would have been a million times better if they had casted someone who can even act a little or is even decent looking. Besides that horrible horrible woman, a bunch of other things were just so incredibly unbelievable that it was just sort of stupid. Movies like this generally push realism a little, but this was just... ugh! The only reason why I kept watching was because of Jason Statham. And how hard it is not to watch him... his perfect body in motion. And he looks damn good in a suit.

Blessed Margaret of Castello

2010-03-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

One day, I was just thinking about what would make me turn my head? First thing that came to mind was a hunchback, albino midget. Wouldn't that be a sight? But was there such a person? I was curious and had to find out. Did a quick search and didn't quite find what I was thinking, but came upon Margaret of Castello. She was born into nobility during the thirteenth century with many physical handicaps: blind, lame, hunchback, a midget and with facial deformations. Because of her parents' embarrassment of their daughter's appearance, they imprisoned her in a little cell during her childhood and abandoned her in a foreign town years later after their attempts to "fix" her failed. During her lifetime, she went through many trials and tribulations, but when she died, all of the townspeople fought for her sainthood. Her life seemed so intriguing that I ended up buying her biography. The book itself wasn't greatly written, but the story of her life was incredible. Reading about her made me want to be more patient and tolerant. (I wanted but did not become.) It's a short read and got it from Amazon for only $0.01 (plus shipping). It was well worth it.

Dream - The Truth Revealed

2010-03-21T12:24:00.001-07:00

I had a dream a couple nights ago that involved a really good friend (GF) and someone else (SE). SE tells GF that there is a Giants lamp on sale on ebay for only $13! What a find, but GF isn't interested in any Giants paraphernalia since she nor her husband are into that. Knowing that my husband Keith is a huge Giants fan, she texts me about it. I'm interested, but delays in responding to her text.

A couple of hours later, she calls me. "Hey, did you check out the Giants lamp?" she asks eagerly. "SE told me about it and maybe Keith will really like it. Are you gonna get it? You should!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Did you check it out?"

"No, I didn't."

"Yeah, that sounds like something Keith would like, but I should get details first before deciding."

I log on to ebay and find the post GF and SE are talking about. I am totally confused. There is no lamp for sale for $13. What IS for sale is a mansion in Europe that a former Giant lived in for a nice price tag of $1.3 million.

What I gather from this dream reflects some things I am going through personally. SE feeds lies to GF. Intentionally or unintentionally, I don't know, but they are things that are not true. GF believes everything SE tells her without thinking twice, believing SE would never lie to her, hide the truth, etc. And here I am, with the facts revealed, and really, nothing that I can... should do. In time, I hope GF will see what truly stands in front of her.

Dream - I Have ESP

2010-03-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

I have ESP. And why am I so sure?

I had a dream a couple of weeks ago. In my dream, one of my close friends whispered a secret in my ear, something I wasn't supposed to know. I couldn't hear her so asked her to repeat it. I still couldn't make out what she was saying. After the third time, she started walking away. I thought about it a little, and things started to make sense. I yelled after her. "It's ____, isn't it?! She's pregnant! Huh??!!" But she couldn't hear me.

So I found out today that ____ IS in fact pregnant! See? I DO have ESP, huh? I gotta say, that is pretty cool! (It's pretty cool that I have this rare trait. That's what I meant.)

P.S. OK, fine. I'm not totally convinced I do, but that is cool, right?

Poking

2010-03-11T22:45:00.000-08:00

Is it bad Facebook etiquette if someone "pokes" you and you don't poke them back? To me, poking is just weird. Sounds sneaky and like they're invading my personal space. Why can't it be "waving"? I would wave at people, but won't poke them. Not a fan of poking. :(

8.8 Tremblor Rocks Chile

2010-02-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

My heart and prayers goes out to all the victims of the catastrophic 8.8 earthquake that hit Chile last night, followed by already more than 60 aftershocks, 50 of them with a magnitude of 5.0 or higher.

Saturday's epicenter was just a few miles north of the largest earthquake recorded in the world: a magnitude 9.5 quake in May 1960 that killed 1,655 and unleashed a tsunami that crossed the Pacific.
Saturday's temblor comes about six weeks after an 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated parts of Haiti and killed more than 220,000 people. The Chilean quake, at magnitude 8.8, was 700 to 800 times stronger.
Coastal Chile has a history of deadly earthquakes, with 13 quakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1973, the USGS said.
A tsunami warning for Hawaii was lifted Saturday afternoon. Waves of 3 feet were recorded at the city of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, but were lower than expected, and no damage was reported. Meanwhile, tsunami activity was reported on the island of Tasmania, according to officials in Australia.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/27/chile.quake/index.html

The Pillars of the Earth

2010-02-27T17:19:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth." This book is amazing. The story takes place in England (and parts of Europe) during the twelfth century when the lands were plagued with war, lawlessness, and the growth Christendom. It's filled with adventure, love, revenge, violence... Not a dull moment from beginning to end, except some parts when he was explaining about architecture and engineering of the cathedral. This is totally recommend to anyone and everyone, unless you hate 1000 page readers.

Year of the Tiger

2010-02-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!! Hope the year of the tiger will bring you strength, courage, and passion!

Dream - Eggplants

2010-02-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

In my dream a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that my hands were dry and cracked with white lines everywhere. I've never seen hands this dry before. These white spots started forming into little white chunks of dried up flesh, but grew bigger and bigger and bigger until POOF! They became huge eggplants!! WHAT THE HECK?! Eggplants were growing out of my hands and they just kept coming!! I showed my friend. "LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!!! I HAVE EGGPLANTS GROWING OUT OF MY HANDS!!!!" My friend shook his head and smiled. "Oh don't worry about it," he said in a casual tone. "My hands do the same thing, but I can do that with playing cards." He showed me his palms and wudduya know. White clumps of dead flesh became playing cards, sort of like Gambit from X-Men, but a lot grosser.

7.0 Shaker Rocks Haiti

2010-01-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

An earthquake of 7.0 magnitude shook Haiti today. There's massive chaos, destruction, and thousands are believed to be dead. Just a few days ago, Northern California was shaken by a 6.5 quake, and we had two smaller ones in the bay area that same week. The North American plate is sure moving a lot... Many bay area residents may be wondering when the "big one" is going to hit. Hopefully, the plate will just release its tension and shift a tiny bit many times rather than all at once. Fingers crossed! And to all of those in Haiti, my thoughts and prayers are with you...

Conan Loses His Show

2010-01-12T21:15:00.000-08:00

This is sad sad news. Conan is the funniest man on television. Will miss you, Conan.
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/conan-o-brien-quits-tonight-show--911

Hoe Hoe Hoe

2009-12-25T01:09:00.000-08:00

Melly Kleesmut, Evelybodty!! I weesh you today will be wit many famulee and flend and goot foot!!

Avatar

2009-12-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

Avatar is so good on so many levels. There's the obvious - mind blowing computer graphics, great use of 3D, absolutely stunning landscape designs, cool character design, and a great plot.

It also brings to light how people generally are - selfish savages... spoiled bullies. We take what we want. We take more than what is needed. When supplies run out, we go and force it out of others. We destroy what is beautiful. We destroy what is good. We destroy what is needed to survive... For what?? Greed. History tells the same story. I'm not a historian, but I doubt there was ever a point in the last few centuries where the world was at peace. The message is clear. Pandora, the planet the humans are out to destroy, represents Earth. And humans are humans. Humans need more natural resources, so they are on a mission to take it and not think twice about the consequences. Typical, right? We can't keep doing this. Conserve. Reuse. Recycle. Life is at stake. Protect our planet. We need it to be healthy so that we can continue living. I hope people who watch this movie will see the beauty and importance of our planet and do what they can to make it a better one.

The World is NOT Coming to an End

2009-11-16T19:54:00.001-08:00

I watched 2012 over the weekend. It was a really entertaining story and the visual effects were pretty awesome, but chances of something like that happening so unlikely. I hope this movie will not instill more fear into people's minds, but looking at our track record of believing everything that we see onscreen, that will probably not happen. All of this rumor about the world ending on December 21, 2012 is so silly. How can you possibly believe all of this cataclysm will happen on a single day? It's absurd to try to say that all of these cultures from all over the planet and different time periods predicted the same thing. Saying that they have come to the same conclusion is such a big stretch. And thank you NASA for saying these fears are stupid and makes no sense. http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/afp-nasa-2012-myths.html That's it from me for now. Until next time, my friends.

Most Stressful Dream Ever

2009-08-05T23:30:00.001-07:00

I'm getting married in six weeks, but have yet to feel stressed with the planning, which is wonderful! (But I know it's going to come soon because there is just an unbelievable number of little things to do still! And thanks to everyone who have offered to help!) But several weeks ago, I learned that someone I know was so stressed from her wedding planning that she got shingles! Wow! That's horrible! Felt so bad for her, but also wondered if I was supposed to be stressed too! Don't know why but I felt a little guilty for thinking the planning was really fun and smooth. So all of this thinking got to me.

That night, I dreamed that I was standing on a balcony watching Keith, my fiance, make a speech during our reception. All of a sudden, I realized that I was supposed to make a speech too, but CRAP! I don't have one prepared! So I grabbed some napkins and starting scribbling things down, writing things, crossing things out. A nosy man next to me snorted and haughtily chuckled in a British accent, "You are so low class." I looked up at him puzzled. "You use too many periods in your sentences." Wide-eyed, I said, "This is a rough draft!!" Ugh! It was my turn to give my speech. I was pretty happy because what I came up with on my napkins turned out to be pretty good. I started talking. The words that came out of my mouth did not match my thoughts on my napkins. What was wrong with me?! I just couldn't control what I was saying! Disastrous.

I left the building to walk over to my ceremony. (Reception came first in my dream.) I glanced at my reflection off a window and to my horror, I looked like crap! My eye makeup had smeared all over my eyes and my hair was a mess. I found my makeup artist and asked him if he could fix me up. Jutting out one hip and throwing one hand in the air, he said, "Oh don't worry! Stuff like that always happens!!" And he left without helping me! What?! I was late for my ceremony so picked up the folds of my wedding dress and started running. I looked at my feet and I was wearing running shoes?! And jeans underneath my dress?! What?! How did this happen?! Too late. No time to change. I ran up to the altar completely out of breath and standing before me, in Keith's spot, was one of my girlfriends. What?! Where's Keith? Why is my friend here? What's going on? The ceremony started and I'm about to marry one of my girlfriends. Thoughts were racing through my mind. I don't want to marry her. I don't want to be a lesbian. I don't want to go on my honeymoon with her. My mom and dad are going to have a really tough time getting used to this whole lesbian thing!!

And then I woke up. Whew! I'm still marrying Keith and I'm not a lesbian!! Woohoo!!

Dreams - Coolest and Grossest Ever

2009-08-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago, I had the coolest and grossest dream... ever.

I was in a really crowded place. Tons of people were around me, mostly kids since I could see over everyones' heads. A few yards away, I saw my good friend Reggie, someone I haven't seen in more than a year. I was so happy to see him so made my way over and gave him a biiiiig hug. Then I heard a sermon or something, something religious... That was the cool part. Not cool, huh? That's what I thought too until I read his facebook entry. He is actually in Africa right now doing missionary work or something. And he said that it's super crowded where he's at. I wonder if my spirit actually traveled to Africa and saw him there! I wonder if he felt my presence!! :D

Okay, now for the gross part. So it was a religious sermon so of course I got bored. Luckily, nature was calling so I went to the restroom. I sat on the toilet peeing, and these two girls came into the bathroom. From the way they were talking to each other, I could tell that they're really mean people. All of a sudden, one girl started knocking on my door. "It's occupied," I told her. She knocked louder and started pounding on my stall door. What the heck? I tried pushing the door back but she busted through, dragged me from the toilet, and put me in an arm lock. The other girl stood there holding a used menstrual pad. She started wiping this on my pants (my pants were up already somehow since it is a dream), my shirt, my bare arms, everywhere! I screamed and cried in disbelief that someone could be so incredibly mean. I think I actually shed some tears in real life! Oh that was soooooo gross!!!

Pet Peeve #432

2009-08-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

I hate it when people go back on their word. If you say you're gonna do something, you should do it... unless you have a really good reason not to.

Puerto Rico

2009-07-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

I came upon this picture while perusing through my photos. Made me realize I never really shared Puerto Rico with you guys except about the food and the sand fleas. Well, this one pretty much sums up our stay on Vieques. San Juan was a different story...

P.S. The non-alcoholic one on the right is mine. :)

Farrah Fawcett Passes

2009-06-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

One of the first things that occurred to me when I learned of Michael Jackson's death this afternoon was "Man! Michael Jackson is stealing Farrah Fawcett's thunder!" Don't worry, Farrah. There are still many who are thinking of you. I have to admit that I was never really a Farrah fan until now. Even though I loved watching Charlie's Angels when I was little, I didn't even know who she was up until a couple years ago. Who is this Farrah sex symbol woman???

What amused me from what I've learned is her relationship with Ryan O'Neal. To have a love that remains true for decades, with or without marriage, is truly special, but to have that happen in Hollywood Land? That's unheard of. My heart goes out to Mr. O'Neal and Farrah's loved ones. I'll have a drink for you and Michael tonight. It may not be alcoholic, but it'll be a drink.

Michael Jackson is Dead

2009-06-25T18:32:00.001-07:00

Michael Jackson is dead. Michael Jackson is dead... I've said these four words countless times today, but it still sounds so strange. It's not getting into my head. How can a legend, the "King of Pop", an iconic figure for so many across the globe, a man who has influenced and inspired music and dance in so many ways, a person who has been a small part of my life from childhood to adulthood be... gone? It's Michael Jackson! He can't die! It sounds absurd. He was supposed to keep changing his appearance and eventually become immortal...

As strange and unstable as he was mentally and physically, I still admire him because of his talent and the gift he gave to the world. He was an extraordinary individual who will be truly missed by fans everywhere.

I wonder what's going to happen to all of his assets. And his children. And his concert ticket holders... But wouldn't it be something if he was actually NOT dead and this was all a stunt for his upcoming concerts?! I think I'm secretly... well not so secretly now... hoping that he's just pulling a fast one on us and really isn't dead. I can already imagine people claiming to have sighted Michael Jackson alive! Maybe he'll be hanging out with Elvis. Who knows.

Palin vs. Letterman

2009-06-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

I think Sarah Palin and David Letterman need to calm the heck down and stop bitching like two little girls. It was a tasteless joke, but I think the uber smart Sarah Palin took it out of proportion. If I had to take sides, I think Letterman will be the victor on this one. Quiet down now, kids.

Peony in Love

2009-06-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

I found a new favorite book. It's Peony in Love by Lisa See. Being the nerd that I am, I am rereading the book immediately after I finished it last week. Yay! :)

So why do I love the book? It takes place during the arranged marriages and foot binding days of China. I will read almost anything about the struggles of humanity - a favorite of mine when I was little was Road to Memphis. But China really draws me in since I am Chinese. Anyway, I learned a lot about Chinese traditions and ways of thinking, some of which my family is accustomed to today. And some history too (this is partially based on factual events)! But the primary reason is because it's a (tragic) love story. What a sucker I am. It's explores common emotions - regret, passion, revenge, longing, anger, and love evolving through time. It's a sniffler (tissues recommended) with surprising twists. But since a chunk of this book is told through the a 15/16 year old girl, some may think it's quite immature. In some parts, I just wanted to slap her and make her face reality! And the beliefs of the afterworld may be a little far fetched for some.

But if I had to sum up this book in a single word, I'd say it's "beautiful."

David Carradine Found Dead

2009-06-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

I was shocked to see in the news today that David Carradine was found dead hanging from the ceiling of his hotel room in Bangkok yesterday. I've never followed his career and the only movies I've seen him in are the Kill Bill movies, but I think I'm correct in saying that he was all about nature, tranquility, zen, stuff like that? And to die in this fashion just seems out of character! Or maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about and my 94 bug bites is making me a little crazy. Or maybe I shouldn't take what I see on the big screen and think it's real life!

That reminds me of a story one of my kinesiology teachers told us a long time ago. I took his walking class (yes, I took walking! Stop laughing!!), but he was also the wrestling coach. One day, two girls went up to him and asked him if Bailey was a good wrestler. He was confused. Who is Bailey? The girls explained, "You know, he's on 'Party of Five' and is on your wrestling team."

HA!!

Wow. There are some stupid people out there, and these two girls get gold stars for being the stupidest of the bunch.

So to explain the story a bit, Bailey, the character from this show, was supposedly a wrestler on the SFSU's wrestling team. These idiot girls thought he's actually on the real team that exists in real life... I wonder what those girls are doing now...

Puerto Rican Food

2009-06-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

For the most part, I wasn't a huge fan of Puerto Rican food. A lot of the stuff we ate were deep fried. After the first couple of days, I was just craving vegetables and something healthy! I'm telling ya, I won't be eating sweet plantains for a long while! While I can't say that I love Puerto Rican food, I did eat some things that were pretty darn good.

We ate at a restaurant along the "Santana Row" of Vieques (island east of the main island of Puerto Rico) called Mucho Gusto. One dish worth mentioning is their Puerto Rican shrimp gumbo. A little spicy and a lot yummy. Unfortunately, we went back a couple of days later for the same thing, but it didn't have the same kick.

The best thing I had during my trip is definitely the coconut flan. Oh dear mother of god. What a slice of heaven... The flan was light and not too sweet. Pieces of fresh young coconut were used. On top of the flan was a layer of condensed milk, and piled on top a gargantuan dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon. I get chills all over my body just thinking about it. Was that a small orgasm?

Since Vieques has to import everything from the main island, it's pretty common to run out of things. I believe every single restaurant we went to, the server had to tell us what they didn't have on the menu. The funniest and most surprising was when we went to a ceviche bar but they didn't have any ceviche. That was a major disappointment!!

94 Souvenirs from Puerto Rico

2009-06-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

I came back with 94+ souvenirs from Puerto Rico. I am adorned with nearly a hundred bites on my arms and legs. Most are from mosquitoes and some are from sand fleas. I'm itchy like a mofo! Such evil creatures... Just looking at their tracks make me cringe. And this is coming from someone who LIKES bugs!

17 Mile Drive to Carmel to Big Sur

2009-05-22T00:20:00.000-07:00

Work has been insane this past month, so I decided to take a half day and drive down the coast with the future hubby. From San Jose, we did the whole 17 Mile Drive and visited Pebble Beach, the Lone Cypress (two points of interest were closed due to the otters' or seals' mating season. bummer.), drove down through Carmel and ended up in Big Sur.

We had dinner at the loveliest restaurant on the west coast! (Loveliest I've been to at least!) It's called Nepenthe. If you're seated on the patio, you can see miles and miles of the coastline and watch the sun set while dining. If it gets chilly, you can hang out at the fire pit. The stars are ablaze at night. I can just sit there forever staring at the millions of stars. It's the coolest restaurant. So much character and so beautiful. The food was alright. Their banana cream pie was to die for though. Not too sweet. Very dangerous stuff.

Took a bunch of pics to share...

To start with, the Lone Cypress.

A little north of China Rock.

The Bigsby Bridge

And others...

Still In Love

2009-05-14T22:54:00.001-07:00

I STILL LOVE HIM, OKAY??!! HE'S SUCH A FOX!!! I promised I wouldn't write about him again in my blog, but I can't help it. My love for him burns now stronger than ever after seeing his beautiful face on Men's Journal. That lucky wife of his...

P.S. Mr. Agent, if you happen to find me again, just fyi, I'm not a crazy fan!
P.P.S. I hope they don't have those image crawlers searching for references of him online. That exists, right??

Dew Ewe Half Treble Reeding This?

2009-05-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Eye've all ways wonted to right a let her oar a note two sum one like this. Eye no that if ewe switch the mid dull let hers of words butt keep the first and last let hers as is, pee pull can still reed it, a lit toll slow her, but dew able. Butt what if you chain-j the words cum pull eat lee? Eye think it's still sum what ease-e, write?

Sew in away, eye half bin sew bus see lately with work, with wedding planning, next next weak's vacation to Pour toe Wreak oh. Eye can't wait! Eye knead a brake sew badly! Well deaf in at lee tell ewe how it ghost!

Luckiest Guy This Week

2009-05-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Okay. So I'm somewhat of an American Idol fan. My dad loves it, so I watch too. I've sort of been following this season, and have seen some pretty good stuff... and crazy stuff. Remember Tatiana and Norman? OMG. So this season's shocker is Kris Allen getting into the finals. His vocals definitely aren't in the same league as the other two semi-finalists, Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey, but he's got the looks. If he never revealed that he is married, I think he may be the winner this year! But he is not single and cannot mingle, so I'm biting my nails until next Tuesday. It's going to be goooooood! So if you're not in the loop of things, here are a few pics I found online.

Kris Allen - the cutest of the three. I personally thought Matt had more sex appeal, but he's gone. :( So anyway, he should feel like the luckiest guy this week. Making it to the finals and all... Good luck, Kris! You'll need it!!

Danny Gokey - He's cute in a way, but looks much better when he doesn't smile. Looks like his tongue is pushing out of his mouth when he does! But he seems super nice though. :) I hope he does well with his career.

Adam Lambert - The favorite of this season. Though he looks like a young version of Elizabeth Taylor, he can sing like a mofo. And he's done a super job on all of the different genres that I've seen.

Alrighty! Can't wait until the finale!!

Happy Belated Earth Day!

2009-04-23T22:42:00.003-07:00

Happy belated Earth Day, everyone! I hope this year will bring you lots of fresh air, an abundance of clean water, and moderate climate! Aaaaand... go conserve, reuse and recycle! And stop wasting water!! :D

Nanking

2009-04-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

"In 1937, Japanese armed forces entered Nanking, China, and systematically raped and killed over 200,000 Chinese in one of human history's worst atrocities. Decades later, there's still bad blood and unresolved tensions. This wrenching documentary from Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman combines harrowing archival footage, interviews with survivors (including contrite Japanese vets), and reenactments with actors Woody Harrelson, Stephen Dorff, Mariel Hemingway, and Jurgen Prochnow (as a Schindler-like member of the Nazi party), reading from the diaries of real-life heroic westerners who set up a safety zone in attempt to shelter the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the city. Though this element adds some much-needed hope for humanity, this is still a deeply upsetting documentary. It's very well made and should be considered required viewing, but be warned: some of the rarely-before-seen archival footage is truly graphic and disturbing. Based on the bestselling book, THE RAPE OF NANKING by Iris Chang, this documentary makes effective use of a quietly shattering Kronos Quartet score. The film is presented in English, Japanese, and Mandarin with English subtitles." - synopsis taken from Rottentomatoes.com

What happened in Nanking was a holocaust of the east, but what made it worse is that the Japanese never apologized and many still don't even own up to these atrocities. How can you deny something that people have hard evidence on?! Please go rent this documentary... or even read the book "The Rape of Nanking." Everyone should watch this. People need to know.

Go watch... Fabian...

Coffee Ribs with Whipped Cream

2009-03-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

I've never had coffee ribs with whipped cream before! Strange combo, but it works really well together. If you wanna try, go to Hong Kong Lounge on Geary and 18th Ave. It's yum. :)

I Got a Ticket

2009-02-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

I was late. I was lost. And obviously a little stressed. Everyone was waiting for me. I did not want to be late to a dinner where I was planning on announcing our engagement. Errggghhhh... Keith was on the phone with me telling me where to go. It was a green light and the first two cars in my lane were waiting for traffic to clear to make a left. Behind those two cars was a cop car, and behind him was me. I waited for two cars to pass on my right, then switched to my right lane and crossed the intersection. The two cars ahead of me immediately went into the left lane. After they cleared my lane, I learned why they did that. That lane I was in was a turn right only lane. I followed suit and switched lanes as well. I wanted to go straight, not turn right. I continued down the rode with Keith still on the line. All of a sudden, I noticed red and blue lights flashing behind me. Oh no... What did I do? I pulled over somewhere and waited for the cop to come to my car, totally unaware that I had broken a law. Officer Perez walked up to my car and asked if I knew why he had stopped me. "No," I responded. He said something something about switching lanes and a turn right only lane... He asked me why I did that. I said something like I was lost and didn't know where I was going. That obviously wasn't a great answer because a few minutes later, I had a ticket in my hand. He was nice and courteous the whole time, even told me exactly how to get to the parking lot of the restaurant I needed to get to... which by the way was right behind me with my group of friends watching me get ticketed. After I drove away, I was still confused as to what I did. I guess it never occured too me that you can get fined for crossing a solid white line, something every single driver has done, something many drivers do on a daily basis. Man. I shoulda either cried or tried showing what cleavage I could muster through the collar of my caridgan. OR maybe I shouldn't have went around a cop. When I did that, he probably had some neck action while saying "Oh no she di'int!"

So how much was the ticket? Get this. $202! Plus $57 for traffic school! I couldn't believe my eyes!

So I went to court one morning and got my fine reduced to $151. Better than nothing! Going to court was a big hassle, but was very entertaining. I did not know people actually got tickets for jaywalking, tailgating, gosh, I forgot what else. One lady was so stupid. She got cited for three things - no insurance, no license, and speeding! If I didn't have insurance or a license, I would NOT be speeding. One guy had fines adding up to $3000! And tickets for talking on your cell phone without a hands free device is almost $100!!

So anyway, this was a learning experience for me. I now know that you can actually get ticketed for crossing a solid white line. I am super paranoid about everything now, but I certainly don't speed as much anymore and don't tailgate as much! More mellow... :)

Now I just gotta go do traffic school... Sigh... :(

Pet Peeve #12

2009-02-18T00:50:00.001-08:00

I can't stand it when girls post pictures of themselves posing and trying to look cute or pretty or sexy or whatever online for the whole world to see. A couple is bad enough, but hundreds??!! How vain can you be?? Someone has got to deflate these byatches' heads and get them down to earth and make them realize there must be something seriously wrong with them if they're going to do something stupid like that. Heheh... This actually kinda ties into a really old post I wrote about girls who try to be cute. Egad!! Soooo annoying! I seriously wanna puke...

... Whew! Had to let that out... :)

Lake Tahoe February 2009

2009-02-18T00:34:00.001-08:00

Hiccups be Gone!

2009-02-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

I'll tell you a secret, and you can share it with anyone you know. To get rid of hiccups, hold your breath. Bah! You already knew that and it doesn't work? Well, that's because you're holding your breath wrong. You're not supposed to simply stop breathing for as long as you can, but you're supposed to try and shut off the passage that brings air to your lungs. Push your tongue to close up your throat and hold that for as long as you can. Don't breathe! You'll look a little constipated, but it works. :)

25 Random Things Aboot Me! (Wish I could talk like a Canadian sometimes...)

2009-02-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

1. My favorite person in the whole world is my niece Isabella.
2. I've had nightmares about getting split ends.
3. My right thumb is significantly bigger than my left.
4. I love to hike.
5. I'm trying to improve my photography skills... at a snail's pace unfortunately.
6. Trying to keep my car clean as a new year's resolution. So far so good!
7. Some of the more interesting things I've eaten are capybara, alpaca... oooh, water beetle. Gross!
8. I will go to all seven continents. By the end of next year, there'll be two more to go!
9. My first favorite song was "Call Me" by Blondie.
10. I can draw.
11. I love to create characters and act. My favorite is the old perverted Beijing man.
12. I'm getting married in September to Keith. <3 <3
13. I used to have tons of bloody noses. One lasted for four hours, putting me in the hospital.
14. I almost died when I was a baby.
15. My mom is the strongest person I know.
16. I'd like to continue painting.
17. My favorite beverage is tea.
18. I've never done drugs. (Medication for colds and stuff don't count!)
19. I hate ripe papaya.
20. I am not an animal person.
21. I've never been on a glacier. :(
22. Keith is my best friend.
23. At one point, my biceps got so big, I stopped working out to deflate them.
24. I hate it when people get things they don't deserve. Ahem, rich folks with bailout money.
25. I only go shopping when I really have to.

guest writer: Tonymacaroni

2009-01-25T23:41:00.000-08:00

jose is a really good dancer. she really has all the moves. ask her to dance for you whenever you see her. the cool thing about it is that she's very outgoing.

Some Pics...

2009-01-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

I know, that pic of me looks really out of place, but I just love the colors, and I didn't know how to frame it so that it looks good without a focal point... :(

Why Ya Gotta be an Asshole?

2009-01-25T12:12:00.001-08:00

I just gotta say one thing. Aubrey Coleman is a really big asshole.

A Bright Future

2009-01-21T00:37:00.001-08:00

Out with the old... and really really bad, and in with the new!! Congratulations, President Obama!! I can't believe it! What an awesome milestone to reach, and it's great to see that not everyone who lives in the US is stupid. Well, lemme take that back. I don't think a lot of people who live along the two coasts are stupid. Everyone else in the middle, I'm not too sure of. :) And to see the National Mall packed with 1.5 million people was very touching. Obama has the support of the people and our hopes ride with him. Well, I hope with this new presidency, good change will quickly follow. We are in dire need of a relief from this economic shutdown! Good luck!!

"Sea Kittens??" Are You Kidding Me????

2009-01-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

PETA people are so stupid. Don't they have better things to do?? They have launched a campaign trying to rename fish by calling them "Sea Kittens," hoping to create an emotional relationship between people and these water dwellers. Is that not the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?? Fish is fish. I like the fish I eat and I'm not gonna develop remorse for eating the damn fish. Damnit, PETA!!! Leave us meat eaters alone!!

I found this image on a forum on reddit. I thought it's so funny and ridiculous.

So if we adopt this new term, should I say that I love to eat kittens?? Stupid PETA. Buncha idiots.

A Great Way to UseTaxpayers' Money

2009-01-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

A routine traffic stop in South San Jose resulted in a dead suspect and an injured policeman today. This obviously turned out to NOT be a routine stop but with gunfire and violence and danger... but is it necessary to call in the whole police department?? There were at the very least TWENTY police cars!! And armored Hummers?? Why? There's ONE guy who is hiding out in a convenient store and he's INJURED. One injured guy! You don't need every single cop surrounding the area. Other crimes were being committed and people needed the police, but they weren't there to help. People robbed a jewelry store this morning, getting away with trays of gold, but no police came. They were all gathered in one location, probably doing nothing but bitching about how a guy had the nerve to attack "one of them." Thanks for wasting our money.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Hello sole reader! Happy New Year! I hope 2009 will bring you joy, prosperity, and good health! And I hope that this year will be far better than the last. It's a time of change and it better be good!

Prince Caspian

2008-12-27T23:09:00.000-08:00

I just watched the second movie of the Narnia series, "Prince Caspian." I know. I know. It came out a long time ago, but I liked it. The special effects were cool. I liked the mice characters. :) Kinda like Puss-'n-Boots from "Shrek." It definitely had a different feel from "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe." That one felt more magical. This lacked a bit. Maybe because the bad guys are human... Some parts were still really cool though. The magical trees are much better than LOTR's Ents. They were so much more lively and flexible.

And what's up with Susan's stupid lines? In the first movie, she said something like "Just because you're given a sword doesn't mean you're a hero!" to Peter as he was trying to find a way for them to cross the river or ice crossing or something. And in this movie, to Peter, she says, "Just exactly who are you doing this for, Peter?!" as he's trying to save the Narnians. The answer is kinda obvious? He's doing it for Narnia? For his country? I give this movie ***.* (3.5 stars).

Defiance

2008-12-27T23:05:00.000-08:00

Oh! I cannot wait until this movie comes out. I love love love movies about war and survival. But I gotta wait until next December, I think. Oh the torture!

Valkyrie

2008-12-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

This movie is "eh." Maybe it was just "eh" because I was sitting in the second row third seat from the aisle, and I had a hard time understanding some of their accents? And they talked really fast sometimes! Damn! Should I go back to my ESL classes??!! Hahah! I thought I would absolutely love this movie because I love almost anything that has to do with war and victims of war, but this one was just okay. Some moments were really intense, and I certainly don't have a problem staring at Tom Cruise for a couple of hours. (Too bad he's weird. His hot points went down after that whole Katie Holmes thing started...) I've never heard of Operation Valkyrie until now. Since this movie was just based off of a true story, I don't know how much of it is factual. But it's good and sort of comforting to know that there were people trying to overthrow Hitler. All of these people were true heroes. They sacrificed their lives and their families to fight for righteousness and freedom. This movie gets ***.* (3.5 stars). :)

Seven Pounds

2008-12-27T22:41:00.001-08:00

Excellent acting. (There's talk of Will Smith getting an Oscar?) Beautiful and interesting story. A bit of a slow beginning. Makes you think. What would you give for love? What would you give to erase mistakes you've made? What would you want to do before you die? What are you taking for granted? What would you give your life for? How would you commit suicide? (Yikes! Don't like that last question too much, but it is kinda interesting... :\) This movie gets **** (4 stars). :)

Best Movie of the Year Goes to...

2008-12-27T22:04:00.000-08:00

Gran Torino. I haven't seen a lot of the new releases so don't know how this compares to other '08 releases, but I'm sure a lot of others will agree that this is yet another fine movie by Mr. Clint Eastwood.

What's it about? It basically tells the story of an old white veteran (who seems to hate everybody except his late wife) who gets to know... and eventually like... his Hmong neighbors. This Hmong family clashes with an Asian gang, and Walt (Eastwood's character) gets involved. It's sort of silly to think of a 78-year-old man being an action hero, but with Clint Eastwood, not only does he deliver, but he sure is scary. His words and menacing eyes can make anyone pee in their pants.

One small detail included in the movie that many people will not get is the tattoo of one of the Hmong gangsters. Two Chinese characters for "family" is written proudly across his chest. Another member kept using their blood lines as an excuse to get Walt's neighber, a teenage boy named Thao, to join their gang. After refusing to partake, this gang commits horrendous and unspeakable acts to their "family." It makes you think what does "family" really mean. Is it defined with a family tree? Is it defined with love for each other? Walt struggles with this throughout the movie...

This film kept my attention from beginning to end. The dialog is hysterical, particularly the racist bits. The story and the lives of these people seem so real. It deals with family, honor, violence, vengeance, love, life and death... I don't want to give anything away so will stop here. Just wanna say, this movie gets ***** (five stars). :) It is so awesome.

Day or Night?

2008-12-13T01:28:00.000-08:00

It's the night of December 12 (but technically, it's the 13th). Tonight's moon is supposed to be the brightest for this whole year. I tried taking a look earlier, but it was raining. Yay!! It's raining!! It's actually raining!! So before retiring for the evening, I looked out the window and saw that it's so freakin' bright outside! Looks like the sun is about to rise. Beautiful. Coupled with the smell of rain, it was even more beautiful.

Crumple or Fold?

2008-12-12T23:01:00.001-08:00

A while back, I was asked, "Do you crumple or do you fold?" "Huh?" I looked at my friend in confusion. "You know, when you go to the bathroom, do you crumple or fold the toilet paper?"

Ooooh!! Never thought about that actually, but I think I crumple then fold. Crumpling makes it a little fluffier, otherwise, you would have to use layers upon layers of folded toilet paper to get a good thickness - one that won't tear through and you'd be wiping your ass with your fingers. Don't want to do that! But then just crumpling doesn't give you much control of the paper. It can fall apart and lose its shape easily. That's why you have to fold, er, rather, wrap your new creation to seal it. If you do the crumple and wrap, you'll always have a good wiping experience. :)

Good luck and have fun!

New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-08T23:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm starting to think about resolutions for the coming year. I don't even know why I bother because I never follow through with them, but I guess it's a standing tradition, so why the heck not?!

I've come up with two so far:

1. Draw that darn wedding portrait of my parents. (I said I would in 1997. Pretty sad. I know...)
2. Work out enough to fit into my old clothes comfortably! I'm sure this one or something similar is on nearly everyone's lists. All the luck to you!! And me!! Heehee...

That's it for now!

Brad's Stache

2008-11-19T22:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Pitt,

Please please please shave off your 'stache! Or at least once the filming for the movie which requires you to have that awkward splotch of hair on your upper lip is done. Makes you look so much older. :(

Your one true love,
Josephine

* Photo borrowed from dailymail.

Jingle Bells Again?!

2008-11-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

I call KOIT 96.5fm my karaoke station. Whenever I feel like singing along to a sappy or cheesy song, I go to that station and I'm bound to either run into Madonna (not so great), Whitney Houston (awesome!), or some artist belting about how love is wonderful or horrible. Most of these songs can be found in karaoke books everywhere! Love it! But starting this weekend, they're going to start playing Christmas songs all day everyday. How horrible is that. I can only take so much of Frosty and Rudolph. Hmph. Oh well. Better get my fill of the cheese before this weekend rolls around. Well, a couple other sappy stations are 94.5 and 101.3, but those aren't "karaoke" enough for me.

And...

2008-11-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

I don't think there was anything McCain could have done to win this election. This country is in such bad shape that people want to see change. We need change. And believing a democratic president will bring this much needed change, the majority of Americans voted for Obama. Sorry, McCain. You ran a good race. :)

A Brighter Future

2008-11-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah!! Go out and celebrate!! The people of the United States of America have finally opened their eyes and elected a Democratic president. Barack Obama is going to be our 44th president! And he won by a lot of electoral votes! There is hope for us afterall!! After the ridiculous results of the 2004 election, I didn't know what would happen. I'm so glad the people have finally had enough of bad, selfish, and immature decisions. Who would have thought that a black man with the name of Obama (kinda sounds like Osama so-and-so) could be elected president, but wudduya know?! Great things can happen. :)

Come January, a lot of weight will be thrown on President Elect Obama's shoulders. There certainly is a lot to fix! But I truly hope and pray that he and his group of advisors will make the right decisions and rebuild our nation. No more war. No more shaky economy. No more dependence on oil. No more fear. No more global embarrassment and shame. It is a historic and happy night for many Americans, particularly African Americans (except for the horrible racists... haha! Screw you guys!! Suckas!!!!). I hope this is the start of a bright and prosperous future for us. (Our stocks are already going up! Yay!)

***

I just finished watching his acceptance speech. Awesome stuff. He stirred hope, optimism, and lifted spirits to all of us watching. I'm so excited for him to start his term and see what changes will be made.

Izzie at the Beach

2008-10-22T22:27:00.001-07:00

Izzie took her first little trip to the beach a couple of weekends ago in Santa Monica. This was her first contact with sand.

You can see her apparent displeasure from the texture. :)

The Most Awesome Night EVER!!

2008-10-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

OH

MY

GOD.

I have never loved the New Kids more than I do right now!! Went to their concert Friday night at the HP Pavilion, and oh my goodness, I had such an amazing time and so did all of my friends, including a straight male friend who went because his wife made him. AAAHHH!! I don't even know where to begin! Okay, my excitement started to build as I was walking towards the arena along with hundreds of other girls, some sporting their New Kids on the Block t-shirts and buttons. One even wore leggings with black lace trim. Totally early 90's. I've never seen such a huge sea of women. I was telling my friend that this would be a guy's paradise. But then decided that girls would probably think he's either gay or some poor schlep that was forced into going... You could just feel the energy in the air. Smiles and excited chatter everywhere. (I'm listening to New Kids on pandora right now and my heart is racing again!!! Oh my god!!!)

So first to open was Lady Gaga. (When I first saw her name, I thought it said "Lady Caca.") I like her music. Lots of dance stuff. And she has a hot pair of legs. Second opener was Natasha Bedingfield! Her songs have always been hit and miss with me, so I wasn't too excited to see her. I've converted after last night. I love her! My new favorite song is Love Like This. It's so happy! I love it! Her voice is so strong, and I love that she's not cutesy. I hate cutesy girls.

Now for the main headliner - The New Kids on the Block. Wow! Okay, the New Kids have always been my favorite group. I was a huge fan when I was a lot younger, but never had the opportunity to go to a concert. So I was super excited to go to this one. It was surreal to be sitting there in the arena along with more than 15,000 other screaming fans. I couldn't even hear their opening song, Single, because of all the shrieking throughout the stadium. Of course, I contributed. I contributed a lot. As a matter of fact, my voice sounds like I've been screaming non-stop for nearly two hours the previous night. They took us back to our teenage years with the most awesome songs ever like Please Don't Go Girl, I'll be Loving You Forever (my favorite!), Step by Step, Cover Girl, My Favorite Girl, Tonight, and so much more! And they also sang some of their newer songs like their new hit Summertime (which is growing on me), Click Click , etc.

The show was one big highlight for me. One big moment of awesomeness. But if I had to choose a wow moment, it'd be when Jordan wore that shirt... unbuttoned. Hubba hubba hubba. Those wild screams from lustful women... what an earful! I just gotta say... Jordan is one hot fella. And Jonathan is soooo handsome and looks so sweet! And Danny looks great! And Donnie and Joey are awesome too, have aged well, and really took the crowd. Jordan did too. :)

They ended the night wearing Celtics jerseys and singing Hangin' Tough. It was a great and appropriate finale. As the music kept rolling, the five of them ran through the doorway and disappeared... and appeared again as they did a little lap around the stage, clearly having a great time. They ran off the stage again for the last time. I so did not want it to end! I couldn't believe I just saw The New Kids on the Block... in the flesh... What a dream come true!

NKOTB

2008-09-30T00:39:00.000-07:00

When I was in my early teens, I was like many other young girls... and some boys. I was madly in love with the New Kids on the Block. Hehehe... especially Jordan Knight. So when my friend asked me if I wanted to go to their October concert, I was like, sure, why not? Since my teen years, I no longer devote most of my time drooling over Jordan and memorizing their lyrics. I sing along with their songs whenever it comes up on my iTunes, but that's about it. Haven't been interested in their latest songs... actually, that song about the summer was not that great...

So anyway, last night changed everything. I saw a VH1 special, I think, about the New Kids. It talked about how they started, why they broke up, and how they all got back together again. OH MY GOSH! Hearing them croon "Please Don't Go Girl" and "I'll Be Loving You" made my heart melt all over again!! I can't believe how quickly the fan in me burst out. I was perched on the couch, slapping my bf excitedly. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" Pretty annoying, I know. :)

These five boys have grown up to be some fine men. My how lovely Joey and Jon looks now. Heehee... Jordan's still cool too. :) I can say that they have truly grown up from boyz II men. Heehee... Can't wait 'til their concert!!! Ten more days!! I gotta go find my pins!!

Some Random Things

2008-09-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

1. My mom just made a Chinese dessert that looks like little black poopies sitting in caca water. The water tastes good because it's just water, a brick of brown sugar, and ginger. But the poopies are kinda bitter because she put this vegetable inside. Hmm, vegetable + dessert don't really seem like they mix well. Reminds me of that Friends episode when Rachel made that dessert with layers of whipped cream, jam, ground meat, peas...

2. My mom brought home the ugliest stuffed animal I have ever seen in my entire life. This dog looks like a burn victim. My brother said it looks like a rabid dog. But mom thinks it's so cute and nice. My bf claims that he would buy it. Reasoning behind that is that he believes no one else in the world would buy such a thing and he'd feel sorry for it. I've grown to like this super ugly stuffed animal. I named him "Scary."

He can be friends with "Ugly" the Tahoe bear. When Keith gave this to me, I thought this was the ugliest stuffed animal ever made. Mom's got worse taste than Keith!

3. And I saved the coolest bit for last! I saw a siamese moth the other day!! It had two heads, two sets of wings, two sets of everything, but just ONE body! It was soooo cool! Too bad I couldn't get a better picture. And no, it's not photoshopped. Why in the world would I spend time doctoring a mutated moth. Now if it was a Bigfoot...

Long Week

2008-09-19T01:28:00.001-07:00

I can not wait until this week is over. It's been a long one. Haven't had such a bad week in a really really long time. I'm tired and need a break. Sooooo.... I can't wait until Friday night! It'll be the start of a long weekend for me! Yay!!! I can see the light!!!

Another Funny Dream

2008-09-19T01:28:00.000-07:00

I had quite a dream last night. My boyfriend and I were going to visit one of my work clients, JT. When we get there, he wants to introduce us to his hot new wife. The bf and I wander to the backyard and see her. Wow. She is the definition of natural beauty. Keith says "Hi" to her and instantly falls in love. They stare into each other's eyes, he leans in and pecks her on the lips. "What?! What just happened," I thought. Again, he leans in and they kiss again! Ugh! I can not believe he is doing this right in front of me. Totally forgot I am here. Anyway! I walk out of the room and check out the rest of the house.

My friend's wedding reception is adjoined to this small estate. I sit down at my table-- without Kieth (hmph!). The bride and groom come up to everyone at the table and ask, "Okay, what do you want for dinner?" I was thinking, "What? You didn't ask this in the rsvp card?" So I ask, "What do you have?" The bride replies, "Salad, chicken, salmon, halibut, and steak." From out of nowhere, Mae appears and tells me she got the salad. If anyone knows Mae, this is so unlikely. Haha! So I ask the bride, "How's the halibut?" Bleh bleh bleh... I ask again, "What?" "It's GROSS!!" Shocked to hear that she was so honest, I decide to go with the steak. When my dinner arrives, my steak looks like a flat piece of brown plastic. On top of it is a flat piece of white plastic that's supposed to be mashed potatoes. Man. That stuff sure is chewy! If this is like this, I wonder how bad the halibut must be! And now I know why Mae got the salad. She must have gotten the inside scoop that all meat is bad here. As I am chewing away, the bride's hand pops out. "That'll be $6.75, please!" "What?! I have to pay for my dinner??" This is so strange!! So I start looking for money and manage to get change from them....

P.S. I woke up being mad at Keith. I'm gonna get him back for what he did to me... in my dream. X(

Speaking as a Lovesick Teen...

2008-09-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with Raymond Lam. It makes sense because he looks like Louis Koo, my original crush of many years, but Raymond is just younger. Oh my goodness. I sound like a cougar. Hahaha!! Well, anyway, Raymond, my love, has a fantastic voice and when his hair is nice and clean cut, uuuggghhhh, he just looks sooooo hot. So yummy.

Here's my ex. Hahaha...

And here's my new love...

This is a video of him singing. His voice is pretty good. :)

And here he is in the awesome soap I'm watching now speaking English. It's funny. :)

Moonlight Resonance

2008-09-14T01:43:00.001-07:00

I've always been a huge fan of Chinese soaps. Moonlight Resonance is my latest addiction. This 40 chapter masterpiece at 40 minutes a chapter offers hours and hours and hours of mouth-dropping drama, humor, suspense... everything!!! I'm already dreading the final chapter. Once it's over, I will be suffering from major withdrawal. In the meantime though, this is the best thing ever!

Weird Dreams Again

2008-09-10T02:18:00.000-07:00

I've been having a lot of dreams about animals lately. They're pretty strange.

1. I dreamed that I was at the foot of some mountains, probably in Costa Rica somewhere, getting ready to give a horseback ride... yeah, g-i-v-e a horseback ride... to a horse. This horse was strange. Its body parts could disassemble. I remember taking off the head and gingerly placed it on the ground, afraid of hurting it. When it was time to embark on our little trek with the rest of the group, the horse got onto my back. Boy was it heavy! But I didn't complain. My only concern was its comfort. I rubbed and patted its leg and asked, "Are you okay? Are you comfy?"

2. The very next night, I had a dream that I was given a really cute puppy. The cutest little puppy I've ever seen. I loved it so much and wanted to protect it so stuck it in the back of my pants, like inside my pants, almost in my butt crack. Haha... Every once in a while, I'd take it out to pet it and admire it. The last time I retrieved it from inside of my pants, I noticed it was sort of hard and no longer moving. I placed it on the ground. Took a few steps back, and realized that this puppy I loved so much was dead. In the attempt of protecting it, I killed it. As I stared in grief and horror, he turned into an orchid petal. Before I had any time to react, it turned into a pile of mush. I had to clean up the mess. As I wiped up with a towel, I felt some bones amid the puddle of my liquified puppy. :(

3. Just a couple of nights ago, I dreamed that I was trying to get home via the subway. I walked up a long flight of winding stairs to find overcast skies and an unkept beach. Looked kinda like Ocean Beach, actually! This was obviously not home, so I started to go back down the stairs. Since the opening was made of sand, it started to crack a little. Afraid that it would collapse, I went back up. All of a sudden, my friend, Mae, and a bunch of other strangers appeared and started down the stairs. I called to Mae, "Mae! Be careful! I heard it cracking earlier. I think it's gonna collapse!! Be careful!!" She waved to me in acknowledgement but continued anyway. Right afterwards, I heard a huge craaaacckkkk and the whole thing fell into the ground. Everybody was gone. Everything was lifeless.

Cut. Next scene. I was held captive by Amazonian warriors. My brother was beside me. I saw Mae and the rest of the people who perished in front of me close by. I was relieved they weren't dead. Instead of bounding us with ropes or twine, we were to pair up and hold a piece of rope. Each person holds one end. We were not to let go. My brother suddenly had an urge to take a bath. I rolled my eyes. "Are you serious?! You wanna take a bath NOW?!" He insisted on it, so I followed him holding my end of the rope. As I turned the other way while he was bathing, I shook my head in disbelief. We were prisoners with no idea of what our future held and there he was taking a bath... A hand stuck out in front of me holding a platter of meat. It was raw meat. The man (who was the owner of this hand) gestured to me to eat this. I picked up a piece of flesh and flipped it over. There were blue and red and green feathers on the other side. Oh god. It looked awfully like a macaw, a beautiful bird of the Amazon. I managed to tear away chunks of flesh with my teeth. It was really nasty. The man then confirmed that I was eating a macaw.

All images were borrowed from other sites.

Dumbest Reason to be Stuck in Traffic

2008-09-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

I was stuck in sluggish traffic on my way up to San Ramon for about half an hour today. I just assumed there was a stalled vehicle, minor accident, you know, the norm. Didn't really spend any time thinking about it. As I was approaching the Sheridan exit, I noticed three people standing at the overpass waving to all the commuters below. My initial thought was that they were pretty amusing, a good break from the frustration that's built up in the past half hour, until things started speeding up right after I drove under the overpass. I couldn't believe they were the reason for the traffic jam! Three stupid adults waving to drivers below could cause such a hectic drive. I saw two motorcycle cops whiz by as I approached them. I hope those people got a beat down! Just kidding. I do not condone violence... for the most part. :)

Dodgeball

2008-08-27T23:18:00.001-07:00

A few friends and I are gathering tomorrow to play a good ol' game of dodgeball. The dodgeball I played in elementary school is very different from what was shown in "Dodgeball", the movie. In school, what we did was split into two teams. One team who is armed with red rubber balls forms a circle while the other team groups up in the middle. The game starts when the team on the outside (Team A) starts throwing balls at the people inside (Team B). Whoever gets hit is out. If a member of Team B catches a ball and throws and strikes a Team A member, that person in Team A is out. I guess the "real" version of dodgeball is sort of similar except that both teams are behind lines. Well, our dodgeball game tomorrow will be quite interesting. We'll be playing with rollerblades on. Since I'm horribly uncoordinated in inline skates, I will need lots of luck, so send some good energy this way please.

If any of you are interested, here are the rules I got from dodgeballusa.com.

THE TEAM
Teams will be made up of 6-10 players. Six(6) players will compete on a side; others will be available as substitutes. Substitutes may enter the game only during timeouts or in the case of injury.

THE FIELD
The game may be played indoors or outdoors. The playing field shall be a rectangle at least 50 ft long and at least 30 ft wide, divided into two (2) equal sections by a center-line and attack-lines 3m from, and parallel to the centerline.

IDEAL MEASUREMENTS: 60’ x 30’ – Identical to a volleyball court.

THE EQUIPMENT
The official ball used in tournament and league play will be an 8.25" rubber-coated foam ball.

THE GAME
The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing players by getting them "OUT". This may be done by:

1. Hitting an opposing player with a LIVE thrown ball below the shoulders.

2. Catching a LIVE ball thrown by your opponent before it touches the ground.

Definition: LIVE: A ball that has been thrown and has not touched anything, including the floor/ground, another ball, another player, official or other item outside of the playing field (wall, ceiling, etc)

BOUNDARIES
During play, all players must remain within the boundary lines. Players may leave the boundaries through their end-line only to retrieve stray balls. They must also return through their end-line.

THE OPENING RUSH
Game begins by placing the dodgeballs along the center line – three (3) on one side of the center hash and three (3) on the other. Players then take a position behind their end line. Following a signal by the official, teams may approach the centerline to retrieve the balls. This signal officially starts the contest. Teams may only retrieve the three (3) balls to their right of the center hash. Once a ball is retrieved it must be taken behind the attack-line before it can be legally thrown.

TIMING AND WINNING A GAME
The first team to legally eliminate all opposing players will be declared the winner. A 3-minute time limit has been established for each contest. If neither team has been eliminated at the end of the 3 minutes, the team with the greater number of players remaining will be declared the winner. Details on overtime can be found in the NADA Rule Book.

TIME-OUTS & SUBSTITUTIONS
Each team will be allowed one (1) 30 second timeout per game. At this time a team may substitute players into the game.

5-SECOND VIOLATION
In order to reduce stalling, a violation will be called if a team in the lead controls all six (6) balls on their side of the court for more than 5 seconds. This also applies to tied teams. More details can be found in the NADA Rule Book

Whew!

2008-08-27T23:08:00.001-07:00

So the 2008 Summer Olympics are over and was a great success. What I'm relieved about is that Juselino Nóbrega da Luz was wrong about the Olympics being a failure! (I wrote a little about him in a July post.) I just hope he is wrong about everything else!!

Tree Sitters

2008-08-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

Man! Those tree sitters in Berkeley are far more annoying than some of my relatives. If it was up to me, I'd just chop down those trees whether they're in there or not. That'll teach them a lesson. They probably already lost sight of what they're fighting for anyway. It's been so freakin' long. I can't imagine how much of the taxpayers' money was used because of these protesters... Stupid people.

Ta Prohm

2008-08-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

Yay! After much time away from my latest masterpiece, I finally found the time to finish my painting! The source is of a photo I took while wandering through the ruins of Ta Prohm, an Angkor temple in Cambodia. Hope you likes!

The End of Life as You Know It

2008-08-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

I was looking through Craigslist postings yesterday while my bf was on the phone. I saw one from a guy who seems like he's getting rid of tons of stuff! He had three kayaks, a canoe, kiteboarding gear, parachute, coats, rollerskates, rollerblades, tents, sleeping bags, exercise equipment, skis, snowboard, snowshoes, and the list goes on and on and on. When I saw this long list, I told my bf that this guy is getting rid of everything! His response was, "Maybe he just got married." Hahaha, if that was true, the poor bastard just killed his soul and spirit.

Such Fools!

2008-08-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

The two men who claimed that they found Bigfoot and the "Bigfoot researcher" are total idiots. They are the least credible people with a history of lies and armed with THREE blurry pictures and DNA results showing that one sample is human DNA, another from a possum, and the third inconclusive due to technical problems. I wonder how long they are planning on keeping up this charade. Can you believe they're offering tours to find more Bigfoot for $500?! I REALLY hope no one will sign up for this! That's the stupidest thing! I just want to shake the stupid out of them!! I never knew there are such brainless people out there, thinking that they can profit from something as solid as water. I'm just baffled by their stupidity! WHY would you do this? I just don't get it. I watched a little of the press conference yesterday and you could just tell that they never crafted the full details of their story cuz they got stumped with questions. I give props to the journalist standing in the back of the room firing questions at the three idiots while wearing a Chewbacca costume. Nice. :)

The Olympics Effect

2008-08-15T00:57:00.000-07:00

Watching the Olympics, games where the most amazing athletes in the world compete against each other and break world records, has not inspired me to become more athletic, but has turned me into a complete couch potato. So sad but true. When are these friggin' games over?! If I keep watching, my skin will start melting into the leather couch! That wont' smell great...

I just finished watching the all-around female gymnastics competition. These girls are awesome. Not only do they have amazing physical ability, but they have such great composure! When Nastia saw her final high score, she just smiled. I woulda whooped for joy! And when it was decided that she's the gold medal winner, she smiled a lot and hugged her dad a lot. If it was me? I'd be either bawling like a baby or running wild like a crazy woman! No, both!! I'd point at all my competition and scream, "SUCKAAAAAAAAAS!!" Just kidding. I'd do a roundhouse kick, then scream. Shoot. I can't do a roundhouse kick in real life, well, not one that wouldn't cause any injury to myself or anyone near me, but doing a good roundhouse is more likely than becoming an Olympic medalist. Shoot. I better go to sleep. I'm starting to not make any sense. Yes.

Holy crap! A wrestler got the bronze in some competition, and after receiving the medal on the medals stand, he took off his medal and stalked off! He said the judging was unfair, and he deserved the gold! Let's see if he'll get stripped of his medal!

My eyes are burning from too much artificial light! Good night and good luck!! :)

Woah! It's Bigfoot!

2008-08-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am definitely not a bigfoot skeptic. I will believe almost anything. If you tell me dinosaurs still exist in untouched areas of the Amazon, I'll believe it! But this claim that these two guys from Georgia found this corpse of this once mythical bigfoot in the remote forests of Georgia seems a little unbelievable. If this is real, why couldn't they have posted a better photo? The face looks like a poor Photoshop job. I can do better. And it looks amazingly like those ape costumes used in those sci-fi movies. And instead of just revealing the DNA evidence and other photos, why can't they just reveal the actual corpse? So many questions, but I doubt we'll get good answers. Well. We shall see if this is a hoax or not at tomorrow's press conference in Palo Alto...

Simple Pleasure - Water Balloon Fight

2008-08-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

Nothing brings out our inner child more than a good water balloon fight on a hot summer day. A couple of weeks ago, my friends threw a birthday party for their 1 year old daughter. One of the forms of entertainment was water balloons. At first, we played organized games, but inevitably, this turned into a full on water balloon war. This is probably the only game that both attackers and victims enjoy attacking and being victimized. A game so simple can turn everyone into a child, erase ill feelings and turn enemies into friends, even if it's momentary. I think we all ought to play once in a while. Forget what hurts/pains/angers you and engage in a good water balloon fight.