I never thought I’d see the day. The day that I give up my BlackBerry for an iPhone. It happened last week and I haven’t looked back. The one thing that kept me anti for a long time was the lack of a tactile keyboard. Ironically it might actually be my favorite part. I don’t even remember why it scared me much before. Despite the annoyingly smug ad campaign, there really is an app for everything. In fact I am blogging from my phone right now using the Wordpress app. Neat.
I’ve been sick for the past week and it sucks balls. My throat is sore, I go through tissues like crazy and am even more sleep deprived than usual. I’m unable to sleep normally in my own bed. I have to sit upright on the couch and rest my eyes if I want any kind of peaceful sleep at all. This will yield me approximately four solid hours. I have to be sitting up or else the phlegm will creep up my throat and I will just be coughing and coughing all night long. Sucks big time. Thank god a long weekend is coming up and I can vaporize myself into unconsciousness. Hopefully by Monday I will be back to normal. Otherwise I may chop my head off.
Currently listening to: Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
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Michael Jackson passed away today, after suffering from cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home. Truly an icon; a musical legend of our generation. An enormous talent that will be missed immensely. Through all of his trials and tribulations, I’ve only ever viewed him as a misunderstood grown-up whose lost his childhood, and one of my favorite artists of all time.
I’ve been crying all day. You might be thinking, “you can’t be serious, crying over this when there’s X political and Y starvation and Z war going on.” I’ve never been too invested in all of that. Maybe I should be, but I’m not. But the one thing I am invested in is music, and I (we all) have lost one of my musical heroes.
Justin Timberlake, Usher, Chris Brown, even Jabbawockeez, and the list goes on and on– COUNTLESS acts today have been inspired by Michael Jackson, though none will be as great as the original. Put MJ on a stage and he will captivate an audience of thousands, without the use of superfluous pyrotechnics and thirty backup dancers. His moves and style were transcendent, and his voice an unmistakable high tenor that will never be duplicated.
Aaand I’m crying again, because “Human Nature” just popped up on my randomized MJ playlist that’s been going for the past few hours. They just do not make R&B/Pop music like this anymore.
And with that, I leave you with some of my favorite Michael Jackson videos.
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To celebrate Father’s Day, I invited my extended family to my place for lunch. It was quite the full house in here. 15 loud-mouthed Filipinos squeezed into my [fortunately] large living room. Everyone brought more than enough food and desserts, yet no one thought to bring any drinks. Not enough for everyone at least; my aunt brought like five cans of coke. Good thing I have that fridge pack of diet coke that I would’ve never gotten around to drinking. It was a good time though. I’m just a little sad that my own dad wasn’t able to make it (work). Crap, I forgot to call him and wish him a HFD.
Anyway, since my aunts and mom realized my place is big enough to hold all of us, they asked me how I felt about hosting Christmas as well. I’d be quite honored to do so; just not sure how well an additional ten people will fit. But I don’t mind it at all. At least I won’t have to drive anywhere. That is assuming I’ll still be living here in December. But unless my landlord has other plans, I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon even though my lease is up next month.
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Max broke his THIRD cage today. The first one was one of those all metal heavy duty things, which he somehow mangled and bent and freed himself from. Then I bought him a traditional plastic kennel figuring it’d be harder to chew his way out of it. The plastic part stayed in tact but he gnawed and pulled at the door so much that the knob popped off. The door was still lodged in place though, and I had to disassemble the whole thing just to get the little brat out of there. I had to order a replacement door for $40. At the time I thought of buying two, just in case, but decided against it.
I should have bought that spare door, or just bought another freakin’ heavy-dutier kennel, because he did it once again today. Only this time, he was able to escape. Ugh. This old geezer can barely chew on his chew toys, yet he can eat his way out of his enclosures. I guess it is true about boxers- they are escape artists. One way or another, they’ll find a way out. Mieke was like that too.
Ah well, the poor thing hates his kennel; dogs are supposed to feel safe in their homes so something is clearly wrong. I think I will just clean up any clutter around the house and let him roam free while I’m at work if I don’t take him to day care. I’ll just have to make the commitment to come home during lunch to check on him. I loves him so much.
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While cleaning this weekend, I ended up with a completely bare built-in, awkwardly-sized shelf. I used to use it as a laptop desk, and after putting away all the clutter that was on it, it looked weird. All empty, and white, and blah. So I decided to be a dork and build an official Laker shrine. I’ve had a bunch of random Lakers stuff displayed here and there, and now they’ve all been put together. The centerpiece is my authentic, game-worn jersey of Trevor Ariza’s from the Christmas day game where they beat Boston. It’s pretty sweet. I need to buy a case for that thing though. In fact I was thinking about buying some clear cabinet doors to enclose that space in case Max gets a little crazy and curious while looking at my sweet collection. Yet another project to add to my long, long list.
Currently listening to: End of the Road by Boyz II Men
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Holy middle school Batman. This song was insanely popular when I was in 6th grade. I remember that specifically because when the entire class went on our wretched 6th grade camp trip, there was a talent show. Three kids got up on stage, wearing locs and sporting the flat top and sang this song. Even though they had the combined singing talent of a beagle puppy, the crowd (girls) went absolutely nuts as soon as the first couple of bars started playing. Present company included.
Boyz II Men played a significant role on the soundtrack of my adolescence. “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday” might have been the saddest song I had ever heard in my life at the time. In 5th grade, upon completion of the D.A.R.E. program, a couple of my classmates rewrote the lyrics to that song to bid adieu to our D.A.R.E. teacher, Officer Miles, and sang it in front of the class. I still can’t help but hear “It’s so hard… to say goodbye… to Officer Miles…” when that song comes on. He didn’t even die. He just moved on to the next school of 5th graders.
And then came the album II. That was, and still is, such a great album. I had my first co-ed birthday party when I turned 12, and had my first slow dance with my first “boyfriend” to the song “On Bended Knee”. Later that night we danced to “Water Runs Dry”. Then the party was broken up when a couple wanna be gangstas tried to start something with other party-goers. Oh, thug life.
I sort of lost interest in B2M during Evolution but then got into them again during Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya. Instead of reminding me of prepubescent “boyfriends” whose balls haven’t dropped yet, the songs reminded me of a booty call and eventual fiancé. Since he was a long distance lover, the song “Dreams” and its lyrics were very close to my heart.
I completely lost touch with what was going on with the best R&B group of the ’90s after that. I just remember receiving an email notifying me of their show at a local Indian casino and I knew they’ve lost it. And I certainly had no intention of going on and on for five paragraphs about them when I sat down to write this. Sorry.
Currently listening to: We Are The Champions by Queen
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Oh, come on. I’m allowed to be cheesy tonight. The Lakers are the 2009 NBA WORLD CHAMPIONS! It has been a long and hard-fought road, but the Lakers crashed through the tough Western Conference only to dispose of the Magic in 5. As a fan, it still feels like a dream. It hasn’t hit me quite yet that the NBA season is over. It’s hard for me to feel so happy for the Lakers because I’m sad that I have to wait until October for anymore NBA action. Well, I guess that isn’t terribly far away. And at least I’ll have an entire summer of stress-free living. Let me tell ya, it’s been quite a post-season for me. This ‘chip almost feels like a relief rather than an accomplishment, but I’ll certainly take it. Congratulations again to the Lakers organization. Love, one truly dedicated fan, always and forever.
:BIG SIGH: Now that that’s all out of the way. So, what’s new? For me, it’s been business as usual around here. Still working a hundred hours a week, still have the best dog EVER, and still have ridiculously-colored hair. Remember when I said I’d dye my hair purple if the Lakers made the Finals? I tried and failed miserably. I didn’t lighten my roots enough for the color to adhere, so instead of purple it turned into a weird brownish-gray color. Luckily it washed out and now my hair is an orange gradient fading into bright pink. I’ll fix it one of these days.
My new favorite TV show is, wait for it… Daisy of Love on VH1. The guys on the show are the dumbest, yet most lovable and unintentionally hilarious doofuses I’ve ever seen on TV. I’m sure a lot of the jokes and situations have been scripted, but they pull it off. And Fox? Oooo wee. That is one hot motha lova, and you know how much I prefer tall white guys. Fox is a petite, effeminate Filipino/Spanish guy that wears more makeup than I do. But whatever. He’s hot. And incredibly dumb. But hot. He reminds me a lot of someone I used to date; maybe that’s why I’m all into him.
Speaking of men that have been in my life… One of them is back in it, and in full force, while I’ve been trying to force another out of it with no such luck. It’s not even like he won’t go away willingly. He is the one that left, and I’ve done my best to forget about him. As soon as I did, he popped up in the place I least suspected; a place where I felt safe lol. I felt like the butt of a really cruel joke. Of course none of it was intentional; just a really bad coincidence. I think I might hate him. And I don’t hate anyone. But no one has ever made me feel like a total schmuck as much as he did. I should be glad he’s gone; I deserve better and HAVE better now. But there’s still a small part of me that, oh I don’t know… misses him. Bah. To hell with all that. I’m too old for this crap.
Max is clawing at my arm and that usually means he needs to take a shit. So I must end this now for I just swiffered my floors and could do without an accident.
I want to update, but it’s been difficult finding the right words. Going to put in a solid 2 hours of work this lovely Sunday afternoon, watch the game, and then write a nice long entry. Hugs and kisses.
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The title of this entry has to do with the playoffs (as a whole, not just the Lakers), by the way. None of you care about those ramblings, so I summed it up in the title.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mommas out there. I had no idea what to get my mom, since flowers were out of the question (she got mad at me for buying them last year), so I gave up and figured gracing her with my presence at the family dinner tonight would be good enough. While excavating my pantry, in the very back, I found all of the ingredients to make red velvet cupcakes. That would be the perfect gift for her. Damn I’m thoughtful. I thought it would be a test of my self-control since I’ve been so good with my dieting, but it was no test at all. I had no urge to eat any of them, even though I LOVE red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Me thinks it’s because I know if I eat one, I’ll want to eat like three of them, and that is simply unacceptable and not worth it. Anyway, I gave them to momma after dinner and she seemed truly thankful. Mission accomplished. You see, I am not very openly affectionate at all– to anyone, so it takes very little mush to make my mom happy.
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As I pulled up to my parking garage I was distracted by a line of cars, about ten deep and wrapping around a corner, waiting to drive into what I always thought was just a dead end. I wondered what on earth could be so interesting about this dead end. It turns out there is actually a school a stone’s throw away and that dead end is a back entrance. School play, I thought? Spring Festival? Ah, I miss those things from my grade school days.
So as I’m getting settled in, ready to take a much needed nap, I suddenly hear, “ARE YOU READY TO ROCK!?!??!” Ohh noo. Rock music ensues. It wasn’t terribly loud, but loud enough to be distracting. This piqued my interest even more so I did some fancy Googlework and learned that there is a festival/carnival thing going on all weekend. Bunch of bands unknown to me, carny rides, food and even fireworks. Hooray. Rock music and fireworks all weekend long. I’m sure Max will love that. Though it is free admission and mention of fair food. Could be tempting to check it out tomorrow. Anyway, I’m still trying to take my nappers when I realize, ohh double noo… it’s a Foo Fighters cover band playing. There goes my nap.
I flipped on the tube and caught the beginning of the 24/7 Pacquiao vs. Hatton miniseries on HBO. Interesting stuff. I am probably the only card-carrying Filipino NOT watching the fight tomorrow, but perhaps I’ll catch the replay when it’s free. Filipinos are great at two things: 1) billiards and 2) boxing. You better believe it!
After watching all four episodes it was time for a smoke break for me and a poop break for Max. I’m a people-watcher, and watching people come and go from the bar is always at least a little bit entertaining. Tonight, we hit the jackpot. A mere 20 feet from where we were standing, an M35 comes zooming down the street and screeches to a halt behind a parked Lexus GS with two girls in it. Dude in the M35 comes charging out of his car and screaming at one of the bitches in the Lex, and I think… here we go… they both start yelling at each other in a foreign language, farsi maybe, and all I can make it out is that apparently the guy thinks the girl was lying to him about something. Oooh, drama. So he grabs her phone, perhaps to look for evidence, and she starts screaming her head off for him to give the phone back, exclaiming “YOU’RE NOT MY BOYFRIEND!!” This only makes him angrier. Dude was ready to hit a ho. Naturally this brought the attention of everyone within earshot. After some more yelling and an attempt by the second girl to pull the alleged liar back into their car, it was finally over. The dude got into his illegally parked luxury sedan and zoomed off. The girls left shortly after. And I was left with a distressed boxer, confused about all the commotion, and a smug sense of gratefulness that I no longer have any type of drama in my life.
…And then on my way back inside I squashed another snail. DOH!
Currently listening to: The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore by James Morrison
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This weekend has been way too long for me, and I am anxious to go into work tomorrow morning. I’ve had a lot of spare time to think, and this time that has proven to be a bad thing. Lately, when my mind has wandered, it has only thought of one thing. Something I need to forget about, the sooner the better.
I think the server at work went down over the weekend because I haven’t been able to get my email, which is another reason I’ve sort of been restless. I’m surprised I’ve only gotten one call about it. Usually, with 30 minutes of a connection problem I’ve already gotten 3 calls and 4 texts. Sounds like a fun Monday morning I’m heading into.
So tomorrow is the day. Day 1. First day of implementing more physical activity in my daily life. Every little bit counts. No more elevators. Back to the gym. I bought over $200 worth of groceries (well maybe $50 of that was cleaning supplies and toilet paper, paper towels, etc.) and will no longer be buying every single meal coming in at an average of $15-20. Maybe I’ll finally get a bicycle. The habits I have fallen into over the last year have been ridiculous. No more complaining and whining and blaming work for my lack of focus on myself. Time to get over the hump.
It seems that without fail, if there is a snail on any part of a sidewalk or walkway in front of my apartment, I will manage to step on it accidentally. This isn’t only true for my current place, but also for any place I’ve ever lived in my lifetime. It happens so often that I sometimes repeat in my head before stepping out, “watch out for snails. watch. out. for. snails.” Doop do doop do do… *CRUNCH*. Ah, damn it. The sad thing is the snail probably saw me coming, and tried desperately to… umm… slide? Shuffle? What is it that snails do anyway?… away, but could not get out of my path of destruction in time. Please accept this apology, snail species. I think you’re disgusting and sort of useless, but am utterly grossed out by the thought of your guts stuck to the bottom of my shoe, so in no way am I on a snail-genocide mission.
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So I’ve had this song (see above) on repeat for most of the day. Beatles songs always hold a special place in my heart because they remind me of my parents, but this one in particular is giving me the super emo shakes. My overall moods have been so steady and even lately that I think my body is just trying to have four seasons of emotions; it’s reacting to anything even remotely sad. No, it’s not PMS.
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Dude, I need a pedicure pretty badly. I could grate parmesan with my heels. In the spirit of the playoffs, I am going to have my left toe nails painted purple and the right ones painted gold. Not a joke. If the Lakers get to the Finals, my hair is getting dyed purple. Also not a joke. Don’t let me down, boys!
