Spring Cleaning

Rick Ross remixes are bo$$.

This is where I'll be in about two days' time. Honestly, I would love to be there all the time, but that's just not happening anytime soon. In the meanwhile, though, here's a little recap.

Spring break is almost upon us, and the entire week of school has been insanely chill thus far; the fact that there are only four days of classes this week along with a week-long break looming above means that high spirits and positive vibes are in abundance, and boy, am I thankful for that. My father snagged my progress report (my grades, by the way, is abysmal) last Saturday as I was at my piano lesson, and from the moment I saw that dreaded paper unfolded atop the kitchen counter, I was expecting my day, perhaps even my weekend go down the drain. Fortunately, it didn't; not only did my parents not mention it at all to me, but they've actually seemed more cheerful than ever lately. In fact, that paper is still sitting atop the counter as I type...maybe I should pick it up and stow it away somewhere.

The reason I choose not to, however, is that I'd like to keep it in plain sight for as long as I can to serve as a reminder of what needs to be done and what is expected of me. Some may argue that because I'm in my senior year, I should be entitled to a bit of slacking off. I, on the other hand, fully acknowledge the fact that I've done much more slacking off in the past three years of high school alone than any kid should ever be capable of, and although most would be perfectly content with grades such as mine, I know that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I leave high school knowing that I rolled over and called it quits. To some, it might seem as if I'm making things harder for myself, but anyone who knows me well enough knows that I enjoy a good challenge.

Socially, life has been surprisingly satisfying lately. I'll spare the details for now. In fact, I think I'll call it a night. Heavens know that I need the sleep, but balancing my bodily needs with my psychological and emotional excitation can be tricky at times. I've got a lot planned for April: new covers, new shots, a whole slew of updates regarding my recent (and planned upcoming) whereabouts, and even a new pickup. Stay tuned; it's starting to feel a lot like last summer again.

"She woke me up daily, don't need no Starbucks."

As terrible as this line is, my man Ludacris knows what’s up. I’ve been sleepier than ever lately, relying on caffeine to keep me alert and awake, but I must admit I still do miss those days when not even a double-shot expresso frappuccino from Starbucks could have woken me up the way she did; all it took was one look, one smile, one word to wake me up and put a smile on the face, regardless of what time of day it was. Back then, “good morning” was one phrase that I could have said and actually have meant it. These days, my mornings are dull and my nights are long, with nothing to smile about except these delicious double chocolate chip muffins from Costco that I enjoy every morning. I think to myself, “maybe one day I’ll be able to feel the way that I once did, some day soon.” I don’t want to get my hopes up, though, so for now, muffins > love. Goodnight, followers.

Note to self: I’m running out of muffins, get some more.

Capitol & Vistapark II

She woke me up daily, don't need no Starbucks.

Anyone who's been keeping up with my (not-so) lovely Blogspot over the course of the past few months would know that I can take forever and a day between updating it, so you'll have to excuse me - or rather, join me - as I take a journey of the mind back to a time and place where things where much more lively than they've been lately.

Friday the 19th was a day filled with many shortcomings, to say the very least. Thankfully, it had its fair share of pleasantries, which was more than enough to tip the scale in favor of me being able to say that all in all, it was a pretty great day. I had planned to wake up well-rested that morning, but since when does that ever happen anymore? I drowsily sifted myself through my classes, and by the time 6th period had ended, I was nothing more than a shell of a man. Luckily for my body, my audition for one of the upcoming benefit concerts was postponed, although I can't say that I was entirely pleased with that, as I had spent the entire day before working on a piece that I was intent on perfecting.

I arrived home rather early that afternoon to find that the house with filled with both family and food, and after taking in a little bit of both, I lay down on my beloved brown couch and feasted my eyes upon episode after episode of Avatar until they finally drew to a close. I awoke hours later to find that the kitchen was as bustling as ever, and I'd like to take this time now to say a small prayer and thank God for the lovely steak dinner we enjoyed that night, as it truly was exquisite.

Soon after dinner had ended, I had expressed both my sleepiness and my craving for Starbucks to the rest of the family, and shortly after we all hopped in the car (save for mom and Archie) to head out to the local spot to fulfill our needs. As we were getting in, my dad handed me the keys and told me that I would be driving that night. Sweet! Once at Starbucks, we were temporarily held up by a family of what looked to be around six or seven children returning from a martial arts competition. My dad and my sister's boyfriend whipped out their phones and decided to play Sudoku while we waited. After about fifteen minutes or so, our drinks were served at last (including my green tea frappuccino), and we hopped back into the Rav4.

My dad and I must have been on the same page that night somehow; I wanted to continue driving, and my dad had an errand to run, so that's exactly what we did. We cruised for a good twenty minutes or so, passing the all-too-familiar intersection Capitol & Vistapark as we searched for the house of one of his friends that he needed to drop something off at. Once we found it, my dad ran in, telling us he'd take only five minutes, but you know how it is with Asian parents; we ended up waiting for about ten, during which I conversed with my sister and her boyfriend about Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and autotune.

We finally headed home a bit later, and after a long night of Capitol cruisin', I flopped on the couch as soon as I stepped into my house. The rest of my night was spent eating hot cheetos, sippin' on my drink, making fun of movie titles with my family, and eating fried rice at one in the morning. Before I knew it, I had knocked out on my very own bed.

Sibling visits are never long enough for me, and I awoke the next morning to see a faceful of Archie and my sister and her boyfriend ready to walk out the door as they told my mom not to disturb me, because heavens know that I was fast asleep before I was interrupted. "See you all in June" was the last thing I heard right before I fell back asleep, but it was good enough for me. June is one thing that I absolutely cannot wait for.


Goodnight, goodmornng.

paws.

There's nothing quite like waking up to the sight of the best dog in the world leap onto your bed, ready to drench your face in a wall of saliva. That was the sight that I awoke to on Saturday morning right before my sister and her boyfriend and dog departed for Sacramento to visit the in-laws. I sure miss Archie, and it amazes me to think that the dog who was once just another furry creature to me is now the little lovable fella who I simply adore waking up to every morning that I am fortunate enough to spend with him, whether he's just sniffing around the room or curled up on my chest as he waits for me to wake up.

I sure miss that dog, as well as the rest of my family. I'll see you guys come June.

Tiffany Thursday

Here they are, in all their glory.

What you see above you is my (very beaten and battered) pair of Tiffany Dunk SBs. Although they've only been in my possession for the past six months or so, they're easily one of my favorite pair of shoes. However, the time has come for me to let these pass on to a new proud owner, so I broke these bad boys out of the faded pink box on Thursday morning one last time before they're packed up and shipped away.

My buddy Ervin and I finally matched shoes for the first time ever since these Tiffanys found their way into my hands. Perhaps it is somewhat appropriate that I drew more attention on this day than I had ever garnered in the past half a year of sporting these babies on my feet. I'm certainly going to miss these very, very much, but not as much as I miss many other things. One thing that comes to mind at this exact moment is sleep: it is 2:10 A.M., with a little over five hours remaining until the day begins anew, and yet I'm still here, typing up this post.

To the unfamiliar eye, it may appear as if my passion and drive for education and the development of my mind has come to a sputtering drag, if not a complete halt, but rest assured that the fire still burns as brightly as ever. However, my physiology is without a doubt beginning to interfere with my growth, as I find myself dozing off and catching Zs in class with increasing frequency as the year goes on.

It's usually not until third period (at the very least) that my mind and eyes begin to widen as I take in my surroundings and cherish the company around me. Third period is as lively as ever with Kelli and Danielle to keep me company; on the other side of break, fourth period has now become one of my favorite classes after I was somehow transformed into a paragon of social activity after my couple of days off school a few weeks ago. Between the small band of friends that I find myself surrounded by on a daily basis, I've found a bit of laughter in everything, from weird noises to random blurts of false information to careless lapses in judgment that can only be blamed on the entire left side of the room's excitement over the rumor that Panda Express now serves walnut shrimp.

Although my Thursday felt very much like a Friday, today will be the day that my life really picks up, for sure. About an hour ago, my sister rang on our doorbell, along with her boyfriend and her dog. After a light snack and family bonding, we're finally off to our separate corners of the house now, readying ourselves to sleep. It feels so nice and comforting to finally be with my family again; well, we're missing two people. You can call us a family and a half! Dogs count too, right?

On top of it all, I have an audition this afternoon for an upcoming benefit concert which I hope to be performing at, and I really have no idea how this will all turn out. For now, though, the thought of my bed and warm sheets tantalizes my mind into submission, and I hope that my mind shall be lulled to sleep tonight by sweet dreams and even sweater achievements. Goodnight, world!

fallin' for you

just kidding. The day that feeling returns is the day that...well, to be honest, I don't quite know what would happen, but when it does, I'll be sure to let you know.

The past couple of weeks have been a rough stretch of road for me as I remain haunted by these questions and dreams which stick to me like white on rice. You might even consider them to be growing pains, something which every inch of my body is foreign to, except for my mouth. Speaking of my mouth, I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled soon, although I don't know the exact date of my operation yet. Oh joy.

Mondays always seem to manage to stretch a smile across my face, despite being the most hated day of the week by many. After a long Sunday night filled with contemplation and lack of sleep, I energetically trekked through my Monday with comfort and ease, much of which can be attributed to the fact that I came home to a leftover Vietnamese sandwich (<3) and another Avatar marathon on Nicktoons (double <3). The latter half of my afternoon as well as my evening was nothing short of typical: a long nap, followed by 24 (this week's episode was slightly better than last week's), my usual workout routine, and Fresh Prince to end the night.

I'm excited for many things right now, most notably my sister coming home to visit on Thursday as well as my dad's birthday, and a fun- (and food-) filled Saturday. Hope everyone has been well, because I certainly have been! Goodnight folks, stay cool.

"mon cheri"

Maybe one day.


Goodnight, updating tomorrow, sweetdreams.

The Krusty Krab Pizza

"AND MY FEET ARE KILLING ME."

No explanation needed on the picture, right? Chances are, if you're close enough to me to be keeping up with my Blogspot, then you already know all about my love for Squidward Tentacles, one of the best cartoon characters ever conceived in the history of man(squid)kind.

Unfortunately, this squid is still a tad bit under the weather, but that doesn't mean that he has to put his entire life on hold simply for the sake of good health; on the contrary, the past two weekends have been nothing short of exhilarating. The weekend before last was one filled with new experiences with familiar faces: Danielle and I accompanied Kelli and Marvin to church the other Friday night as guests to their Evangelical Mission, and although Marv felt compelled to congratulate me for actually staying awake throughout the entire service, I do have to admit that it was refreshing to be able to look at life from an entirely fresh perspective. The following night was no less exciting, and many good laughs were had in the company of Thomas and Andrew at Noche de Fama; later that night, Luan and the usuals swung by the house for a game or two of poker, and I, being the glutton that I am, could not resist the urge to devour a #10 meal at Wendy's along with a third of a leftover Spicy Tuna Roll. The food wouldn't stop coming there, though, oh no: most of my Sunday was spent with two of my cousins, enjoying ourselves (at long last) at Boiling Crab for a good two hours or so.

But with the love of all things edible also comes a terrible price to pay. I'm still not sure if it was indigestion, excessive amounts of spice, or perhaps just overeating, but I paid the ultimate price for stuffing my face full that weekend when I came down with a severe cold last Tuesday which caused me to miss two entire days of school. To this day, my stomach is still not at ease. Like I said, you know you're really sick when you're still shitting out last week's dinner. However, I certainly couldn't allow a small, trivial thing such as a meager cold (coupled with a newborn ear infection a few days later) stop me from attending Fantastics, could I? After all, it is my last year in high school, and this was one show that I could not afford to miss. I am a bit ashamed to admit that this year simply didn't have the allure and appeal of last year's show, for more reasons than one, but nonetheless, I'm extremely proud of the Seniors for taking it home, one last time; and, of course, many kudos to all of the other classes, as well. Saturday night was a cause for celebration as my spirit was so uplifted that my illness seemed to have temporarily lifted along with it, and I indulged myself with a meal from Jack in the Box, something that I have been longing for for a very long time.

As with any natural high, a descent must also take place, so my Sunday was spent lounging on my couch, laptop in hand, watching Spider Man 3 on my father's glorious new television set as my parents partied it up with their friends, about 50 miles away. Today was less relaxing, my state of trance being broken by a trip to the doctor's office and the usual pressures that school brings. And thus, sleep is calling me once again. Prayers once more for a swift and successful recovery for this squid, because I simply can't wait until I feel whole again.

Goodnight&sweetdreems.

i gotcha.

Maybe this is what I need to cure this sickness!

Mocha Blast from Porto's Bakery & Cafe in Glendale and Burbank. Photo credits go to my homegruh Chynna. Maaan, I think one of these would hit the spot right about now. If you haven't heard by now, I've caught something, and spent half of my week at home laying in bed and regurgitating. I'm a little bit better now, but whatever I have is still taking its toll on my body. Hopefully I'll be better in time for Fantastics tomorrow night, though.

Speaking of Fantastics, y'all better go! I've noticed that a lot of people that I've asked told me that they won't be attending Fantastics this year, which really kills the mood for me. As if I didn't have enough to worry about already (with my illness and all), but Fantastics was hands-down one of the most fun events that I attended last year and I definitely will catch it tomorrow night as long as I'm still breathing by then. After all, it's my last year in high school. I feel bad enough for not joining, but I gotta stay representing that C/O 2010 all day, everyday!

It seems as if I have so much to speak about, even to the point where I make multiple notes-to-self throughout my daily life in a feeble attempt to remind myself to include these things in my blog, but when the time comes for me to sit in front of my computer screen and do my thing, all these fleeting thoughts fly right out of my head. Maybe in time I'll remember, or perhaps they just weren't that important in the first place. Whatever the case, I'm going to sleep for a bit. Prayers for a healthy awakening, and see you folks later!

to-do list:

[] change layout
[x] trim down my playlist
[x] get a haircut
[x] buy Fantastics tickets
[x 1/2] sell these shoes
[x working on it] pay off debts
[] record a new piano video
[x GET LIFFFFTTTEEDDDDD] RAISE GRADES RAISE GRADES RAISE GRADES
[x] not miss school as much
[x] save money
[x] get back in shape
[x] sleep earlier
[] visit my siblings
[] do something amazing.

Goodnight, happy March!