A Little Piece of Owie

A World Full of Michaels, Part Two

2011-02-12T01:10:00.001-08:00

Team Spontaneity is on a roll again this week.

After perusing through the pages of YouTube, I came across a link stating that a certain Michael Franti was performing at Amoeba Records here in Berkztown, fo' free! I thought to myself, "oh my gee. It's too good to be true!" but alas, 'tis! As I researched the topic, and even called Amoeba, I verified that the musician whom I listen to at all times would actually be within arm's reach... if not more! After finding that out, I knew I was not about to miss it.

So with my trusty co-team captain Clarisse, we ventured off to Telegraph Avenue and positioned ourselves to what looks like quite a lengthy line to get inside the store. After about half an hour, the line starts moving and we were instructed to situate on the ramp, and glory be, we were finally moments away from listening to one of the best Michaels in the world LIVE!

Yup, there they are: Michael Franti and Spearhead (Jay Bowman, left; Michael Franti, middle; Jolene Rust, right)

Not only did they happily entertain us by singing songs like "Sound of Sunshine," "Say Hey (I Love You)," and "Hey Hey Hey," but they were gracious enough to actually meet with their fans! Needless to say, we're like totz best friends now.

He's the sweetest guy in the world. We went up to him and he showered us with hugs and kisses. He even asked Claire how her week was, which I'm sure she greatly appreciated.

I'm pretty much also bffls with his band peeps Jay and Jolene:

We're adorable in this picture, I know... And this dude was about to steal my jacket. He was definitely manhandling my arm ready to rip it off. He was really cool with the guitar though and I was so ready to give it to him. The jacket, I mean.

Gah! What a night... I'm so glad I live in a city where I could just randomly go to things with famous people in it, then get to meet them. Life is good.

'Tis the season...

2010-12-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

As Christmas rapidly approaches, I’m beginning to panic, mostly because I have literally nothing under my Christmas tree, ‘cept for Catlin’s ginormous box which I have yet to open.

My main problem really is that I haven’t had time to shop. I work nine hours a day and the rest of the time, I was freaking out about how I’m supposed to buy a bed for my mom in such a short amount of time. My other problem is that I have no idea what to give my children for Christmas. What do I give two 13-year-old boys that isn’t going to cost me $59.99 at Best Buy? What do I buy a 3-year-old girl who has literally everything? I’m stumped, guys!

I’m also slightly freaking out about the fact that all 16 of my immediate family members are spending Christmas in my 707 square foot apartment. It’s gonna be a blast having all of them there, but the preparation that comes beforehand freaks me out. I don’t know how to host a formal dinner party. What am I? An adult? Psh.

Well granted that I am legally, the only events that I’ve ever thrown that have ever come even close to a being a party is that one time that I invited people over for sushi and sake, and that other time that I invited people over to get rid of all the alcohol in my apartment by playing “Drunk Mario Kart” before my mother comes back. Those aren’t exactly “adult formal dinner party” material.

Any ideas??? Help me out here!

How to toot it and boot it...

2010-12-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

...since apparently, not everybody knows how, especially cute Italian hotel door men.

Well I mean, neither do I...........so it's probably best to just stick to what I do well: tell you a story.

Plain and simple: I had one of the best times of my life this past weekend. Oh I've never felt this way before. Yes, I swear, it's the truth. And I owe it all to the coolest peeps on Earth... which is probably you... whoever is reading this....

So now, I begin my story:

In anticipation of my lifestyle suddenly changing in the next week, I've decided that it was time to celebrate: to celebrate freedom and to celebrate life and everything that comes along with it. And what better way to do that than with a little bit of alcohol, a whole lot of dancing, great food, and great friends.

Friday night:

When it comes to drinking, I don't do it to get drunk; I do it to experience a culture, to expand my taste buds, to try new flavors ... drunkenness just comes as a by-product (like a spandrel to an arch). Sometimes it ends in a whirlwind of mistakes and embarrassments, other times that whirlwind turns out to be the best decision of your life. So even though two shots of coffee Patron, Sake bombs, Irish car bombs, and bottles upon bottles of Japanese/Irish/IPA beers later resulted to the stumbling, the blurred vision, the water rings on the table, the crumbs on the carpet, the ridiculous load of bottles and cans to be brought to recycling by a 3'5" girl in a wheelchair, and the taking off of the shirt, without them, there also wouldn't have been gays dancing to "It's Raining Men," Christmas balls jokes, excessive laughter, and a reason to get the cute Italian door man's number.

Needless to say, it was a wonderful(ly gay) night.

(Almost forgot to mention the sushi platter from Nude Sushi! i.e. a whole bunch of California rolls with different fish/eel/shrimp on top! Not to mention the chicken sushi.)

Saturday:

The day after a party usually sucks. There are a million things to clean up, your head hurts from the night before, and all you want to do is lay in bed until Monday. Unless you're me... in which case, you naturally wake up at 8 AM, clean the house to the best of your abilities, and host a study party. Yeah that's right: a study party... and I'm not even in school anymore.

One of my best friends from high school, Sara Gandara, came to visit me this weekend. We hadn't seen each other in four and a half years. 4.5 YEARS! Does anyone realize how long that is? Leaving Elk Grove was one of the best decisions of my life, but I seem to have forgotten that I also left some awesome people there, namely Sara. But luckily, Berkeley is only a couple of hours away, so it was fairly simple for her to hop into her car and drive to my new hometown. And I'm so happy that she did. We toured the campus, she saw where I work, we played with the Wii, we ate delicious Extreme pizza (with three of the coolest sophomores in town), drank saltless salted caramel hot chocolate (the one that I bought out of love and devotion to Claire... *sniff*) and wrote an essay about pathos, ethos, and logos and its relationship with a documentary about martial arts. You might think it's lame, but writing essays (along with studying Arabic, math, and o-chem) had never been so cool.

Sunday:

There are so many songs about Sundays: "Easy Like Sunday Morning" "Tell Me On a Sunday" "Sunday Bloody Sunday"... all describing how Sunday is supposed to be the chill out day. The day of rest. Stress-free. What did we do? Woke up relatively late, had a lovely brunch at Herbivore, and walked around downtown Berkeley for some time. It was glorious. Nice bonding moment with two really awesome people. Just proof that you don't have to get all cray cray to have an amazing day. Just stopping by the toy store and the video game store and the hotel to get a glimpse of cute Italian door man should suffice (sorry Claire, I know you told me to go on a Rigatoni hiatus, but I couldn't help it LOL... you know how bad I am with that). Oh and of course, dying of spiciness from the Indian food we got from the really huge restaurant with no one in it!

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So ladies and gents, that was my weekend. That's how I toot it and boot it. It might not be as misogynistic or sexual (unless you're Ashola) or crazy as the real thing, but to hell with it: it was fun.

Drama in the drama department

2010-07-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

So today, there was a little feud between two Idiots on Twitter. Actually, it didn't even need to be a feud. It was such a little thing that was totally blown out of proportion. In any event, it gave me a great deal of entertainment today. So this was the little thing that occurred between John Gallagher Jr. and Aspen Vincent on Twitter...

JohnGallagherJr: I got shut down and bed ridden by sickness this weekend. My true apologies to all seeing American Idiot. It is killing me to not be there.

aspenvincent: @JohnGallagherJr Not sure what to make of that. We miss you but apologizing to those seeing the show devalidates us still kicking ass here.
aspenvincent: @JohnGallagherJr apologize to people that were hoping to see you. But don't apologize for the quality of the show while you're gone. Uncool.
aspenvincent: we thrash, sweat, bruise, and bleed onstage because we believe in this show. To read an apology to an audience for the show we just gave...
aspenvincent: ...Even if that's not what he meant, is hurtful. This isn't a personal attack on John. I love/respect him. But that hurt us today.

JohnGallagherJr: My apology was being offered from a performer who purely hates to not be onstage at his job. No disrespect meant to the amazing AI cast.

aspenvincent: @JohnGallagherJr apology totally accepted. I know what you meant and we look forward to having you back John. Heal up. Xoxo

JohnGallagherJr: American Idiot has the most talented group of swings/understudies I have ever seen in my life and they never ever fail to deliver.
JohnGallagherJr: And I would never suggest that the quality of our show would suffer merely because of my absence. It is worlds bigger than any one person.
JohnGallagherJr: And you will not once hear me talk ill or slanderously about any of my brilliant castmates.

So after reading all this shenanigan and getting slightly uncomfortable, my favorite Idiot totally made light of the situation, in addition to almost killing me and making me sweat and tear up from laughter. This thread of Michael Esper Twitter posts followed the silly feud.

airstreamrally: @aspenvincent @johngallagherjr that was the most polite Twitter-beef ever. Could you please try a bit harder? Listen to NWA or something?
airstreamrally: Also? I'm making "Team John" and "Team Aspen" shirts right now.
airstreamrally: Also, I just want to apologize to everyone for being in the show tonight.
airstreamrally: Ok that shirt comment was divisive. They've reconciled and are now locked in a warm cyberembrace. So one shirt: Team Jaspenny. Forever.

So yes, that made my day. I've never been so involved in a "Twitter-beef" before.

BART Adventures, Part 2

2010-07-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

This morning, I got on the BART and I put in my brand new Skull Candy ear buds and turned my iPhone on shuffle, like I do every day when I go to work.

After almost-dozing off to some Wall-E music, then suddenly rockin' out to American Idiot, the song "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti (another amazing Michael) & Spearhead came on. Now this song... this song has been favorited by so many Deutsch Floor 1-ians, most especially by me and Ms. Perlman (yeah, you just got mentioned in another blog). I dunno what it is, but it's the song that I could listen to over and over again while driving in a car on my way to heaven or something.

Anywho... so as I was listening to this song (probably one of the most engaging, happiest, and best picker upper in the world), I found myself nodding my head like yeah and moving my hips like yeah to its upbeat music and lyrics.

I look to my right and an old woman in a tweed jacket and perfectly quaffed hair was swaying her hands from side to side as she hummed a tune to another old woman across from her. After watching her for a few seconds, our eyes met and she smiled at me. Across from me was a young man in a leather jacket, shades and earbuds, bobbing his head at the same beat as the song playing in my iPhone. To my left was a slightly chubbier woman in a tracksuit, wearing yellow headphones, who held on to the vertical pole by the doors. She had her eyes closed was shaking her booty just ever so slightly to the music playing in her ears. And directly next to her was a tall, skinny guy with long hair playing air drums.

I'd like to think we all had the same song in our heads; that Michael Franti was bringing joy not only to my ears but to everyone else in that train. In fact, I think I'll contact BART and tell them to install a speaker system that would play fun music. That'll brighten up everyone's day.

That was a fine moment though... I feel like the five of us connected in such an inexplicable way. I hope it happens again soon.

BART Adventures, Part 1

2010-07-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

For the past month, the BART ride has been one of my most looked-forward-to form of entertainment. Even before I started working, I've been having the most interesting experiences during my commute.

For instance, two days ago, when I got to the MacArthur BART station from Berkeley (SF bound train), I went to the elevator where it would take me to the other set of platforms so I could get onto the Pittsburg/Bay point train and get to Concord. I was in the elevator with a woman and her baby in a stroller.

As the door was closing, this guy on a bike comes and crashes his front wheel to the back of my wheelchair so that the door wouldn't close on him. Though he seemed to be perfectly capable of taking his giant bike up the escalator, with his muscular arms and protruding chest muscles, he proceeded to force himself and his vehicle into the elevator. Since his bike was huge, it took us at least 3 minutes to figure out how he could fit in, the time he could've easily spent leisurely walking towards the escalator and up it without a problem.

Finally, he gets in, with his front wheel lifted from the ground and about 6 inches from my face. I run to the second elevator up the platform. As it was coming up to the platform, I could see through the glass elevator doors the train I was trying to catch and how its doors were closing and how it was speeding away.

I had to wait 12 minutes for the next train, which by the way was packed like a sardines can. I was/still am pissed at that guy.

On the bright side, Jim Coyle, one of the bigtime contractors from Pankow was on the train and as he was getting off at Rockridge, he saw me, remembered my name, and said hello.

Mel Gibson is Cray Cray! But so is Oksana Grigorieva!

2010-07-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

First and foremost: Read this and listen to the sound clip.

My favorite line: "ALL I WANT IS MY DAUGHTER AND A MAID!!!!!"

So every day in the car on the way to work, Kuya Tammy would turn on the radio and set it to 650 AM, and we would listen to the Armstrong and Getty show. Well, assuming that I'm not curled up in the ball, sleeping.

Today's topic of discussion is the newly released recording of a phone call between actor Mel Gibson, and his current wife or girlfriend or whatever, Russian model, Oksana whatsherface. According to whatsherface, she is suffering from domestic abuse from the actor and he knocked off like two of her teeth at some point or something like that. In the recording, Gibson starts yelling and screaming at her, calling her all sorts of names, accusing her of cheating, and a whole bunch of nonsense. He even did like a gorilla/having your legs cut off without anaesthesia/Braveheart yell somewhere in there. In other words, Mel Gibson was like totally insane. Like, I don't think I've ever heard so many *beeps* on public radio/television before.

In my opinion, both parties in this shenanigan are stupid. It would be a different story if one side is like all sweet and nice and beautiful inside and out. But no! Mel Gibson is an asshole and whatsherface is a bitch!

She's getting older, her career is falling into shambles. She goes and hits it up with a man (whom by the way was married for 28 years or something prior to meeting her) and has a child with him to save her image and her bank account. She knew Gibson had aggressive tendencies, so if she really was willing to accept that crap, then she should probably be more cautious and shut her trap when she needs to in order to avoid any trouble.

Seeing as she was fully aware that the whole phone conversation was being recorded, I'm sure she did everything she could to provoke a violent verbal reaction (like we heard on the recording), while also ensuring that she seemed innocent and calm. Manipulative much?

Now don't get me wrong, domestic abuse is an incredibly serious matter. When I get married and I see signs of potential abuse from my future husband, I will immediately get a lawyer and get a divorce. I'm really not gonna stand for that shit, and neither should any woman (or man) out there. But as I've said before, this type of thing could have easily been avoided and handled at much more poised, mature, and undeafening manner.

I don't think it's necessary that she broadcasts this whole phone conversation to the world, and for him to blow up like that (instead of just hanging up on her per se), and for him to ditch his wife for that Botoxed bimbo.

Whoo... that was tiring. It is now time for me to CTFD.

Not very many people can say...

2010-07-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

...that they love their job. I seriously do. I'm actually using the knowledge that I learned in school in this job, even though I'm just an intern. Yay me!

A World Full of Michaels, Part One

2010-07-12T00:21:00.000-07:00

OK... so I have just realized that some of the best men in my life have all been coincidentally named Michael. I don't know if it's just an oh-too-common name for a guy, or if the gift of gentlemanhood and just pure awesomeness is just automatically bestowed upon them when their parents decide to print that name on their birth certificate.

I look at my incredibly intelligent cousin, polite but badass floormate, down-to-earth but frickin' cool Broadway star, high school best friend, and even Cheesecake Factory waiter, and I say, Damn Michael, you're awesome! Why can't all guys be like you?
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When I started my internship not too long ago, I wasn't expecting to be friends with anyone. I was only going to be there for a few months, our office was kinda secluded and everyone was just in their own little space. I didn't know when I would ever have the opportunity to befriend anyone. Plus, I was content at the daily visits I received from my friends who were still in school there...

Then the elevator broke.........

Now for someone in a wheelchair, this is a DISASTER. I'm stuck on the second floor of my building at 5:oo PM when I need to catch the 5:15 train so that I could get to where I need to go by 6. My boss had left and wasn't answering her phone and the front desk receptionist was gone. Great...

Little did I know that the broken elevator would turn into a miracle in disguise. Out comes the guy who's gonna help me get out of the second floor through the physically-connected apartment complex, down two steps, and out of the building, like 50 million more times throughout the next three weeks thereafter. You could probably guess what his name was. Yup... alas, I made a friend.

Who would've guess that a guy can still be a gentleman these days... as in like soooo nice to a point where it's like, ummm... are you sure you're not like a robot programmed to make girls swoon at the sight of you? What's the catch again? I'm utterly confizzled.

After days of not seeing him, as the elevator has thankfully not broken down for a while now, another sour moment in time would turn sweet.

Remember the Oscar Grant murder case and how that dumbass BART police officer shot him when he was utterly defenseless? Well, prior to reaching the verdict last July 8, we got an email stating that we need to be careful and prepare ourselves for possible rioting and whatnot (which btw happened intensely on the streets of Oakland that night).

Well before going home, I had to turn something in to the front desk and whattayaknow, here comes Michael.

M: Hey! How's it going?
O: Oh... ya know
M: Haha that's cool, I guess.
O: Haha, well just trying to figure out when I should go home...
M: Oh... where's home?
O: Well I have to get to Concord by BART
M: .........oh.... hmmm... BART's probably dangerous
O: hahaha yeaaaah... well... no choice here
M: hmmm... well I live in Rockridge. I don't mind taking the BART til then if you want
O: .........*dumbfounded*......what?
M: Yeah, when are you leaving?
O: I dunno, soon... sometime between now and 5:30?
M: OK, well can you give me like 20 minutes? Lemme just pack up my stuff then we can go.

OK, first of all... for those of you who don't know, Rockridge is like a 15-minute bike ride away from the Brower Center... and he had a bike!!!

When asked why he's taking BART with me after finding out that he never takes the BART to get home, he replied:

Well, I just wanna make sure you're safe.

GAH! Why is he so nice?! He volunteered to ride a potentially life-threatening train with me for $1.75 to a place that he would've gotten to in half the time just to make sure that I was safe. Granted that absolutely nothing happened while I was on the train, it was still an incredibly sweet gesture. I think he's a good guy.

Hence, I stand by my statement when I say that most, if not all, of the "Michael"s I've ever encountered are like the best people ever.

And if one of these "Michael"s are reading this, all I can say is this: Wow. You're ace.

Child Prodigy

2010-07-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

She takes after me.

Read if you want to hear me rant...

2010-07-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

See, here's the thing guys. Lately, I've been finding myself stuck in the middle of all this negative energy and I can't seem to escape it no matter what I do. For all of you who know me, you can probably say that I'm a pretty positive person. I try to be happy all the time and very seldom do I burst into tears. I am open about the problems I face, but I try to put a funny twist to it or I just seem nonchalant about it.

On my very first blog post, I mentioned how important it is to let out your emotions before you go crazy, and I still stand by that. Hence, this post.

When it comes to problem-solving, I'm an optimist. I try my very best to lift up the issues the most time-efficient manner, while maintaining a positive experience. I hate confrontation, but rather, I talk things out or brush things off. As best as I can, I avoid all situations that might lead me to an argument. I never understood why people fight to an extent that noise level barriers are broken or bruises and blood are present. I feel like things can easily be handled better when voices are calm and hands are kept to yourself.

So seeing my parents fight because of the most ridiculous things is really frustrating for me. For those who know about my situation, you probably know that the issue that my parents fight about is a little more complicated than your typical marital problem. So in some instances, it's worth the fight. But for someone who lives with the constant screaming about found jewelries, phone card receipts, and locked doors, I get tired of it.

I guess you can't blame them for trying to fight for what's right, but there's gotta be a better way to do this. My ears hurt already.

Long time, no write

2010-07-08T23:03:00.001-07:00

Yeah, so I suppose I'm really bad at keeping up with this blog considering I'm pretty sure it's been a year since my last post... oops.

Hmmm, well I'm not quite sure where to start now. There's been too many things that have happened over the past year that I don't think I can spew them out all at once without boring y'all to death. So I suppose I'll just give them to you guys in little installments.

But just so you'll look forward to visiting this page, I can provide you with a teeny tiny summary of the things that have happened over the year:

1. I started my senior year of college! Woot woot! That also means that I finished my last year of college... sad.
2. I've become obsessed with seeing musicals! Particularly, one called "American Idiot"
3. Team Spontaneity, GO!
4. GRADUATION!

Most especially, this past year, I met some of the most wonderful people in the world, and strengthened already existing relationships. In short, it has been one of the best years of my life. I'm excited to share my stories with all of you soon!

Summer with singing school kids, drinking "hurricanes," and Shamu

2009-08-19T02:01:00.000-07:00

Yup, I once again apologize for my long-term absence, but to make it up to you, I made a summer video juuust fooor yooou!!! :D

Post a comment about your summer, or email me at
oliviasarockstar@gmail.com :)

THANKS FOR WATCHING!!!

Don't forget to subscribe!!!

Illegal Aspirations

2009-07-30T02:44:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Since the moment I watched the movie "Ocean's Eleven," I've had the secret desire to be intelligent enough to be able to rob, not one, but three Las Vegas casinos in one and virtually get away with it.

But here's the thing, I'm not one who gives a damn about how much money I have in my bank account. I like living comfortably, but not lavishly... it's just not my thing. So, what's a girl, who doesn't give a damn about how much money she has in her bank, to do with briefcases filled with millions of dollars in cash?

Give it to someone else, of course. Someone more deserving...

Being the modern-day Robin Hood, I suppose...

But seeing as that stealing is

#1: morally incorrect,
#2: impossible for the person who is a horrible liar to do,
#3: extremely difficult for my wee little brain to handle,
#4: the gateway to spending a good part of my life behind prison bars,

I think I'm gonna trash that dream, and, rather, live vicariously through these folks right here:

Oh my dearests Eliot, Sophie, Nate, Parker, and Hardison, how you have enlightened me with your badass skills at screwing rich people over and giving all your profits to those who deserve it... you are my heroes...

"Leverage" is my new favorite show... I LOVE IT!... WATCH IT NOW!!!
http://www.tnt.tv/series/leverage/

Endnotes
1. This whole addiction with "Leverage" is courtesy of Austin Lee... that bastard got me hooked
2. Parker is my favorite (blonde). She's crazy, but she can come up with amazing exit strategies by jumping off buildings and crawling inside air ducts... mahahaha! SO COOL!
3. I want to be as smart as Nate (middle guy). He's the leader. He's awesome.
4. Despite Eliot's great physique, I find Hardison much more awesome.

Family Photoshoot - Part Two

2009-06-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

One of my sisters couldn't make it yesterday, so we went to Elk Grove Park today and went on another round of family pictorials...

The kids

Looking out onto the lake

Peaceful and serene

Ducks!

We love our momma

The Buhat Family

Family Photoshoot - Part One

2009-06-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

My family was really bored yesterday, so we decided to go to William Land Park to take some summer pictures.

Mommy and baby Owie :)

Three Asuncions modeling

...just having fun...

Nica and Uncle Allan riding the slide

Mother and Daughter

Father and Daughter

Trend Alert: Coach Man Purse - Fall 2010

Boys will be boys

No paparazzis please

Mother Nature is a playground on its own...

I Can't Sleep!

2009-06-08T00:59:00.001-07:00

Nine months of school and all I ever wanted was sleep... a necessity-turned-luxury, sleep was something I extremely lacked during my time at Cheney 113 last school year.

Due to a combination of academic, social, and at some points, physical reasons (I mean broken ribs, sicko!), sleep for me only averaged to about 3 hours a night.

So when it was finally summertime, I did what any sleep-deprived architecture student would do...I embraced the simultaneous softness and firmness of my pillows, wrapped myself in my fleece blanket and slept for two and a half weeks. The only breaks I had were during eating, mission: impossible (my mission to clean my room, which succeeded), occasional facebook chatting, and shower. And boy, my dates with my bed were oh-so-sweet....... until now....

I guess when you sleep for that long, your sleeping pattern gets all screwed up and whatnot. Now, it's one o'clock in the morning and I am WIDE AWAKE. I drank my chamomile tea, I listened to my lullabies, I turned off all my lights, and still, I tossed and turned in my bed for an hour and a half.

Oh sleep, why must you do this to me when I actually have something to do early tomorrow???

Feel Good Playlist

2009-06-05T00:22:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of: Photo Dictionary

Summer is here.

School is OVER.

All there is left to do is enjoy the sun.

What better way to do it than with music that make you feel GREAT.

Olivia's Summer-Feel-Good Playlist Highlights:
(in no particular order)

1. Beautiful Day - U2

2. Build Me Up, Buttercup - The Foundations

3. Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) - The Pussycat Dolls

4. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye

5. I'll Be - Edwin McCain [my most favorite love song ever <3]

6. Rock 'N Roll All Nite - KISS

7. Kiss Me - Sixpence None The Richer

8. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

9. Under the Sea - Sebastian [The Little Mermaid Soundtrack]

10. We Got the Beat - The Go-go's

Ahh yes, 94 songs, 5.6 hours of pure heaven... It's gonna be a fun summer :)

(It sure beats the hour long Barney music medley I have to listen to on a day-to-day basis O_O)

A Rumpus in the Rainforest

2009-05-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

There's a rumpus in the rainforest today...

First full day back from a long year of school (also first day with my mother away as she parties away in Chicago, IL), I was given the pleasure of watching a play called "A Rumpus in the Rainforest." Andre, my seven-year-old nephew was given the honor to play an adorable monkey and sing, "Up in the Canopy," with two other classmates (also monkeys).

What is "A Rumpus in the Rainforest" all about you say?

Frog in the rain forest desperately wants to get off the jungle floor and see the sky---but who will help him climb above the canopy? The Jaguar loves the jungle floor, the Sloth family keeps falling asleep, and the Howler Monkeys have gone nuts. The Boas offer to slither up a tree, but can you really ever trust a boa? Meanwhile, two bungling Explorers stumble by in search of the Lost Ancient City of Choco- late. No wonder the jungle is going crazy. And have you ever seen so many ants? Rumpus in the Rain Forest gives students a musical tour of the various levels of the jungle and reinforces in fun fashion the importance of the rain forests.

My sister said that they were given the opportunity to pick which part they wanted to be. Frog, of course, was the protagonist of the play... but who wants to be the lead anyway?

Sister: Why didn't you pick to be the Toucan or the Frog? You would've been able to memorize the lines easily!
Andre: Well... I like monkeys because they can swing from tree to tree... and the Toucan and the Frog aren't very important parts anyway.

Well played, little man, well played. As the monkeys say:

We can sing and play
Go bananas all day
Up in the canopy

Failed...

2009-05-16T01:56:00.000-07:00

Put your seatbelt on, Nica. We have to get outta here.

So I went to a cafe with a friend to grab some drinks to keep us awake for the night. While he waits for his order to arrive, I realized that another friend told me earlier today she would be studying in the same cafe, so I decided to plunge into the sea of chairs and scour the cafe grounds for her.

But instead of finding her, I see a different familiar face, a face belonging to someone who, God bless him, needs to calm the fudgecicles down. For all intents and purposes, we will call this person "John Doe." I knew that if I start speaking to John Doe, I'm gonna have an overly-enthusiastic, and overwhelming existentialist conversation with him; something I definitely cannot afford at a time of academic crisis. I'm already going crazy enough as it is.

As big as the Grand Canyon, my eyes grew WIDE and on sheer impulse, my hand pushed the joystick to its leftmost position, turning my chair a full 180 degrees, and started zooming in the opposite direction as John Doe.

Not even a millisecond has passed when all of a sudden, a loud "OLIVIA!" filled the room. I frustratingly facepalmed and aggressively stomped my foot on my footrest three times, after which I attempted to clear my face of any sign of annoyance and turned around to approach him.

As expected, I wasted about 16.73 minutes of my time listening to him talk about philosophical matters. I could tell you what he talked about but that's gonna give away who he is... Actually, to be honest, every word kinda just went in one ear and out the other, so I wouldn't even be able to tell you had I wanted to. But in any event, that was surely an FML right there...

2009-05-15T01:45:00.000-07:00

RACE FOR THE CURE 2009

Cal Expo
Sacramento, CA

May 9, 2009

NEW HAIRCUTS!!!

2009-05-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

Because we're awesome like that...

2009-04-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

I MISS HOME! I WANNA GO HOME AND EAT MY MOMMA'S COOKING!!!

Bittersweet Adventure

2009-04-08T23:08:00.001-07:00

A day is so much more interesting when you experience it to its fullest extent; as in being conscious (or at least in theory) every single minute of its 24 hours.

Yup, that was my day today. Having close to no sleep at all for the full 24 hours of Wednesday, April 8, 2009, a day filled with the good and the bad, I can only describe it in one word: bittersweet.

As mentioned, my day started out...well...very, very, VERY early... more like Tuesday and Wednesday kinda just meshed together, separated only by an unnoticable one second.

12:00 AM with way too much work to do, I struggled to juggle Rhino-ing, and PhotoShop-ing, and chubbing. Losing track of time, I look at the clock and was astonished at the fact that I've spent 4 hours making very little progress on the work that I actually HAVE to do. After panicking wildly, a large sea mammal (B-Gon) knocks on my door to speak of absolute nonsense for hours, while I simultaneously design a community center.

Both awake at 7:00 AM, large sea mammal and I strut ourselves to Crossroads to replenish via consumption of heart attack foods (scrambled eggs, tater tots, and BACON)... only to find that lack of sleep weakens the digestive system, leaving us a little too woozy to further function normally...BLEH.

After an unexpected praise from my studio instructor, a short 20 minute nap, going absolutely insane, and getting disappointed at my architectural history midterm grade, B-Gon and I were kidnapped by E-Bay, and taken on a quite lengthy bus ride to a heavenly place known as Bittersweet Cafe.

This is where it gets sweet... very sweet. *sigh*

THE CLASSIC - The classic, sweet and creamy chocolate delight. In other words, delicious.

In addition to that, CHOCOLATE THAI ICED TEA - Sweet, floral, cool and refreshing. Surprisingly interesting and very very good.

THE BITTERSWEET - A deeply chocolate experience. Non-dairy, rich, and wonderful. Yuuuummmmmm... delightful.

Along with an order of Almond Croissant that is to die for.

Also, can't deny the fact that the charming cashier makes me wanna giggle inside despite his lack of intellect, but hey, that's OK.

E-Bay: Is this a habit?
Choco Boy: A what?
E-Bay: A habit
Choco Boy: *raises eyebrows*
E-Bay: Do you make this often?!
Choco Boy: Ohhhh! Yeah, everyday.

*facepalm* Oy!

The day proceeds with a walk down College Avenue, stopping at many wonderful shops, scheming pranks of odd-couple pregnancies, playing with children's playthings, listing possible themes for dinner date nights, criticizing the various types of architectures along the street, and once again, epicly ending it with another round of cramming ourselves onto my bed for a catnap (nip*).

The day had its downs, but heavily compensated by its ups (more sweet than bitter, really). From my previous blog, I talk about wanting another DNP, and hey, whattayaknow, it was just around the corner (or very very far down College).

Another day spent with two friends who have a knack for snacks, finds joy in toys, a passion for (good) fashion, and just an overall Bryan-ness and Steph-ness that makes me oh-so-happy. Can't complain.

AHHHHHHH!

2009-04-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

GAH!!! I'm excited... I wanna watch...

It's OK, judge me if you must, but Zac Efron, *whew!*

WATCH THIS!

Dead

2009-04-06T11:59:00.001-07:00

Lights at the Strikes Bowling Alley

I think other than the fact that I'm physically functioning for the most part, I'm pretty much dead. This semester has been a biznotch to me in so many different ways that my used-to-be-plenty stock of motivation is slowly diminishing into sheer nothingness. Though reassurance is abundantly handed out to me by friends and family, it still doesn't seem to be sufficient enough to get me back on track. It's like there's a voice that constantly whispers "failure" into my ears.

And when there's a voice that calls to you like this, you feel the need to just give up and stop trying. You feel good for a while, thinking about how much you don't care; how it's just you and the world right now; how you're finally free. Then a midterm, or a paper, or a project creeps up behind you and then BAM, you pull an intense all-nighter, and stress once again prevails and the whole process starts all over again.

Shame.
--------------------------------------------------------
Things I want to do instead of work...

1. Dance around. Possibly naked. Even if Ashola does this on a regular basis, I've never tried it. Who knows, maybe this will make me happy.

2. Go to the zoo. Sometimes, I like the idea of reverting back to childhood where all you cared about was whether Mommy was gonna keep her promise and take you to the zoo to see the lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!)

3. Sit on the sand near the water on a beach. Mmmm, just oh so relaxing.

4. Stay in bed the whole day. Have breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. With a good book.

5. DNP-day. Not that I don't see CHB abundantly already, buut, I'd like for one time to be absolutely worry-free, without any laptops or books or notes around. No need to spend tons of moolahs...

6. Paint. Boy, haven't done that in a while.

7. Go home without any homework. It cuts too much into my family time.

Distractions

2009-04-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

GAH! I'm so easily distracted!

One second, I'm intently studying for my Arch 130 midterm, and the next thing I know, I'm on damn blogger, writing this damn blog. I'm such an epic fail!

The only thing I'm actually good at... sleeping and eating... at the same time...

Flower Power!

2009-03-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to show off my new tie. My sister dropped it off my house, once belonging to my bro-in-law. She thought I would appreciate the very flower-ful array of fall colors adorning the dark blue base background.

Part of me suspects a vindictive nature in her surge of generosity; picking out the worst tie in his spring cleaning throw-away pile and driving 8 miles to give it to me... after which she would drive back to her place while viciously snickering.

I bet she was waiting for me to make a face as she hands me this astericks-ornamented tie that seems to once belong to Bozo the Clown but HA! You thought wrong sissy!!! My face lit up with joy as this precious piece of garment is laid upon my hands... a true sign of LIKING IT!

Though my puzzled mind still screams "Where in the world did this tie come from, and why in the world would he have it?!?!" the unique character of this tie entices me and sparks a strong adoration towards it. Weird.

Pink, Green, and Blue

2009-03-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

Pink. Color of universal love. Provides feelings of caring, tenderness, self-worth and love, acceptance. Favored by lovers of beauty.

Green. Color of nature, fertility, life. Most restful color. Symbolizes self-respect and well-being. Also means learning, growth, and harmony.
Blue. Color of inspiration, sincerity, and spirituality. Calming color. Opens the flow of communication. Symbolizes solitude and peace.

Heartbreak

2009-03-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

I thought we loved each other. I guess NOT. We spend all this time making videos with bunnies and ponies, and eating oreo-encrusted brownies, and Thursday TV nights...and now you tell me you don't love me anymore?!?!

I'm absolutely HURT!

But regardless of your unbelievable inconsideration of my feelings, I still feel compelled to tell you that MY LOVE for YOU will never disappear!

*sniff*

What I learned from bowling...

2009-03-30T00:27:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, my whole family and I went bowling...

Though seemingly mediocre compared to the vast variety of activities one can do, I found it very pleasing and more than satisfied my need to take a break from my intense life and have a little fun.

After "damn near perfect" day, I was very much certain that karma wasn't gonna allow me to have any more fun any time soon. That became very clear to me when the days post-DNPday turned into a nightmare full of emotional distress and unnecessary stinkeyes. And in addition to that, after personal day-offs, grey's-anatomying, brazil-cafeing, and guitaring on the grass, I KNEW it was all over for me... karma was never gonna forgive me...

So much for a relaxing spring break!!!

But then bowling came along...

And after a week of mixed emotions swimming around in me, bowling was the one thing I needed most. It wasn't just a wonderful stress-reliever, but it also taught me VALUABLE LIFE LESSONS.

1. A 60-something-pound girl with OI can bowl... she would probably suck... but she can bowl.

2. Don't be embarrassed to request for rails... They really help you, especially when you suck (like the 60-something-pound girl with OI!)

3. Don't bite off more than you can chew... don't try to bowl a 15 pound ball when you can barely lift it off the table. (Also, biting a gigantic piece of the breakfast sandwich might cause near-Heimlich-maneuver choking that would scare the family bowling next to you... YOU'RE SUCH A PIG OLIVIA!!!)

4. Arcade games at bowling alleys are WAY too damn expensive

5. Dance Dance Revolution sucks when you don't know how to play well...or play at all

6. Spending time with your loved ones and seeing them genuinely smile is one of the most rewarding gifts you can ever be given.

7. No matter how much someone gets on your nerves, setting your differences aside, even for just 2 hours of throwing a 10 lb. ball around, could be beneficial for said loved ones.

8. Bowling is a wonderful way to let out all the anger festering inside of you... maybe anger towards the person mentioned in above lesson.

9. A little shot of endorphins can make you forget about pain, whether its physical or emotional.

As you step back and watch the ones you love have the time of their lives, you realize how lucky you are to have them. That despite the little feuds that occur within that circle, you realize that there is still so much love that exists. That even though anger infiltrates to your brain, you realize that it's more important to get rid of all that anger because now you know that not having it feels so much better.

Though the aftermath of this whole shebang consists of 6 rounds of Tylenol for the immense muscle pain, and being a whole lot poorer from the combined costs of games, shoes, and arcade for a total of about 25 people, all in all, I had a really great time.

STRIKE!

It's not always how it seems...

2009-03-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever met a person that seems to have the perfect life?

They have the smarts, the great looks, the overall amazing personality.

Well, I'll let you in on a little secret: Nothing's always what it seems. There will be times when the person you think has it better than you actually has it worse. You can't judge someone because of what they choose to show you.

Oh, no. There is a reason why they CHOOSE to show the good part of their lives and hide the bad parts. It's all about flaunting what you got, and tucking away the things you wish you never had. There's no need for anyone else to know what's wrong with your life...whiners are annoying. Plus, you have that pressure...everyone thinks you're perfect, so you hide the imperfections so that they won't think any less of you. You want to reassure them that there's nothing wrong, in hopes of convincing yourself that there's nothing wrong.
But at the same time, hiding your problems could lead to irreparable internal damages. You choose to hide all the bad stuff so much that you store it all inside, then you EXPLODE. You care about how others think about you so much, that you're causing yourself to emotionally die...and you're not showing yourself anymore, but this other person you created to portray a perfect life. You can't cry yourself to bed every night thinking that somehow, everything's gonna be OK.

Know that no one's perfect...there is no such thing as a perfect life. Don't refrain from showing your emotions because you're afraid that they're gonna think you're psychotic, or weird, or crazy.

For goodness' sake, you're probably making yourself even crazier...

Share yourself...write a blog...write in a diary...cry on a friend's shoulder...cry on a stranger's shoulder...