Happy New Year everyone!! As my wise fitness instructor told us today... :)

Rather than making new year's resolutions... try to do something you've wanted to do this year but have been pushing off. Only 1 more day left in 2004. Spend it well.

I caught the end of Boiler Room last night. I have mixed feelings and weird memories of that movie. But I was reminded how good looking Vin Diesel can be. I think I can hear some guys gagging right now.

I can never use the phrase "I never win anything" again.

I went to the Warriors game last night with my brother and cousin. The first 5000 people were given a chance to win one of 50 authentic Warriors jerseys. It was some Hardwood Classics night honoring Nate Thurmond. So my brother and I submitted our trivia answer (He set the record for most rebounds in a game with 42).

When they made the announcement towards the end of the 2nd quarter, I checked my phone and nothing. My brother told me to check it again at halftime and I had a message!! He thought I was joking. But yup, I won. I ran down to get my jersey and I got it signed by the one and only Nate Thurmond.

But you know what... I've met Nate before. I went to go eat at Big Nate's BBQ before a Giants game and we got to meet him there. Good food.

Anyway, what am I going to do with an authentic jersey, right? So my brother is now the proud owner of an autographed jersey. What a great Christmas present. He has one very cool sister. :)

Pictures from the game to come...

Where I want to be... 

I'm having a bad hair day today. My bangs aren't cooperating. Because I had to sleep with my hair wet last night. Because the hair dryer wasn't working. Because the fuse went out. Because my dad is the only one who knows how to change it and he was already in bed. So I took a shower in the dark last night. I was praying I didn't wash my contacts down the drain because I couldn't see.

Haven't had one of these posts in a while...

I HATE MUNI!!!

New pictures are up.

Union Square 

Reasons I love SF...  

This is the John. He's the reason I want to have a baby. SO CUTE 

I'm eating leftover jja-jang-myun for lunch. I realized... to someone that doesn't know what it is, they could very well mistake it for noodles mixed with dog food. Haha. I guess it's not too far a stretch from thinking us asians are dog eaters.

I remember in college, we tried to cook jja jang myun for our little flock dinner once. We all figured you just add water and vegetables to the jja jang that comes in the bottle. It turned out really salty and watery... we all took a few polite bites and threw the rest out. Apparently, you're only supposed to use a spoonful of that stuff. We used half the bottle!!! But now I know better and I think I can make good jja jang myun.

Haven't you ever wondered, what the heck is figgy pudding??

For the curious ones

I love Christmas carols. My old college roommate Kristy invited me to go caroling this Sunday at Union Square. There's a church in SF that puts on a praise night once a month called, "The Rock." I guess this month, it's singing carols at Union Square.

I love Christmas song remakes as much as the next NSync-Mariah Carey lovin' teenybopper out there. Janet threw me a death look when I picked up the Kenny G and Harry Connick Jr. Christmas CD at Borders a few weeks back. But I think Christmas songs just sound better when they're sung by people like Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole. They have such classic, soothing voices... just goes well with Christmas.

My cousin is coming from Korea! He's going to be staying with us for 2 months or so. I'm very excited, but a little bit scared at the same time. Excited because I'll actually have a relative nearby. A little scared because I don't really know him. The first time I went to Korea (right after high school), he was busy preparing for his college entrance exam so he was in school 24/7. Second time I went to Korea he was in the army so I didn't get to see too much of him.

He's one of those quiet but funny types. And Korean humor or sarcasm is a little different, so I'm not really sure if he's joking or if he's serious.

We're going to go to a Warrior's game when he gets here. And maybe take him snowboarding. Maybe take him to a club? :) That gives me flashbacks of Sammo's fobby cousin. haha. Not sure my cousin will be as outgoing...

I purchased a car this weekend. My first real purchase. Signifies I've entered adulthood.

As a rite of passage, an initiation of sorts, Sunday morning I found 5 nice little bird poop marks on the front windshield, passenger side doors, roof, and trunk.

I've been marked. If I was in Italy, I'd be blessed. Too bad I'm not in Italy. And too bad I hate pigeons with a passion.

The fog is so thick outside I can barely see the next building over. Kind of scary... almost like we're sitting in a big cloud.

We have this guest speaker at our church who came for a revival this weekend, starting last night. It was better than I expected. Of course, I had very very low expecations. I was expecting to understand nothing because my korean isn't all that great.

He's very funny, but a lot of times I feel like I'm being left out of some really funny joke. I'll understand what he's saying while he's building the story up. And then he'll give the punchline using some korean word I don't know, and it leaves me clueless, and I just give a "ha-ha" since everyone around me is laughing.

He made the "younger" people come out to the front and lead the congregation in world cup cheers. I have no idea how that connected to the sermon... I admit, I woke up at 4am to watch the games, and heard the occasional "Dae han min gook" and "o pil sung Korea" cheers, but I don't know the hand motions. Just stood there looking really confused and embarassed....

Just had our department holiday lunch at Boulevard. Highly recommend it to anyone trying to impress someone. I drank some wine and now I'm hot and a little delirious. (See Sarah's blog). Hopefully we can go home soon, so I can waste this energy on crafts or something more productive.

If I went to go buy my car right now, I could possibly be feisty. But on the other hand, I could just be plain giddy and sign whatever they put in front of me.

omg. Omg. OMG.

I just walked from the gym, to the atm, to the Deli... waited FOREVER in line at the Deli, and back in the office to find that...

I wore my shirt backwards. :(

And the heater in the deli was turned up so high I was sweating profusely. I bet people standing behind me were thinking, this girl is crazy...

I was trapped at the Honda dealership yesterday for 2 hours. I went for a testdrive and the guy was really funny. Told me to gas it and that if I get a ticket, the dealership would pay for it. Also told me to slam on the breaks a few times so I could test out the ABS. But thanks to Sammo and Paul, I was able to get out of there alive.

Watched Sound of Music last night. Great movie. :) Makes me want to sing along... especially when I turned on the subtitles. HaHa.

Got a lot done this weekend:
- Hung out with Janet and saw some old high school friends at some random bar. Very weird feeling to be the ONLY one there, even before the bouncer sits outside to check ID's.

- Got a Christmas tree and decorated it. It's a small tree, but freakin expensive. But I love the smell. And Christmas just isn't Christmas without a tree. I tell myself every year to get some new ornaments... just always forget.

- Saw my good bud Jimmy get his groove on at Ghirardelli. Wasn't feeling the ballroom part of it, but I liked his Usher solo and the Missy Elliot dance (I can tell he brings the hip-hop to the hip-hop ballroom description). Makes me wish I could dance.

- Went bowling. Bowled a 89 on my first game, which someone called "promising." Then I bowled a 147. Wahoo. :)

- Testdrove the Scion TC. I like... :)

Can't believe it's already December... Have a great week!

We finally switched over to Windows XP today. As my boss said, XP stands for Extra Problems. This morning, my co-workers were frantic because their screens were blinking and some were having issues downloading some chat medium. Everything on my computer seems ok so far...

A guy that smells good can make you do a double take, even if you weren't looking the first time around. My nose has been happy these past few days. I'm not so bold as to ask them what they're wearing though (ahem, Sarah).

I'm going to buy a Christmas tree this weekend~!!!!

We have to change our log on password at work every month or so. I'm sure anyone that tried to break into my computer wouldn't have much of a challenge. I have it written down somewhere, just in case I forget.

The formula is a little complicated. Password is at least 6 characters, at least one capital letter, and at least one number. I've been going through the alphabet, and so far, all my passwords have been foods with a "1". I'm up to the letter F right now. I think I'll have to change my method once I hit "X".

I've been watching a whole lot of TV ever since my exam was over. Very few of which were on my mile-long list of movies to catch up on.

Recap:
- Man on Fire: love Denzel, love Dakota Fanning. I liked the movie, I cried in the end. Nothing new.
- Elf: that movie cracks me up. Will Ferrell is great.
- Pride and Prejudice: This BBC version is almost 4 hours long. But dude, watching Colin Firth for 4 hours is not bad at all.
- While You Were Sleeping: I've finally found someone that loves this movie as much as I do. Lilliene and I watched this while stuffing ourselves with Burma Superstar. That's what I call hanging out. :)
- A whole mess of Dr. Dino DVD's. Some of you from Berkeley will remember Dr. Kent Hovind, the 6-day creation scientist person. My brother brought the DVD series and some debates. I've watched at least 3 this past weekend. I still have one if you're interested in seeing it.

Yep. I have interesting taste in movies. Don't hate. Just watch them with me.
Top Priority: Bridget Jones 2, Shrek 2

Exam is over... well, the first part anyway. We'll find out how I did in about a month or two. I'm just happy to relax.

Spent all day in Rhonhert Park eating and watching tv. Saw some old old home videos... some highlights:
- I know I'm chubby right now, but seeing me at my heaviest. Wow.
- Some of the clothes I was wearing... black tights and a nasty t-shirt, enough said
- My BIG plastic glasses
- Me picking my wedgie on video. That was the best.

I'm free for the next 2 weeks... Play with me people!!!

Countdown: 1 day

I'm ready to eat some turkey and let my mind go to mush... I need to hold out one more day.

Countdown: 2 days

First thoughts: EEEK!

Shout out to my buddy Kenneth. I'm not a phone person, but I can carry on a relatively long phone conversation with Kenneth. Very interesting guy. Ladies, great guy alert. (he's going to kill me) haha. Ribs, madelines, snowboarding... hurry up and move back so we can hang out.

Holy Crap

I woke up at 9:15 this morning.

Studying is ruining my life.

One of my favorite episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond" is when Mary goes on a health kick and brings out a Tofurky for Thanksgiving. As much as I love tofu, that stuff just does not look appetizing. It wiggled as she brought it out to the table. Glad I'm not a vegetarian this time of year. :)

I miss my friends. Studying just puts you into a black hole... and you don't know what's going on in your friends' lives anymore. I've started to compile a list of people I want to meet up with once this exam is over. I think I plan like this is the final exam, when really, after a week of play I should get right back on top of things.

Anyway, if I give you a call after my exam, consider yourself lucky. :) (Translation: Please, please, please, hang out with me!!!!)

Countdown to Exam: 9 days

9 days and I'm still getting a 50% passing rate on each section. :(

Yesterday at church, this kid who goes to Full Gospel came to visit our church. He's buddies with a lot of the kids at my church, so he comes every once in a while. Anyway, some people were sitting there chatting, and I joined in late. I guess they were talking about relationships, and my sister mentioned that I never had a boyfriend. His eyes bugged out, and he couldn't believe it. "Like NOT ONE?" hahaha. So then he tells us, "I've only had 5 girlfriends." (He's a junior? senior?) My sister and I looked at each other and said "ONLY?" He responded with, "I think that's hecka little... the longest one was 3 months."

Wow...

I'm going to be blind by the time this exam is over. I sit in front of the computer and stare at it all day at work. And if that weren't enough, when I go home I stare at the computer all night trying to solve problems from the software that was included in my package. My eyes get really tired... and I'm not doing very well in terms of getting the questions right. :(

My old friend Janet came to study with me at Borders last night. She dug up a notebook that we used to exchange, where we wrote letters to each other. I read over it and I was laughing so much. Middle school drama... enough to want to make me turn back time and slap myself. I was very whiny in those letters. I have to thank Janet for sticking through me all those years. And for not terribly embarassing me and using that notebook as blackmail.

Then we started reminiscing about high school drama. I'm gonna sound like a MAJOR dork, but cross country had some crazy drama. hahaha. It's funny looking back, how little trivial things (well, trivial to me now), seemed to consume our lives back then. Amazing what a few years and a change in perspective will do. (Easy on the old/age jokes).

But a shout out to Kenneth for reminding me... live life giving everything you have, in everything you do. That's what he said he's going to strive for. What a great perspective... especially if we keep in mind to be the best we can with the things God has entrusted to us. It's been difficult to hold on to that perspective studying for this exam. Keep me in check, my friends.

November 3 was my 1 year anniversary at this job. Wow... amazing how time flies. I feel like I've done a lot, but accomplished very little at the same time. But I guess that's how work life is. You have the same routine every single freaking day, and before you know it, you're a middle aged person and you've let yourself go. It's scary how my butt molds to my chair sometimes. I can see why working people gain weight.

I heard on NPR this morning that airlines are trying to cut the weight they carry on the planes. So they got rid of silverware and use plastic. But they found out that it's the people that have put on the extra pounds, causing airlines to have to fill up on more fuel. Interesting, huh?

Sarah and I started this blogging thing a year ago to keep ourselves entertained at work. I've written a lot of just plain nonsense.

I thought this picture was funny. The resemblence to Shrek is kind of scary... 

Austin... I just want to take a bite out of him. He's SO cute. 

Hayle ( I don't know how to spell her name) 

Hallelujah Night 

All the information is beginning to mesh together in my head. Some areas call to measure assets at Fair market value, others at cost, others a present value... getting them all mixed up. Don't worry if that didn't make sense, it doesn't make sense to me either. That's the sad thing.

I stayed up late reading up on all the propositions, and woke up early to go vote before work. I felt like a very good American. (Even though a lot of those propositions just don't make sense to me).

I saw Mayor Gavin Newsom this morning. He was in front of the West Portal Muni station, along with a ton of people holding up signs for you to vote for some candidate. He gave us a wave. He really is a good looking man up close.

I'm getting my hair done today. I know that sounds very girly, but I'm excited to see the salon my sister works at... and to meet her boss. She says he's very mushee-suh, and I love British accents. :)

All the information is beginning to mesh together in my head. Some areas call to measure assets at Fair market value, others at cost, others a present value... getting them all mixed up. Don't worry if that didn't make sense, it doesn't make sense to me either. That's the sad thing.

I stayed up late reading up on all the propositions, and woke up early to go vote before work. I felt like a very good American. (Even though a lot of those propositions just don't make sense to me).

I saw Mayor Gavin Newsom this morning. He was in front of the West Portal Muni station, along with a ton of people holding up signs for you to vote for some candidate. He gave us a wave. He really is a good looking man up close.

I'm getting my hair done today. I know that sounds very girly, but I'm excited to see the salon my sister works at... and to meet her boss. She says he's very mushee-suh, and I love British accents. :)

All the information is beginning to mesh together in my head. Some areas call to measure assets at Fair market value, others at cost, others a present value... getting them all mixed up. Don't worry if that didn't make sense, it doesn't make sense to me either. That's the sad thing.

I stayed up late reading up on all the propositions, and woke up early to go vote before work. I felt like a very good American. (Even though a lot of those propositions just don't make sense to me).

I saw Mayor Gavin Newsom this morning. He was in front of the West Portal Muni station, along with a ton of people holding up signs for you to vote for some candidate. He gave us a wave. He really is a good looking man up close.

I'm getting my hair done today. I know that sounds very girly, but I'm excited to see the salon my sister works at... and to meet her boss. She says he's very mushee-suh, and I love British accents. :)

Hallelujah night was so much fun. I think I had more fun than the kids. It didn't get so bad that I pushed kids out of line to have a go at the games. But I was having a blast before the kids got there (while we were supposed to be "setting up") and after the kids got all their candy and the night was dying out. I'm pretty good at the tennis ball tic tac toe and the ping-pong velcro dart game. Those kids are pretty darn cute. Just wanted to squeeze them, but their parents were nearby so I had to restrain.

I love seeing the younger college class people. They make me feel old, but loved. It's going to be a sad day when I walk by the college service and not recognize anyone standing out there.

Get a bunch of guys together in a room with their egos and you get some pretty interesting results. One game in particular was pretty popular. You had to throw bean bags into a bucket in order to "tip the scale." Guys were lined up trying to get the best time. Then later, I walked into a room and about 10 guys were holding up those metal folding chairs. I thought they did something bad and were being punished. But nope, it was a game of strength... who can hold out the longest. I had a pretty fun time laughing at them.

Pictures to come...

Sometimes I'm amazed by my level of stupidity. I came into work at 8:30am this morning, very proud of myself for getting in early. All through my MUNI ride here and my elevator ride up to the office, nothing felt wrong. I stepped into the hallway and then it hit me. I didn't bring my laptop. The laptop that was sitting on the couch in front of the door so I wouldn't forget. So I came in early just to go back home. So really, I got into work at 10am. Yep... here is your future CPA... I'd be scared.

The most redeeming part about this morning. My favorite MUNI station performers were there. These 3 black guys sing doo-wop style gospel music. My favorite is "This little light of mine." They must make a lot of money. I see a lot of people dropping money. 100000000 times better than the chinese man with the weird chinese violin.

My mom has me taking these natural pills (In sung natural) for health reasons. Only Sarah knows how freakin nasty they are. I know, they're pills, but you can still taste them. I took some this morning... and later on when I burped, I could taste the nasty pills again. Made me want to gag. So each time I burp, I'm releasing gasses, but they make me want to barf. What the hey.

No other store can make me feel fat quite like Forever 21. I swear, their smalls wouldn't even fit my arm. Anyway, my sister insisted they had a lot of new clothes so we went yesterday. She bought out the store. Me... 3 plain t-shirts and a pair of earrings. It's because I'm on this quest to look for cute clothes. When you're looking for clothes, you can never find anything good. I need shoes for the winter... my feet were cold this morning. But with my luck, I'll only find sandals.

Countdown: 1 month til my exam.

And how did I spend my time yesterday? Hanging out with Sarah on 4th street, Super Target, Christopher's. Then watching Desperate Housewives (Sarah's recommendation)... pretty entertaining show.

The crunch time now begins. Come visit me at Borders. Borders is COOL!

Picture Update... this was taken a while back... but I like this picture.  

Is there anyone you know that whenever they talk/make a comment, something inside of you just screams SHUT UP!!!! I felt that very strongly last night.

I seem to be having hostility/anger management issues lately. haha. Maybe it's that I haven't gone out in so long, I haven't released any kind of stress. But sometimes, enough is enough, you know?

Boss isn't in today. Happy Friday!!

It's only the beginning of the rainy season and I'm wishing it would be over already. Let's just say my morning commute wasn't the happiest. I think it's the change in weather. Messes up MUNI for some reason. Slow as heck.

There was something wrong yesterday with the MUNI on my way home too. Rush hour + No MUNI = A lot of really cranky people. When my train finally came, I was lucky enough to grab a seat. But people were packed in like cattle in that train. After a long Monday, I would be cranky too if I was trying to get off the train, but people from outside kept jamming themselves in.

I spent hours at Borders yesterday. Come and keep me company... study with me. :(

Church was really fun. It was a mini-reunion of sorts.
-Our old JDSN is now a youth group pastor down in Riverside. He came up for a visit and gave us the message. We've all missed him. Good to see that he's just the same. Wish he had brought his daughter though.

-It was our church's 16th anniversary. GOOD FOOD!!! My dad was a cornball and made us all yell out "We love KAPC" in Korean. Hilarious.

-Yon Jung came to visit with her daughter, Carissa. My sister was holding Carissa and I started freaking out. Because I realized... my sister and Yon Jung are the same age. Carissa could have been my sister's daughter, meaning my sister is at the age she could have a kid. I mean, of course, she needs to get married first... but it's right around the corner!!

-I got to hold the new baby at church this past Sunday and he didn't cry. He just snuggled up to me. He's so adorable. We just sat there making faces at him while he lounged with 3 women doting on him. I love the little ring babies have around their wrist. It's like they're wearing a really tight rubber band. It's so adorable... I love it!

Have you ever seen that korean tv show where a famous person wants to find an old crush/friend/teacher? I love that show. It always amazes me how they still remember names and have memories from so long ago. I guess there's a greater chance you'll remember a person if you had a crush on that person, or if someone had a huge impact in your life.

Honestly, if you asked me who I wanted to find from my childhood, I wouldn't be able to tell you who I'd look for. I flipped through my middle school year book last year, and I was reading the little autograph section. I was amazed that I even knew some of these people. That's how bad my memory is!

I think it's adorable when guys have that bed hair dent in the back of their heads. It's even more adorable when you can tell they tried their best to gel it down, but that portion still defies gravity. Maybe it just reminds me that grown men that appear to have all the answers do face situations where they have no control. Maybe it just brings up an image of innocent boyhood. I think it's just my weakness for awkward/dorky guys.

The only positive thing that I can think of about having cramps is that my appetite level goes down, so I don't overeat. On the other hand, my consumption of chocolate in the past few days more than makes up for it.

I'm wearing the most unforgiving skirt. I'll have to think twice before wearing this again.

My parents are crazy. They started taking this sermon class down in San Jose. It's every other Monday and Tuesday. The classes are from 8:30am - 10pm. That means my parents leave the house at 7am. I could hear my dad yelling this morning because my mom was running late. They have some crazy rules too. $1 penalty for each minute you're late to class. Everyone in the class is placed in a group of 4 people. If your cell phone goes off during class, your whole group has to cough up $50.

The weather this morning was so nice. On my way to the bus stop I had this incredible urge to ditch work and go somewhere nice. Like a random drive to Stinson Beach, or to Napa. But being the unspontaneous person that I am, here I am, stuck indoors, at work.

I'm getting better at ping pong. We play at church on Sundays. I'm not saying I'm good. Just saying I'm better than I was before. It's hard to get much play time because we only have one table and a lot of people that want to play. It's a challenge trying to play in heels. But it also calls for some entertaining moments.

A new development between me and my "say hi from afar" relationship with the door/garage man outside. I was heading to the gym and he talked to me. Asked me if I was going to pump some iron. haha. funny guy.

They put up barricades all around our building today for a protest. We have to show the security people our badge before we can even go inside the building. On my way back from the gym I saw 4 protesters.

Happy Friday everyone!

Wow. I did so many squats off the core board yesterday that my thighs and butt hurt with every step. I ate late last night to make up for it.

I've had this weird eye infection for the past few months. It'll act up and then settle down, but it won't completely go away. Then after a week or so, it'll act up again. It's in that stage right now... very annoying and I don't know what to do.

Today is Thursday... one more day til Friday. Yay yay!

I had a hard workout yesterday and today at the gym. It's hard enough walking down the stairs in high heels. But now my legs are sore so I look extra akward walking down the stairs. Bowlegged and holding on to the railing for dear life.

The weather has been getting colder. Time to start knitting again. :) I love being warm and wrapped up at home... sitting under the covers... listening to music... knitting away. Some may call me a grandma, but it's fun.

I had a nice long conversation with an old friend yesterday. We grew up at church together, until she moved to Washington in 7th grade. We've kept in touch sporadically over the years. It's great how things just fall back to place like they used to be. We were talking and laughing... One thing she said to me which I thought was hilarious... She said she's noticed, when a guy asks about a girl, the first thing he asks is "Is she pretty?" When a girl asks about a guy, the first thing she asks is "What does he do?" hahaha. Makes me want to go to Seattle. :)

My body is so sore from my workout yesterday. It's a good feeling.

I'm so happy today is Friday. This week seemed to move very slowly, for some odd reason. Don't know why I'm so happy. All I have to look forward to is a weekend full of studying.

I hope you guys are getting a double dose of fun to make up for me. Just don't tell me all the details... I might just give up studying and join you.

I experienced the most disgusting thing today at the gym. I decided to take my favorite class today (Ki Factor) and in the end, the instructor had us grab mats to stretch on. I lay my arms down on the mat and I realized it was wet. So I just turned it around. And it was still wet. Gross, right? Gets worse. It stank. The mat. The portion of my body that touched the mat. Know what it smelled like? An old man that sweats a lot that has bad freakin B.O. I took an extra long shower after my workout.

I was on TV today. We went to a taping of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire when I was out in New York, and it aired today. Only, any joe schmo watching the show wouldn't be able to tell it's me. It was for about 0.5 seconds when the camera pans out and shows the audience right before it heads for commercial. I was wearing a white tank top when they told us to wear dark clothing, so I was able to spot myself in that split second. :)

Went to go watch Shakespeare in the Park yesterday. It was so freakin cold... we all left at intermission. I would have liked to stay, but it was just way too windy. The sound was pretty bad too. I don't think we missed out on too much by leaving early. Next time I won't wait til the last minute and take advantage of the warm weather.

I've had this craving for ramen the past 2 days. The thick noodle spicy kind... like Noguri or Shin Ramen... with an egg... and some green onions. YUM. I don't think I've had that stuff for over a year. Because of my dad's health, we've all had to eat "healthier" at home. I had ramen maybe a few months ago, but it was the healthier version. The noodles weren't fried. It tastes ok, but just doesn't compare. The only time I get white rice is at church. :(

Funky piece of art at Millenium Park. Can you see me? 

Freaky Fountains... the faces change... and the people blink and open and close their mouths.  

Buckingham Fountain... Sears Tower in the background 

Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower 

corn on the cob buildings... really, i think that's what they're referred to 

Mirror maze 

View from my hotel room 

I don't think I fully realize how good I have it at this job. Yes, I know... shut up, right?

Whenever I have to go talk to my boss about something, I get really nervous right before... and I put it off for a few hours. But then after I talk to him, I tell myself I was so stupid for being nervous. He's super nice. A great boss to work for. Today he pulled me into his office to ask me about my trip to Chicago. He loves to chat.

Sorry but there's already a waiting list for any openings here. Sarah is first on the list... any other takers, line up.

I'm back in my San Francisco cubicle and I'm loving it. It felt a little weird stepping in the elevator this morning though.

We got a new coffee machine in the kitchen. It's quite a novelty... so people aren't really sure how to work it. And there's no coffee in the pot at all, so if you want to drink it, you have to make a new pot. Looks like I'll be drinking more coffee now.

I'm prepared to have no life beginning this week. I have to STUDY!

Where do I even begin describing my night out? It was quite an interesting experience to say the least.

We got to the club around 11pm, and it was completely empty. The place is huge. Lower level is like a sports bar... pool tables, arcades, tvs. First level they were playing like greatest hits from the 70's-90's. Second floor they were playing techno/house/latin music. I guess it was Latin night... they said they played more hip hop on Friday nights. But I'm not about to go back there tonight. But it was mostly hispanic people and they were dancing salsa/meringue. Pretty cool to see... Hispanic guys and girls can really move.

I was one of two asians there that night. The other asian was a really short bald guy... think of how a typical asian guy dances, then put him in a salsa setting. Yeah... interesting to see. Of course the night wouldn't be complete without your racial insult/pick-up line. There were A LOT of old people there. Like men in their 40's and 50's. Kind of gross.

Later on at night a band called Bandaleros played 2 sets. They were REALLY good. I don't know how to dance to that kind of music, so I just sat up top and listened to them play. I need to try something different than hip hop... I've always wanted to go to those salsa clubs where they give you a lesson before.

The people that I met that night was an experience in itself. Let's just say... you should consider yourself VERY lucky you didn't run into them yourselves.

I think I've had it for adventures in Chicago... I'm sticking to shopping and museums.

This is where my sister will be working. Pretty cool, eh?

The restaurant yesterday was funny. It's called Ed Debevicks. 50's type diner... so I went in thinking, maybe this girl has it wrong. It looks very much like a family environment... I even see kids eating here!

Then we get seated and the waiter comes and says, "Menus are on the table. I'll be back in 3 minutes to get your order. If you can't decide what to eat in 3 minutes, you don't deserve to eat." and walked away. Hilarious. He was really nice though. Supposedly, the waiters get up on the counter and sing a song (kind of like Monica in Friends?) but we didn't get to see that.

This girl and I are going to check out this club tonight. It's kind of funny because this ajushee and ajumma want to join us there. We'll see how the evening goes.

CONGRATULATIONS to my sister! She got a job at a nice little salon. I told her it was almost too easy. Didn't get very much detail about what kind of place it is because we kept catching each other at a bad time. But once I find out the name of the salon I'll post up a link. :)

The training sessions are getting better. I've been discovering more shopping places during my lunch hour. hahaha. someone help me! I've had a few almost-celebrity encounters at work. There's a guy in my training class that sounds EXACTLY like Ray Romano from Everybody Loves Raymond. hehe. And a speaker today reminded me a lot of Billy Bob Thorton.

I had dinner with Jane Moon yesterday. It's nice to have a familiar face in a new city. I'm headed out to dinner now. Apparently, this girl in my training session found out about a restaurant where they waiters treat you like crap. She has a weird sense of humor. But we're supposed to go to Navy Pier tonight, so I'm excited.

I'm in Chicago right now for training. I'm a loner. I'm a loser. hahaha.

1. I didn't know Chicago was only a 2 hour time difference from San Francisco... I thought, East side of the US... must be 3 hours. That broke the ice at my table.
(=loser)

2. My stomach let out the biggest growl this morning. I'm sure everyone in the room heard, but everyone was polite enough not to snicker. (=Loser)

3. The people in the training session are all old... well, not OLD, but much older than I am. So I hang out alone. (=LOSER)

I don't think I can do this travel life. Eating dinner alone... walking around alone.. .just not my thing. Give me a call, friends. hahaha.

I gave myself quite a scare this week. I have chocolate cravings once in a while. But the amount I consumed this past week is enough to disgust even Sarah. To my future husband... this is just an advanced apology for what I'll put you through when I'm pregnant.

Congrats to my sister! She is a licensed cosmetologist. Now comes the hard part... looking for a job. She told my mom yesterday if I go out to New York for work, she's going to follow me out there and look for a job. My mom's immediate answer: NO! Her reasoning? Who's going to give me haircuts? I can't fly out to New York everytime. hahaha. So it's ok for me to go to New York for work, but my sister has some persuading to do.

We went out to dinner at Belden place to celebrate. Little alley in the middle of the financial district with outside seating... lights strung up above. Very cute. Very loud. But good. We ate at Cafe Tiramisu... good food, but I think my parents were a little sad about the small portions. I want to check out the other restaurants there too.

Today is just going to be a little random:

- My sister is taking her California Cosmetology State Board exam at this very moment. Wish her luck.

- I was talking on the phone with Sylvia yesterday... I told her I was getting every practice problem wrong and she said, "Something must be wrong with the test." :) I only wish... but thanks for making me smile.

- Kenneth, if I ever want to impress a guy, I'll give you a call and request the special scent potion.

- My boss is super nice. Last week, he pulled me into the office to show me what the weather was going to be like in New York. Yesterday and today, he came by and sat on my desk to ask me about my trip.

- I love Brazilian food.

Karen & Chris 

Paul, Derek, Chris 

New York 

New York was a lot of fun. Definitely want to go back, now that I have the touristy things out of the way. I wanted to list all the highlights of my trip, but I think there are just too many. Pictures will be posted tonight (hopefully).

We'll see if I make the move out there within 2 years' time.

NEW YORK HERE I COME!!!!!!!!

This morning on the MUNI, this lady was listening to her discman and really got into the music. At first she was just bobbing her head to the music. Then I hear this humming and I look over and she's dancing in her seat. :)

To enjoy something that much...

To have that I'm-so-content-right-now-I-don't-care-what-anyone-thinks, kind of confidence...

:)

Vegas... testing out Hello to post pictures 

I had some good phone conversations last night. Thank you, friends. Also got to watch an episode of the Korean Paris drama. :) And the plot thickens...

My parents crack me up. They left for LA last night and didn't even tell us. My sister gets a phone call from my mom saying, "we're on our way to LA right now." I think the original plan was to go down there, pick my brother up from the airport on Wed and drive back up. Only, he doesn't arrive til 8pm on Wed, and my mom has class on Thursday. But since they already planned to drive down to LA, they decided to go anyway.

I wonder what would happen if I just called my parents out of nowhere and told them I was on my way to LA.

It's amazing how a pesky little mosquito that can be squashed between my fingers can keep me tossing and turning. I woke up at 5am because I heard a mosquito whizzing around me... and you know how paranoid I am of mosquitos taking my blood. I got bit 6 times in a 10 minute span at the office before I finally caught the dang blood-sucking little monster. Anyway, I woke up at 5 and I wanted to kill it so badly for interrupting my slumber. Couldn't find it. Didn't have the energy to find it. So I just pulled down my princess/mosquito netting and tried to go back to sleep. Only I couldn't... so I just lay in bed for the next 2 hours, desperately trying to fall asleep. I know mosquitos are God's creation too, but really, what purpose do they serve? Pigeons too. The world would be a better place without mosquitos and pigeons. I firmly believe that.

Shakespeare in the Park begins next weekend in San Francisco! I'm very excited... I went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream a few years ago. Actually a many few years ago. I must have still been in high school. But it's a lot of fun... and they're really good. Oakland is having its last one this weekend, so if you have time, go check it out.

Went to go watch a pre-screening of Vanity Fair last night. I like Reese Witherspoon, but this was one random/weird movie. I think the best part was Sarah trying to imitate this lady's laugh. This one lady sitting behind us had the loudest most annoying laugh. And she laughed at EVERYTHING. Unjung, Jamie and I were rolling out of our seats everytime Sarah tried to imitate her. Way to make the most of a not-so-interesting movie.

Lunchtime was a mini high school reunion. I was walking to the gym and ran into some old friends... Patrick, Justine, and Rond. Chit chatted with them for about 15 minutes on the street corner. Then went to the gym and ran into Bambi there. Turns out they're all working nearby... well, except for Rond. So weird seeing high school people in a work setting, but at the same time... these impromptu gatherings are fun.

Went to Japantown after church yesterday. Orang wanted to take sticker pictures. At first I was thinking, eh... but it ended up being really fun. You can either take a full body picture (no thanks) or take pictures with the camera on the ceiling. Then after you're done taking pics you can decorate it before it prints out. I'd go do it again, only the instructions are written in Japanese. Orang figured it out because she knows some chinese characters... I want to go do it again. :)

I've been listening to my Steven Curtis Chapman All About Love CD a lot lately. I think listening to Brian sing "We Will Dance" at Gower and Daniel's wedding triggered it. But the more I listen to the CD, the sappier it makes me.

Gower says Steven Curtis Chapman is cheesy. But I love it!!! I think his songs are great...

We Will Dance

I've watched the sunrise in your eyes
And I've seen the tears fall like the rain
You've seen me fight so brave and strong
You've held my hand when I'm afraid

We've watched the seasons come and go
We'll see them come and go again
But in winter's chill, or summer's breeze
One thing will not be changin'

CHORUS:
We will dance
When the sun is shining
In the pouring rain
We'll spin and we'll sway
And we will dance
When the gentle breeze
Becomes a hurricane
The music will play
And I'll take your hand
And hold you close to me
And we will dance

Sometimes it's hard to hold you tight
Sometimes we feel so far apart
Sometimes we dance as one
And feel the beating of each others hearts

Some days the dance is slow and sweet
Some days we're bouncing off the walls
No matter how this world may turn
Our love will keep us from fallin'

CHORUS

The music will play
And I'll hold you close
And I won't let you go
Even when our steps
Grow weak and slow
Still I'll take your hand
And hold you close to me
And we, will dance

The Olympics are so addicting. I haven't been able to study at all. I printed up a TV viewing schedule. My mom, sister, and I were watching the mens all-around gymnastics competition. My mom was rooting hard for the Koreans. I look over and she's sitting down with the schedule and started highlighting everything that showed South Korea. I think she actually set the VCR last night to record something that was showing at 2am. Funny mom...

I have an eye infection. I wore my glasses to work today. They're the cool, plastic-rimmed (fobby) glasses. But they're an old prescription and since my eyes are so bad, my eye doctor toned down my prescription even further at the time because he said I'd get too dizzy wearing them. So now I can hardly see. Even the computer screen that sits right in front of my nose is blurry at times. If someone IMs me too many things at once, I have to move my head closer to the screen to make sure I catch everything.

I'm so blind...

Vegas and the Wedding:

Sarah has a good recap of what happened at these two events so go read her blog. Dancing in vegas is more fun... I think it's because the people at the clubs aren't the same Asian faces you see all the time at the clubs here in SF. Anyhow, one day and 2 nights in vegas is just not enough time. I want to go again. :)

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Lee. It's hard to believe they're married now. I still think of them as just boyfriend and girlfriend.

I'm SO annoyed!

USPS's credibility is going down in my books. I'm waiting for my CPA books to get here. And as much as I'd love to put off studying, I need to get on it asap. The package came to my house last Wed and no one was home to receive it. So I checked the box requesting a redelivery... I still haven't received my package.

So I started my phone tag yesterday. Called the Lakeshore station and they said it wasn't there and gave me a service center number. After a lot of phone tag and hold time, a nice lady named Sylvia explained the carrier for my route wasn't there and I should call back tomorrow.

Called this morning. Took me about 20 tries because the line was busy. Finally get through and explain my situation... the guy even remembered my name on the package so he went to go look for it. Then I get disconnected. Call back and the line is busy. 20 more tries and I get through... have to re-explain my situation, and a different guy comes on and says he's the carrier for that route. Has a thick heavy accent and doesn't understand what I'm saying. My address is 132... 338? NO. 1-3-2. 322? Freakin... said he'd go check the station. I CALLED THE STATION. THEY SAID IT WASN'T THERE. He said to call tomorrow. Well, i'm going to be out of town starting tomorrow. ok. click.

I don't care. I'm going to call back this afternoon. And I'm going to keep trying until they find my package. Annoy them to the point they'll want to speed deliver that thing to my house.

My commute this morning took over an hour. Good ole MUNI. But I guess it's really not their fault today. Over the announcement, the driver told us a crazy man was on the tracks at civic center and we couldn't move until he was removed. Crazy man.

Can't wait!!!

Weekend in review...

The Good:
-parents are back safely
-got nails done
-softball game was fun
-no football
-made coxinha (pronounced coshing-yah); a brazilian appetizer. Took dang long, but it turned out to be really good.

The Bad:
-teams lost at softball tournament
-got a parking ticket (my first ticket ever)

Went clubbing last night... preparing ourselves for Vegas.

I was afraid I would wake up late to work this morning. No one is home to wake me up in case I fall back asleep after I hit my alarm clock. So I set it up across the room. My goodness. I think I should go out more often. I got ready and had enough time to pack my lunch, and I still got into the office at 8:20. That's a record... that's the earliest I voluntarily came into the office.

I'm ready for the weekend. 3 more days of work to suffer through after that and then it's Vegas, baby!

Played a game of ping pong after prayer meeting last night at church with Pastor Ryan, Sammo, and Billy Ku. Dang, those guys are so good. I was the one they picked up so they could play doubles. But I thank Sammo and Billy Ku for going easy on me when I was on the receiving end of their serves. That was a lot of fun. We should do this every Wednesday... :)

Yesterday I was in the MUNI station and I saw on the sign that my train was "arriving." So I quickly put in my fast pass and tried running through the turnstile only to be rejected (clotheslined?). This has happened before, so I just went to another turnstile and without looking, ran only to be rejected again. Only then, smart person that I am, decided to take a look at my pass to find out that I was using the July pass, not the August one. At least I didn't miss my train. Stupid MUNI system. Told me it was arriving, but it didn't actually come until 8 minutes after.

Being home alone has been great so far. I don't do anything I wouldn't ordinarily do even if my family were at home. Come to think of it, you would think I'd be out every night, taking advantage of the fact that I have a car... but I've been enjoying having the space to myself. I can see how people would get lonely living alone though. But I'm thankful for this "break."

I went to the gym at 9:45pm last night. That was a first. Don't think I'll be making that a habit. Much respect to those of you that can motivate yourselves to change out of your pj's and hit the gym so late at night. I was exhausted when I came home... and I woke up late this morning!

TV (and my mind) has reached a new low. I was watching some Road Rules Challenge with my sister last night. So teams of two have to complete this relay within 60 seconds. One person has to run into a white circle, where there are 2 attack dogs on a chain. That person needs to stay there while the other person completes the game.

The other person runs to the dog house and needs to retrieve a bone that is being guarded by another attack dog (also chained). But as soon as he grabs the bone and starts running for the finish line, they release an unchained attack dog that basically mauls the contestant. The people literally carried the dog to the finish line... the dog was hanging by its mouth. Of course, the players had protective suits on.

But I was watching this and laughing my head off. I couldn't believe this was an actual contest... that people were voluntarily entering this challenge... that they were showing this crap on TV... and that I was laughing like a psycho.

I find myself running for the MUNI a lot lately. I see it coming in as I'm walking to the MUNI stop so I break into a run, hoping the street lights change in my favor. This morning was no exception. I saw the train coming in... only I was wearing higher heels than normal so it took me more time and steps to run up the street. I passed by a lot of amused faces on the way. But I'm happy to report that I caught the MUNI this morning. The door was closing and I stuck my fingers in just in time. Kind of felt like the Hulk prying open the doors.

Some rude people that were running alongside me just went into the bus and didn't even hold the door open for me. I would think that's common courtesy... holding the door open for fellow late risers.

My sister's friend (who also lived in Brazil when she was younger) came up for a visit and brought us some Brazilian goodies. I guess there's a supermarket down in the LA area that sells this stuff. She brought us chocolate, guarana (soda made from a fruit called guarana... really good), and mix for this sweet corn bread.

I typed in 'suco de milho' in google. I wanted to explain to you guys how good this bread is. But the listings came up in Portuguese... so I hit the "Translate this" button on one of the links, and this is what i got:

PREPARATION WAY:

It has beaten the maize with milk in the liquidificador until mixing well. It has led to the fire to cook in low fire for 1 hour. Later that to thicken, leaves to cool and has led at least to the refrigerator for 1 hour. Pass the mixture for the bolter and alone then adds the too much ingredients. Dressing gown everything in the liquidificador to mix again well. It serves icecream well.

I think "suco de milho" is the corn drink, not the bread. That's yummy too.

I set up my cable modem at home yesterday. Ran into a little trouble so I had to call the tech people, but I'm all set up now. Hopefully, this means I can post up pictures more quickly. That is, if my laziness doesn't get in the way. Now I need to find someone that knows how to set up a router for my dad's computer.

I haven't worked out this week and my body feels really... blobby. More so than usual. Looks like our football season is over. Playoffs were set for this Sunday at 11, but looks like not enough people are going to show. But we had a good season... I need a break from football.

I realized I haven't hung out with friends on Saturdays in forever. My Saturdays have been taken up by practice. But no more... bring on the fun.

I picked up a new hobby. I'm going to make earrings for my friends. I kind of worry because I haven't made one yet. But I will be experimenting tonight.

I went in to get my chest x-rays taken yesterday. I guess they were training the guy because we didn't get it all in one try. But it was funny because he kept adjusting me, but I didn't feel like I was moving at all with each adjustment. He would move me forward, then back, then forward, then back. At one point, I guess he wanted me to lean closer to the machine, so he would just tap me on the shoulder to indicate "lean more." He tapped me about 5 times... I'm hugging the machine, I can't get any closer!

On a brighter note, I get to sit out on practice tonight. Yay~

Favorite simple things of the moment:
-bubble baths
-symphony chocolate
-grooving to my new cd (thanks, cliff)
-phone calls

Can't wait til VEGAS!! What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I'm gonna try to live up to that motto. :)

I think I have to go in for a chest x-ray today. I got slammed into pretty hard yesterday playing football... my chest hurts and I don't know if I just bruised a rib or if it's more serious. And I thought flag football was supposed to be a no contact sport. I don't know how professionals do it. I know they have padding, but it's still gotta hurt.

Pet Peeve: when people "hover" over the toilet, and don't wipe it down afterwards.

YAY! I finally figured out how to post pics on the blog. Although it probably would have been much easier just to ask someone. :P

Paul's xanga entry has created a lot of talk amongst me and my friends. My friends who, like me, aren't your ultra fem, scream when we see a spider, can't do anything for ourselves, kind of girls. I guess you can say, either we don't fulfill enough "qualifications" to be  the proper girlfriend, or korean guys are just too intimidated by us.
 
But honestly, I feel like that's what goes on in the average korean male mind. Some thoughts on that: 1. sick. 2. unrealistic. And if that's what they're looking for... we're better off single. Or better yet, we might have to date outside the Korean race. Sarah and I just might fulfill our half-joke, half-serious dream of being old maids living in houses right next to each other. Isabel can join. :)

Most Korean families I know own 2 refrigerators. One for Korean food, and one for all other types of food. This weekend, our family upgraded to 3 refrigerators. Our newest addition is my mom's birthday present: a kimchee refrigerator. I hope this means fresh kimchee year round.

I need to hurry up and finish watching this korean miniseries. The more I watch it, the better looking this one particular fob guy is turning out to be. Makes me want to be in Korea too. But I think I get caught up in the show and forget what it's really like to live there... rude people, crowded areas. Of course, it's not all bad... good, cheap food everywhere!

I love the way my mom says "crepe"... sounds like crap. And no matter how many times we try to correct her, the next time she needs to use the word, it'll sound like crap.

Reminds me when my mom would ask how to pronounce a word, and my brother would teach it to her incorrectly. After about 15 repetitions of the word, he wouldn't be able to keep a straight face any longer and start cracking up. She fell for it every time too. Funny funny.

I know I said I'd stay away from work-out entries, but this deserves a mention. I was at the gym yesterday and I saw this lady scratch her armpit, then pick at her fingernail for crud. UGH. You seem some nasty stuff at the gym...

Pictures are slowly coming up... check it out.

Decided to stay away from my usual entries about guys and working out. Here's a list of things I want to do sometime in the near future:

-Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
-get a massage (a professional one)
-Napa
-Watch Shrek 2, Spiderman 2, Harry Potter 3, Anchorman (i think I'm too late for Saved and Dodgeball)
-visit San Luis Obispo
-go to a park and ride the swings...and the see-saw (that gets trickier... that means I need to find someone that weighs roughly the same as me) :*(

that's a good list for now. Suggestions are always welcome. Friends who wish to come with me are always welcome as well.

i was having a chat with a friend this weekend about my "type" of guy... the perfect combination would be a rough/masculine looking guy on the outside, but a dork on the inside. It somehow got twisted up and his comment was, "if i ever run into a big, hairy, korean guy, I'll send him your way." That just doesn't sound right, but essentially that's what I look for? hahaha. I know I've said this before... ideally, I would like someone like Aragorn... but I could more realistically see myself with a Samwise. Even the dwarf would be cool... he's funny. :)

After my workout the past 2 days, my body feels like it's been beat up pretty badly. I walk bow-legged because my thighs are so sore from squat repeats. Beauty is pain. Pain is beauty.

I went to Nordstrom Rack yesterday in search for some tops. Shirts for work, shirts for playing, shirts for partying. I left the store with a gym bag, shoes, workout shorts, and you guessed it: ZERO tops.

Next to hit up: Serramonte (Forever 21 & Hollister) and the shops on Haight... if I really feel motivated, then the outlets in Napa.

I'm sick... or very soon getting there.

And I must work out. What to do, what to do...

Good weekend in LA. Can't believe we had a bridal shower for Ms. Gower Ban. Soon to be Mrs. Lee. How scary is that. It almost felt fake. Not in a bad way. But the whole day I kept thinking, this is Gower's bridal shower. BRIDAL SHOWER. GOWER. Scary...

Saw fireworks from the car. But I guess I had a better view than anyone up here. Heard it was too foggy to see anything but colored fog. I want to light up my own fireworks. Next year.

I've caught the party bug. I need to go back into hiding.

Restaurant Review: Luna Park (Valencia & 18th)

I really liked the place. Very unassuming from the outside. It's in the mission district so it doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is really cute. Nice atmosphere, good food. Kind of a date place, so keep that in mind, guys.

Next to try: Platanos. It was 2 blocks away, I think. We kept passing it trying to look for parking... Looks like a fun place. Who wants to go?

I went to go see the Lion King last night with my family and my mom's friend. Wow... it was amazing... the costumes, the music, the dancing. And I was wondering about the cast... because their talking and singing voices sound exactly like in the movie. So do they select people that sound like them? Or can they alter their voices to sound like that?

Anyhow, if you haven't seen it, you should definitely go (if it isn't sold out already). The giraffes and the elephant were my favorite. :)

I felt very violated on the MUNI yesterday on my way home from work. The "M" took a long time coming, so it was packed... like squished sardines. Well, the lady standing behind me had a rather large butt. And it kept bumping and resting against mine. I didn't like the feeling because her butt was really hot, and I know it wasn't the bus itself, because the air conditioner was on. So I tried to arch my back forward as much as possible, to maximize the distance between our butts. But the more I pulled my butt forward (to the point my back started to ache), her butt would continue to follow. It wasn't until we got to Castro that half the bus unloaded, and I was able to find a seat.

Isabel: i like fob guys too much
Isabel: it's scary
Isabel: haha
Isabel: i saw a fob guy in sd
Isabel: and he's so not cute
Isabel: but i was like aww he's fob
Isabel: hahaha
Chris: hahaahhaahahah
Isabel: awwww
Isabel: hahaha
Isabel: soft spot for fobs and dorks
Isabel: i need some help
Isabel: hahahaha
Chris: i'm too busy shaking my head.. that's why i haven't typed in a while
Isabel: hahahaha
Isabel: i need to go on jenny jones
Isabel: HELP! I need a makeover and I need to stop liking jerks, jobs, and dorks!

This is how we help each other through our work day. I will be accepting applications on Isabel's behalf.

I had a very active weekend. Bonfire on Friday... ran around the sand, threw the football around some. Football practice on Saturday. Church picnic on Sunday. I knew as I was throwing around the softball and frisbee that my arms would be sore today... but it was worth it. Playing fob games with adults is fun. They really get into it.

It's only Monday and I can't wait for the weekend~!

I got off work early yesterday so I went home and took a 3 hour nap. No other way to describe it but delicious!

My sister leaves for school around 5:45. I heard her say to my dad "da nyo ges sub nee dah" (a formal i'll be back greeting to older people), and I jumped out of bed because I thought it was morning and I was late to work. hahaha. Had a mild panic attack, but once I realized it was still evening, I fell asleep again. :)

I gave blood today. This morning, I was thinking how nice it would be to skip the gym and just come home and nap or watch a dvd. Now I can do that guilt free. The information sheet says no strenuous exercise today. :)

I don't even know my blood type. I'm interested in finding out. And I figure... this is something I can do. They have this huge Blood Shortage sign in front of the blood bank, so go donate blood!

I need to figure out how to sleep better. I woke up late this morning... late to work :P

Giants vs. Dodgers last night was so crazy. That game was intense! I was nice and didn't start throwing peanuts at Lilliene, wearing her Dodgers t-shirt and cap. It was enough just to see her crushed in the end.

I thought this article on Fahrenheit 9/11 was interesting. I really enjoyed Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine." But in general, I think he receives way too much praise than he deserves. He doesn't like Bush and is able to convey it through movies... so people that don't like Bush either think anything he uncovers is truth. He's the type that is quick to criticize, but won't offer any alternative solutions or won't really do anything about it. I'm definitely interested in watching the movie... I just think it's dangerous going into it thinking everything he says is factual.

I've been consistently working out for the past 3-4 months now. And I think I've been eating better, though I do have days that aren't so good. But overall after this slight change, you would think I would be losing some weight, right? NOPE. The scale hasn't budged.

I bring this up because I just read an article this morning. It said lack of sleep might be a reason that you don't lose weight. Now as I'm typing this, I'm about to conk out on my keyboard. Lack of sleep has been a big issue for me. Not that I stay up and can't fall asleep... I just wake up never satisfied. So that's what I'm going to think. Way better than the other option... that even after all that exercise, I'm just gonna be this size forever.

I went to the Bubble Lounge last night. I saw Mr. Lyons... he was the Social Studies TA at Lowell that all the girls had a crush on. I thought he was cute, but I wasn't obsessed over him like some girls I know. Sarah and Olivia took a look at him and said "he's...cute, in a dorky way (note the hesitation)." Sarah says we thought he was cute because he was the token white guy at Lowell. Could be.

If I can see eye-to-eye, or even over a guy's head, let me just tell you, you're not off to a very good start.

Went to a Giant's game with my family last night. Giants crushed the Blue Jays 10-2. Love games like that. But earlier that day, I was arguing with a friend about how great SBC Park is, and he said it's a wine and cheese park, and that he'd rather go to an A's game anyday. It was funny because I actually saw a bunch of guys near us drinking wine. haha.

Anyway, interesting conversation I had with Isabel. We talk about nonsense to keep ourselves from falling asleep. Actually, it's usually me saying dumb things and Isabel just laughing:

Chris: i watched part of master and commander last night
Isabel: how was it?
Chris: it's so weird... here's a blonde long-haired russel crow, playing the violin, and it's so much more manly than any of the korean miniseries actors
Isabel: hahaha!
Isabel: yes he's manly
Isabel: haha
Isabel: for sure
Isabel: haha
Chris: russel crowe....
Chris: i rmemeber i didnt want to watch that movie that starred him and meg ryan
Chris: cuz i really like dennis quaid.. and that's the movie they hooke dup in and broke their marriage
Chris: so it was my one-woman stand against that movie
Chris: but i ended up watching it a lot later... and i thoguth
Isabel: haha i think we watched it in korea
Isabel: on video no?
Chris: dang it, russel crowe ... stinkin homewrecker but still mushee suh
Chris: oh yeah
Chris: hahahha
Isabel: hahahhaa homewrecker!
Isabel: yes yes yes he is
Isabel: haha
Chris: dang, mushee nun guys can get away with too much
Chris: i think that's why the bad boy jerks are jerks
Chris: they know that if they exude enough mushee nun-ness.. girls will still fall
Chris: that's why they treat girls like crap... but other girls still fawn over them
Chris: how does my theory hold up?

:)

My brother brought home some dvd's by Dr. Kent Hovind. I heard his lecture when he came to Berkeley. Interesting stuff. He's a strict believer that the earth was created in 6 days (=24 hours/day), and therefore, the earth is only 6000 years old. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but he does put up a really good argument against evolution.

Check out the FAQ under the science tab. If anyone wants to watch it and has a DVD burner, let me know. Otherwise, I'll try to find other ways of getting it.

I remember listening to his lecture in Berkeley, and some skeptics would ask him questions. He would give them his explanation and list his "proof"... and while it all sounded good, I remember how Christians got all worked up about how he was able to, really, leave the guy speechless. I understand that we're happy Dr. Hovind is able to successfully argue for Creation, but as a Christian, is it really showing Christ's love when we're clapping and cheering that a guy just got proved wrong? We just get so caught up in the debate, that we forget how proud and not-humble we've become.

Anyway, good lectures nonetheless. At the very least... great stuff to think about.

Who's still a kid at heart?

Why is it so hard to find someone to watch Harry Potter 3 with me? I promise I won't put the moves on you. Sheesh.

We won our football game yesterday! I'm so sore I can hardly move. Yung threw a deep pass at me and it was perfect... only I didn't catch it. He used all the guys as decoys and sent me deep, and the ball was just hanging right there, and it just slipped right through my arms. Yung always tells us to make a basket with our arms. But you don't think about that when you're running down the field with a big tall guy on your tail.

Football does this to me. I spend a whole week recovering from my soreness, only to do it again on Saturday and Sunday. I must be crazy.

I was introduced to the concept of a "wing man" last night by my buddy Paul.

So before 2 guys go out for a night on the town, they designate who the night is for, and the other guy assumes the wing-man role.

So they're at a club and they spot 2 girls dancing/standing there. The main guy chooses which girl he wants (i guess usually it's the hotter one). Then they go in for the kill. It's the wing-man's job to keep the other girl occupied and split the two girls apart, so that the other guy can get his game on.

Man, I haven't laughed that hard in a while. To think there's a whole tactic behind it all...

My family has started having family services again. We sing 2 hymns, read a chapter, my dad explains it, pray and end. But now my mom has decided to add a new element: sharing. That's a great concept and all, but how do you go from never talking about feelings and such in a family to sharing about spiritual application, let alone in korean.

I miss the conversation I had with Slum and Becky during winter retreat my senior year. It's surprising to know our family wasn't the only one that held these family services.

My co-worker just got her magic mic. It's basically a karaoke system in a microphone. You plug the microphone into your tv and start singing. The microphone comes with a chip containing 800 songs, i think... all old songs. And the key pad is built into the mic too. Waste of money if you ask me, but she's so excited about it. hahaha. I guess she loves to sing. She's thinking of investing in a new tv now.

I need to be better about my movie selection through Netflix. Lately, they've all be pretty sad or depressing movies. Over the weekend I saw "House of Sand & Fog." I was audibly bawling... and it was just an ok movie. Yesterday I saw "Whale Rider." No exaggeration, I cried throughout the whole movie. I had a pile of tissues and a headache to show for it. It's definitely not hormones... I hope I get a happy movie next.

Flag football is killing me. It's a non-contact sport, but at the rate I'm going, it's full contact for me. Injuries and all. I played Memorial Day weekend (Sunday and Monday) and hit the ground pretty hard. Embarassing thing is I tripped over myself. This past Saturday, we had practice, and I strained both my quad muscles running the second route. I had to sit out and just stretch. Over the weekend, I iced it, hot packed it, tiger balmed it... feels much better now. I hope this season will get better.

I'm surprised more of these korean restaurants aren't shut down. I went to Cham-Sae last night... i guess it's the only korean restaurant in the Sunset that's open that late. First thing I noticed was the smoke inside. Koreans just don't follow silly little things called the law. The same goes for selling alcohol to minors. That's why those shady places in the East Bay get shut down... like Ko-Ko house. I heard one restaurant got their alcohol license taken away for selling to minors. So they put their alcohol in "ju-jun-jah's"... tea kettles? hahaha. Straight shady.

I went to Davies Symphony Hall last night. My mom got free tickets for a concert there. We understood why it was free... It was more or less a high school concert. The highlight of the night was the show choir. It's a choir, but they dance at the same time. I thought, this is what Hyewon did when she was in high school!

The cutest part was the Battle of the Boy Bands. The guys came out dressed as Boys II Men, Color Me Baad, New Kids on the Block, and NSync. The 4 songs were blended together.

I couldn't help but think this would never work in SF. Guys would get beat up if they joined show choir. But for Nebraska, they were good. I guess it's cool to join something like that there. :)

What a good memorial day weekend... warm weather, good food, good company. Went to a barbeque with some friends, then played some football. 2 days of football in a row, after weeks of not playing = a very sore and clumsy Chris. I feel like I got beat up, I have splinters lodged in my left hand, and a nice cut and bruise on my left leg from tripping over myself. Signs for a good season up ahead.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." -Jim Elliot

Yesterday in small group, we watched Steven Curtis Chapman's concert DVD. They showed a video clip of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Peter Fleming's missionary expedition to the Auca Indians in Ecuador. They were all killed... but the story continues with Rachel Saint (Nate Saint's sister) and Elizabeth Elliot (Jim Elliot's wife) being able to connect with the Aucas. Steve Saint (Nate Saint's son) and his family is invited to live with them, and the Auca Indians become "God followers."

So after all the video clips and the story telling and the music, Steve Saint comes out with the very man that killed his father. But they now have the relationship of father-son. It was pretty amazing. Their relationship is amazing. Their love for one another is amazing. Leaves you standing in awe of the God who wrote this story.

On tuesday night, I went to Skyline college with my sister to be her model for her final. I got my hair pulled in different directions, got my hair smeared with shaving cream (since they can't use real product), had rollers in my hair, got a one-foot pedicure, shampooed numerous times. Man, I was tired that day. AND I had to miss American Idol and 24. I was going to call my parents to record it for me, but they went to church to play ping pong. Our church is entering a tournament...

All I want to do is sit at home and watch dvd's and veg. But somehow, that feels like it would be a waste of my 3 day weekend. I'm so excited!

I'm eating apple and cheese right now. It's a very weird combination... never understood why people loved it so much. To me, it's one of those things that's so funky, i have to keep trying it again to make sure it's funky. Almost like getting a whiff of someone's stinky socks. I remember Becky used to tell me she used to melt a slice of cheese on her apple pie. Don't think I'll be trying that anytime soon.

I saw a grown man pick his nose and put his finger in his mouth on the MUNI this morning. Just sick.

Congrats to Kevin and Hyewon on their graduation. Let the good times roll and the eating begin!

I've been a complete zombie... last night I was reading my bible. Next thing I know, I wake up because I have to pee really badly and I realize, my glasses are still on, the lights are still on, and the candle is still burning. Dangerous. But it seems like I can't get enough sleep lately. Maybe it's my body telling me I'm running on ugly and need to catch up on my beauty sleep. HAHA

I got my mom hooked on the Bachelor. I missed it yesterday because it was Cliff's birthday... went to TGIF, but I hit the record button. As soon as I walked in, my mom told me "He chose Jessie!" hahaha. Cracked me up.

I very much considered skipping turbo kickboxing today to go home and watch the recording of the Bachelor and take a nap. Must...get...off...my...lazy...butt...

Sarah and I had an interesting conversation about PMS.

Guys:
1. Sorry to break it to you, but when we credit our moodiness or annoyance to PMS, you might think it's a sorry excuse, but most likely it's true. So don't tell us we're using that as an excuse because if you aren't going through it, you don't have a say.
2. Don't ever tell us we must be PMSing. Because if we aren't and you tell us we are, prepare for all hell to break loose.

Apparently, there are over 150 symptoms of PMS and they can vary per person from month to month. Oh goody, something to look forward to each month.

My new favorite cute-dorky-endearing famous person crush of the moment:

Mark Ruffalo

:)

The weather this weekend was just great. Don't get weather like that too often in San Francisco... gotta maximize it.

My friend Janet and I wanted to do something on Saturday. We had a whole list of things to do... Conservatory of Flowers, Botanical Gardens, Salvador Dali exhibit, etc. But we ended up at Baker Beach... just soaking in the sun, dipping our feet in the friggin cold water, climbing the rocks. It was great fun... but there were a lot of nude people. Next time, I'll stay on the other side of the beach. I love chill days.

Happy Monday, everyone.

Do you ever find yourself being a different person around different groups of people? It's a funny thing because they're all you... only different sides of you. Sometimes it's hard/tiring/draining to maintain a particular personality with one group of friends. Other times I pull back and wonder if they'll still like me if I put on one of my different personalities.

A lot of times I don't feel like I get to know a person better by spending time with them one-on-one. I may be close to person A, and we might hang out one-on-one and have a great time. But I don't find out things that are going on below surface until person B (who I might not be as close to) joins us to hang out. Person B asks the probing questions that I shy away from... my philosophy being, my friend will volunteer information when she wants to talk, i don't want to force her.

But at the same time, I think probing questions to a certain extent shows the person you're genuinely interested in finding out more about him/her. Afraid to be labeled nosy or the fear of straining the friendship by being too pushy, I tell myself it's better to be "safe" than the possibility of creating tension. I wouldn't even know where to start... what kind of questions to ask. But I think not doing it makes me miss out on forming stronger bonds.

Bottom line? I'm a wimp. I need to take more risks. In life. In love. In general. I have no idea how to start...

Ross is a great store... if you're willing to dig. I got a pair of shoes and some candles there last night.

I wore my shoes this morning, and they hurt a lot. I think it's the way the strap is positioned. So it's either, consider the money a loss and never wear it again or wear several bandaids each time I decide to wear these shoes (and it has to be somewhere that requires minimal walking). The things girls do for fashion. :P

I had goat meat for dinner yesterday. Very interesting... I didn't know people even ate goat meat. Goat milk, goat cheese... I guess it makes sense. And it shouldn't surprise me. Asians eat everything.

Update: New pictures are being added. Sorry they're taking a long time. Dial up connection at home is killing me... But check back regularly. I'll be posting them up throughout the week.

Total commute time this morning: 1 hour. This is ridiculous for someone who lives IN the city and works IN the city.

Oh yeah, I'm an insensitive jerk. So I apologize for things I did/didn't do, said/didn't say. hahaha. what a sad apology.

Happy Monday

TGIF!!!

I'm bored. Exciting weekend up ahead. :)

The bart ticket exchange booth at the station has a huge tv that usually plays concert dvd's. The favorites seem to be Yanni and Cher. But yesterday and this morning, Josh Groban was on screen. I just wanted to stand in front of that tv and soak it all in before they change it back to Yanni. But then, I'd just look like a freak so I keep walking.

Farewell to Mr. George Huff.... I wanted him to be the next American Idol.

I ate pancakes for breakfast this morning. And I had a phone conversation with Sylvia on my way to work. A very good start indeed. Pancakes and phone calls make Chris a very happy girl.

My attitude and actions this past weekend may have been brash and harsh at times. I think I surprised a few people...

I just need some time alone to regroup/recharge... no more going out for me if possible. That or I'm PMSing. Either way, I'd stand clear.

I like Conan O'Brien. He's hilarious.

I don't usually stay up late enough to catch him on tv. But yesterday I decided to bake after small group, and the bread was taking a little longer than it was supposed to.

Conan was talking about American Idol, and he said the guy that looks like him got voted off. Then they put up a picture of John Stevens and did a side-by-side shot of Conan. They really do look alike... never noticed the resemblance before.

I was so proud of myself for getting into work 5 minutes earlier than usual. I get ready to walk into the elevator and I drop my badge on the ground and in slow motion, I see it fall through the crack and down, down, down. Luckily, the guy stepping off the elevator was one of the building workers and he took me downstairs to try to retrieve it. I say try because as my luck would have it, I dropped it down the only elevator that goes waaaay down.

So he took me to the building office to report it. Said it wasn't a big deal, the elevator guy was already around so he just needed to climb down and retrieve it. Good thing he was there... otherwise I would have no idea what to do.

I came back into the building, and now that I didn't have my badge I had to sign in to get through. The doorman looked at me with a big grin and said, "Where's your badge, ma'am?" hahaha

This is all the excitement I can handle for one day. Whew!

I've started a new thing, and hopefully it'll help me stay on track with my diet. I started brushing my teeth after lunch. It usually helps me from snacking after dinner, so I'm hoping it'll have the same effect after lunch. Minty fresh. I kind of miss manually brushing my teeth... ever since I got that sonicare.

Now if there was only something that helped me get through the weekends... this weekend I'm having a movie fest with some of my old high school girlfriends... and you know what that means. Just hope I don't go crazy.

I went to a rally? gathering? yesterday after church. It was to promote the traditional marriage. The slogan: Marriage = 1 Man + 1 Woman. There were a TON of chinese people there. Kind of cool to see Asians involved and mobilized.

My mom put up a poster bearing the slogan on our window. I'm scared our house is going to be vandalized. Our next door neighbors had a sign on their window supporting gay marriage for a while... last time I checked they took it down.

I discovered I get really cranky in hot weather. Unless I'm by the beach... My sister wondered how I survived Indonesia this past summer...

GO DANNY JUNG!

I miss those days....

Ok, so I take it back. Miniature golf isn't as bad as I thought. I actually had a lot of fun last night. I guess the hole-in-one I made helped. I don't think I'm turning pro anytime soon, but I got to tell you, that hole-in-one was amazing! It was at the hole where there's a huge metal pole that you push back and forth. So if you don't time it correctly, your ball can be knocked away. hahaha. I didn't stand there to time it exactly or anything. It was pure luck. Overall, I still suck. Doesn't help when you have a 12 year-old trapped in a 31 year-old's body screaming at you to mess up at every hole. But I had a great time.

Next time, we hit up the batting cages. That is, the slow pitch softball. ;)

I went to Park Chow for dinner last night. I really liked it! You guys should check it out.... it's another quaint little restaurant. And the 9th & Irving area has other great places I want to try in the future. I had a halibut sandwhich on pizza bread. It was sooooo good. It's a place I'm going to bookmark and definitely check out again.

Ran into an old acquaintance in that area. It was kind of sad how we put on our fake smiles and asked each other "how have you been?" in that high shrilly voice, although, honestly, we will probably never become good enough friends to really care. The conversation ended with a "take care (have a good life)."

That's something I've been dealing with lately. Haven't yet come to grips with it yet... But sometimes, I wish I could be in a different place, so that I would keep in touch only with the people that really cared about me and vice versa. I feel like being back home spreads me out too thin. So I do keep in touch with a lot of people, but it's only on the surface. We aren't close enough to really genuinely care for each other, but we are close enough that if we don't hang out, we think ill of the other person.

I guess it all comes down to not realizing how lucky I am, and not looking at these friendships as blessings. Because I do have friends that are far away, and they're really lonely. Not in the sense that I have friends in the area, but I'm just in-a-funk-lonely, but literally, they're out there all alone.

I also have friends that are far away that I keep in touch with, but lately, we've been really bad about it. Maybe with some, I feel like I'm never on the receiving end. I get the sense that if I didn't call, we would never talk. It's sad to give up on a friendship just because I'm too tired to always be the one initiating. It's selfishness. But honestly, the more time that passes, the less we seem to have to say.

Someone kick me hard... hard enough to shake off this funk I'm in. But I wonder if I'm alone in thinking this way... or is this a natural part of the transition to young adulthood?

I'm slowly beginning to understand why my nickname was "Tank" growing up. I know my dad jokingly said that to me, but really, it's the truth... I'm solid.

I stepped on the scale last night just for the heck of it. The needle was NOT where it should be. I'm hoping it was a fluke. It was after I ate dinner. Or it was water weight since I took in so much salt this past week. Or wishful thinking... but muscle weight.

I really don't understand. Before I went on this diet, I ate whatever I wanted and my weight was stable. Now I eat much better, but my weight isn't going down. I'm convinced the only way to do this is to starve. I don't that kind of willpower...

Went to a Giant's game last night. My first game of the season... Lilliene got some company tickets, so we got really good seats. I've never sat that close before... I could actually see the players' numbers on the back of their jersey. It was a good game because the Giants won. They needed that win. Despite Lilliene's cheering for the Padres, and the fact that they let the Padres score 2 runs in the last inning with 2 outs and 2 men on base... got a little too exciting in the end for me. I think they went through 5 pitchers that night.

Lilliene and I were really bad in terms of food. But come on, it's a ball game... you HAVE to eat nachos and garlic fries and kettle korn and peanuts... hahaha.... I woke up super dehydrated this morning...

Back to eating healthy today!!!

This weekend was fun. Didn't get to hang out with Sylvia and Jessica as much as I would have liked to. But that also has to do with the fact we couldn't decide what to do. Typical. So I just spent all weekend with Sarah. Had a lovely time. Really, I'd be ok not getting married, as long as Sarah didn't either. Hahaha. We'd have so much fun. You know what else would be cool? If we married twins. Then we'd be sisters.

It's so funny how our office tries to figure out if our boss left for the day or not. We'll stand around and whisper to each other whether we think he left for the day, or if he just went to the bathroom or a meeting. The secretary takes off right after it's established he's gone.

This morning, we theorized he wasn't coming in because he had one person issue the report yesterday, rather than waiting until today. And the secretary's voicemail light was on, which is always a good sign on Fridays.

Yay! I'm so excited... this weekend is going to be FUN!!!

Happy Birthday to one of my most favorite people... ISABEL CHUNG! You guys just don't know, but if we ran a high school poll, she'd win "best all around." Cute, funny, caring, super nice, can dish it with a smile, but can also take things as a joke. I will be accepting applications on her behalf, but just so you know, if you aren't a reformed bad boy or a dork, no need to apply. ;)

It's really sad but I realize as I get older that I can't carry a conversation for the life of me. I can participate in one. And I'm a good participant. But for me to be the one initiating the questions... I suck.

In small group last year, in an effort to get to know my girls better, I tried calling a few times. But it always turned akward, so I just told them what time small group was and hung up. I'm a horrible phone person. I just don't have things to say, I guess.

I love hanging out with people that say witty things and are funny all the time. Your gathering could be a dud, but once this person shows up, everyone has fun. You know, the person that can tell a really good story, or asks really good questions and puts you at ease. I wish I could be like that. I think that's why I'm really attracted to those kinds of personalities. Just because I'm not.

But I promise, I can laugh it up with you. Even if it's at the expense of me...