trip, part deux

*warning: lots of pics*

Monday, November 22, 2004

mmm… sleep… 7:40AM. i could probably sleep for at least another 2 hours. apparently, hotels in NZ and australia have late check-in times and early check-out times…. seems that the norm is 10AM check-out and 3PM check-in. what a rip-off.

had a dream last night about playing with the fluffy, fuzzy lambs i keep seeing on the postcards.

(BAAA!)

driving back to auckland today, but we’re taking a different route, along the coastline… should be pretty…

the lady who owns the gift shop in the hotel is korean. talked to her for a bit. she was nice. i can’t figure out what region of korea she’s from… i’m not familiar with her accent… she's not a classy seoul bitch, yo. :P

we went to the geothermal pool at the hotel this morning… damn. it’s HOT! i mean, i was expecting it to be hot, but it was just about unbearable. i only got in up to my thighs. and they were bright red like i just got the world’s worst sunburn. and my legs smelled like sulfur afterwards. gross. it’s like i let someone rub their buttcrack all over my leg. steve actually ventured all the way in…

steve was worried that the novotel would be some “soulless corporate entity in the middle of nowhere.” he was pleasantly surprised. we’ll walk around a little more before we head back to auckland.

we went to this place in rotorua… beautiful grounds and structures and statues.


(isn't it cute how they wear all white when playing croquet? it is croquet, isn't it? anyway, except for that lady in the back fucking it up... she's wearing a red sweater. god! what a fucking screw up! maybe there are rules that say they can wear red sweaters... i dunno... whatever... )

there was a geothermal pool that was 212 degrees. i don’t know if that’s celsius or farenheit. … but it wasn’t boiling. you’d think if water was that hot, it would boil… there was a lot of steam around it….. and it smelled very strongly of sulfur.


(it was getting hot there... but steve wasn't taking his clothes off... i don't get it. isn't that how the song goes??? the water under all that steam is crystal clear... gorgeous blue color. still smells like ass, though.)


(random scenery pic... maybe we were driving down to auckland? maybe we were still in rotorua? i dunno. anyway, it was pretty and i liked it.)


(oh, humpty d, you're my bestest friend!)


(helloooo, little, fat, succulent chickens... do you have any dinner plans? would yooooou like to come to dinner? hmm?
and i'm still diggin' that nissan pulsar :P)


(so, ladies... come here often?)


(in the park... just a minute or two walk away from those chickens.)




(hey, steve? honey? uhm... do you have that will updated?)


(this beach had the best shell collecting ever. it was unbelivable. perfect shells everywhere.)


(oh! hello, tender little calf... maybe yoooou would like to have dinner with us? mmmm! i mean, moo!)


(the landscape changes so much... just within a few kilometers....)


(see what i mean?)

we got to auckland without any problems. i’m the best navigatrix EVER! our hotel is really nice. rydges in auckland. there are two beds, though :( i think we can fit in one… i think they're both full size beds. we've got a gorgeous view of the harbor.


(view from our room)

the sky tower was only a block away. nice!


(standing outside the tower)


("it's huuuuuuuuuuge!!!" this is the view from almost right outside our hotel.)


(and the night time view)

apparently, this tower is the tallest in the southern hemisphere. we took the elevator up to take pics. beautiful views of the city. they have these glass floor panels in parts of the floor. (and in the elevator, too!) it was really cool, but kinda scary. they said the glass was 38mm thick and was as strong as the concrete we were walking on… yeah, i'll let those other fools take their chances! this girl and this guy were all jumping on it and shit. dude, i wouldn't even jump on the concrete... what's wrong with these people?! crazy ass kiwis! i never thought i would be prone to get vertigo, but i got pretty dizzy looking down through those glass floor panels.


(the view of our hotel from the top of the sky tower. it's the building near the top, center.)


(standing on one of the glass panels... see that fake ass smile on my face? it's because i'm talking to steve and i'm saying, "hurry the hell up and take this picture so i can get the fuck off this glass panel!!!")

there's this "sky jump" there and "vertigo." sky jump is like bungee jumping, but no bouncing around... and vertigo is this steep climb inside the tower... yeah. no and no. i'm such a puss. well, actually, when we got there, it was closed, anyway. yeah. i'm telling everyone that's why i didn't do them... yeah.

they have this anti-sex campaign in NZ. “no rubba, no hubba hubba.” i thought it was funny. apparently, NZ teens hate it. i guess if i were a teen, i’d hate it too. they said something on the TV there about how NZ has the highest incidences of chlamydia and gonorrhea for the age group 15-19. eep. scary. they really do need to watch out for their teens. sheesh! no getting action for steve or me while in NZ! :P

there are tons of kebab places in auckland.


(and there will be one falafel to rule them all...)

we ate dinner at a different kebab place... i had to get fries. er, excuse me... CHIPS... goddamn, they make tasty fries... uh, chips.... no ketchup. tomato sauce. which is like sweet and sour sauce. tasty on fries...

it’s a really nice city. clean, organized and it feels really safe. rotorua was a lot more rural… i don’t know if it’s just because it’s smaller or because it's in bumblefuck… tomorrow, we leave for sydney… i’m looking forward to it.


(view from plane, leaving auckland)

how do you spell relief???

M O Z I L L A...

i just hope i don't get busted for downloading the software... hehe...

it was driving me insane!!! i couldn't read blogs... i was going into withdrawls!

the stupid hello program is lagging. so i can't post the pics for part 2 of new zealand... and i don't have the australia pics yet... (meaning, steve needs to take the nudie pics out. hehe. uhm. j/k. well, they weren't NUDE. uhm. never mind.)

we brought the bunny home last night. grandma had completely spoiled her. she was all sprawled out like cleopatra on the floor inside... she gained even more weight... she was all happy and comfy...

when we got home, we stuck her in the bathroom. we need to unspoil her now! god, i'm going to make the best mom EVER.... in the whole world, even!

the trip, part 1 *updated with pics*

i typed this up while sitting in the prince hotel in melbourne. (it looks way cooler than the site's pictures, even...) it was the last destination in our journey. i think i’ll have to post this in a number of different posts because i think it will be quite long. it may be a tad boring, especially without pics yet... and it's almost word for word from the journal i was keeping so it might not make a whole lot of sense... and there are time lapses, etc... but, anyway, no more excuses... here’s my carnet de voyage.

Sunday, November 21, 2004

finally landed. my legs are all swollen from the long flight, they are not unlike little sausages.



i’m extremely tired. i can’t remember the last time i was this tired. we were delayed at lax for an hour and a half. we taxied on the runway for a long time. something about dangerous luggage. that can't be good... met this guy named keith at lax. i must’ve been in an especially good mood because i was talking to him. he’s a complete stranger, for chrissakes! i never talk to strangers! he’s some IT guy from boston who did yoga for 3 years. that boy can stretch like nobody’s business. oh, maybe that's why i was talking to him :P

he’s also a dj. but he listens to crap trance. i hate crap trance. he told us next time we’re in boston (which will most likely be never) we shouldn’t go to avaland, we should check out rise. unfortunately, according to him, in order to get in, you have to know someone. yeah. whatever. if they play crap trance, we probably don’t wanna go there, anyway.

he was nice, though. he’s staying in new zealand for 3 weeks and he’s going to get his skydiving license. awesome. before i die, i think i’d like to go skydiving… just once.

on the flight, i sat next to a woman with a friggin’ lance armstrong “live strong” bracelet. ARGH! i didn’t say anything to her in the beginning… partway through the flight, she starts talking to me. she’s meeting one of her sisters in NZ. they’re biking in NZ for a week and then going to tasmania to bike there for a week. she was from new jersey. phew. those east coast people had basically been traveling for over 24 hours… brutal. i made a snarky comment to her about her bracelet… well, all i said was, “oh… lance armstrong fan?” but i said it really sarcastically. then she said, “oh yeah… but i mostly got it because my sister has cancer…” goddamnit! i’m such a fucking asshole… eh, you know what? fuck it. lance had testicular cancer. i doubt her sister has testicular cancer.

movies we saw on the flight. somersault. i thought it was pretty good. basically a coming of age story. set in australia. i thought it was shot really well… collateral. once again, tom cruise failed to impress me. jamie foxx on the other hand… now he was really good. he did really well with such a limited script. i think i may have to watch ray now. king arthur. uhm… whatever. not exactly memorable. i liked keira knightley’s outfit at the end. but… how does she keep that top on when she’s running???? maybe they used that spray glue that pageant contestants use when they’re doing their swimsuit competition. and finally, saw the last half of i, robot. i was unimpressed…

i’m fucking BEAT. i probably only got about an hour and a half of sleep on the plane and i worked my ass off this past week at work.

we’re driving down to rotorua. we’ve been making little pit stops to take pics and such. the roads here are really nice. everything’s well marked. the roads are smooth. better than a lot of roads in california. it’s a nice smooth ride… especially in our nissan pulsar! :P AND it’s…wait for it… a limited edition! it’s beautiful :P

i love the flora here. so many different types of trees and shrubs all clustered together. and it’s everywhere. it’s not uncommon to see palm-type trees mixed in with some evergreen-type trees… (i can’t get more descriptive than that … i’m not exactly nature girl.) i thought it was pretty cool…steve just picked me up some little tiny pine cone like things. they look like pine cones, but they’re only about ¾ inch big. they’re so cute!


(we pulled over to some tiny little park on the side of the road that steve caught out of the corner of his eye... it was gorgeous... this pic just shows how everything is so lush and green. i'll look for some more pics)

the weather’s a tad drizzly. very cloudy... but really, i’m just glad to be off that plane!

finally at rotorua. steve got us a great hotel (novotel royal lakeside) with a great location. right by the lake, surrounded by cute shops. we haven’t seen the room yet. late check-in time….


(over to the right, there's this little crafts fair that they have on sundays...)

god… all i want is a shower. then i’ll be ready to face the world again.

rotorua has a lot of mineral pools. our hotel has a few geothermal pools in its spa. that’s cool and all, but that also means that rotorua alternates between smelling nice and smelling like ass every other minute… and that sulfur smell can get strong.

sidenote: i’m so glad i’m not driving. all this “wrong” side of the road stuff makes me nervous. something i’d kinda like to try… but in a less congested area. i dunno, though. sounds fun in theory, but… i’m afraid i’m going to choke and turn the wrong way on some street. it’s SO bound to happen. so yeah. no driving for me. also, instead of “yield” they have “give way” and “motorways” instead of "freeways." yeah. i’d be pretty screwed.


(hope that's me taking this pic and not steve driving and taking the pic!!!)

this sleep deprivation is making me kinda crazy… and god knows i don’t need any more help on that front.

it’s cold, then hot, cold, then hot… the weather gods won’t make up their damned minds.

whenever i’m in a different place and i’m surrounded by people with an accent (which is almost always a really cool accent), i tend to start talking like them… even in my head when i’m thinking… i’ve gotta stop doing that! i sound like a fucking loser or a poser!

we went to see the kiwi birds at the conservatory. they’re so cute! i never realized how much like a kiwi fruit they looked like. the kiwis were going extinct, so in ’95, they set up some foundations to incubate the eggs and then release them back in the wild, preferably where there are no predators. i learned a lot about the way they’re trying to save the kiwis…


(they didn't let us take pics of the kiwis. they're nocturnal. and pretty skittish. they probably would've freaked out if we took pics of them.)

took a gondola ride up to the top of some mountain. the view is just breathtaking. thought about taking the luge back down, but i’m pretty tired… i’d probably crash.


(this is either on the way up or one of the views at the top... can't remember right now.... wait... maybe it's the way back down... whatever.)


(this is on the way back down)

then we went to the maori hangi… not sure on the spelling… it’s like a luau. but it’s maori. lots of good food and entertainment. but we had to leave partway through, near the end. they were pulling up “volunteers” from every country that was visiting. unfortunately, we were the only ones from the US. so yeah… we had to leave.


(yeah, baby! take it all off! oh. oops. wrong show.)

there were so many koreans at the show. it was mortifying. and then there was the little blonde girl who was annoying the shit outta me just because she was a bratty little creature. and the stupid korean women were taking pics with her just because she was blonde. god! it wasn’t even a good blonde. it was a dirty blonde. i wanted to tell that little girl’s mom, “your daughter? yeah, she’s not really cute. they just don’t get to see very many blondes in korea.” and then one of the korean women gave the kid probably the equivalent of about $10USD in korean money. why??? WHY??? and i’ll bet that woman treated that blonde child better than she treats her own children. sometimes, i really hate being korean.

i’m seriously allergic to the air in NZ. i had to go to a pharmacy to get myself some allergy medicine. the lady at the drug store said there’s lots of pollen in the air right now. stupid, stupid allergies!

i hope to god i can get 11 hours of sleep tonight…. i’m barely awake right now…

i can't comment, but i can post.

that's new... normally i can't post, but i can comment...

i don't have a whole lotta time today... so australia and pics will have to wait until even later this afternoon...

i did get a disturbing email, though. so, this post is just a request, really.

what happens between julia and me is between julia and me. we've been friends for a long time. only i can shit on her :P and she can shit on me. it's like when you're a kid and you're talking shit about your mom or something... and then your friend agrees and says, "yeah... your mom is a big old bitch!" and you get pissed... it's kinda like that...

i don't know who IMed her, but please don't do it again, unless it's to apologize. because yes, i may be pissed off about something or hurt or whatever... but only she and i know the real deal. i overreacted to something she posted about. i got hurt. but there's no need for name calling if you don't know the whole story...

maybe we shouldn't hash shit out via blogger... okay. lesson learned. (quyen, chris, sound familiar? hehe)

but, this is an open forum, right? you have your thoughts and opinions just like she has her own thoughts and opinions. i don't know who IMed (she didn't tell me any names) but you know who you are and only you know what you said.

it sounds like maybe some people were trying to protect me... and i appreciate it... but do i sound like the kind of girl who needs protecting? :P thanks, anyway...

oy vey...

i've been at my desk for 5 minutes now and my left eye's already fucking twitching and my boss has already threatened to never let me go on vacation again...

sheesh...

thinking happy thoughts of kangaroos and koalas... i'll have to post my updates later today... when i get a second to breathe!!!!

the only thing i missed about being at my desk is blogging...

g'day!

so... here we are in australia, after spending 2 days in new zealand...

just a couple of quick things... i LOVE new zealand. i LOVE australia. i don't ever want to go back.

the accents in australia seem to be a tad bit stronger. i actually have to listen to people to understand what they're saying....

it's beautiful... next time, i wanna spend more time in NZ, though...

we're having a great time... i have SO much to blog about already... i may have to type it up on the plane ... i'll never get it done at work... what with month end and all...

we're headed off to breakfast now ... then it's wine tasting. mmm... wine... mmmm... it's only 8AM. god, i love vacation!!!

holy jeezus!

this is so goddamned funny to me! you can buy this here. the description starts off with, "don't forget mom's birthday!" what the fuck??? for even bigger laughs, check the left hand sidebar...

"W stands for War!"
"Heathen Merchandise"
"Unsaved People Suck!"
"Hellbound Catholics!"

you know what? i'm not going to spoil it. just look at it .... it's unbelievable!

does this seem weird and funny to anyone besides me???

OMG! i can get a WWJD thong!!!! it's so mine!

it's all over for me...

vacation mode just hit.

i can't concentrate anymore. i have one more big ol' spreadsheet to do, but i can't concentrate on it.

just ... one... more... oh, god. it's hopeless... i just can't.

ooh, it's pretty outside. i have a view outside through my boss's office. it is so nice and purty...

even though we're probably only going to hit the beach twice, should i pack two swimsuits? i don't know... nah. i shouldn't. we're gone for 10 days and i've already packed too much. well, not really. it still is only one carry-on. but how am i going to fit in the souvenirs i wanna buy???

hrm. maybe i should bring my black swimsuit instead. black is slimming, after all... although... it's not really slimming if you're wearing a bikini, is it... hmm... even though my black swim suit is cuter... but the other one is lighter in color and won't make me look like a goddamned ghost.

actually, i don't think it matters what swimsuit i wear. i'm still going to look like a ghost. why is it so hard to tan???? stupid, stupid melanin stuff....

maybe i need more than 2 swim suits.

julia told me that koalas will pee on you if you hold one... i really wanna hold one... but i also really don't wanna get peed on. pee is gross. i wonder if kangaroo meat tastes good. but i don't want to eat them. because they're cute.

look... there's someone in my cube. i'm ignoring him. go the fuck away, asswipe. go on! go away... now he's asking me why i don't have a chair in my cube.

me: "i took it out because i was tired of people coming by to chat."

okay. he's not taking that as a hint. blah, blah, blah... SHUT UP! i don't care about your stupid kid!!!!!! and stupid thanksgiving at stupid day care... FUCK!!!!! goddamnit... i'm going to lose my fucking mind.....

me: "i'm sorry. were you still talking?"

oh, good. finally. go away, captain clueless.

okay. i'm really going to concentrate now.

GAH!!!!

i was walking out of my cube and my hand brushed against a pile of paper.

i have multiple paper cuts on two of my fingers... god! how does that happen??? they burn!!!!

i went to get band-aids, but now my fingers aren't bendy anymore so i'm having a hard time typing. hehe...

stupid paper pile thingie thing... GAH!

the countdown begins...

i didn't realize that saying that being a girl sucks would open up such a can of worms. of course there are ups and downs to being a girl... but it's tough to find new girlfriends. in my experience, most women have treated me poorly. i've been hurt way more by girls than guys. (we don't even wanna get into that hannah thing again.) maybe because the relationships i had with guys were more shallow... i don't know.

at any rate, i wasn't "soliciting support" or anything like that... i was just saying it sucks to be a girl. most of my life i've had guy friends. we moved around a lot and guys (for whatever reason) are more open to being friends. girls ended up being really clique-y. and whenever there was a new girl, it was hunting season. "oh my god, tina, is that bitch talking to your boyfriend? oh my god, let's kick her ass!" and the sad thing is... it's not even just in my freshman year of high school...

at work, the women here like to talk about other girls... if i gain weight, i must be prego. if i lose weight, i must be anorexic or bulimic. if i'm staying late, i'm having an affair, if i come in early, i'm trying to get a raise. i don't even really talk to these women... if i do, they start asking me when the baby's coming and things like that. i don't want to talk to them about it. it's none of their business.

i have nothing in common with them. ... even the few people that i do get along with here at work, well, it's not like i would kick it with them and have a couple of beers after work or invite them to my home for a bbq or something....

i've just had a hard time making and keeping girlfriends. even the ones i do have, we don't really have much in common anymore. we may have had a lot in common when we were 10 or 15 or 21... but not so much anymore. we have different interests now, we do different things now, we definitely think differently now.... it's just hard to see eye to eye on a lot of things.

okay. 'nuff about that. i get to leave work in 8 hours. wooty woot! :D

i can't wait. i need a vacation in the worst way possible. i think it wouldn't be so bad if i was actually getting paid for the overtime i put in. salary positions suck. when they hired me on, i asked them if i could be hourly and the HR lady laughed before she said, "uhm, no." ouch.

i was a little sad last night, though... we took the baby bunny to steve's mom's... she's bunny sitting for us while we're gone... the bunny isn't even going to remember us when we come back. she's probably all happy to be at grandma's. grandma spoils the bunny. a lot. she's going to be so fat when we come back from vacation. the bunny. not grandma. i call steve's mom the bunny whisperer. and she also has a guinea pig. monkey will have her very own pocket pal!

i just know we'll walk in the door to pick her up and she'll look at us like, "hmmm... you look familiar.... do i know you???" god, that bunny's stupid. but so, so cute.

there was this guy at work last night who found out we were going on vacation... and then he's all trying to kick me some knowledge... but in a really condescending tone. "when you get there, don't nap, okay? just stay awake until it's time to go to bed. then you won't feel the jet lag." now, that's a nice tip and all, but the way he talks to me... it's just annoying. i wanted to tell him, "hey, thanks for the tip..... we've never travelled outside of our own time zone before...." but he doesn't get sarcasm. he'd probably think i was serious.

and then he's asking me where we're staying... i told him i didn't know because i didn't make any of the plans. "is it like a comfort inn or something? you're probably flying coach, too, aren't you?"

I'M SORRY, ASSHOLE... I DON'T MAKE A 6 FIGURE SALARY LIKE YOU.

prick. this guy also says to me sarcastically (when i'm at work late one night, in again the next morning early and staying late one more night) "oh... i feel sooo bad for you!"

he typically comes in fairly early and leaves fairly late. he probably puts in about 10 hours a day... sometimes 12. he is also a VP and makes a SHITLOAD of money... what a dick. i don't get paid 25% of what he makes and he thinks i should be here as long as he is every fucking day or something? what a fuckwad. god! i hate him.

anyway, i'm definitely not going to miss work one bit. i will miss my blog and blogging buddies :( i hope i don't get the shakes or anything... i'm so addicted to the blog, it's scary.

i think yesterday was the first workday ever that i didn't post anything... i was so angry and i couldn't even make time to bitch about it! it was a sad day for me.

on the music front, check out out of the box mixed by ed rush & optical. more drum 'n' bass for your aural pleasure.

4 hours + 14 hours + 11 hours =

too many work hours... it's only wednesday, i mean come on! give me a fucking break.

all i can think about is new zealand and australia. i'd better see some fucking kangaroos and koalas or i'll be pissed.

i'm a little bit peeved today... not just because of work...

but i don't really wanna get into it here. somehow, it just doesn't seem appropriate to air out other people's dirty laundry unless it's my own... hehe. but i really need to vent. oh well. guess i'll just talk to her the next time she IMs me or calls me... she may avoid me on IM or phone because she knows exactly what i'm going to say, but she doesn't wanna hear it. but, maybe i should just keep my mouth shut. i mean... it's her choices that are ultimately putting her in situations, right? right. it's none of my business and i should just be a good friend. right? right.

although, come to think of it, being a girlfriend kinda sucks. at least guys can just punch each other in the face and tell each other they're being a big ol' dumbass. but with girls... well... you have to go about it the nice way. you know, listen while they vent and such.

i hate being a girl. i don't think i make a good one. maybe when i'm in a better mood i'll make a better girlfriend.

anyway, my parents are coming over tonight... we're going to dinner. then tomorrow they're headed to another crazy ass seminar for my brother. i hope he appreciates this. the other night, i had a dream and he was in it... he was crying and i was crying... and i hugged him. and when i hugged him, he turned into a baby. but he didn't look like a baby. he just looked like a shrunken version of himself. that was weird. i don't know if that means i miss him or not. i think i miss how he used to be.

then last night i had a dream about my hands being irreparably chapped. that was gross. even when i was putting tons of lotion on it, it just wasn't helping.

the breezeblock had bjork take over a show. she was picking out her favorite tunes and saying a little bit about each piece. i just love her little pixie-esque, icelandic accent. it's just so goddamned cute! she rolls her little "R"s ... i've never heard her talk for any period of time... and her little laugh. god! i just wanna have 10,000 of her babies! some of the songs i like, and some i don't... but i have to listen to the whole show just to hear her voice...

i read nina's post about the damn evil cheesy crackers... reminded me how i ate half a costco bag of goldfish (the crackers) this morning for breakfast. i have an addiction.

i'm delirious. i'm going home... the earlier i get home, the earlier we can go to dinner, the earlier i can go to bed and the earlier i can get back into work. ufff.

i'm never going to get home at this rate

i'm still at work. it's ... not early.

and i'm pissed. (surprise, surprise!) and the longer i stay here, the more pissed i get.

i love my boss. i think he's great. i got really lucky when i ended up working for him. however, in my job, at month-end, i'm always on call. if i'm in the country, i'm working.

next week is the last full week of the month. which means, i should be here on call. and typically, i do end up working on most holidays and such. new years' eve is the last day of the month, thanksgiving and christmas are both close enough to month end where i should be working...

and whenever i need a day off for something (like yesterday) he will usually give it to me, no problem... even when i do have a lot of shit to get done....

however, i requested for 3 vacation days next week. and i told him when i requested the vacation time way back when, that i was going to be leaving the country. and he approved the vacation. i reminded him today again that i wasn't going to be here and he freaked out a little bit. then he said he was joking, but i know he wasn't... i've known him now for 4 years... he definitely wasn't joking.

what the fuck??? why am i the one who always has to work on holidays and shit? no one else is working! even if i'm working, i can't get that much done... because i need other people to do their shit! and if they're not there, it won't get done ANYWAY! goddamn! being a peon just fucking SUCKS! oh, and the worst part is... on weekends, holidays, whenever... if someone i need isn't working, i have to stalk them... track them down until i get a hold of them. and then i'm automatically the bad guy...

i don't want to spend 5 whole vacation days on vacation when i can only spend 3 because of the thanksgiving holiday! also, the only time i'm ever really on vacation is when we leave the fucking country! if i'm in the country, i'm on call. they gave me a wireless sprint card so, even if i'm not at a hotel or someone's home, i can access the internet to work. i can work in the fucking car when steve's driving, even. how fucked up is that???

you know, just because i'm a hard worker (don't laugh! it's true. i know i blog a lot! but i get a shitload of work done) doesn't mean that i fucking WANT to work. it means that i have a strong work ethic! (stop fucking laughing!) i don't leave shit undone. if someone asks me to do something and i can, i will help them. because when i need help, i expect that favor to be returned and it usually is.

i know i should just fucking suck it up and do something about it. either just quit my bitching or actually update my resume and apply for a job elsewhere... but it's just... argh. i mean, what if they reject me? or what if i apply for a job and get it, but it ends up being worse???? or what if i get a really horrible boss? and then that resume!!! how do i make "being a peon" sound like i've accomplished something? *sigh* i don't know what to do...

and then it all comes back to that having kids thing. i can stay home if i have kids. now i want to cry....

you know, some people tell me, "oh, i don't know what i would do if i stopped working! i'd probably still work just because!!! even if i didn't need the money!!!!" jeezus christ. there is just so much i could do if i didn't work!!! i think they need to implement 4x10 work days instead of the 5x8 we've got going on right now. i would be so happy even if it was a wednesday i got off... that would be sweet.

i just want to read and cook and play video games and watch movies and listen to music and clean my home and do the laundry and wash the dishes. i'm tired of living in squalor because i don't have time to do shit. fuck, steve is probably only happy when people come over because that's almost the only time i clean! and i like to live in a clean home, i really do. but when i'm tired because i've been at work for more than 12 hours... it just gets pretty hard to keep everything tidy.

that's fucking I T. after the holidays are over, i'm updating my resume. goddamned holidays don't give me enough time to work on the stupid thing... and since i'm in front of a screen all day long, i definitely don't wanna get on after work to do it. i think that since they're making me suffer, they should be paying me to update my resume :P

i hate to say it, but maybe my mom was right. maybe i should've become a nurse instead. they've got those 3 or 4 day work weeks. and you get paid OVERTIME. when i first got my job, i asked them if i could be hourly instead of salary. the HR lady actually laughed at me before she told me, "uhm, no." i should've taken that as a warning....

oh, fuck. back to work for me. no more breaks... i gotta get home...

last night...

i was pretty sniffly after dropping nina and mike off at the airport, so steve said he'd take me out to dinner. now, i know it's our anniversary and everything, but we're going to australia and i thought it might be better to just not spend any more money... but he insisted on taking me. so we went somewhere i'd heard of and wanted to try out... he's so sweet.

we get home (because i wasn't about to go out in the sweatpants i was wearing) and i go to the bathroom. when i get out, there's a cd on the table. i thought maybe it just came in the mail... so i pick it up, thinking, "hmm, what'd he get in the mail today?" and i pick it up... and it's celso machado. he was the opener for the bebel gilberto concert we went to in vancouver, bc. he blew my little mind. he was just so talented. he plays all these indigenous instruments and he's like this guitar virtu-freakin-oso... and i almost started to cry. you see, i'd given up looking for reviews on that show about 2 days after we got back. i'd resigned myself to the fact that i wasn't going to ever hear him again.... and then the cd.

and then, under the cd, a card... which... okay. i bawled like a goddamned baby. i couldn't help it. it was ... nice.

so we went to tabu grill in laguna beach. steve says on the $ scale, it's a $$$. (that's if fast food isn't on the scale at all, in my opinion...) at any rate, it was nice. it was good. pretty good food... nice place. it's only got an occupancy of 25 inside, so it was small. but i liked it. worth checking out.

here's a little pic. it's our anniversary pic :P it's freakin' tiny. and i've gotta remember to check the resolution before i take the pic. if you look in the mirror behind me, you can see steve's head :P also, look at the wall with the little candles in it. i thought it was cute.



okay. i'm done with the mushy gushy posts.... :P

stupid work is stopping me from my daily blogging. i'm so pissed! what do i look like to them? some kind of fucking peon? they should be fucking paying me just to show up! just because i'm me!!!! fuck. okay. this peon's gotta get back to work :(

pics from the weekend

outside of las brisas, where we had breakfast on saturday morning.


g: please, nina, just love me!!! please!!!! no! don't go away!!!!
n: get the fuck away from me, you fucking weirdo!
m: hey, i can't see shit out of this thingie thing.



g: yay! i'm standing on this big ass wall thing and i'm the same height as nina and mike! nina, please love me?
n: is this fucking picture over with yet? this crazy bitch won't let go!
m: i'm beeeeyooootiful!



yet another gorgeous picture by steve.



n: holy crap. what is michael doing?
g: muwahahahaha! muwahahahahahaha! i bet NOW nina loves me!
m: i'm beeeeyoooootiful!


there was a pic of steve and me, but... i'm saying something and i look AWFUL. (thanks, MIKE! sheesh) and there were more scenery pics... some ferry pics when we went over to balboa island. and there are no more pics after that. i think we were all too drunk to remember to take pics or something. :( oh well.

at any rate, i can't remember all the great little details and funny stuff that happened. all i know is that my blogger buddies are the best :D

and for the record, as far as meeting mel goes, that was not planned. so there was no real "blogger meet and greet" or anything. it was completely spontaneous. we couldn't very well go into the LBC and not at least send her an email to see if she was available, now could we??? :) especially with nina and mike coming from afar. i didn't know where anyone else lived.

but, i seriously do want to do something in vegas or something. i think that would kick ass! hey, can steve come, even though he doesn't have a blog? and is anyone good at planning things? :) i think it would really be a lot of fun.

thanks, mike and nina for coming all the way out here... thanks, mel for coming out on a sunday night without any notice, but still looking all cute like you were planning on going out! :)

oh, i forgot to mention. nina was a fucking trooper. she had a hangover all day sunday and we still stayed out until midnight on sunday night. don't make fun... steve's drinks are STRONG. and they were big. she probably had the equivalent of 7 or 8 drinks. sheesh. i definitely didn't have that many and i was DRUNK! so, yeah.....

us in the LBC

damn my chinky eyes. god!

from L to R, mel, me, nina.

i hate you photogenic people. argh!

i heart my husband...

before i get into my post, i just wanted to say thanks to everyone who wished us well for our anniversary! so sweet! i wanted to cry! seriously!

i came home around noon today so that i could hang out more with mike and nina... and i got home, and they had flowers and a card for us for our anniversary. i'm serious when i say that mike and nina are two of the nicest and most considerate people i've ever met.

that being said, they were my guinea pigs. :P i was a little apprehensive about meeting people online. but now that i've met them (and mel - which was really quite spontaneous), i'm so eager to meet everyone else! we're going to have to throw a blogger party or something. or better yet, meet up in vegas. i'm so glad we did this...

okay... here's my post.

it's kinda funny... sometimes when i'm at work, all of a sudden, for no reason in particular, i'll get mushy gushy feelings towards steve and have to email him just to tell him that i love him so very much...

he's just so patient and sweet to me. i think when people first meet him, they might not get that impression because he's just really quiet. they might think that he doesn't like them or whatever... but with me, he's different.

he's really funny... he's got that dry sense of humor that i love. and he is the king of one-liners.

he seems to be really stoic, but he's really affectionate with me... and i like that he treats me differently than other people.

i dated this guy for a bit, tony. tony was a nice guy. really, really nice. like, almost nice to a fault. we had fun together. things were okay and all... but he treated me like he treated everyone else. he was the same way with me that he was with his parents, his siblings, his ex-girlfriends, his friends, his co-workers... and when he answered the phone, you could never tell who he was talking to. it was like he was uncomfortable with everyone.... even his parents... it was... weird.

at any rate, i like that steve isn't like that. i like how he is really sweet to me... and affectionate. even though he may mostly be affectionate when we're alone and no one else knows...

i love that my family loves him... and my brother and sister get along with him. and he is always so patient with my parents, even though they're crazy.

he can always teach me something... whether it's about books, movies, music or just... anything.

he takes care of me when i'm drunk off my ass.... we've had parties where i'm passed the fuck out and he will make sure i'm in bed, and clean up everything so when i wake up, it's just about all done. he still loves me even when i'm annoying when i'm fucked up. heh.

he never tells me what to do... and whatever i want to do, he is so supportive.

he never yells at me. we've only been in 2 fights that i can remember. and they weren't even that bad, come to think of it. they were both my fault... i was being psychotic... and he may be the most patient man in the world, but even he has his limit. hehe.

the other weekend, i was going through this box i have... it's of keepsakes and such... of the places we've been... the fun things we did... i started keeping it because when we first started dating, everything was so wonderful that i was pretty sure it wasn't going to last. i mean, why get my hopes up? so i kept everything so i could have a memento of the best boyfriend i ever had in my life. now, i just keep everything out of habit.

so i was transferring everything into a bigger box and i came across a valentine's day card he gave me. and it made me kinda tear up. he never writes anything that's mushy, gushy and cheesey... but what he did write --- was so sweet... he thought i was being silly...hehe... but i was serious. it was just the sweetest thing.

a few weeks (maybe even a couple of months) after we started dating, this older lady at work stopped me and asked if i was still dating "that cute boy" in the other department. i said, "yes." but apparently, i didn't seem too happy about it... she asked what was wrong. i said, "that's the problem. nothing is wrong. i'm scared. everything is too perfect..." i guess i was just used to drama or something. she laughed at me and said, "oh, sweetie, then just enjoy it." and i was ready to break up with him because i was so scared... i'm glad she talked to me then.

i can't believe that it's already been two years. steve, i love you more than ever... thank you for putting up with me... and my crazy ideas and stupid shit that i say and do... thank you for making me want to be a better person....

holy jeezus...

i have over 10,000 hits on my blog!

(i have to pay that guy i hired to click that "refresh button" every day for the past few months!)

it's our two-year anniversary today. is that still newlywed status? or is newlywed status over after 1 year?

i'm already getting shit on at work... and i've only been here for 6 minutes.

mike sounds JUST like owen wilson. i'm not kidding. i kept on cracking up last night because i love owen wilson, but i hate mike. j/k. i love mike.

and nina is awesome. she made us truffles. who actually MAKES truffles??? fuck. i thought they grew on the truffle tree. and they're super duper good. and i'm not sharing anymore with steve. everything she says about herself on her profile is true.

we met up with mel mega last night. we were in long beach already, and we wanted to at least send her an email. and if she wanted to see us, she could call... and if not, she could just pretend that she didn't get the email until today. she called (sucker!) and we had a good time. okay, i had a good time. i was a little boisterous last night. not really like me. i think i was giddy because of our mini blog get-together. i hope i didn't frighten her. it was weird, but not. it kinda takes the anonymity away from our blogs now, though.

i think mike's going to stop writing about nina and his sex life and i think i will stop typing the words "doggie style" in my blog.

nina and mel are both even cuter than their profile pics. and i want their friggin' eyelashes... it's not fair. and i just wanted to say that mel's the pocket pal. not me. i seriously just wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home with me and play dress up with her or something. i'm sure the boys wanted to put her in their pockets and take her home for different reasons, though :P j/k. mel, they never said anything of the sort. don't be frightened!

at any rate, i'm glad mike and nina came out. we had a good time. nina felt shitty all day yesterday (steve's drinks are NO JOKE.) but she was a trooper last night. i hope i didn't scare anyone away. the next thing i know, nina, mike and mel are all going to change their blog names and delete all their posts :( sound familiar? :P

pics will come up later. i should start working so these work people will leave me the fuck alone.

something is wrong with this computer

it's randomly selecting words and linking it to shit that i'm not linking to. it's fucking weird.

by the way... in case you don't want to get through mike's post (it's a big one) about halo 2, the only important things you need to know are:

1. i kick ass.
2. we all got really shit faced.
3. i really kicked ass.
4. nina got fucking shit faced.
5. it was me against 6 other players. me. by myself. and i kicked ass. i had 50 kills, they had 8. i did ask nina to throw herself off cliffs and such. and she was so shit faced and so nice that she did once or twice. but other times, she was so shit faced, she couldn't even throw herself off the cliff properly. anyway, she only got a -12 score. so their 8 kills + 12 kills still only equals 20 kills. so i still smoked their asses.

and that's it for halo 2. god. multi-player kicks ass.

halo2 night. it's kicking ass.

i'm too drunk to really post anything. but if anyone wants a run down of what the hell is going on.... check mike's blog. we're all drunk. except for steve. because he can put some serious liquor down.

argh

what the fuck? i was supposed to leave early today so i could clean.

goddamnit!

i'm out! and this weekend i'm going to play halo until my eyeballs pop out. fuck yes.

obligatory halo 2 post

steve's finished the game already. and he never even let me play co-op once.

i'm too chicken shit to play by myself. hell, i could barely watch him without wanting to piss myself.

that's all i had to say about halo 2.

i'm a 'tard magnet....

no offense, steve...

i was talking to a girlfriend of mine last night... which is an event all in itself. i've not been feeling like talking on the phone lately...

at any rate, i was telling her about how when i go to church with steve, this guy there, who has downs syndrome, stares at me. all the time. i don't know if it's because i'm the only asian person there, or if he thinks we could be friends, or if he thinks our eyes are shaped the same. i don't know. at any rate, it's kind of creepy. and it's not just because he's got downs syndrome. if anyone spent that much time staring at me, i'd think it was creepy. even if it was steve.

it's so bad that even his parents have noticed it. they now will sit in between him and me (we're not sitting near each other, by the way) so that they can control him and make him look in a different direction. if he didn't have downs, i would probably just stare back with a dirty look. unfortunately, he makes me extremely uncomfortable. i haven't exactly had much experience with people who have downs syndrome. so i don't know how to act.

and it's not just him, either. my company used to hire ... people... uhm... i don't know if they were retarded. they were... just... very... slow... i don't know what they did here. i'm sure they didn't use any sharp objects. at any rate, this one guy used to follow me around (when i used to actually go into the cafeteria). and i have no idea how he got my name. and he'd corner me at every opportunity and say, "HI, GRACE!" and i'd say hi back and scurry on by. one day, he brought me a flower. i said, "thank you." and after that, he thought we were dating or something. he just would not leave me alone. and for some unknown reason (i think god was fucking with me) i would always get to work at precisely the same time the short bus would get there. yes, they rode a short bus. no, it was not yellow.

so, by the time, i parked and got out of my car, he would already be outside... waiting for me... it was awkward, to say the least.

so, why do they love me? why? maybe they think we can relate or something. maybe we could. maybe i should've given him a chance.

or not.

either way, it's creepy.

weird ass dreams

i had a dream that i completely fucked up xmas dinner. i mean, the turkey came out all fucked up. it wasn't al brown like it's supposed to be. and it was all deformed. it took the shape of the big ass aluminum pan thing i was using. and it said to me, "my birthday is july 7th." and then laid back down in the turkey juices. and it was huge. so huge that i couldn't lift it out of the oven and it spilled turkey juice all over the floor...

i mean, what the fuck? it didn't even have a beak to tell me that it's birthday was july 7th. how did it say anything, anyway?

i'm paranoid about xmas dinner. i'm having nightmares about it.

steve's going to say that he told me so... told me i shouldn't have volunteered to do it. oh, gawd, i'm scared. it'll be okay, it'll be okay... somebody hold me?

finally friday

even though i worked from home 2.5 days this week, i felt like i was here in the office all 5 days. how does that work???

also, how did i never get on this blog before? convoluted insanity. it's funny. and i like it. also, he has GREAT taste in music.

this morning, on the way to work, i was driving up to the light and it turned green. i wasn't slowing down because it's green now. unfortunately, the car ahead didn't feel like moving. she just fucking sat there. so i honk my horn twice. and she starts off. everything's fine... by the jerky transitions, i deduced that she was driving a stick shift. fine. whatever. but for the love of god, could you get off your fucking cell phone for a minute? why is that so difficult? is it that important? it's fucking 8:30 in the morning... what, are you calling your best friend to find out what she's like, totally going to wear?

so, she's laughing in her car, holding her phone to her ear, driving a stick, smoking a cigarette all at the same time. when i had my tercel, it was also a stick shift, and i also was guilty of driving, talking, and smoking all at the same time. sometimes, even drinking my coffee... but i did it on the freeway... when there was no traffic and there's no need for me to downshift or stop or anything. okay, maybe a couple of times, i might've done all that shit at the same time, but at least i paid attention to the fucking lights! christ! why is that so fucking difficult?

and the worst part about it is, when you honk your horn, they get all pissed at you ... like i should've just waited for her to get her head out of her ass? what the fuck?

speaking of heads in asses... why do the benz drivers like to cut you off on the freeway? this morning, i had no fewer than 3 benz drivers squeeze into a space in front of me that they really shouldn't. and the stupid thing is... there was plenty of fucking room behind me. they could've been doing the same speed and then just got behind me. instead, they speed up and try to squeeze in. they're lucky i braked for them. fucktards. what is with them?

i feel kinda weird today. i got an email from my sister. she's 17. she was saying how writing the essays for her college applications were kind of hard. and it doesn't seem like it's been ten years since i had to do the same thing... but i guess it has. i don't necessarily feel old... but i do keep wondering where in the fuck all that time went....

just a couple of things...

just came back from getting hot water for my tea. it's one of those insta-hot water spouts that's attached to the coffee pots... and i really wanted to spit in the coffee pot. is that wrong?

it makes me giggle when my boss has his admin set up golf tee times.

"we want 2 foursomes at 10:05 and 2 twosomes at 10:10. no. wait. there's one more. 2 foursomes at 10:05, 1 twosome, and 1 threesome at that other time. does that work?"

speaking of stupid neighbors...

jules' comment on my last post reminded me of the crazy lady that lives by us...

we live in condos... so if you try (or sometimes if you're not trying very hard at all) you can see into your neighbor's home.

there's this lady that lives by us who is kinda crazy. (the cops and firemen have been called a few times now to break into her home and make sure she was still alive after an apparent pill and/or alcohol binge.) anyway, she used to have this little yippy ankle-biter dog.

when i first moved in with steve, my friend (actually an ex-boyfriend) was helping me move in. well, we're not really friends anymore. we just drifted apart, i guess. at any rate, i had been moving in little by little, but i needed help with my fridge. so, tony helped steve and me move the fridge over. he was standing outside by the u-haul when the little yippy dog (who was being walked by crazy lady's daughter) walked by... and bit tony... a little above the ankle.

tony (who is a very, very nice guy, by the way) says (in his nice guy voice), "excuse me, your dog just bit me..."

the girl (who might've been about 12 at the time) just starts walking faster with the dog to her mom's. tony starts walking after the girl, "excuse me... excuse me... your dog just bit me."

she continues to ignore him. and walks up the steps and shuts the door. tony's a tad annoyed by this point. he goes up the stairs and starts knocking on the door. maybe it was borderline pounding. and he doesn't really stop knocking for a while. FINALLY, the crazy lady comes out and is waving her hot cigarette in his face and is asking him why he's making such a big deal.

tony (in nice guy mode again): your dog bit me..... and i just wanted to see some record that he's gotten all his shots
crazy lady (waving hot cigarette): he's gotten all his shots, okay?
tony: well... i would like to see some records to make sure...
cl (in shrill voice): i said he's gotten all his shots! *slams her front door*

tony begins banging on the front door again. CL opens the door, "STOP INTIMDATING ME!" mind you, tony's got on a muppets t-shirt. a fucking muppets t-shirt. he's the least intimidating guy EVER. and then she starts freaking out and screaming and telling him she's calling the cops. so tony calls the cops, too. they find out from tony what happens and then they go to the lady's house. they go in there, shut the door, and stay inside for at least 30-40 minutes.... i'm not even shitting you. what the fuck does that lady have to say for that long? to this day, i'm fucking convinced that she was giving them warm cookies, milk and a blow job.

SO... (that was the background to the reason why i was writing this post).... the cop comes back to our place. wants to speak to the people who live at our home. steve and i go outside with the cop. and he goes on to tell us how we need to be careful of what we're watching at our home because the daughter can see inside and she saw porn on the wall. (we had a projector in our bedroom for a while.)

WHAT?????

so i'm completely flabbergasted at this point... i couldn't even think straight. i stammered, "uhm... maybe they were like R-rated or something... but it wasn't porn..." he wasn't buying it.

but even if it WAS porn, i mean, first of all, why's her fucking 12 year old staring into our home? if we're watching a movie (porn or not), we shut the fucking blinds! you have to really be trying to look inside to see anything. second, it's our fucking home. we can watch whatever the FUCK we wanna watch in our fucking home. christ! nosey little fucking pre-teen whore! jeezus.

so, yeah... the cops had to tell us to stop watching porn. in front of my ex-boyfriend and my cousins. and that sucked. i mean, it was already awkward for him to say that in front of my ex, but in front of my cousins? yeah... good times.

call the cops! the neighbors are fuckin'!

okay... i seriously can't remember if i posted anything on this or not... i guess that happens when you have 400+ posts...

at any rate, i was reading veronica's blog this morning... and she was saying how she ratted her neighbors out... and how they have loud sex and loud arguments, etc...

and it reminded me of that time...

steve and i had been dating for a couple of months. we were still in that "hump 5 times a day" mode...

ANYWAY --- we're having sex in the living room... we're butt nekkid. all the lights are on... and on top of that, we're doing it... doggy style. that's right. doggy style... i know, someone is inevitably going to say, "OMG! TMI!" but i had to tell you what the position was. it makes it that much funnier, but embarrassing.

and someone knocks on the door. our front door has those little windows so you can see inside if you're outside. and i see a face right there. it's a cop. i yelp and run for the bedroom... which is stupid, really because they've already seen everything. steve runs for the bedroom to get something on to open the door. in hindsight, he probably just should've opened the door in the buff. that would've been funny. but, you know, when you're caught off guard like that, you don't really think too much.

by this time, i'm under the covers... and steve comes back ... apparently, some neighbor called the cops on us because we were being too loud (by we, i really mean i).

rat bastards. anyway, at least veronica didn't call the cops on her neighbors, sheesh.

i've decided that the neighbors were just jealous that they weren't gettin' good lovin' or something. yeah. that's it.

steve's package(s)

since october or september or something, steve's been getting a shitload of packages. i know they're for me for xmas or something... but what's in them? and why are there so damned many?

we got one today from amazon uk... oh... how i love amazon uk. but what's in it??? i think it's cds or dvds or something. it sounds like it. uh-oh. maybe that means that it's loose in there...

i don't know how he keeps them hidden from me. he must put them where only tall people can see and reach. it's not fair. i hate being short :(

also, how does he keep them from me... i mean, when i have a gift for someone, i have to give it to them right away. i can't just put them away. first of all, i'd probably forget that i bought it or i'd forget where i hid it. also, i'm impatient!

my friend doesn't call him "The Most Patient Man in the World" for nothing...

writer's block, anyone?

there's this site... that will instantly generate a post for you if you've got writer's block.

apparently, the makers of this site are obsessed with japanese schoolgirls. every time i would click on the button to make me a new post, it was about japanese schoolgirls.

after four attempts to generate something that made sense, i got this:

Last week my boss was listening to a radio program about standards of beauty among Japanese schoolgirls. He was very disturbed by the subject, so he axed my friend Alejandro about it, and he interrupted:

"Wow!.. Dude! I was just learning about Japanese schoolgirls in class!"

But then when my boss got to the part about the standards of beauty, Alejandro suddenly got this dangerous look in his eyes. But this morning, Alejandro's brother told me that the reason Alejandro was so freaked out was because he had to study standards of beauty in class. Sometimes Alejandro can be very unpredicatble like that, but all he cares about is my own good...

what in the fuck is that? first of all, he AXED his friend alejandro? second of all... unpredicatble? third... would anyone just put that as a post without ripping it apart? i mean, it's fucking stupid and ridiculous and ... stupid. christ, it doesn't really make sense.

i'd rather just not write anything at all. i mean, if i'm going to write stupid shit, i'd rather it be my own stupid shit. christ. i hate everything right now.

fer chrisssakes!!!!

this is the second time today that right when i was about to fall asleep, i got a call from work. what in the fuck???

next time, i'm going in to work and i'm going to fucking mope about and infect everyone with my fucking illness... this is BULLSHIT.

i mean, i even logged out of IM so they would know that i was unavailable. so instead, they fucking call me... apparently, logging out of IM wasn't a big enough fucking hint.

if i were the person at work that needed my help, i would just recreate the spreadsheet. it's not that difficult. and it wouldn't really take that long. sure, it's faster and easier to call me to do it... but, still....

and i would do that because i knew that the person needed rest. so now i'm all fucking wound up and i won't be able to sleep. great. just great. and now that i can't sleep, they're not going to fucking bother me all day. and then they're going to wonder why i'm still fucking ill tomorrow.

oh, christ. i want to quit my job. i really, really do.

steve's geek friends

are mostly democrats... and they forward steve all this shit... i love it... hehehe...

i think they would crucify him if they knew he was republican, though...



Dear President Bush:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from you and understand why you would propose and support a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. As you said "in the eyes of God marriage is based between a man a woman." I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? (I'm pretty sure she's a virgin).

3. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

4. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it? How can I help you here?

5. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

6. Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

7. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

8. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

9. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging. It must be really great to be on such close terms with God and his son ... even better than you and your own Dad, eh?

really, what's the point???

i should just go into work. i mean, really... what's the difference? i mean, i'm still working. it's not like i'm getting to nap or anything... jeezus h. christ. eh, at least i get to wear my fuzzy pants and sweatshirt and bunny slippers.

i'm dreaming of halo now... last night, i had a dream that i was talking to my friend about how he was going to propose to his girlfriend (i don't know if he's going to or not... but for some reason, it was in my dream) and he's looking up at the sky and he's like, "wow. check out the moon..."

so i look at it... and it's starting to rise... and there's this other circular object near it but it's coming closer to earth. and he says, "oh shit. that looks like a satellite or something." i keep on looking at it and i say, "i think it is..."

it looked exactly like the halo... er, uhm... in halo. anyway, it comes hurtling down to earth. mind you, where we are looks just like the city on earth that steve was fighting on last night. i have no idea what city that's supposed to be. the halo crashes into this really tall building pretty close by. friend says, "that was close, we'd better get outta here." he looks up at the sky again and sees another one. he's visibly freaked out. i grab his arm and tell him to run. another halo comes crashing down, but this one hits the building we were just in.

and then i woke up. it was just so realistic. i mean, all the debris everywhere... it was weird... i wanna play, but i don't. i practically pissed myself last night just watching steve play for a few minutes. these big ass fighting monster covenant dudes just come out of nowhere!

even if i played on the easiest level possible, i'd probably still get wasted.

i'm so damned cranky...

so, went to cooking class last night.... even though i'm sick... i tried not to breathe on anyone... i think i was unsuccessful. oops.

at any rate, i'm starting to freak out about doing christmas dinner. i want to do it... it's just that i'm a tad apprehensive about the turkey. i've never made a friggin' turkey before. and it's not like i can just practice on one... we'd have turkey leftovers forever, if i did that...

and then on top of that, this morning, i noticed that we got in the mail yesterday an invitation from his cousins. normally his aunt does thanksgiving and christmas, but this year, her daughter is doing thanksgiving and i'm doing christmas...

but she sends out this really cute invite. it's a fucking turkey and it's got little leaf stickers on the envelope and it's all printed out nicely... goddamnit! why???? she's a teacher for first or second grade, so she does this shit all the time... and i know it's going to be set up all pretty like and shit... oh, man.

i'm screwed. we don't even have enough plate settings for all the people that are probably coming over. hell. i was going to use disposable plates... okay, the nice ones, okay? the nice, thick ones. heh. oh, fuck me.

now what am i going to do???? i am not going to purchase another 12 settings... shit. i'm going to have to go and buy one of those damn folding tables as it is... shit.

why's she gotta go and make a pretty invitation, anyway? no one puts out invitations! fuck.

stupid, stupid.... stupid creative cousin with her fancy shmancy invites and nice table settings.

i guess it's going to be a ghetto xmas for us :(

damn goldfish

i bought a box of goldfish at costco... that's a problem - 3 "stay-fresh" bags... totalling 58 oz.

we ate a whole bag. i think i ate 75% of that bag... that's a problem...

i'm not opening the other 2 bags, damn it. they're calling to me, though. i can hear their tiny little goldfish voices calling to me. "grace! eat us! you know you want to!"

fuck, but they're addicting as hell.... okay... maybe i'll just eat one more bag... mmm. what's another 4000 calories???

so much for my sick day...

i might have to take tomorrow off too, now... i just worked all damned day... i didn't get to lie down once...

what the hell ever happened to resting on your sick day? i don't know. sheesh.

maybe i can squeeze a nap in before my class tonight. i wonder if i can get away with not showering for my class... hehe... that would give me an extra half hour of sleep.

jeff buckley

ahhhh.....



i think his voice is angelic...

all i need now is to figure out how to get cds to play in steve's set up. holy crap... there are just too many wires and such... screw it. i guess i'm just leaving it to play on my computer... with my crappy speakers. sheesh....

i wish i knew about him before he died so i could've seen him live.

i'm at home today...

i'm so sick i feel like i could die. i was at home for half the day yesterday, too. but instead of sleeping, i went to the korean market to pick up veggies to make chicken soup. and then i made chicken soup... and did the dishes and then played kirby air ride for a while. playing that game makes me want to eat marshmallows.



anyway, i suck at that game. i'm just bad at racing games in general, though...

ugh. i hate having the flu.

i'd better be all better by this weekend... but if i can't, i'd better be all good for our trip in a couple of weeks. sheesh. there's nothing worse than travelling while ill.

watched another episode of battlestar galactica... i just have to say again... the new version is so kickass. it's not exactly geared towards kids like the original series seems to be.

saw the first episode of long way around. i love ewan mcgregor. charley boorman, i don't really know who he is. i wonder if he's jealous of ewan's success... eh, what the fuck does he care, he has a beautiful wife and daddy's money.

at any rate, it's crazy, they're riding their bikes from london to ny, via mongolia, russia, some country i don't know how to spell, flying to anchorage and going all the way to ny. looks like it gets pretty hairy in later episodes...

steve went out last night and got halo2. the packaging is pretty fucking cool. i would take a picture, but i'm too goddamned lazy right now. it's pretty heavy... and it's silver... not like the normal videogame packaging. i was going to stay up and watch steve play, but i took this cough syrup with some serious codeine or something in it. typically, that doesn't affect me too much, but i may have had one teaspoon too many. hehehe... mmmmmm, prescription cough syrup.

he said it was pretty fucking cool, though. he said he had about 5 "oh shit!" moments... and he only played for an hour. i'm kind of sad that i have a cooking class tonight. then again, he has a business dinner to attend tonight, so THERE! YOU CAN'T PLAY EITHER!!!! :P

he also picked me up a copy of shrek 2. :) so, i'm a happy wife today... except for the fact that i'm fucking ill. eh, at least i'm home...

asians all look the same...

courtesy of quyen, here's a link to a test... to see if you can tell the difference between chinese, japanese, and korean.

i got 9 out of 18 right. however, the 9 out of 18 right i did get were total guesses. i couldn't even make an educated guess. seriously, i couldn't tell the difference.

so, yeah. i'm gonna say that asians all look the same. and i can say that because i'm asian. :P

i'll bet steve gets a higher score than i do.

oh, yeah...

finally finished paper mario. what a fun game. if you have a gamecube, you have to get this game. if you don't have the gamecube, you have to get it just to play this game... also, you have to get the wavebird controllers. they rock. they're wireless, run on AA batteries and the batteries last forfuckingever. it's supposed to be like, 100 hours.

it took me 45 hours to complete... i think it's a 20 hour game, if that. yeah, i'm slow. heh. i'm just glad i finished it before halo2 comes out. speaking of which, they're selling them at midnight tonight. steve might go wait in line for that. he's a madman. there's no way i'm going. i feel like shit today. son of a bitch! i wanna go home.

we went to some chinese store to pick up some herbal medicine for my mom. i don't even know what city we were in. anyway, that was kind of an adventure. very few english speakers. and the last lady i "talked" to was tsking me... like, "chinese people should be able to speak chinese!" damn. even asians can't tell the difference between each other. hehe. yeah, i'll be honest, i can't tell the difference between chinese, japanese and korean, most of the time. it's sad. steve can, though. it must be all those years watching asian porn. bwahaha. j/k. they had a bunch of older dvds and vcds there for sale, though. interesting selection. i had to buy a vcd of andy lau's concert. it's called "proud of you." i had to get it. the pictures on it have a big waterfall thingie falling on him... so he's all wet with his shirt all open. for being as old as he is, he sure has a nice body. *grawr* uhm. i can't remember what else is on it. at any rate, it looks like it would be an interesting and entertaining show... even if i don't know any of the songs... or what the fuck he's singing.

we went to kantor gallery in LA. since i didn't have anything to give to steve for our upcoming 2 year anniversary, i bought him a yumiko print.



it's called "surf." apparently, the owner of the art gallery is a big fan of yumiko's work. he or she had a bunch of her original art. must be nice. we'll probably put it with the other asian girl art we have by david mack. he is the creator of the kabuki series... i think he does some of the daredevil comics, too.

afterwards, we went to olvera street... some freakin' good mexican food... for the first time, i tried a potato taco ... it's a taco, but instead of meat, it's got like savory mashed potatoes in it. it's fucking great. there was this skinny dude... kinda moby-esque. anyway, he was right next to us when he ordered one... and he's all verifying with the guy behind the counter, "it doesn't have meat, right? no meat?" the guy concurs... he purchases one and starts munching on it as he's walking away. i just wanted to run after him and tell him, "there's no meat, but you know that taco shell is FRIED in LARD, right?" but i didn't. now i'm regretting it. damn. i should've just stalked him until he was done eating it ... and then said it to him. that would've been funny...

so i had a big ass bean and beef burrito... with this tasty guacamole sauce... and hot sauce... and then i had a potato taco... the shell had just been fried. mmm... fried... lard... and then we had churros. mmm... churros... i was so bad this weekend as far as food goes... i didn't eat healthy at all!

yesterday, i *gasp* went to church with steve and his mom. steve's so good, he goes every week and then spends time with mom. i only go occasionally... mostly because i don't want his mom thinking that she's never going to be able to spend time alone with him again... but also because i just don't want to go to church. afterwards, we went to norm's. they never close. no, seriously. not ever. lots of old people like it there, i think... they have like, value meals. you get soup, salad, meal, dessert (or a drink... depending on the type of meal you get...) so, i ate everything. EVERYTHING... and then for dinner, i ate at least 2 servings of pasta.... after i ate a shitload of goldfish. what the hell is wrong with me?? i'm going to have to starve myself before our vacation... because lord knows i'm not dieting while on vacation...

it's coming up. thank god. i'm so excited. and that's the weekend wrap-up. just wish i could go home now....

i've got it!

the flu, that is... this is no fun. no fun at all.

i wish i was home. i totally thought i wasn't going to get it this time, but saturday night... about 6 or 7, i starting feeling a little funny. and by 9pm, it was pretty much full-blown. *sigh*

the weekend was good, though. watched 3 movies...

1. jersey girl. not a typical kevin smith flick, but it didn't suck as bad as people said it did. i thought it was kind of cute and charming... it's all very predictable, but cute and charming, nonetheless. had funny dialogue... and damn, if that little girl doesn't look like a little version of jennifer lopez. anyway, worth a rent... why the hell not? oh, and george carlin is brilliant as ben affleck's dad. he makes up for ben affleck's non-brilliance.

2. home on the range. i am a sucker for disney movies. i absolutely love them. sure, disney's the anti-christ, but i can't help it. the movies consistently have heart... they're funny, witty... beautiful... the exception to this would be home on the range. you'd think i'd love it... cute little piggies, cute little baby chicks... big fat cows... what a waste of an evening. i'm even more crushed because i really WANTED to love it. i wanted to love it the way i love aladdin or mulan or the little mermaid... why did this movie suck so bad???? why??? how did they let it get released? i watched the whole thing... just waiting for a scene that i could love... but nothing. they gave me nothing. *sigh*

3. new police story (aka police story 5). i think this might have something to do with the supercop series, which is apparently wildly popular in hong kong. i'm not sure how many of the supercop movies i've even seen at this point. at any rate, i think jackie chan is getting a little old to be doing these stunts... i mean, he does always get hurt, but damn... i'm feeling kind of bad for him... then again, he gets paid a whole lotta money to do them... eh, fuck him. i do like him. i think his choreographed fighting moves are still pretty amazing... his stunts are still pretty cool... although the ones from when he was younger are better... NICHOLAS TSE has a big part in this flick. mmm... nicholas... he's gorgeous. he looks like he dropped some weight for this part. to look younger or something. at any rate, i didn't know until i just looked him up on IMDB.com that he was born in 1980. that just sounds weird to me. i immediately associate anyone born in the 80s with my brother and sister. now i feel dirty. anyway, if you're a fan of jackie chan and/or hong kong flicks, watch it. it's not exactly a well-thought out movie. it's pretty predictable and all... but still entertaining...

i remember when i first started dating steve ... he was at my apartment and he brought his portable dvd player over (i didn't have one. just a vcr. so sad.) and he pops in a movie. a hong kong flick. and i watched about 20-30 minutes of it and i was confused and annoyed... i was like, "WTF is going on??? none of this shit makes sense!!!!" he laughed at me... probably called me silly girl and said, "it's a hong kong movie... it's not supposed to make sense." so yeah... new police story isn't as bad as that... the story kinda makes sense, though it's a little bit out there, but it's still a hong kong flick. don't read too much into it, though.

all tranced out...

after 8.5 hours of tiesto, i can't take any more trance. i'm not a huge trance fan, anyway... unless it's tiesto or paul van dyk. for a while, i didn't even like PvD that much... sometimes he borders on that cheesey trance i hate. but i've grown to like him.

i had to purge myself by listening to tim westwood. and lemme tell ya, there ain't no party like a westwood party. instead of his regular show, this one was live from a party of his... he always has the freshest new hip hop on his show. the best is when he's talking all ghetto... in his fabulous english accent. i love it. i always wondered when he's got a new guest on his show, if they think it's funny...

steve forwarded me this link... for my fellow drum and bass lovers - live roni size show. mc tali disappointed me, though. she's okay... she goes off key sometimes when she's singing... christ. your job is to sing. christ. why can't you just do it???? anyway, i have her album, lyric on my lip, on my wishlist because she's the only female member of the full cycle crew... but now i know that she's basically what stacy is to the black eyed peas. i'm really disappointed. at least stacy sings on key... damn. holly g didn't disappoint, though.

i might still get the cd... but, still... i'm crushed.

what's up with the yellow fever

i hate it when guys have yellow fever... you know, those guys that only like asian girls. why???? i don't fucking get it. oh, and i hate it when they call us "exotic." i understand that it's supposed to be a compliment, but it's kind of annoying.

when we were in new orleans, i stayed at the tent with dance music and steve, his friend, and jules went to go check out kid rock because, well, i hate kid rock. 2 guys, at 2 different occasions, walked up to me and told me i was "exotic." i should've just looked at them all puzzled and told them i didn't speak english. wait, maybe that would've been worse. then again, there were a bunch of weirdos there... one guy walked up to me, rubbed my tummy the way i rub steve's stomach, and said in my ear, "helloooooooooooo..." "uhm... hi?" i swear he was sniffing me.

anyway, i don't get it. i noticed that in high school, the guys from the sticks would just date the asian girls. they fucking couldn't get enough of the asian girls... but now i am seeing who they're marrying... and they're all white chicks. what's that all about?

oh, i see, asian girls are good for fucking but you don't bring them home to mom. fuck you guys. that's just fucked up and disrespectful. asian girls are not here to be your fucking prostitutes. rat bastards....

especially after psycho (the king of yellow fever), whenever i dated a guy and i happened to see that all of their ex's were asian, it was O V E R.

i don't know why it bugs me so much. it's just annoying... i'm not saying that people can't have a preference or a type or anything, but to rule out someone (for a lay or for a relationship) because they are or aren't a certain race is just fucking stupid to me.

and for the record, just because steve married me, it doesn't mean he has yellow fever. he loves all the ladies. he's unbiased, an equal opportunity lover... hey, wait a second... :P

stole this from ANGELINA's blog

i don't call you angelina the great for nothin'.... thanks.

apparently this email's been going around. apparently, i'm not special enough to get it. fuckers.



My fellow Americans, the people of this nation have spoken, and spoken with a clear voice. So I am here to offer my concession.

I concede that I overestimated the intelligence of the American people. Though the people disagree with the President on almost every issue, you saw fit to vote for him. I never saw that coming. That's really special. And I mean "special" in the sense that we use it to describe those kids who ride the short school bus and find ways to injure themselves while eating pudding with rubber spoons. That kind of special.

I concede that I misjudged the power of hate. That's pretty powerful stuff, and I didn't see it. So let me take a moment to congratulate the President's strategists: Putting the gay marriage amendments on the ballot in various swing states like Ohio... well, that was just genius. Genius. It got people, a certain kind of people, to the polls. The unprecedented number of folks who showed up and cited "moral values" as their biggest issue, those people changed history. The folks who consider same sex marriage a more important issue than war, or terrorism, or the economy... Who'd have thought the election would belong to them? Well, Karl Rove did. Gotta give it up to him for that. [Boos.] Now, now. Credit where it's due.

I concede that I put too much faith in America's youth. With 8 out of 10 of you opposing the President, with your friends and classmates dying daily in a war you disapprove of, with your future being mortgaged to pay for rich old peoples' tax breaks, you somehow managed to sit on your asses and watch the Cartoon Network while aging homophobic hillbillies carried the day. You voted with the exact same anemic percentage that you did in 2000. You suck. Seriously, y'do.

There are some who would say that I sound bitter, that now is the time for healing, to bring the nation together. Let me tell you a little story. Last night, I watched the returns come in with family and friends. As the night progressed, people began to talk half-seriously about secession, a red state / blue state split. The reasoning was this: We in blue states produce the vast majority of the wealth in this country and pay the most taxes, and you in the red states receive the majority of the money from those taxes while complaining about 'em. We in the blue states are the only ones who've been attacked by foreign terrorists, yet you in the red states are gung ho to fight a war in our name. We in the blue states produce the entertainment that you consume so greedily each day, while you in the red states show open disdain for us and our values. Blue state civilians are the actual victims and targets of the war on terror, while red state civilians are the ones standing behind us and yelling "Oh, yeah!? Bring it on!"

More than 40% of you Bush voters still believe that Saddam Hussein had something to do with 9/11. I'm impressed by that, truly I am. Your sons and daughters who might die in this war know it's not true, the people in the urban centers where al Qaeda wants to attack know it's not true, but those of you who are at practically no risk believe this easy lie because you can. As part of my concession speech, let me say that I really envy that luxury. I concede that.

Healing? We, the people at risk from terrorists, the people who subsidize you, the people who speak in glowing and respectful terms about the heartland of America while that heartland insults and excoriates us... we wanted some healing. We spoke loud and clear. And you refused to give it to us, largely because of your high moral values. You knew better: America doesn't need its allies, doesn't need to share the burden, doesn't need to unite the world, doesn't need to provide for its future. Hell no. Not when it's got a human shield of pointy-headed, atheistic, unconfrontational breadwinners who are willing to pay the bills and play nice in the vain hope of winning a vote that we can never have. Because we're "morally inferior," I suppose, we are supposed to respect your values while you insult ours. And the big joke here is that for 20 years, we've done just that.

It's not a "ha-ha" funny joke, I realize, but it's a joke all the same.

And I make this pledge to you today: Next time, there will be no pandering. We will run with all the open and joking contempt for our opponents that the President demonstrated towards the cradle of liberty, the Ivy League intellectuals, the "media elite," and the "white-wine sippers." We will not pretend that the simple folk of America know just as much as the people who devote their lives to serving and studying the nation and the world. They don't.

So that's why we're asking for your vote in 2008, America. I'm talking to you, you ignorant, slack-jawed yokels, you bible-thumping, inbred drones, you redneck, racist, chest-thumping, perennially duped grade-school grads. We know better, and I truly believe that we can help your smug, sorry asses. And may God, if he does in fact exist, bless each and every one of you.

By comedian Mark Fedler