CRASH

Here I am, sitting at the apartment. The Reddy people are running around on the 2nd floor, just banging away and making a ruckus. They apparently seem to be fixing something somewhere near the bathroom (judging by the number of bangs). Every so often, I'll hear a really loud thud and I always turn, expecting to see a Reddy man come crashing into our apartment. (Hopefully nobody lands *on* me!) However, if somebody does comes crashing through, I shall be expecting to get a hefty compensation check in the mail, in addition to the Penthouse. Though I like Herman, Nermeet and Duc... I think I love the Penthouse more...

JUST LOUNGIN'

It's a great feeling to wake up and not have to do anything. Over 24 hours of fun with Aaron today, complete with good eating. Here were the highlights:

YAY #1: Lakers won! Awesome game, but I basically predicted the outcome even before the game started. I JUST knew that my Kobe would pull through for the Lakers.

YAY #2: I know that I could easily have tagged it on right after YAY #1, but this one is too good to not have it's own category.... THE KINGS LOST!!!!

YAY #3: Reminiscing about the days of the past. Lots of good exchanges of stories. It's really nice to have finally found somebody that I can connect with at all levels.

YAY #4: I.B. Hoagies AND Thai Basil... man, I ate like a king today (like a queen?) Thanks to my special guy for bearing the elements and making food runs... and getting my order right!

YAY #5: No class til noon tomorrow!!!!

Life is good... at least for the time being. (Never mind the two 20-page papers I must write by next week!!!!)

Darn PS 118AC paper... I dislike Judy Chu more than before! She hasn't done jack sh.t for Rosemead. Why are we the bastard child of SGV? Friggin' Gabrielino essentially gets a brand new school... and I'm still fighting to make sure my trash gets picked up every Monday along with the rest of the city of San Gabriel. Hmmm... politics sure ain't fair. I should've voted for that Fred Balderrama guy... at least he taught me how to play pool.

I know I haven't blogged in a long time. All I can say is that I'm so tired that every part of my body aches... all the way down to the ends of my hair. However, on the flip side... I saw Kobe play live tonight for the very first time! LAKERS ROCK! Kobe had 44 points and basically flew!!!! Move over Michael Jordan, there's a new legend in town. Caroline and I waited around after the game and watched all the players board the bus. Man... soooo much fun! To top it off, our "friend" Carlos got arrested for being a die-hard fan. Hahah, hilarious.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GABBO

My days are starting to all blend in together. I don't even know night from day... I don't even know where I'm living anymore. I'm neither here nor there. All I know is that I'm exhausted and it is time for bed.

It is doomed before it even begins...

Sheisty people get what they deserve. I have just witnessed a crime and yet I have no idea what the heck happened! I was walking back to the apartment after getting a huge tri-board and I was rounding the corner to our humble street when all of a sudden, I was roughly shoved into the shady computer store. All I remember were 3 big guys. The one that shoved me was a big black guy with corn-rows and huge studs on his ears. I had NO idea what was going on until after the owners (Asian couple) came running out after the 3, also roughly pushing me aside. The lady shouted, "Ah, they got away. Call 911!" Guess where the three big scary guys went? Er, down our street! So now, I'm a bit scared about everything. The worst part of it all is 1) I don't know what happened, and 2) I don't know where they went! *shrug*

Aside from my scary encounter... Walking down Sproul is great. I LOVE hearing, "You're Kris' campaign manager? I'm gonna vote for him." I still stress out, but at least it's a good stress today. *smiles*

Definitely a good day... lunch break and all. Floating on cloud 9, well deserved after a very crummy day yesterday.

I now know what it feels like to be high on life. It's such an amazing feeling. Caleb... you should probably stop reading now because the rest of this entry will be very cheesy, but I can't help BUT feel the way that I do. I have just experienced THE MOST amazing and moving night of my life. Never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine that such an event would be possible. However, tonight, Kris proved that the ASUC IS capable of bringing a diverse community together and work to achieve one united cause.

Kris approached me with the idea of Relay for Life last semester and I have been the one opposing voice throughout the process. Honestly, how many college students would give up their Friday night AND Saturday morning to walk on some stupid track?! Well, try over 2,000 students! And how about adding $30,000 (and counting) to that number? It was nothing BUT successful! The Luminaria ceremony was so touching... over 300 candles lit in a row, each one representing a person that either battled cancer and survived or a loved one that passed away due to the disease. Words cannot express what I felt tonight... and for a girl that has something to say about EVERYTHING, it's quite a change for me. Complete with good friends and good people with hearts of gold, all of a sudden, nothing seemed to matter. I didn't care that I was completely drenched from head to toe, or the fact that I was as cold as ice, or that I was so hungry I could eat a horse... I was lost in the moment. I can't even begin to describe the warmth felt in my heart... all I can say is that it is a good feeling.

Tonight, a community REALLY came together. People from all walks of life came together and made something beautiful happen. I have renewed faith in mankind... this is the reason why I joined the ASUC: to help people, to do good. I'm still in awe of what Kris did tonight and as his campaign manager, I have never been as proud of him as I was tonight. Through all the arguments, the laughter and the tears, THIS is the reason why I do what I do... all the sleepless nights, the loss of weight, the physical and emotional frustrations... I witnessed a miracle tonight and it has given me hope.

Hmmm... very confused. Drunken confessions only lead to trouble.

Hook, line, sinker... YES!

SUCH A LOSER...

Who you ask? Answer: me! Finally met a really mean bus-driver today. He didn't close the door in my face, nor behind me, but ON me! Who the hell gets crushed by a bus door?! Ooh, me, me... pick me! Grrr...

THE BIRDS AND THE BEES

Much to your disappointment, this entry isn't about sex... I usually leave that up to my former roomie, Teresa. (Shameless plugging for y'all to read Sex on Tuesday columns!) If there's one thing I realized tonight, it's that guys and girls are built competely different. As in my conversation with Elaine tonight, which sparked this blog entry... besides the obvious physical differences (duh!), males and females handle things in different manners. Maybe it's because of the testosterone or maybe I'm just completely WAY off base, but guys tend to internalize all pain and frustration. Like a soldier, they keep taking it and for that, men truly amaze me. It's kinda like a "Show No Mercy" tactic.

For girls, it's a different story. Of the two genders, girls tend to be more emotional and sensitive about things. Now, I'm no typical girl, but I think I'm starting to fall right into that category. I'm usually pretty rock solid when it comes to being professional. I don't normally let my emotions get in the way. I'm a trooper, I keep fighting until I get what I want. But lately, each day is a battle for me and at the end of the day, I'm battling myself to try and keep the tears in. I don't think guys really understand that... at least, not about me. I'll say a thousand times that I'm okay, but I'm really not. I don't want to show any weakness, but it's definitely been an uphill battle. Thank goodness for girlfriends... they know the true me, whatever that is...

It feels good to be called "princess" every so often... feels even better to be treated like one.

RANDOM INTERNET SURFING

It's ridiculous how much sh.t talk goes around... I decided to do some random internet surfing today and came across the strangest things! Apparently due to my close ties with Kris, a certain political party is said to “already be looking for dirt on the campaign manager, trying to discredit her because she’s a Republican (!) (Or so I’ve been told.).”

Ladies and Gentlemen, that is THE MOST absurd thing I have ever heard!!!! First of all, I DARE you to find dirt on me! Secondly, I like Gray Davis… sorry, NOT a Republican! And thirdly, if you need to “discredit” me for any reason, obviously your candidate is a loser to begin with. Win based on your own damn qualifications, please! If you can’t do that, you don’t deserve to be president.

Sorry, for those of you interested in reading the site from where this entry stemmed from, I’m sorry, I cannot link it on this site. I don’t want said political party to come snooping around here.

GO SHAWTY, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY...

Being 20 isn't sounding so bad after all, thanks to all my wonderful friends and their birthday wishes. Ben kidnapped me early this afternoon and took me to the Super DC. It was nice "spending every waking moment" with him... gosh, haven't done that in AGES! (Thanks for lunch, Ben!) A special thanks to Jerry for letting us crash at his place. Hurray for video games and Mondo Gelato! Planet Rock the Block was also super cool tonight.

My roomies are the BEST! Zairel gave Caroline a heart attack and surprised me with balloons and a lifetime's supply of my favorite chapstick in the world! I probably also have a lifetime's supply of meat stashed in the fridge from Caroline, Gabs and Caleb. (Okay, in Jamie-terms, the stash will probably only last me for a couple of days...) Yay for beautiful flowers, Zachary's pizza and the most beautiful cake I have ever seen. Plus, I treated myself to an even greater selection of Kobe pictures for my screen-saver. Being 20 is good. Having good friends makes it even better.

To Allie Mac: Though every year, you steal my special day, I just wanted to also wish you a very happy birthday! You poor Leap Year Baby, just know that you're a wonderful person and someone that I'm so proud to call my friend. I'm glad to be sharing my special day with you. Love you and miss you much. Happy birthday! (Don't worry, you'll have an actual birthday next year!)

On the eve of my transition from "teenagedom" to "adulthood" you would think that after being around for 19 years, geez, I oughta know a thing or two about my identity... where I'm from and where I'm going. Huh, funny thing is, I think I'm facing identity issues. In my favorite Poli Sci class today, our guest speaker was the Honorable John Chiang of the State Board of Equalization. He's such an amazing speaker with great stories to tell. He told stories about his Chinese parents and their wishes for each child to grow up and become a doctor. Ironic that 3 out of the 4 children all majored in Poli Sci. He also told stories of discrimination when they first immigrated over and lived in a predominantly black community. How their apartment window was the target of rocks thrown by rowdy teenagers that lived nearby. How when all the other school kids had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, he had rice with eel on it. How the bathrooms of his elementary school was such a terror for him, for fear of being the center of mockery among the big bullies that hung out in there. How his parents worked so hard to give them a better life…

Listening to these stories, I realized I am him! I went through the same time… the fear of going to the bathrooms cuz the girls would always pull open the door right when my pants would be around my ankles (darn those doors that never locked!), how my little Hawthorne apartment windows were always bombarded with eggs, how I was considered the strange Chinese girl with strange lunches each day. These memories… I’ve carried them with me forever, yet why is it that I needed somebody to retell these stories to me for me to remember them? I think whether intentionally or unintentionally, I have blocked out these horrible memories. I no longer physically SEE myself any different from other people. I think I’m normal… and I think sometimes I even consider myself “white” or “Mexican.”

If there was one thing I got out of class today, it’s to make a statement by being me and being proud of who I am. Though I may not be able to change society and the way we are subconsciously segregated because of different support groups, I can make something out of the life that I was given. That means, while being proud of my own culture, we need to also be aware of other cultures and celebrate those cultures. I can make a difference based on the actions I take, but more importantly, I need to recognize the effects that my actions have on others.

Dinner was at Fu Lin’s tonight (I really should be the poster-child for Fu Lin!). I learned that Elaine (the co-owner) is from Hong Kong and she also speaks Mandarin. We spoke for quite awhile and she confided in me that sometimes she doesn’t know why she came to the States. She left a life of luxury to scrub floors and serve a bunch of Berkeley students. Why, I asked. She answered, “For rights. You don’t get rights in Hong Kong… but life here is hard. I make very little.”

Growing up in the United States, I think I have taken for advantage the rights that we have, cuz I haven’t experienced it any other way. But maybe it’s time that I start using my privileges to uplift others. I can’t mask the fact that I’m Chinese, but I can exist and make a statement with my living.

Kobe... MVP!

DATE WITH KOBE

Whoo hoo, I am now the proud owner of Lakers-Warriors tickets!!!! April 16th... countdown to my very FIRST time ever seeing Kobe live! A semi-dream come true. As big of a fan I am of him, I have never been able to see him play in person. Which is odd, because I've been a huge Kobe-fan since Day 1. I liked him so much that I named my cutie-patootie of a puppy after him.

So fiasco to purchasing tickets... darn Ticketmaster would not accept on-line purchases last night. So I call Mr. Ticketmaster man this afternoon. After much transferring between departments, they finally connected me to the right person... Ben something or other. Nice guy. Caroline and I, in order to get the much-desired Lakers tickets, had to buy a package of 3 games. By the end of April, I'm sure the two of us will be very familiar with the whole Warriors team, along with the Arena in Oakland. We are now the ticket-holders of Warriors games against the Utah Jazz (down with Malone!!!!), the Los Angeles Clippers (yay Andre Miller, Q and "Magget"!!!!!!) and the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers!!!!! A very nice early birthday present to myself, indeed!!!!!

Stolen from somebody obviously very wise...

"Old debaters never die, they just start to judge."