A White Christmas

Mom: Wear a lot of coats and warm socks. It's so cold in Chicago you feel like your ears are going to fall off. You don't want to freeze and have your ears fall off and then you won't feel like going to training anymore. Eat a lot and stay warm or else you'll collapse. That's bad.

The Obligatory Thanksgiving Entry

I feel like I have a hangover without the fun of last night. For some reason I've been feeling really tired these past few weeks, starting from when I moved. It's unusual and I can't figure out why. Usually I have more energy than this. Maybe it's hard to get back into a busy routine. Hectic schedule? Not enough caffeine? I hope it's a temporary thing.

Anyway, I am super happy to be back home for a few days. Mocha is now fully adjusted to family life and super fat. She felt noticeably heavier when I picked her up. What a lucky puppy. Besides the fact that I love Thanksgiving because I get a long weekend and also get to eat super good food that takes multiple workouts to offset, it once again reminds me of how thankful I should be.

1) Family
2) Friends
3) Job
4) Food
5) Car
6) Place to Live
7) Independence
8) Health
9) Education
10) Dog

Health should be higher on the list. I wrote down each one without thinking about it too much, which I guess is reflective of what I value more in my life. In all of this, I'm not just thankful, I'm grateful. Grateful to have the people in my life who care about and love me unconditionally. When I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, I think about them. And at the same time, I hope they know I care about them the same way they do about me, even if I don't talk about or show it all the time. That's all I can ask for, really...and maybe a few other material things ;)

On another note, I hope I'll have time to blog every once in a while, including those super-ranty, nonsensical, philosophical entries about nothing in particular. I do like blogging about myself (hahaha) but it would be nice to make it something beyond a me-me blog.

Chocolate Rage and Pimple Garden

New Year's.
Killer hike.
Road trip to Norcal.
RIGHT BEFORE MY FIRST DAY OF WORK.
Just some of the events where my best friend decided to drop in and say hello. Why do you do this? You made me make a rage meme just so I could dilute my frustration at you.

San Jose, Dads, OCD, I'm Hungry

This is another one of those get-it-all-out-of-me posts, now that I've had a chance to sit down. Actually I'm not done unpacking yet, and I have no desk or any other furniture besides a bed, but I haven't blogged in a while even though I've been itching to. So here goes.

My initial impression of San Jose is that it is...not that different from my parents' house in West Covina. Definitely different than LA-LA. I actually live in a really nice neighborhood full of middle class families. Think Desperate Housewives without the desperation. I know why now some people say the Bay Area is perfect for raising a family. The scenery here is amazing. I keep noticing all the gorgeous, towering trees lining the streets, with beautiful red, yellow, green, and orange hues. It definitely feels like autumn here. I can't think of a place in LA like this. Everything is so neat and suburban. I like it for now, but it could also be because I haven't really had time to be bored.

My dad came with me up north to help me move in. There's just something about parents, ok--maybe my parents, where no matter how independent I become they'll still want to help. This will probably be the case until they physically can't anymore, and it's my turn to take care of them. This trip with my dad was practical, especially when my tire went flat or when we needed help moving my mattress from the furniture store to the house, but it also unexpectedly brought me, at least, closer to my dad. Even though I lived at home I never really spent much leisure time with my dad, nor did we talk much. These past few days really gave me the opportunity to remember why I love him so much. He's so practical and not a man of many sentiments, but he doesn't need to say anything for me to realize just how awesome he is. The morning of the day he left, he helped me put together my bed and move boxes around, and after it all, he just smiled and said, I'm happy I could help my daughter. He paid for my security deposit, first month's rent, furniture, auto insurance, and told me not to pay him back. Before he left he took out his wallet and gave me the rest of his cash. That was the last thing he did for me before waving bye and going through security. I said bye and hugged him. Afterward, I was alone and I bawled.

My other dad--my pledge dad--is like, in some ways, like my biological dad. Not a person keen on expressing his care for you in words, but through action. It was only when I left that I thought about all the things Robert has done for me through the years, and it made me realize he is one of the very few non-family people who I would bend over backwards for. One of the few people, not blood-related to me, who I deeply and unconditionally care about. Maybe I just don't have many friends, but I've never met a person who demonstrates the meaning of friendship so much to the core as he does. It makes me want to be a better friend in all my friendships. And I can't think of many people who inspire me.

Ok, enough of the mushy stuff. What is it about cleaning something until it's spotless that gives me such a sense of satisfaction? The bathroom here was disgusting. Ok, not disgusting. I guess it was average in terms of cleanliness. Hair on the floor and a dirty sink and shower. I guess most people would be able to tolerate it. I am not one of those people. I am the type of person who cannot stand a smidgen of hair on the floor (or the wall, or the shower, or the sink...you get my point), dust on the toilet cover, or spots on the mirror. In other words, the bathroom must be so clean I could feel comfortable putting a plate of food on the floor. So an hour later, the bathroom is now so clean it could be a showroom floor model. I kept turning on the light just to smile and look at it. Obviously it won't stay clean for long, but at least I can shower and use the bathroom with satisfaction for a few days. Ahhhh. 

Apologies for the lack of transition sentences between each paragraph, but I just had to get everything out. I can't wait to get back into a routine and do the things that allow me to feel like myself. I haven't had a good yoga session in what feels like eons, my body feels like flabby flub. That's exacerbated by the fact that I've been eating not-so-good food since I haven't had time to cook. Unfortunately I think routine is something that will escape me a bit longer. I start training in SF for two weeks so I'll be living out of a suitcase at my sister's. During part of that time I go back to LA for Thanksgiving. Oh black suitcase, you and I will have many more extended intimate moments together. Get excited.

你不知道的事

"The greatest paradox is that when you love so much it hurts, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Will I ever get there? I wish I could be more courageous.


This song automatically triggers my tear ducts.

Bulbs, Boards, Bad Skin

The cold, dark, and dreary weather has come to Southern California, seemingly foreshadowing what is awaiting me as I journey north in a week. I'm not being melodramatic. The change in Daylight Savings Time is doing it to me. I was super excited yesterday night when 1 AM meant 12 AM, but my enthusiasm faded away this morning when I found it super hard to get out of bed at 9 AM, which was REALLY 10 AM, and also later on when I was driving outside at 4 PM and had to turn my headlights on. An extra hour and nothing good comes out of it. Shame on me. I really am more of a spring and summer person. Every year as it gets darker faster and colder, I look and feel increasingly like a scaly lizard. A rough-skinned reptile that wants to crawl under a rock and hibernate until the sun comes out again. Winter, don't really dig it, with the exception of Christmas, the best holiday in the world. BUT, I am plenty excited at two things that are to come with this drabness.

1) Tulip planting time! I've been freezing the bulbs for the past 5 weeks so that they can be ready to plant next week. Gardening forums have told me that because Socal has a longer autumnal season, it's harder for tulips, which thrive in colder conditions, to grow properly. So many people who live in warmer weather freeze the bulbs in advance to simulate cold climate. By mid-November they'll be ready to go, and this cold rainy weather has made the ground nice and chilly so my bulbs are going to be wrapped in soil conditions that are just perfect for them! I'm a first-timer at planting tulips, so maybe it's beginner's optimism that's making me excessively excited. I expect to see this come February and March.

Actually if I'm lucky I'll maybe get this.

 

 But actually I'll probably get this. 

Gardening is no joke man. It's tough. Plants and flowers and trees need nurturing too.

2) SNOWBOARDING. At the end of last season I was barely able to start carving. This season, I am going to PERFECT it. Ok, maybe not to the point of perfection, but I'd like to be halfway decent. See you on the mountain!

I Don't Understand

Some people (guys) are so weird. I give up trying to decipher the intentions and thought processes of the opposite sex.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty stupid. Maybe it's just me that's the problem...

Prince Charming

I had the happiest dream last night, but also quite creepy for the person involved. I was a little bit sad to wake up and find out it was only just a dream.