I am the space between my ears...

My posts have been so few and far between that a month has almost passed
since my last entry...where does the time go?


In the spirit of posting a pic with each entry...the following pic of the day is of Robyn. Who celebrated her dirty 30 last month. I met Robyn when I first started going to UCI (man, 13 years ago?!?!) and didn't really get to know her well until last year. Since, we've become good friends. As of late, we've been training for the SF half and pushing each other to keep up on training. Cheers Robyn!

Of death and taxes...
I found out recently that our neighbor Henry passed away....almost THREE months ago! I was wondering why the cars in there were just chillin all the time, but never really thought about it. There was always activity next door...the gardeners doin their thing on SATURDAY mornings at 7AM, which is never a pleasant way to start my weekend...and just general chore-type activity that I could hear out my window, so I never thought anything of it. After the roomies told me, I started to freak out a tad, but then those fears were quickly erased with their telling me that someone had been maintaining the house for the past few months since his passing. Such a sad thing when someone passes. Granted, I never knew Henry all that well, but we did have about a 10 minute conversation once when I came over to let the neighbors know that we were going to have a party for Halloween last year. I told him to just come over and let me know if it got out of hand and he asked if he was invited. He was an old guy, so I told him, of course, you can come and dance the night away w/ us. We laughed, and I remember he said thank you for letting him know. And now, he's gone... I now wish we had more conversations. I wonder what kind of life he lived, and the adventures he went through throughout his life. I hope he was well-loved and loved well. Cheers, Henry...

His passing led me to think about the other people around us. There is quite the peculiar make-up to our neighborhood. Lots of young kids and hispanic families raising their young...and then there are a lot of old folk that live on our street...people that have lived here a long long time. It's a shame we live in a time where one doesn't really get to know his neighbors anymore. It's all about doing our own thangs. Usually, the most convo that's had btwn me and a neighbor is a quick hi and bye. Well, I hope I can get to know some of our neighbors a little better. I think it would make life just that much more enjoyable. :)

Of tick-tock ya don't stop
Isn't it amazing how time flies? And even more amazing how time flies when things are going swimmingly? That's how it's been for me lately, which is why I'm surprised, yet not too surprised at the length of time that has passed between entries. Not that I haven't had ANY time to write, just that I've been busier than the yousczh(prounounced yoooozch - =p) lately and just occupied. There are still slow days, but for the most part, I feel like I'm blinking and the day has already passed me by. My commitments have actually decreased as of late; we've taken the season off for our Sunday bball league, and I'm off of choir until August...so it's not like I got busier. I'm just happy, and when you're happy, time passes you buy quicker, so as to make you realize just how precious time is, and how you should really try to enjoy every minute of it. Because in a flash...it's gone.

I've been doing so many things since my last post...too many things to mention and too little time to mention them in. Pics speak volumes tho, I would say just to check flickr, ha ha ha.

Hopefully, this is a sign of more to come...there's so much goin on in this lil head o'mine.

I am the need for speed...

Check out the
NikeFree 5.0 iD Running Shoe
I designed at NIKEiD.com
I want this!

I am the anticipation of break time...

Featured friend of the day. Miss Ai. Haven't seen or heard from said featured friend for a minute and I'm having lunch w/ her manana. Can't wait to catch up. She's gettin married in April!

Of random curiosities
I've been watching the NBA playoffs and always find myself complaining about the refs. Even when I play, I do that. I'm a born complainer I guess (sorry, ha ha ha). Anyway, so when a ref gets irritated by a player/coach/bench player, they can issue a Technical foul. But what about the fans in the stands? What if someone can totally get under a referee's skin? What happens then? Well, in rec leagues, they can issue a tech to the bench and take care of it that way. But what about for professional games? I wonder if they end up taking out their frustration on the team that said fan was rooting for. So fans...be careful when you have floor seats...ha ha ha

I once blogged about my curiosity about where flies go to during the winter...or rainy seasons. During those times there are none to be found. Same with mosquitos.... My wondering whether or not these insects actually migrate...or go into hybernation. Well, considering that their lifespans probably don't last more than a month - and that's really stretching it...how exactly do they come back around all the time? One would think they would go extinct or something. And really, what IS the purpose of flies and mosquitos...other than being spider food and the source of annoying bites when one goes camping or to the Philippines? One day, I hope I can ask the Man that question and be comepletely enlightened. I'll by like, "Sir, what was the purpose of the fly and mosquito?" Then I'll get my answer, and be like..."Oh...I never thought about that." One day...

Of catching up...
I recently had to take a day off this week; why? Because my continued streak of 10+ days of always doing something finally caught up to me. So come Monday morning, my back was really sore(my sciatica flared up again), and I was just exhausted. So I had to take a day to catch up too. It was a good day though, just slept on and off, did some laundry and pretty much vegged out. I need to make sure I get more of those days in the future, and not let them be so few and far inbetween. And yes, I know what you're thinking...maybe I should just not plan so many things all the time... well, duly noted :)

Fortune of the day...
The easiest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it in your pocket
Obviously not so much of a fortune as it is advice. But hey, it was in my fortune cookie and that's what it said. I like it though. It reads beyond the financial and speaks of making life simple. So often times we focus on goals and on certain aspects of our life and have the most complicated approach to it. I remember one time the bff and I were doing some random calculation at the apt. We were trying to figure out how many hours we would sleep by the end of our lives if we slept 8 hours a day. We went from 8(a day) to 56(a week) to 2912 (a year)...and said that if we lived to be 90 years old...we'd be asleep for 30 of those years. One - third of our life! And then we went back through all those calculations and realized....dude, 8 hours is 1/3 of 24...that's 1/3 right there! We didn't even have to go through all those iterations! Sometimes the answers can be found so simply. I think this applies throughout our lives...think simple. Don't look so hard, just be prepared, know that things will happen, and let them. The harder you look, the longer it will take to come to you, and you might be looking so hard, you'll over look the most simple and the most awesome things... simplicity my friends...life is all about simplicity. BFF tells me that all the time.

I am my own magic mix volume one...

Tonight's the night...the start of the NBA Finals....Let's go LAKERS!!!

Of How being a Laker fan can only lead to good things...
So here's an awesome story about how God must be a Laker fan...

Let me take you back to May 29th, game 6 of the NBA's 2009 Western Conference Finals between the Denver Nuggets, and our very own Los Angeles Lakers. This day also happened to be my friend Eph's birthday. Now Eph had a whole day of activities laid out for people to join in at their own leisure, and because I had work, could only attend the celebrations to take place during the latter part of the day; which was to watch Game 6 at a local dive bar that many of us used to frequent called Shipmates. Being the insane and often out of control Laker fan that I am, I decided to watch the first half of the game at home, where I could decide at the half, whether or not I would come out. If the Lakers were to have their a$$es handed to them, I would have skipped out on the festivities, because they wouldnt' have had much fun w/ me around. So really, I was doing THEM a favor by watching the first part by my lonesome. So I flick on the tube(can we still call it a tube now that most of us are using LCD's and Plasma's?)...well, the flat...(there you go)...and it's a great game. By half, the Lakeshow is up double digits and I'm feelin good. Hop in the shower, and get ready right quick. 3rd quarter starts and I get into it again...I got a text earlier during the 1st half that Shipmates had reached capacity(that's what we get for telling people about places we like) and that the party had been moved to Rach and Eph's place, which wasn't far off from the house. So I decide that I'll just book it after the end of the third. The buzzer to signal the end of the third sounds off and I too am off. Start up the car, crank up am 570 KLAC(the local AM station that airs the Laker games), and get on my way. I'm listening to the game, cruising along the freeway(and some of you know how I "cruise"), trying to make sure I get to the house by the end of the game, so as to celebrate the Laker victory...and of course Eph's birthday...all the while unbekownst that I was being followed by a CHP cruiser. I take my exit and sure enough, I suddenly see the blaring lights and hear the siren blare... My only thought... " !!!!!!!#!@#@#@#!@$!@#$!!!! " So I pull over, roll down my driver-side window and shut off the engine, but I leave the ACC on so that I can still listen to the game. I figured, I'm gonna get a ticket anyway, why miss the game? Mr CHP is approaching my car, and the following convo ensues:

[Mr CHP] Do you know why I pulled you over?
[Mr JAY]] Yes sir, I was probably driving a little too fast. (I figured honesty was the best policy here..I am no girl and I'm not about to try to hit on some male officer to get out of a ticket)
[Mr CHP] Actually, I pulled you over because (and he points to my passenger-side front window) of your tinted windows, but yes, you were also driving a little too fast.
[Mr JAY]] Oh....(silence...then Spero Dedes[Laker announcer] says something with an excited voice...the Lakers scored)
[Mr CHP] (sees I'm wearing my #18 Sasha and can hear the radio and seems my mini-reaction to what just happened) I see you're a Laker fan...are they winning? Sounds like a good game.
[Mr JAY]] Yeah, they're up like 20. I was actually hurrying to a friend's place just down there(points down the road) to try to finish the game with my friends at a birthday party.
[Mr CHP] (hesitates for a moment) Okay...I'm gonna give you a pass today, just know that you'll eventually get a ticket for that(again, points at my passenger-side window)...and be careful out there.
[Mr JAY]] Thank you sir, I will. (barely able to contain myself)
[Mr CHP] Take care (and walks back to his cruiser)

(as Mr CHP gets into his cruiser and starts up, I immediately grab my cell phone and begin to update my twitter/FB status with this recent incident. He pulls right by me and I realize I'm on my PHONE! I drop it right away so that he doesn't see) What an idiot I can be sometimes...that's 2 passes! Whew!

Of life in the fast lane...
I seriously can't believe it's already June. It seems like just yesterday was the very end of April. And now...it's June. Next thing I know, London will be a teenager. I wonder what it is that makes time seem to move faster at times, and not so much at others. Maybe one factor that plays into the rate of time's passing is waiting. The same can be said of looking...I think looking and waiting can be synonymous. When one is looking...they are also waiting... Maybe if one is waiting for something, time seems to move slower because one is looking too far ahead...in anticipation, and that anticipation that makes each second tick that much louder and that much more noticeable. When there is nothing to wait for(well not NOTHING to wait for...just not thinking too much about anything in particular in the future), when one is living day by day and enjoying every moment, maybe time seems to pass by quicker because there is no anticipation...no expectation, no looking too far ahead...maybe? Speaking from my own personal experience, I would have to say that this theory holds true so far... Who knows, I might change my stance next week when I realize I've been waiting for something and time DID move fast. blah blah blah, ramble ramble ramble...

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars"
- Les Brown

I am an untintended motion...

May is quite the busy month when it comes to b-days...birphdays galore...Mom, Jan, Nam, Alex, Maylani, MayMay, Marissa, Cat, Kirk, just to name the ones that popped up in my head...sorry if I didn't give anyone an initial shout...you know I'll find some way to greet you on your actual day of celebration :)


This was our Mother's Day late lunch pic from Lone Star. Place was pretty good. Went bowling after, which was the first time my whole family had bowled together. Granted, pop couldn't bowl with us, but he chilled and watched and took pictures and laughed. Probably one of the best mother's days so far.

Of the busy life
I said I had more thoughts to write about in my last entry...yet all thought escapes me at the moment. I've been looking back at the last few weeks and life has really just been a blur. I have truly been the travelling man and just being here and there for a quick minute before zooming off to the next event. My friends are often surprised by how I am able to handle such a schedule...but just as often, I'm surprised by that thinking. I'm excited to do the next thing, because it's almost always with people, and if you know me but at all, you'll know that people are the source of my energy, and my happiness. To have so many people around me that inspire me, challenge me, make me laugh, make me active, whatever...truly makes me just full of enthusiasm and gas(not that kind of gas) and I'm able to just keep going. People make the world go round...I think that cannot apply to my life any more than it already does. Anyway, I digress...life has been quite a blur. Yes, I've been energized to be out just about every day the past 2 or 3 weeks, drive 600+ miles over the weekend(and that's w/o going to vegas), and just about ready for whatever came my way. However, so many things have happened that I find it difficult to even remember everything unless I really really REALLY sit down and think about it. All the more important to write, as I am now about what's been going on lately. I started to stray away from cataloguing the various events that were going through my life, and just write about the stuff that was on my mind. But then I realized that this is a journal...of MY life, not just my thoughts...but of what's HAPPENING with me. I want to be able to look back and read about what I did in May of 2009, when I decided to catalogue my activites as much as my thoughts.

Of the unexpected...
I saw Star Trek recently and I loved it. [POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't seen it yet, skip over this section!] One part I liked particularly was the blending of time travel and that the future is never set...that everything you do constantly changes the future. That the present is the present and time can only progress with what is happening currently. Anyway, basically, life is completely unpredictable and things can happen that are totally unexpected. I like that train of thought, not only because I do not really believe in Destiny per se, but that we determine our futures with our current thoughts and actions. That's what makes life exciting..that you don't KNOW exactly what's supposed to happen. Otherwise, what would be the fun in that?

Been gettin slammed at work lately with so many things. I'm overlooking 4 projects that have perpetually changing schedules...and it's driving me nuts. NUTS I say! I think it's a test of my will and determination tho. Hopefully, I'll win it out. But as busy as work has been, I think I've been very happy lately. I've had the chance to spend quality time with the people around me and I just feel....good. Nice to have these moments in life. These are the times I need to remember when things aren't always so all rainbows and butterflies.

This quote I got from my friend JonNathan today on FB...
"Remember that for every winner, there are dozens of losers...chances are, you are one of them"
Love it, great quote mang, thanks! Just a little reality check that you can't always win. And that it's not always so bad...you're with the majority, he he he.

I am another cliche catchphrase...

This is hilarious...plus the first chick is pretty hot. The second one too kinda, but I prefer the first. This is a response to the "Giz in my Pants" song, he he he. If you haven't seen that one, look it up. I'm too lazy to do it for you, he he he.

Of being right under your nose...
Being of the absentminded variety, I tend to misplace things all the time. I'm constantly retracing my steps to find my stuff(when I don't put it in its normal spot), or constantly running back to the house from my car cuz I keep forgetting something, keys, shoes, wallet, cigs, chapstick, you name it. More often than not, what I'm looking for is literally under my nose...well, maybe not LITERALLY...but NEAR my nose. It's funny how you can be looking for something so intently that you gloss right over it when it's within just your sights. Maybe it's because I'm overthinking, as I usually do that what I'm looking for HAS to be somewhere ELSE, and not where I'm currently looking. I'm almost just going through the "search motions" and not focusing on the task at hand. Or maybe I'm just thaat stupid, ha ha ha.

Of the Last word
I remember when I was a kid, and used to play slap tag with friends. I would tag them, and then they'd try to tag me right back. Then, it would become this game of who ever got in the last hit won...obviously it would take forever to end, because we'd just end up being next to each other, tagging and trying to do the fastest possible tag back...and someone would just give up. It's funny how that translates int our adult lives... There are some people I interact with that I can never get a word in, edge-wise...i.e. always have to have the last word. Whether or not it's right, or even relevant, they have to be the last one to say something. I just dont' get it...and I know it's not for me to "get" per se, but I just wish it didn't have to be like that. Oh well, all I can do is just shrug and say okay...it's not worth wasting my time over. Right?

next entry...mother's day pics and other pics + more thoughts...

I am my irritated lower back muscles...

Today is mom's b-day. She turns 67 years young today...so hard to believe. She is a person of very simple pleasures and likes what she likes...so as to avoid her not liking some new place we pick out...we are going to dinner tonight to Thai BBQ, one of her absolute favorite places to go to...but little does she know that a bunch of fam and friends are meeting us at the restaurant. It'll be great. Just the perfect, pre-mother's day celeb before Sunday (can someone say, cha-ching? =p). Anyway, we are so blessed to be able to celebrate another b-day w/ mom...she brings so much strength to our fam. And yes, she can get a little weird sometimes, but she always makes us laugh, and we love her very much. Here's to you...mom! HAPPY B-DAY!!!

Of moments of clarity...
As I was driving to work earlier today, I was thinking about just how things were goin in my life and about work, and the various events that have taken place over the past few weeks/months/etc. I was thinking about how, even though I've been so busy, that I still sometimes feel like I'm not sure of what' goin on, where I'm headed, etc. I think a lot of the times, that's how we are...but then...there's this moment; that instant realization that you know where you're going, what's going on, how you are going to do certain things, etc. It's that moment of clarity; when you take what you've learned, what you know, about you and about your surroundings, and make a decision. I think it's these moments that we live for, these moments when we decide to take a risk, reach for a goal, make a sacrifice, act...whatever it might be - these are the moments that make our lives that much more exciting and what drive us forward. And it applies to any thing we can think of... The feeling when you get into that moment of clarity...it's a state of euphoria, so to speak. You're seeing things in a better light, you know things in a better light, you're living in a better light. It's just so unfortunate that these "moments" are fewer and further between than we'd like. But hey, what would we have to look forward to and push for, I guess...

Game 2 tonight...I'm starting to feel a little bit nervous. But at the same time, I have this clarity that things will be okay. They will be...they BETTER be... =p

I recently collected a bunch of fortunes that I got from cookies...fortune cookies, duh. I liked what they had to say(although they didn't really give me a fortune, of ANY kinda), I still valued them. They should rename them to advice cookies...anyway, here we go.
FORTUNE cookie say...Forget Injuries, but never forget kindnesses
I couldn't agree more. It's about forgiving your hurts, and the wrongs done to you...but always cherishing and being thankful for teh great things in your life. Let go of the negatives and focus on the positives...at least that's how I take it. I remember this one e-mail I was sent about Schultz(the Peanuts cartoonist) guy, and how he says to name the last 5 Secretaries of State, or the last 10 Academy Award winners...you might be able to do it, but it wouldn't be easy. Afterwards, he asks to name the last person who inspired you, the person who helped you when you needed it...etc, those are the people that stand out the most, the ones you remember. So make sure never to forget those good deeds that people do. It's what makes our world a better place!