diem

i always thought i'd save europe for later, when i'm older

2010-10-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

guess i'm old now :(

[frankfurt, munich, berlin, & amsterdam, in 10 days]

it's been about a year since my last international vacation, and probably longer since i blogged. i'm a bit rusty, so i'll let the pictures do most of the talkin.

UNO: first was the flight to frankfurt. sfo>jfk>fra. i slept the whole time, on both legs. mad skillz. anyway, i have family in germany. four cousins, only one of which i've met before. it was crazy cool meeting everyone else :)

nghia & noel

haagan dazs YUM!

DOS: i didn't really want to go to oktoberfest. mostly because i don't enjoy drinking beers. but we went anyway, and i'm sooooooo glad i did haha.

our lovely host sarita in munich

the festival

the beer tent

inside the tent

lol....

there were a lotta beers. and people who can hold a lot of beers

i swear i drank a liter of beer each night

but after my liter i felt entitled to drink wine

things got hot and clothes started coming off

some took more off than others

more beers were ordered, and everyone was dancing on benches

TRES: we were only supposed to stay for one night to check everything out...but we decided to stay one more day.

i did a bike tour in the morning

switched up the outfit a bit

went to a new tent

more beers..brost!

nom nom

gulp gulp

and what's a party without the YMCA??

QUATRO: tired, exhausted, but we drove back to frankfurt early morning, and we spent all day out and about and meeting my other cousins and nephew!!

the cousins, thao & xuan & noel

my nephew, baby diego

...he's crazy...i'm not great with babies

manheim (suburb of frankfurt)

♥

and...i drove on the way back on the autobahn. 220 km/hr ;p

CINCO: off to BERLIN!

woke up helllla early

but once we got there, checked in..there was food thank goodness

what i love about europe

i mean, i love my cousin, but also just frothy lattes every morning outdoors

cool courtyards everywhere

and secret alleys

colorful walls...perhaps not intentionally

ballin

SEIS: bike tour day....here comes a buncha pictures of me on a bike (but check out the scenes!)

and of course i brought poopoobear!

berlin wall

jewish memorial...it's really cool

to the biergarten!

nom

reunited w my friend lars who i met in auckland!

it was this intersection at night that noel almost brought my demise...we needed to catch the train to the club and he saw one across the street and just grabbed me and we dashed through a 6way intersection. omfg.

SEITE-DIEZ: ok i'm getting tired and lazy. the last leg was amsterdam, my favorite city actually out of all the one's i visited...which is ironic because i thought that i would like it the least because of all the pot & red light district shadiness. BUT...it's a gorgeous city. with gorgeous men. or boys. and i'm sure gorgeous women too but i was too distracted to notice...

viola! here it is!

love love the canals

and eating outdoors by the canals

absofuckinlutely gorgeous

i mean...cmon!

house boats

windmills

cool buildings

beautiful buildings

it all brings a huge smile to my face

although i'm just as directionally challenged there as anywhere else

and it makes me happy knowing that the first hard liquor originated here

cool alcohol museum

fun to take pics in

because there are so many colorful things

not my camera

whoa...

double rainbow!!

hehe i couldnt resist

the bar...

museum entry includes a free coctail..score!!

gasp! poopoobear

mirrors...

pretty trippy

bartender practice

O____O

sucha cute picture

i wouldnt mind this job if it didnt require knowing directions well

:(

:*(

my favorite house in amsterdam!

met up w molly holly!

and the boys

frequented a few coffee shops

got destroyed

but still went back for brownies

side note..'smart' shops

hung w the whole crew

ate and drank

and after awhile...things got hazy

and of course..the red light district

+ i have never been as attracted to men as i have been in europe

+ 'omg even the daddies are hot here'

+ thank you rockwood for marriot discounts

+ i want to move to europe now o__O

+ camera charger lost before i stepped foot into europe. fail

+ i got yelled at by a prostitute

+ i can't believe i said 'hella' what is happening to me

+ ♥ my cousins!!!!!

poopoobear's adventure in vietnam

2009-10-04T01:14:00.000-07:00

ah. the things i miss

[the adventure continues for poopoobear!]

so i haven't gotten the chance to post a proper vietnam album/post...so here's a super annotated version of the sights of vietnam =) through poopoobear. hehe ♥

mui ne sand dunes at sunrise

she's still sleepy

my son ruins

in hanoi

in sapa

more sapa

silver falls

amazing cave in halong bay

more caving

postcard halong bay bear

sunrise bear--halong

when in vietnam...

tomboy bear

im on a boat! bear

♥ poopoobear

+ poopoobear sat out on hue & nha trang
+ more to come

i thought it was a bird but it was just a paper bag

2009-08-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

because sometimes you think you know, but you have no idea

[on love, on life, on wine]

i've been meaning to post pictures from vegas, napa, disneylad, catalina, and sf...but i don't think that's going to happen. instead, you get aslightly buzzed diem ranting on what she just figured out. yay =)

1. love. it's hard to come by, and it's definitely not something you can force. you begin to realize what you had, what you're bargaining for, and what you can have if you hold out even more. sometimes you get a hand, and even though you may like it, you just gotta fold cuz it's too shakey to hold.

2. life. gosh. apparently you just cant plan it. i had a way different path three years ago and now, i think i just have to cash out and find somewhere else to go. still a fervent believer of everything happens for a reason. there must be a reason for this right? hopefully i can peace out within a year or two...

3. wine. if you want to get something out of me, feed me a couple good glasses of wine. haha, jk. sorta. don't realize much when i'm buzzed on wine, but i get this happy feeling that things will work out. even if it doesnt. =)

yours truly,

diem - q

dreams la romana, dominican republic

2009-06-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

leisurely vacations...i thought they didn't exist

[take me back...]

So for months my coworkers and I have been talking about going on vacation together to some all inclusive resort, the key points being a gorgeous beach and unlimited drinks. It seemed like we were rallying up a decent group to go...but when the time came to set our plans in stone everyone was dropping out like a bunch of teenage potheads from high school (no offense to potheads...some of you are alarmingly smart). Anyway...I really had my heart set on a beautiful turquoise beach--actually, scratch that. That was an understatement. My heart needed this relaxing vacation after five months of busy season that came bundled with occasional quarter life crisis symptoms and alternating pangs of mild depression and frustration. All of this, of course, came complete with an umbrella of stress. So yes, this was a vacation that I needed moreso than wanted.

Long story short, Herbert was a trooper and was down like my comforter so I booked an all inclusive package to DR for 5 nights, indifferent towards the imminent streams of office rumors. Why DR? We didn't want to catch the swine flu in mexico and found the best deal for DR.

So we set on our full day journey at 4am saturday and after a series of airport procedures and unsettling naps amongst the clouds, we arrived at the resort at dusk and was greeted by live Spanish entertainment and a much needed glass of champagne.

>>first night's look around

the lobby

looking back

the moon overlooking the beach

the pier, (a romantic spot, indicated by a &heart; on the map)

dawn

doggy &heart;

poopoo bear &heart;

in search of the sunrise (volume required for commentary)

sun rising...

hutted lounge chairs

cool loungepods

>>day 1: amigos y tragos

swim-up bar

drinks!

my bartender was barack obama. holla!

he promotes peace

and drinks for everyone =)

new friends that egged me on to drink too much

oh ya people get married here

ANYWAY. another new friend--we all went to the disco...

after watching the championship game on the beach...boooo

>>day 2: altos de chavon, el rio, y la isla de catalina

altos de chavon, a gorgeous town...that was a recreation of medieval europe as an attraction. i thought only disneyland was allowed to do this??

it's pretty amazing though

i love the cobblestones!

only special people get presented in this amphitheater ;p

exercise for the day

overview of what they called the coliseum (some useless/optional commentary)

the church. i wonder if it's even used

okay...time to move one..waiting for the speedboat to catalina island

catalina island...aka paradise beach i guess

herbie & i cordially come you to paradise beach

***WELcome you to paradise beach. LTTAP, thanks (learn to take a picture)

postcard photo

more postcarding

the sexiest of all ;p

beware when you travel with me. i make you take a lot of pictures

apparently this is not how you climb to get a coconut.

herbert managed to get these though (they were on the ground)

♥ love the water

group picture! ie, picture of herbert & me i swear

getting ready to snorkel

while snorkelling...

this is what i saw O_O

i also saw

and

and this sea caterpillar thing was pretty funky

and

and then i called it quits

it got a little ominous

we were starving after so good thing they had some baby lobster!~

resting

after catalina we went to the river

this is where they filmed rambo & anaconda

A-ROD's house. herbie took a million photos of it...

>>day 3: kayak, la playa privada, modelos ;p & hogueras

a start the day off with a few drinks

grab some fruit for the beach

head down to the beach

camp out

enjoy the view

take a picture

migrate to a hammock

group picture!

borrow a kayak

test out the waters

find your own private strip of beach

i'm selfish when it comes to beach real estate

now u can get silly with model poses when no one's lookin ;p

karate kid?

strike a pose

anything i can do he can do better???

try again

pwnd again. beware..i make you take my picture and i make you pose for pictures...

this one's for monica

o_O

time to return back to the beach!

and at nightt...there was a bonfire!

it was pretty big (that's what she said)

another video =) volume required for commentary

>>day 4: los momentos ultimos

this is why i'm hot. check.

bike tour around bayahibe

natural freshwater pond

exploring the resort

ewww herbertttt what are you doing??

random: peacock

ok now for the jumpy thingy!

herbert you first!

woohoo!

k my turn!

muahaha

sand monster

ummm...happiest sand monster ever

group picture!

herbert redeeming himself

the sand was super fine

herbert's favorite drink

see how quickly he downed it?

and then we had coconut drinks

and in our room we found a random crab

and this was how i found poopoobear & doggy

>>day 5: chau, DR

so long =*(

WHEW! what a trip...so many pictures to share =) and here i am in rainy boston...i just want to go back =( *yawn* my sleeping schedule is all effed up. i cant wait for...vegas ;)

+ finished reading the history of love. it's not bad
+ finished reading the namesake. definitely a worthwhile read
+ would love to start time travellers wife but i'm stuck w. my auditing book.
+ my stomach hurts =(
+ happy father's day!!

daddy...you've spoiled me for life. how will the other men in my life ever compare?

i'm 24 now.

2009-06-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

with flashbacks from the 23's

[in retrospect i guess i don't mind bday celebrations ;p ]

so i had just come back from vacationing in the dominican republic and my first impulse was to do a massive post to document my first vacationer's vacation (leisurely vacation vs hustle bustle vacation)...but at the same time i felt obligated to acknowledge the day that i stuffed another year under my belt. i'm sure one of these days birthdays will start to mean nothing more than a cake and extra candle--but for the time being, each extra flame i blow out every year promises all this hope and experiences to come...and for that reason i feel that it's worth remembering. and at the rate that i'm going with the reputation of my poor brain, remembering requires some form of documentation.

flashback - 23 ;)

things i remember:

+ pre-b-day getaway: vegas. um. i'd rather not post pictures from this trip lol. good times though =)

+ on my actual birthday i was miserable on this restatement client in el segundo. i realize that my birthday isn't special enough to take a day off and so i worked. 11 hours. i think i cried about this when i was drunk.

+ may 7, 2008. i invited some people to a nearby tiki bar...i didn't expect many to show up but it definitely made my day that people made it up...and i'm sorry to say that after a dozen+ drinks i stopped remembering the late stragglers who arrived past 11pm

+ i got progressively drunk, i'll spare the aftermath except for that i ended up safe in my hotel with doggy:

+ the next morning i woke up with a room full of people, still slightly inebriated. i thought 'screw work' and we went to mcdonalds. except i wanted something soupy...and i happened to have cup of noodles in my car. so i came in ghettostyle and got some hot water from micky and enjoyed my noodles while others scarfed down their egg mcmuffins. i came into work around 11.

+ and then there was cosmic bowling. and just because i can (birthday girl rights), the following theme was enforced: xoxo, gossip girl, aka prep school. this little outing was reserved for my highschool friends ♥

thank you for all the memories...and thank you for taking care of me!

turning 24

+ i was slightly dreading my 24th bday...and being in the midst of busy season i didn't really want to plan anything. everything was sorta last minute so i just threw some ideas together

+ may 7, 2009. i woke up, about to go to the gym...and my mom and brother bombarded me with cupcakes =) and yes, i'm all gross in the morning.

+ very typical of my mom to get me workout clothes for my birthday haha

+ thank goodness i was in my robe when they came in my room =X

+ so, being the grown up that i am, i went to work on my birthday. this year was much better--8 hr day and we went out for lunch. the receptionist even gave me a gift =)

+ at home i got to celebrate with my dad & bro. we went out for chinese because i wanted crab. but they had no crab. so we 'settled' for lobster.

+ leon picked out the celtics colored cake (mint chip & white cake) ♥

+ then there was mosun...not many pictures here, i drank a bit much, dropped my phone and lost the backing. bad habbit =(

+ and then my favorite----a mixed group at tokyo delves!! a must go for everyone.

+ last year's theme: xoxo, gossip girl

+ this year's theme: jpop! (and then i included rockstas & rappers for niki & herbie)

yayy group picture

umm shirley i swear

get the sukiyaki!

because i hear the sushi is no bueno

my extensions...LOL allen's expression

+ and now...some videos!!

when i say sake, you say bomb! omg so fun =)

ummm..chicken dance...dirty version?? eww >_<

it's my birthday, and i can drink if i want to? ;p

+ and then we all did drunken karaoke afterwards =)

i hello kitty stamped everyone

that was a lot of pictures. whatever somewhat insightful reflections i had to share have now escaped my brain. i think i decided that this will be a good year, and i'll leave it at that.

+ go to tokyo delves
+ ♥ thank you to everyone who continually make me feel special on my birthdays
+ and thanks for just showing up actually =)
+ please dont stop the music ;p

for the love of the game

2009-04-22T23:40:00.000-07:00

all fun and games, right?

[til someone gets hurt, anyway]

sometimes i start blogging and then i get distracted. and then at some point i revisit what i wrote and either think, hm, that was interesting, or hm, i need to think about that some more. when the latter happens, like right now, i feel compelled to finish my thoughts.

but first off, another distraction: i've been so scatterbrained lately that it's pretty ridiculous. the only thing that kept my spirits up were the blue skies and waters driving up and down PCH, and coming home to pretty flowers. its not much but those things get me grinning like an idiot. in any case, the weather turned crappy for whatever reason and my flowers are dying, despite all the water and ice i feed them (it was really hot in my room). and now i'm listening to trance music. wth.

ok. back to my original thought. a snippet from last week's worktime conversation:

gf: if you dont play the game does that mean you lose?
me: haha no you can only lose/win if u play. but you may be missing out. just depends on how u see it ;p
gf: welll ok
me: or u can be like me and play for fun
gf: i dont like playing games!
me: ie, not invested in the game if u win/lose
gf: but i want to play like... i dont know how to play games. i just wanna cut to the chase. i want to hang out with 'xxx' without the whole playing hard to get
me: then just hang out with him
gf: not knowing when you'll talk to them next cuz you dont want to seem a certain way
me: or make him play your game
gf: but they are probably doing the same thing. its SO STUPID i dont like hot and cold. i just want hot hot!
me: tell him that 'we can play the game if you really want but i just wanna skip to the part where u win the prize' hahaha

so the conversation continued and i concluded the following:

a) it's all fun and games until you lose track of time and get caught up in the game, even though you weren't that serious about it in the first place. at that point you're invested and you just don't want to lose. solution? quit, win, or play another game. just beware, it can knock you down.

b) it requires some level of patience. when the ball is in the other person's court, you just gotta wait for it to come back. or you can grab the ball from them, but then they'll know how much you really want it. and it's possible that the other person just wants to up and go with the ball. so you can either entice them to continue playing, or you can just let it go. there are plenty of people around the court to play with. it's their loss, really.

c) it's possible you'll get the crazy one who does not abide by any rules. they probably make up their own crazy rules and you'll get caught up in whatever crazy game they come up with. this can be very stressful but exciting, because it's more unpredictable and much more challenging. but unless you got stamina and are willing to continue, the craziness will probably wear you out and it'll just be fun while it lasted. a memorable experience, to say the least. unless it turns out regrettable.

d) you get tired, or worse yet, you get injured. you can continue playing, but it'll only hurt and tire you more. you decide to sit out for a bit, or for awhile. you might be thinking, damn, i thought i was better at this game, or how did i allow myself to get hurt? or you just ran out of energy, or you got bored, the momentum got lost in between possessions of the ball. in any case, you sit out. and you wonder, am i missing out? but then you realize you have to get back to your studies, your family, your friends, your life. you only have so much bandwidth, and energy can neither be created nor destroyed. so it's time to reallocate your energy to all the other items on your priority list.

e) none, and all of the above. c'est la vie.

just be a good sport. shake hands, and proceed accordingly.

+ d is for diem

singledom

2009-04-13T00:18:00.000-07:00

a whole year of it

[...that went by pretty quickly, actually]

initially time could not have passed by any more slowly...but towards the end everything just picked up and voila! today marks my year of singleness. sigh. its good, it's bad, it just is. but it better change by next year, haha (i'm serious).

o well. some eye candy first--vegas recap from last weekend with the ladies for jo's bday:

broken down transportation

towtruckin

M resort buffet

alcohol

primpin to the maxxx

standard mirror shot

at the men of x show

home girlies

more alcohol

more home girlies

birthday girl & random birthday boy

birthday boy lead to unlimited alcohol

those were some good times. but i can't seem to get me no satisfaction.

and i can't seem to articulate how i feel right now/today. it's one of those things where the more you think about it the bigger a blank you draw, and the bigger the blank gets, the emptier you feel, surrounded by meaningless space. and then you just feel somewhat alone and cold, but numb and jaded at the same time. it's the perfect breeding ground for the emo kid within, but as much as you'd like to let it all out you just say fuck it instead and save it all for a rainy day. and as many attractive options you may have you can't help but see the futility in all of them. and it's not like you want to act all mopey and dreary but that damn cloud of pessimism is reigning over your ass today.

but it's ok, because today will be over soon, and in due time you'll be sportin that designer smile of yours that i only see on special occasions.

+ xoxo

nothing like a dosage of vegas

2009-04-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

to cure a mild case of love sickness

[and before you know it, it'll be gone]

i don't know what's wrong with me, i can never seem to pack all my things the night before. it usually ends up with me packing the morning of or throwing the last few things in right as my ride pulls up. i think i need to do something about that.

but for this weekend, i already have my two dresses (i'm going to avoid any temptation of putting on a third dress to go out and cutting my finger this time) and my bathing suit. everything else can figure itself out, right? ;p

in other exciting news, i think my asia travel plans have become a little more concrete. ok well maybe not concrete, but cement. it'll be all ready and set soon enough, hopefully. and what?? it may involve a visit back to nzed?? !~! *crossing my fingers*

i'm addicted to looking at wedding photos. i cannot be stopped, it's pretty bad. i'm trying to figure it out. i think it's in the gaze. or maybe it's really in the kiss afterall. *shrug*

+ 65 in vegas...isn't that cold?!?!

!!!!!!!

2009-04-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

i found my wedding photographers!

[now i just gotta find someone to marry me]

so not to be creepy...even though it kind of is, but i spent a good two hours looking at other people's wedding photos. and no, i don't know these people. but ANYWAY, after my impulsive perusal of www.ourblogoflove.com (i swear i didn't search it, i came across it randomly!), i decided that i will entrust these photographers with what will be one of the happiest days of my life (i hope i'm not jinxing anything). and yes, i am well aware that i need someone to marry in order to have a wedding to photograph. and yes, i am even more aware that i am single. and yes, i am such a girl for already thinking about these things. get off me.

some of my faves:

ok well i don't want to copyright infringe the whole site but every wedding was captured so beautifully and for the most part so candidly...and i absolutely adore the various compositions and lighting. aside from being gorgeous these photos actually capture the emotions behind the subjects quite well--you can clearly see the adoration in the groom and the happiness in the beaming brides.

and i was just playing around the site some more and i came across engagement photos...

they're just too cute....*sigh*

this is for me like what www.cuteoverload.com is for some people *ahem* ;p

+ these photographers better be around another 3-5 years

i love me a good glass of wine

2009-04-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

over a bubble bath

[and some bosa nova]

check it out now, the funk soul brother: http://www.montagebeverlyhills.com/

is it sad that the service here is so great that i actually feel loved and happy?

audit room balcony

*yawn* all those drinks got me all contemplative ;p

for those who have had the pleasure of seeing me in water 5ft+ deep, you probably have the luxury of an amusing mental image when i say that i'm a weak swimmer, at best. while seasoned swimmers took their turn with the diving board during p.e., i was comfortable in the lap pool messing around with my trusty little kickboard. but, out of curiousity, i wanted my try at taking the plunge. it may have been out of whim (or was it really out of requirement? i forget), but as i ascended the ladder, carefully gripping each rung, i really did think it through. i knew that i was 99% safe up there, seeing that there are others around to rescue me if need be, and i knew i had it in me to at least go up for air once and make my way to the edge. but no matter what mental preparations i had fostered, the moment i stood at the edge of the board looking down, i hesitated.

i hesitated, but i jumped. i made the decision to jump. love is not the jump, per se, it's the fall and whatever follows. the commitment is the jump--the decision to leap out of the mental barriers that not only protects us but cages us. once you jump, you have no choice but to follow through with all that it entails--the falling, the impact, the post impact. and commitment is not instantaneous either--it's a process. it's playing with the idea of jumping, it's working up the courage to walk over to the deep end and it's in every rung you climb until you're at the top. and when you're up there, you may have just gone too far to go back. you may jump with gusto or you may just accidentally fall. when you're up there you may know what to expect, but the moment you start falling, you can only hope.

and love itself is irrational, especially when you didn't mean to fall into it. but i'd like to think that it's initially the choice you consciously make that even allows you to get to that point of no return and control. if need be you can always abstain from the deep end and turn your back on the temptation of jumping.

love is everywhere, and love goes anywhere. you have your first loves, your true loves, your unrequitted loves, your wish-i-hadn't loves. you have your different degrees of love--the love for sleeping in, getting postcards, travelling, the $200 dress, the sunrise, disneyland, the best friend, your family, your significant other. love is pretty amazing. but love can also be fickle and volatile, which means it can be dangerous and destructive. and that's why commitment in love is so desirable to me. why wouldn't anyone want to make that choice to cultivate and eternalize that state of being and feeling? now that's just whack.

+ i don't get it, what changed?

+i'm sleepy! goodnight.

i love me a good cup of coffee

2009-03-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

and a good playlist to go along with it

[i never thought i'd quote starbucks]

as a gal who loves a hot cup of almost anything (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, condensed milk, yadda), i've accumulated quite an eclectic collection of mugs. take exhibit a, a simple white ceramic mug embodying one of my favorite quotes:

'Dance as though no one is watching you. Love as though you have never been hurt before. Sing as though no one can hear you. Live as though heave in on earth' - souza

or, to put more succinctly and less poeticly, carpe diem (i prefer the poetic version, of course). discounting any instances under the influence of alcohol, i feel rather out of practice with souza's teachings. i was never quite the free spirit that some people claimed me to be, though i'd like to think of myself as a kite floating around freely yet secured by a never ending fine line to earth...and although there have been times when i feared the string might snap and i'd be lost and wandering forever, i now conversely face days that are transient and dead still, with no wind to keep me up. i'm clearly framing and blaming the situation, but i'm well aware that there's a requirement on my end to get myself up there in the first place. i need to find myself an out. back to the drawing board.

exhibit b would be the mug that i am currently sipping coffee from as i type away. it's a funky orange mug adorned with heated swirls and almost childish font:

'coffee, chocolate, men...some things are just better when they're rich'

i'd toast to that. i really can't say much on this one except for that i completely agree haha ;p

but anyway, i digress. as i filled my cup of coffee this morning and read the quote on my mug, i thought about a quote i came across on a grande latte cup from starbucks. it was quote #76 (i somehow i missed quotes #1 through #75 despite being a rather frequent visitor of starbucks) :

"The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life."- Anne Morriss

so my first reaction was a mere 'i can't believe i'm thinking about something a cup from starbucks...' but i came to the conclusion that this was a worthy quote to consider. now i'm not sure if i can relate this to work and play, but commitment in love is extremely liberating. when i was in a committed relationship, i never felt bounded and never sympathized with the 'ball and chain' analogy at all; on the contrary i felt free and uninhibited knowing that i was safe and secure, knowing that i was loving and was loved for all the right reasons. it was close to an unconditional commitment because it was pure and true, it was not commenced rationally nor was it calculated. it just was. it was innocent and blissfully ignorant how it all came about, but it felt right and it took off, and it was deeply liberating. i've never felt so loved, wanted and unapologetically free to do and be as i wanted and was because i knew we were committed, and nothing else mattered but that unjudging, absolute love that we had.

gotta say, it's something that you kinda miss when it's gone.

i don't think i can say that i've been jaded to falling [in love] as i can say that i have some internal issues that prevent me from doing so again, but that 'rational hesitation' is definitely present and cockblocking to the max. i absolutely understand that there's a leap of faith somewhere to be taken, that you gotta risk something to win big, that there's no gain if there's no pain. but to put it quite frankly, i'm not going to leap over to unpromising pastures or bet on unfavorable odds, and i will most definitely not subject myself to pain for small time gains. and i know commitment and love is a two way street, but you can bet that i'll steer clear of roads where i can see the dead end sign (not to say that i'm not up for unpaved roads or the offbeat track).

call me risk adverse, call me boring, but i'm working on a timeline here and i know what i want and i know what i can offer so why settle for anything less? and yes you can call me a princess while you're at it because if i don't see effort on your end, i can't take you seriously. oh, and creatively romantic gestures are kindly welcomed (shameful plug i know).

some people do short term investments for more immediate and higher yields, and i totally understand why that is attractive and desirable. i'll throw in a ten here and there with you, but i'm saving the rest for something long term that will benefit me years to come.

that being said, i feel so screwed, given the state of my economy.

+ damn my internal critic
+ go big or go home ;)

whisper what i need

2009-03-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

something pretty

[i actually found it]

+ trying to remember now that i let go

for the love of snow (colorado)

2009-02-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

i ♥ snowboarding

[its the only sport i'm decent at o_O]

so this past week has been hectic with work and busy season...BUT i got to go to colorado for the weekend for monica's HK studyabroad reunion snowboarding trip. yes, i was an intruder...but the more the merrier, no??

the car

the cabin

has to be the best cabin deal this season by far..

everyone on a bed, 90$ a head

standard snow cabin dealbreaker (hot tub)

the crew..

good ol' cranium fun, despite everyone's altitude sickness

the mountain...

anyway, 4 of us flew into denver at around 1130pm on friday night and arrived at the cabin at 330am...so we were pretty set on the half day at breck. so everyone else had woken up early and hit the slopes..and 3 hours later the other late arrivers & i were packin up our gear to meet everyone... except i couldn't find my boots. someone had taken my boots. i automatically assumed it was monic since we had the same boots--except for minor detail that she's a size 6 and i'm a size 7. so i wore her boots til we met up at the base of breck..and after hugs and kisses we smiled for our first photo together =D

so us three, monic, lauren, and i, headed up to the peak ;p

it was super windy and cold up there...

but gorgeous nonetheless

actually it was fuckin amazing. please excuse my french

the next day we went to loveland. much cheaper, by equally fabulous

we couldn't have asked for better weather to ride and play in..i love sunny days =D

i decided that these two ladies were probably the best snowboarding partners i've ever had--just because we're pretty much all at the same skill level and have tons of interesting stories to share on the lifts ;p

may i introduce, monica tran, the bff

and lauren usui, my newfound extremely eligible lady friend (subpar men need not apply)

and yours truly ;p

i cant wait for our 2010 trip =) whistler??

standard bathroom photo...lol

farewell photo

+ so short and sweet
+ altitude sickness suck, i felt like i had a hangover all weekend, without the drinking
+ except for on the slopes...adrenaline trumps altitude
+ i miss having girlfriends. single girlfriends. sigh
+ i hate getting my nails done at viet places because they don't think i'm viet and talk about me thinking that i don't understand. and then i feel awkward when they ask me what i am and i have to pretend like i'm not viet or i dont speak viet or i do and then i have to talk to them. ugh.
+ mammoth in x-3 days!!
+ =D

things that happen to me

2009-02-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

and/or when i happen to the world

[in no particular order]

+ iove getting flowers. doggy likes it too

+ my car did not start one morning. i was super flustered. after 10 minutes of troubleshooting with my dad, i decided to just borrow my mom's car to go to work. i felt like a little speedster in her lil mazda rx8. jk, i was nervous driving a different car.

+ at niki's bowling birthday party, i was doing very badly. so andrew bet that if my last three frames beat his last three frames, he would buy me dinner. if he beat me, i'd buy him dinner. his odds were pretty good...but who woulda thunk that there was this covert hustler within me lol:

cosmic bowling is the best

niki & co

no matter how much force he uses, he cannot BEAT ME muahaha

♥ friends since elementary school! happy bday love

rooroo!! haha we're so colorful =)

we have some serious bowlin kicks

the girlies

ummm...i swear

don't buy me fruity lil drinks cuz i can shoot whiskey

holla atcha girl. FOUR strikes in a row.

cool kids

+ i took niki out to dinner at habana's for her belated birthday. ♥ we had a good heart to heart session. i'm going to be a better friend.

+ my heater is still broken. i'm using another one my dad had in the garage, but it's not the same. so now every morning i have to go to the bathroom and blowdry myself for a couple of minutes to warm up (the key is to stick it up your shirt and in your pants). then i warm up my hands under hot running water.

+ after a work sponsored happy hour, when it was freezing and pouring rain, i was able to convince some stragglers to grab cefiore froyo with me and watch grand torino. holla

+ vday week special at air conditioned: $15 champagne tasting. caught up with molly holly ♥

complete with a delicious cheese platter & romantic candlelight

+ i accidentally dialed 911 one night. i understand that there is usually a learning curve associated with acquiring a new phone, especially a smart touch phone that has all these nifty functions. but seriously? i was slightly ashamed when i had to call the station back to cancel the police dispatch out for me.

+ i've been working at watson land company in carson. they have a themed office. aka, welcome to kamp watson

we like play around here occasionally

a little golf after our lakeside picnics

there's the bean bag toss and horseshoes but we like the ping pong

+random: at gladestones, they wrap up your leftovers into different types of sea creatures

+ on friday the 13th, i got wasted in weho with timmy

we were quite the rockstars that night though

i went from drunk

to super drunk. i wish i coulda remembered her =\

anyway. i ended up passed out in the passenger seat while timmy got some action in the backseat. can i still take credit for being an awesome winggirl???

+ no comment

happy birthday poopoobear & doggy!!

2009-02-14T18:42:00.000-08:00

and oh yeah, happy valentines day...

[♥ ♥]

xoxo

don't mess with me

2009-02-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

i gots people now

[i got the verizon network]

+ i am no longer blocking texts from verizon users
+ i bought some men's snowboarding gloves in a size small. they don't fit me =\ takers?
+ i started dreaming about work. it is quite unpleasant.
+ things that i learned about dating (that i do not necessarily believe in):

---the determination of a date is not in the eye of the beholder
---lack of physical intimacy does not exclude something from being a date
---me paying for my share does not exclude something from being a date (i wish someone had told me this sooner??)
--- there seems to be many unsaid rules about dating. i wish to avoid this game.
--- however, if i say it's a date, the guy will try harder. maybe i should reconsider (go big or go home)

+ my heater (not my heart) is broken. makes waking up even worse than it already is

+ time to give my written journal some action
+ i don't get it. i don't know what's wrong with me
+ jimmy eat world - cautioners. it's monday

happy lunar/chinese new year

2009-01-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

it's that time of year...

[to the temple i go...]

okay so i always feel really guilty because the only time when i pray is when i feel like shit is going to hit the fan and splatter all over me. so i pray for stupid things like 'please let me finish this in time' or 'please get this ghost off of me' (don't ask..haha) or 'please let me get out of this situation safely' and of course 'please let me past this test' (that one's a bit outdated).

but on birthdays and holidays, when i get my wish, i actually ask for something important and worthwhile. and so today, when i went to the temple, it was time for me to make my modest prayer and wish. i haven't step foot into a temple for awhile now...it must have been two summers ago in vietnam when i paid my respects.

(yeah i thought i was agnostic too. but with a buddhist flair. i'm not very disciplined. i just try to be a good person. that should be ok in some god's book right??)

so i kneeled there in front of buddha, incense in hand held up to my forehead, and reflected about what's important to me, and prayed. i took a little longer than most people...and contrary to popular belief it wasn't because i was wishing for a million things but it takes me awhile to gather my thoughts in vietnamese. but i managed, and i hope they understood me.

and then we went outside to the female buddha. not sure what she goes by in the english language, but usually you pray to her and can ask for your fortune. you do this with a shaker in your hand full of red sticks with different numbers on them. as you pray and shake, a stick should fall out. i think this is the fun part =)

and whatever number you get on that stick, you go to the cabinets nearby to find your fortune, which is nicely printed and mass produced for your taking

i managed to get a very good fortune from the shaker--one of the best there is ('thuong thuong'). i can only read a handful of words in vietnamese, so my mom had to translate it for me. she says it's good. score one for diem.

my mom also got me a fortune based on my birthdate. everything was good i think, except for the love department, where it says 'vui it buon nhieu.' literally, it translates to 'happy little, sadness/loneliness a lot.' minus one for diem.

anyway. it was nice. the temple. and being with family. i felt so fortunate, and i feel like i have to give more. i donated to the sick kids in vietnam on a whim. baby steps.

my mommy and me

la madre, me, and my favorite auntie

the sisters

to another new year. damn. i'm only getting older huh?

+ i taught by myself at ensign middleschool today =)
+ no bad thoughts. i'll save it for tomorrow
+ happy new year everyone

home where the heart is

2009-01-25T23:06:00.000-08:00

i guess it's not too bad here

[i get my second new start...now!]

but previously:

wed: dinner with nancy at tantalum in long beach. i've never heard of this restaurant before, but it was super cute, albeit the food was on the saltier side. but then again, sometimes i don't like a lot of strong flavors. or i'm just more perceptible to salt. but we had these great mixed drinks--i'll need to check out cachaca, which is a brazillian hard liquor. seemed good in the drink but i'd like to appreciate it in it's purest form. i hope that wasn't too much of an alcoholic statement.

anyway, i hadn't caught up with nancy in awhile. the usual girl talk is always much appreciated...although i do feel like i need a fellow singler's input sometime.

thurs: dragged my butt all the way to LA after 11 hours of work. that sucked. but all for my pb tim tow who is leaving for HK for work. so then i saw the PBs again...twice in a week. craziness. but fathers office has some damn good burgers. and sweet potato fries. deLISH

fri: i was exhausted. good thing i planned on a good ol movie night! we watched the reader...i say 3 stars. out of 4. the nudity made me kind of nervous.

sat: busy day...took out my fam to dim sum since i figured it would be super busy on sunday. and then there was my cousin's wedding...i've never met him before, but you know, go to support the family. and the food. and drinks. except i had to drive my bro...

in the car, all dressed

photo with the groom & bride. i'm related to the guy, hien.

i want to get married...

but not have a crazy asian wedding where random old people get drunk and popnlock..

family photo! put that damn iphone down..

us kids had the sense to leave the restaurant. the music was horrendous.

the boys in the fam. they're super cute.

i feel outcasted =(

ok not really we're pretty cool. except i'm like, 20 yrs older

my cousin will. the last time i saw him he was a little kid...

his brother michael took this photo. i like it

so after all that fun and jazz it was time to move on to jerry's bday party at the hb house.

happy birthday jerry!!! shot!

more pb action...

holy crap 3 times in one week?!?! amazing..but we're so cute =) ♥

and those random hawaiin kids pop up everywhere..haha

sun: thai for lunch with andrew...and i finally got my journal!! now i can write crap about everyone haha. ok jk. i managed to squeeze in a 30 min massage for myself before i dragged myself to the office to get some work done. i was the only one there...it was fine until my friend told me that how creepy that was and then i got a little scared. but i totally had a field day there using the color printer and eating all the random candy lying around (yeah, i got plenty of work done).

but today has come and gone...and tomorrow is a new year =)

+ happy new year. to new beginnings, for real
+ my wedding: no karaoke allowed
+ i'm getting my creative juices back. feel lucky if u get something special

damn OC weekend

2009-01-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

lesson learned anyway

[obviously i'm sending the wrong messages]

today at work i was relaying another OC (out of control) story to my coworker and he snidely commented 'i can't wait to see the guy you marry haha.' umm...i swear. i love how much faith people have in me.

but i guess by judging the weekend i had i deserve it. too many head shaking memories. let's briefly recap on how i died on saturday at ritual:

so it started out with a round of shots. somehow i ended up with a double shot.

wasn't too thrilled about it. but secretly i probably loved it.

ok maybe i was pretty excited about it. but scared.

and then there were more shots

and sophisticated champagne drinking

ok yeah and then i was pretty drunk

a-team sans shirley. where u at??

and then so...sunday. ucla akpsi was throwing trilogy this year at v2o...so for old times sake a bunch of us oldies went. first we checked out mai tai bar though--the dj there was SO good!!

♥ eoms!

yeah we're effin adorable

and shots, per usual

and thenn...my camera ran out of batteries. but there were way too many drinks that night for all of us DDing back..that was no bueno. i had envisioned having a drink or two and bouncing right before midnight but what happened was there was a multiplier of 3 on those drinks and i didn't leave until slightly after 1. and i was talking to a 21 year old boy. and i was driving home and somehow ended going 405 north for a couple of exits instead of south. and i had nightmares of being captured by a serial killer. and i woke up at 7am for work the next morning and worked for 11 hours. and i lost one of my beloved hoop earrings.

yes. that was my weekend. aka the deterioration of diem.

anyway, to somewhat redeem myself, today was my first day doing the junior achievement program, which is a volunteer program at participating middle schools where you come in and teach a lesson a week for 6 weeks. it was definitely a worthwhile hour and i had a lot of fun!! and the kids were pretty cute...i really want to teach now =) ok so now i have to get married so i can quit my job and get my credentials and teach. perfect.

+ need. sleep.
+ miss my sbb

don't bother askin, i just celebrated valentine's day ;p

2009-01-17T01:21:00.000-08:00

yup, you heard right. in january.

[my bloody valentine...3D!]

i don't know why they didn't do it sooner...a horror flick in 3D. actually...they should just do more fun 3D movies.

so of course it was a cheesy movie, but it was pretty fun, especially watching it with the boys, who were desperately waiting for some 3D boobies to grab. there were also some memorable quotes from the actors themselves...such as 'i think he's dead' at the sight of a corpse pick-axed to death with guts spilling all over the place. but it's worth the fun, i think =) plus you get some nifty stunner glasses to wear at night

i had accidentally put on my real sunglasses, but i traded them out for the camera

and just for safety measures we drank before the movie, you know, to make things more entertaining. woohoo for 2 for 1 sake at toshi's...although i think i was the only one properly buzzzzin. it was nice to be all happy drunky after a week of sickness and work.

waiting for our 2 refills.

anyway. good fun chill friday night. hopefully i fully recover from my sickness so i can enjoy the rest of my weekend.

in other exciting news my new snow goggles came in!! i got some boyish spy goggles online for $35.

should i put my hair up?

or down? yeah i'm baddasss.

haha ok i'm just kidding, but here's the detail. boyish but fun, it worked out.

goggles and jacket courtesy of www.whiskeymilitia.com and my credit card. i love you visa.

hmm...there was something else. oh yeah..LOVE THIS SONG! 'Blame it' by Jamie Foxx & others (click!!) and i figured out why--it reminds me of the 'luv your girl' song by dream.

oh and today i got my stitches taken out. ni was nervous for sure but it didn't really hurt. but it still looks gross and my finger is all swollen boooo

+ so how bout them lakers tonight? ;p
+ why would they NOT release a movie called 'my bloody valentine' on 2/14??

shuffle me crazy!

2009-01-14T23:32:00.000-08:00

it's all in the mix

[because it's more exciting to switch it up, right?!]

since i was still pretty sick today i worked from home again...and had the luxury of actually signing for my own fedex package! i got my ipod shuffle today...i was boring and got silver but i figured hey--let's just get back to the basics for a little. so i randomly loaded up my shuffle with songs, clipped it my sweater, and started on what was a relatively exciting journey (need i remind you i was working from home, sick).

some people hate the ipod shuffle because you don't know what song you're listening to and you cant control playlists and whatnot...but i think that's the beauty of the shuffle. if you randomly load it up and let it do its thing, you'll never know what'll come up next. it's always a surprise--and the things that come up will definitely bring you back a couple of years or just have you think..wtf?? or if you're like me you'll be all happy when a random song pops up. some songs that got me grinning today:

+112-cupid
+shakira - dia especial
+peter griffins rendition of rock lobster

anyway, there's bound to be a couple songs that will just get you thinking...good times...

and so i thought, since i've been thinking about a lot of things lately, that this is what i need. i think i get fixated on certain aspects of my life, and i try to plan things around them. like my playlists--sometimes i get pretty anal and spend so much time on them making sure that the songs go together and exude a certain mood or feel...and then i listen to the same thing too much. with the shuffle i'll just listen to what happens to come up, and if i don't really like it i'll just pass.

so, i think i should maybe give the shuffle approach a try in life. i've always been one to say yes to new opportunities and getting to know new people, but i shouldn't try to bank on a certain song coming up in the next hour or expect to have consistent fluidity in this playlist of mine.

i wonder what will come up next ;p

+ need to stop..making..plans..dammit
+ ok cpa tests in april for SURE

over it

2009-01-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

mind over matter =)

[i don't know why i do this to myself]

i've been sick. i'm still sick. i haven't been sick to a point of waking up every couple of hours of the night for awhile now, and boy does it suck. my finger doesn't hurt anymore but it still looks pretty disgusting. i was very scared when my dad wanted to pour alcohol on it but i'm thrilled to know that i'm no longer distressed at the thought of disinfecting my wound. it definitely does not look healed though. whatever, mind over matter, bring it on, i can take it.

lately i've been worrying my little head over what seems like trivial matters. everything happens for a reason so i really do believe that things will work themselves out. you live, you learn, you do things differently. i'm also superstitious though, so it stresses me out when my mom told me about how my tu vi (some chinese/vietnamese horoscope) reveals that i'll be lonely and unable to find the right partner. great.

the first two weeks of 09 has been pretty crappy, with stitches and getting sick and me with all my negative thoughts. but chinese new year is jan 26, and its going to be my year (year of the ox) so i'm going to have a new fresh start soon (when i'm all healthy). it seems like a boring year but all the reason to try to make it more exciting. and even though i don't have any resolutions i'm going to focus on doing more good this year. and it starts with my family.

---monetary donation to my familia in vietnam, check. (baby steps, ok??)

+ maybe i should stop shopping too. snowgoggles, check
+ thanks rems for the needed chat. i ♥ you

blast from the past ;p

just dance

2009-01-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

it'll be okay

[discotecas. paseme la botella]

i was dd last night, only had a glass of wine and a sip of something. i'm such a tough critic when i'm sober. anyway. this past week i was able to see more of my new zealand girls jo and hana--which has been really nice. i miss having girlfriends!! so last night i opted to roll with jo to broadway bar for nam's bday thing. i got to dress her =)

and then my camera ran out of batteries.

i hate coming home late all awake and more sober than drunk, i decided. because then i start thinking about things, and then i realize how heavy my boots are. last night i was about to get back into an old habit that i've suppressed months ago--i was about ready for bed and i was about to call someone to fall asleep on. haha, pretty selfish of me at the time, but for awhile it was my daily and drunken routine. and then i realized...there's no one for me to call at 3am. no one that will pick up or wake up to talk to, no one that i'd feel comfortable calling after one drink.

and so i thought about myself, and my options, and i'm pretty screwed. i'm pretty shiney exteriored most of the time but truth of the matter is, i cant stand people who have had perfect upbringings. ok that was a dramatic statement, i can stand them of course but there's definitely a disconnect. and there's a lot to learn from them--one day i want to raise my kids perfectly and not have them face any traumatizing adversities. but when i'm surrounded by perfectly happy people i feel extra broken. i'm pretty happy most of the time though, when i'm not thinking about my heavy boots.

i'm going to buy a journal today. and medicine. i cannot be sick again. i was sick last month wtf.

+ i rate my finger pain at a mere 1/2 star
+ i have matcha powder =) matcha latte here i go
+ akon - beautiful. fuckiin sappy music. i love it.

16 things....

2009-01-07T22:29:00.000-08:00

from my tagged fbook note

[this is me]

things i didnt realize about myself until i thought about this note...

(once you’ve been tagged, write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 16 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If i tagged you it's because i want to know more about you, or just want to hear what you have to say because it's interesting.)

1. i have issues. and sadly they don't seem like they're the type of issues that fade away with time. they're the type that collect and multiply. as i grow older i feel like i get more nervous around things. i blame shirley ;p

2. ever since high school, i've had this unrelenting belief that my dentist lies to me about the status of my teeth. but i've been going to him ever since i got teeth. i don't want to leave because i feel like it's offensive.

3. i believe in common courtesy. correction--i expect common courtesy. we owe at least that much to the people we share our air with. people lacking this quality turn me off.

4. speaking of turnoffs, i think it's sad how helpless guys are nowadays in regards to fixing things. what happened to the handyman? i'd expect my man to be able to fix my problems--whether it be a bad day at work or the coffee maker.

5. i don't like drinks with a lot of flavor normally (exception being chocolatey & coffeeish stuff). i don't like juices and sodas much. i drink them on occasion. i don't like mixed drinks either. or flavored anything. i like water and nonfat milk.

6. actually, i don't like a lot of things that a lot of people like. i don't like bananas, because i feel like they smell like boogers. i don't like pepper. i don't like bbq sauce. i don't like potatoes. ok well that wasn't a lot of things, but if i broke out potatoes into different categories like mashed/baked/etc it would seem like more.

7 is my favorite number.

8. i love traveling. but more than that i love living in a different place because then you'd really experience the culture. i believe that everyone should live abroad (even for a little) at one point in their life.

9. family is very important to me. not in the general sense, but in the traditional asian sense. if you don't get it, you wont get me. and i probably can't marry you.

10. my favorite book is extremely loud and incredibly close, by jonathan safran foer. i never had a book make me feel so much before. if you don't get it, you wont get me.

11. i still make wishes when i catch the time at 11:11, or when i see a shooting star and am quick enough to wish (which is almost never). i'm a wishful thinker at times..it's fun but kind of gets me no where so i'm giving practicality/reality a go.

12. i actually get kind of offended when a guy likes me off the bat. and then sometimes that offense turns into annoyance. i think the most flattering comment i received was 'i just know that chasing you brought the best out if me.' compare that to 'i like you.' ok sorry sorry, tough crowd over here =(

13 is considered unlucky for some. i'm pretty attached to this number now..and i actually feel that i've been so lucky all my life. i'm very grateful for everything, and yes i bitch and complain, but i know that i have it good, and i'm surrounded by good people. i feel that my luck is running out though =\

14. this is a big secret i'm sharing right here! things that will never fail in cheering me up: puppies, flowers, and fireworks. (ok, it's not that big of a secret. or exclusive to me)

15. i told my ex that i would not marry him if he cannot buy me a house on the beach. i will tell my next boyfriend the same thing.

16. my ultimate goal--to be happily married and have kids (and live on the beach, of course). and either open a restaurant or become one of those cool teachers that kids would want to keep in touch with. and travel a lot =)

any takers? haha

+ massage today. never thought rough hands would feel so good

SIGH

2009-01-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

this is where i bitch and moan

[vacation mode: so easy to turn on, so hard to turn off]

i don't know, i'm not feeling it. i can't get back into work mode. i don't want to be there, and i don't want to do anything. why is it so hard for me to be motivated now? i wish i was more disciplined. and i hate 11 hr work days. and my finger hurts.

anyway, some pickmeuppers today. my new associate went to get my mail from the office last night and i had a box of chocolates from my buddy Sachi. She wrote a sweet email thanking me for getting her involved with 'extracurricilars' and for being a great buddy =) I also had another gift, from the receptionist that I always talk to. She wrote me a sweet card--sometimes i feel that honest words are more valuable than the gift themselves. It's kind of funny how we talk a lot--I always drop by when I'm in the office to see how she's doing and for some reason she reminds me a little of my mom--except she's a lot peppier. Things like that make me smile. And I don't know why i'm capitalizing letters so i'm going to stop now.

so my daddy helped me unbandage my finger and cleaned it and wrapped it up again. so i guess i got 3 stitches. my finger hurts as i type.

oh, did i mention i was single? ;p

call me =) haha.

+ 2009. good year or bad year???

nothing like ending vacation with vegas

2009-01-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

i hate vegas haha

[here goes another ridiculous vegas story]

it's usually pretty hard for me to say no to vegas, especially if it involves a free room at palazzo and me not having to plan anything. so naturally, i went. the first night we went to lavo:

ladies only!

group photo plus drinks!~

rollin up in the lavo truck

another group picture after the club

the next day we (over)indulged ourselves with the wynn buffet (yes, we stayed till dinner for the alaskan king crab) and then a late dinner at bouchon. then we headed over to jet, my favorite. i didn't have my camera for that night so no photos there...but my beloved dj was not spinning that night. and it was kinda quiet in vegas this weekend in general.

ok, so here comes the ridiculous part. we left the club at around 3, and people were splitting up and i ended up going back to the room to sleep. so i washed my face, took out my contacts, got into my pjs and went to bed. and i was in bed for almost a good hour but i couldnt fall asleep and i got really bored so i decided that i was going to go to tao by myself. so i busted out a new dress and got dolled up again, and just as soon as i was about to leave stephen and jerry came back, with food! so i had some of jerry's delicious hot dog (food) and then asked if they wanted to go out to the club with me. jerry was out of commission after he finished his food so stephen and i decided to go to drais club since we've never been. so we managed to get in with this girl-heavy group. i bought us double shots of patron, and in return stephen wingmanned for me. so i was dancing with this white guy...and we found out that we went to the same highschool and he graduated a year before me! crazy coincidence.

ok so THEN something crazy happened. i was just dancing..and then i had blood all over my hand. so i guess i got a cut somehow...but it was gushing blood. so we were walking around and some worker gave my a towel to wrap it in..and they bring us out in the kitchen and blood was everywhere. i was just thinking crap..what if there's glass in my cut? but one of the guys there was squezzing my finger so the blood would stop and put some heavy duty bandaids on my finger. he said i probably would need stitches..but i couldn't even see my wound because there was always blood pourin out of it. i figured it cant be that bad right??

umm so i just got home today and opened her up and it was kinda disgusting:

so yeah i think i need to go get some stitches tomorrow =( fuck. it's hard to type too..i hate vegas. and i miss having someone to whine to and take care of me..haha

+ boo work
+boo stitches
+boo vegas. ok jk vegas was really fun haha

didn't really say goodbye to 2008

2009-01-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

but hello 2009 ;p

[a new year warrants some change, no?]

ok. so from what i remember i always do the whole new years resolution crap, and being undisciplined me i never see through it anyway. so instead of failing to stick to my resolutions every year i decided to not make any this year =) goooo 2009!

so of course none of my friends really planned anything for nye...i really wanted to do the whole going out thing and dress up and look pretty and party at a nice club...yeah that didn't happen. but i guess it's ok, i got banged up from nightboarding the night before so i probably wouldn't have been able to solicit a desireable new years kiss anyway ;p

but amazingly, i had a pretty damn awesome night!! i just hope i don't get catch anything from all the sick people i saw =X

it started with wingnuts! yumm..

then to sachin's for champagne

richard couldn't open the bottle so don had to take over

'pop!' goes the bottle

then we were drinking and watching random things on youtube and tv...and i was like, we should go out somewhere for the countdown!! so with don's suggestion, we were off to proof bar in downtown santana:

not bad for $15 cover..

there were all these balloons and we got party hats

my favorite was the noise maker! at one point i think i was pretending to be the tequila shot guy with the whistle in tijuana with that thing haha

yeah, we were big pimpin

love you guys!

that comment about being the tequila shot guy--here it is. i was also robot/puppet man with balloons tied to my wrists

why is there a beer bottle in the corner? anyway, free champagne toast!

towards the countdown it got really crowded

stupid DJ didn't even stop the music for a proper countdown. i was waiting for it and suddenly everyone was like 'two, one!!!!' and some guy yelled happy new year in my ear and sachin got a hug from a random girl. hellooooo 2009!

everyone was wasted

festivities!! i love partyhats and balloons

anyway, we decided to bounce to the local taqueria. but we first we stole balloons!!

and took a bunch of random extended exposure pictures in the lot (it was too foggy outside)

oooooooo

ahhhhhhh (yes i got into the bar with moccasins haha)

this can be in the circus video!

and all these jumping photos! we failed. well i guess i did...notice how i'm on the ground in all but one photo =(

then it was time to say goodbye to the balloons =(

o wait crap they're tied to my wrists...lol

ok for real, so long =(

then we went to terry's friend's house party. where my DD (cough cough) decided to shotgun beers and take shots with me, i swear!

'what do you wanna mix the 99proof alcohol with?' 'umm..lets just take them as shots, thanks' 'uhh..ok' it tasted like melted jolly ranchers haha

so after some drinking we all played 5-6 rounds of mafia...pretty good times =) and then i got dropped off at home safely, and slept like a baby. the night was somewhat hazy here and there but for the most part i was a good girl--my way of starting off 2009 =) now vegas this weekend might be another story haha ;p

+ happy new years everyone!!!
+ why are my eyes constantly swollen?!?!?!

+ 2009, time to let it go....

xmas season in review (megapost)

2008-12-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

i miss 3 week xmas breaks...

[the color of our fake lil xmas tree]

*sigh* another christmas season has come and gone...it was definitely a lot more quiet this year both at my aunt's and at home. of course family time is still a great time but i miss the bigger family gatherings. a quick flashback to last christmas:

my aunt's--when my cousin from germany visited

and back at home with the padre n broham

this christmas...
>>>>at the aunt's for xmas eve

i introduce to you my aunt and her fam

and then there's my mum, bro, & me. damn he's so tall

again, different composition, with my bro as the intruder

the sisters

the girls in the family

the kids/cousins...i'm the oldest but the shortest...i'm on my tippytoes =*(

and fluffy the family dog..i want one~!

the glowy xmas tree, solo, with presents

and then we went outside and played with sparklers

and tried to make cool shapes

oo

~~

lol, and letters

it was a lot of lounging around and eating..but i like things like that ;p

>>>>at home on xmas day

the feather tree from last year

i made the tree topper myself ;p

family photo! can't believe my bro grew even more from last xmas

i mean seriously, size 13 shoes??? he's 14 i swear

poopoobear & doggy for xmassss !

xmas tree detail

>>>>on presents
so this year i didn't have to buy as many presents as i did last year...but i was super stressed out up until when i went to my aunt's on xmas eve around 3 because i still had some lingering work and i had all these gifts to wrap. but you know what, i still came to town bearing gifts (uh..i still have some of them..oops) ;p

and in terms of the receiving end, i got a bunch of random little gifts that i adore--i think at this point in my life (same as last year) i can't really expect anything big until i get a serious bf/husband so i never have high expectations for gifts during xmas. it's just fun to see what i do end up getting =) for instance, my brother asked me what i wanted for xmasand i said surprise me. he argued back saying that he didn't know yadda yadda. and i just told him he has to practice now because he'll have to have good surprising skills when he gets a gf later on. so he got me this hickory farms cheese and sausage giftbox thing, which i LOVE (it's so damn delicious). but i just realized that he didn't get it because he knew i loved cheese but because the damn box that it came in had the word 'surprise' written on it:

i swear. oh and i'm also sportin my new earmuffs--those came in the mail and was a nice surprise so thank you they're so soft and warm!

and i think my favorite present this year, aside from poopoobear herself, is this drawing from my friend. i wish i had talent =(

not only is poopoobear photogenic, she looks super cute drawn as well ;p

>>>>on christmas season
so to me, christmas season is about family (see above),

friends (jun's bday @ mesa =)

and snowboarding season ;p

and of course, it's about eating a lot. i think i ate more xmas eve through boxing day than i did the whole week prior. sigh. o well

+ i want to go snowboarding again this week
+ i'm only partially sore--didn't have any bad falls!
+ umm...i really want to go snowboarding again...

omfg dos mas dias til Xmas

2008-12-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

cant stop wont stop

[everything is hectic around this time for me....]

took my bro to see the clippers today. raptors totally killed them. so sad...

anyway, from sat when i went to the xmas party in la with jo, mike david, & lambo.

before that i was playing around with doggy and his light up santa hat

and played around with some functions on my camera and my xmas lights ;p

+ i'm so excited for snowboarding

they're singing deck the halls

2008-12-21T03:07:00.000-08:00

but it's not like christmas at all

[i remember when you were here]

+all the fun we had last year
+ thank you for bringing poopoobear <4

farewell, canadia

2008-12-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

*crossing fingers* gotta beat the storm!

[the color of snow. i love it]

so this week kinda sucked. i worked way more than i wanted to. got sick. and i look and feel like crap. but still i like this city...sans the work. i'll miss this view when i wake up:

i'm such an awesome photographer--i make the bmo building look like it's the leaning tower of pisa ;p

anyway, since i didn't want to be snowed in toronto for the holidays i opted to take friday off and fly back at 8:30am. to vegas... ;p haha i should have done another extended layover, if only i didn't give shirley my dresses to take back! meh, i'm pretty tired. ready to go home. i want to go snowboardinggggg.

+I've been travellin' on this road too long
+Just tryna find my way back home
+TI & JT - dead & gone (click!)

vacay photos galore n more

2008-12-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

what i miss...

[the color of snow..still ;p ]

in the spirit of xmas, and being emo lil ol' me...i made a playlist to go along with all the snowy pictures during my vacation =)

>>>dec 5-7, viva las vegas

the ladies of fri night. yes, there were only two...before midnight anyway

group picture!

ok now funny face! (as u can see, some were struggling)

ok now act tough ;p

enter: lavo nightclub

by the creators of tao

comp shots for everyone!

what's goin onnnn???

day two: shooting range

no worries, we'll protect you from any zombies ;p

night two: more people!

for some reason, i always have a million pics of this guy

sexxxy group pic

vay's artistic shot

ladies only!

i can capture the hotness

again and again ;p

enter: lax nightclub

recap: overall i'd have to say good times, which is usually the case with vegas ;p it was nice seeing the nzed boys again!

>>dec 7-11, bonjour, montréal

winter wonderland (its actually a lot of snow)

my cousins, tram & huan, & tram's girl

most of the pictures are on her camera =(

w. huan and my half cousin nga =)

recap: this has definitely got to be the coldest placed i've been, at -16c and snow galore. i love the city though, and i love the cousins! family<3

>>dec 11-present, niagra falls (ontario side) + toronto

i love waterfalls

elevated view from the hotel

closeup from 'journey behind the falls'

and i love it when everything's frozen

from trees

to bushes

to railings (no, not that kind of railing haha)

i also like it when it snows

and when the falls are illuminated....love this one

and they even change colors!

and sprinkle some fireworks on top...

hotel view. i love doggy. i love the falls.

i also like how festive toronto is for the holidays

outdoor ice skating in the middle of the city!!

i really like this pic (everything in it aside from me and the guy next to me)

everything's illuminated!!

another tree =)

recap: i once thought that niagra falls was like yosemite falls and in palm springs. i'm sure glad i found out how wrong i was, so that i could now know how beautiful these falls are! and i really like toronto and montreal. why do i want to move to every city i set foot in????

+ poopoobear

back to the grind

2008-12-15T20:24:00.001-08:00

that vacation week went by fast....

[the color of snow]

so i'm still kickin it here in our northerly neighbor, all cold, and now sick. however, i have to say i've surprisingly adapted to cold weather, all thanks to montreal. coming from -16c, -2c is pretty darn warm. vacation pictures to come.

i had something to say, but i forgot. it was probably something along the lines of...going back to work sucks, being sick sucks, christmas is just around the corner and i haven't done my shopping yet, my calendar is still starting to fill up and i need to learn how to say no. or not want things.

anyway, i should sleep.

+ hmm...that wasn't therapeutic at all

once, is never enough

2008-12-05T01:25:00.000-08:00

always running out of time

[the default color of my blog's font]

i don't know what's wrong with me this week--i can't seem to sleep. granted, i ended up sleeping 10 hours on tuesday and was late to my training by 4 hours...but i mean i can't sleep at night. and i can't wake up in the morning. i had to ask my brother to wake me up in the morning...sigh.

and i can't believe i'm leaving for vegas tomorrow already. and then straight to canada for two weeks. and my smaller sized boots didn't come in, so now i'm stuck with ones that are slightly large for me--which is annoying and unpreferred. and it's going to be so cold. and i've been lacking sleep (exception being tuesday). and i worked very hard today and concentrated all day and i didn't even get to the work i was originally supposed to do...just all this other extra work got done. and i'm still dealing with the reprecussions of losing my wallet and all my cards.

i have to pack. for two weeks. i haven't started.

i'm stressed, slightly. ok well more than slightly but i guess not majorly. i just bought new snowboarding pants...i wonder if i can sell my old ones for a good price. i didn't need new pants. i needed new gloves and goggles. and flow bindings. i like the flow bindings. but i got pants that i didn't need.

i have so many outstanding administrative stuff to take care of in my life. i haven't been home, and i'm leaving.

it was nice having someone there for me to comfort me and help me, once upon a time. but of course i'll be okay, i'm just annoyed and upset and can't sleep. and extremely whiney. and hesitant to pick up the phone.

quick recap of the week, so i don't forget:
mon - aunt's bday dinner at maggianos
tues - canada shopping, coffee w. khoa
wed - joy luck club play
thurs - skidazzle

songs of the night:

+ and i need something to help me sleep
+ i don't wanna dream about all the things that never were
+ and we know it's never simple never easy, never a clean break
+ you don't have to wait for all this silly fate

and that, dear friends, is how diem got her emo back....haha

i love 4 day weekends

2008-11-30T23:38:00.000-08:00

it really really sucks when it's over though

[the color of..turkey!!]

i'm sad that i have work tomorrow. recap of my 4 day weekend:

wednesday: early thanksgiving dinner, aka thanksgiving dinner #1 at my aunt's in riverside. i was pretty excited because she added me to her fasttrack account so i had one of those nifty beeper things. but it didn't beep. so i hope i don't get a ticket in the mail anytime..

distributing the food. thats my mom on the left =)

fluffy!! i want a real puppy....

thursday: thanksgiving dinner #2. my pops made one of my favorite vietnamese dishes. sooo good. that night i watched a gazillion episodes of ugly betty. almost caught up. i want a gio.

friday: daddy's birthday.

le familia

ate at gyu-kaku japanese grill

baskin robins bday cake...prailines & cream & white cake. soo good.

later that night i finally got the chance to hang out with the santa ana boys from highschool...pretty good times with all those drinking games & mafia. for once i didn't suck too badly at mafia =)

saturday: finished up season 3 of house. had orange chicken from panda express...<3!>

reunited with the nzed folk!

then i hopped over to sutra for my first time. not too bad for an oc club i suppose.

sunday: finally went to the mall to do a little shopping..although i was pressured for time. managed to buy an outfit...my wallet is going to take a big hit this holiday season. it already started....

took herbie out for his bday--went to the hayworth theather to see 'linda lovelace'

it was a pretty good production--we got pretty bombass seats in the front row too =) thank you goldstar.com

+ i don't wanna go back to work!
+ omfg vegas and canada this weekend already
+ crap crap i have to pack and buy thermals
+ ugh. being alone for the holidays kind of suck
+ thank goodness for my tv shows <3

rain, rain...

2008-11-26T00:53:00.000-08:00

i think i kinda like you. kinda

[the color of rainy days]

so today i randomly stumbled across the pre-release of britney's new cd, 'circus.' i listened to all the songs and overall the cd is pretty good--i like it better than her blackout cd. i was going to link it here but i guess someone changed the playlist...so i'll post my four favorite songs (in order of liking):

yes, i like britney spears. so what???

i went to go see bolt tonight.

it's pretty good i thought. i managed to tear up at somepoint...oh those disney movies. bolt was super cute as a puppy in the beginning too...i bet you my doggy would be cuter if he was a cartoon and animated! it would be nice to get a real puppy too..but no time to take care of it =(

+ dunno if i can get out of bed now that i'm in it
+ woohoo thanksgiving dinner #1 tomorrow night!
+ i need to get some work done =(

some things just make me happy

2008-11-25T00:54:00.000-08:00

like walking into my room w. all the xmas lights & doggy waiting for me

[the color of doggy's fur (part of it)]

so i was just shopping at forever 21 online and bought a bunch of things. and i mean a BUNCH of things. 15 items for $172 (not bad right??? for the quantity..lol). ok i just looked at my receipt and noticed that i accidentally bought 2 of the same item...hopefully they'll change it for me. anyway, i was a little sad because that pretty much exceeded the [clothing] shopping budget that i set for myself each month...but then i realized that i had just received a $175 credit from returning a purse that i purchased over a year ago~! so basically it's as if i didn't buy anything and i'm going to get all these clothes for free come two weeks =D ok that's not true, but it still makes me happy that it's all effectively taken care of and no extra money will be coming out of my bank acct ;p

in other news, i received my drivers license today in the mail. yay for not carrying my passport around anymore!

so i had coffee with my artsy friend again and i'm trying to muster up the energy and focus to pursue art. i never really gave it a serious try because i'm not that talented and i could tell that i can't really draw, so i just gave up. i mean there was a time in my life when i did art somewhat regularly as an emotional outlet--but i never really did it to be good or anything. but i'll try a little harder this time and see how it goes. i just don't think i have an eye for these things but since i have an expert handy, maybe my luck will change.

so after i got home i tried sketching some random items in front of me:

they're obviously not drawn to scale, and i obviously have a lot of work to do. that was pretty fun and relaxing though...

+ darn it, another late night
+ *sigh*

where did today go??

2008-11-24T01:11:00.000-08:00

i didn't even realize it was this late =(

[the color of my cool blue room]

so recap on last night at suede bar & lounge:

happy birthday to lori timmy & troy

pdub unite!

some more pdubness

anyway...naturally my sunday was a lazy one..took a few naps here and there and just lounged around. i had errands to run but for some reason i didn't want to go do them by myself (i usually don't have this problem) so my brother was nice and went to target with me since i wanted to get some christmas lights to string up around my bed:

where the magic happens ;p

doggy <3

and yes i realize my room is super princessy. this is my room from middle school/hs and i didnt really change it when i moved out for college...and i didnt change it when i came from college. too much work. i spent a good amount of time cleaning/reorganizing my room again..but i still have a lot to work on. i just have so much stuff..

oh and i also bought a glade scented candle (i copied my brother). i put it in this candle lantern thing that i bought from the sawdust xmas festival last year--it's handmade from a tin can and casts a really pretty shadow:

+ i've never seen so many hawaiians before outside of hawaii til sat night
+ did i mention how drunk people are such a turn off??
+ i gave away my business card again last night. i need better game..haha
+ i've been listening to trance/electronica all night...random

coffee, chocolate, men...

2008-11-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

some things are just better rich ;p

[the color of my my mug from college]

so yesterday i was pretty bummed out about my canceled mammoth plans...i've been looking forward to it all week so when i woke up that morning 95% sure that mammoth wasn't happening, i had no will at all and wanted to stay in bed all day. but of course, being the responsible person that i am, i went to work (haha..). i guess some say that i should have gone out last night, but i passed up the opportunity to continue what i was doing earlier that morning--laying in bed.

so i was in bed with doggy catching up on the last episodes of heroes and desperate housewives--at which point i wanted to make a hot cup of condensed milk (asian thing i guess..condensed milk and hot water). i walked downstairs and my brother was drinking from one of two of my orange mugs--the ones that i got for me and niki back in college which quote 'coffee, chocolate, men...' and below it was this brown circle...which changes colors to reveal 'some things are just better rich' when the temperature gets hot enough. anyway, leon was drinking what looked like what i had wanted--hot condensed milk! i got super excited because i thought we had a special mental connection going on..but i guess he was just drinking cold milk from a mug...

who does that???

so to the kitchen i went and to my disappointment we didn't have any condensed milk. or chocolate milk. so in a futile attempt to fulfill by craving i just had some cold milk. in a mug. and went back upstairs and watched a handful of greys anatomy...and now i'm all caught up with THREE shows!!

yes i stayed up til around 2ish last night. watching tv. it was pretty damn great. i love my bed. i love doggy. i love tv shows.

now the fact that i'm all caught up with three tv shows makes me a little nervous. i still have a bunch waiting for me, if need be. i have gossip girl, pushing daisies, house and ugly betty--all of which i'm extremely behind on. odd as it may be, at this point in my life, tv shows are one of the few comforts that i can always rely on. they're always there for me--always ready anytime of day or night if i need them. they'll take my mind off of pretty much anything, they'll take me away from where i want to be, they make me laugh giggle excited and cry sometimes...but pretty much without fail they satisfy me and make me happier. i can't really attribute all those qualities to anything else in my life right now, which is sad, but true. such easy access, i think i'm in love..haha. so the fact that i'm running low makes me nervous. i was going to stay in tonight again, but i should really save my tv shows...lol drinking takes my mind off things too...but i've been a good girl lately, trying keep my wild nights to a minimum.

and of course there's doggy who's there, but he just makes me think more. gotta say i miss having someone there with me, the special holds, the kisses in between commercials.

anyway. i've been in dire need of a trim and color. so my mom just cut my hair (not a trim, as usual..haha) and i just dyed my hair darker again. let's see how many washings it takes for the color to wash out. *sigh* no big exciting change. story of my life for the past year =(

+ i hope poopoobear starts wearing her glovers soon
+ booo....let's go snowboarding someone!!
+ why do i have a headache?? i didn't even drink last night..

=( karma again?

2008-11-21T00:11:00.000-08:00

ok i'm probably being overly dramatic

[the color of my old snowboard]

so today for our client lunch we went to a new italian restaurant at fashion island called canaletto...i guess it's an upscale italian concept by il fornaio. the food was pretty good...and i really liked the environment. will have to return one day to try their other desserts =)

for dinner we went to bacaro la for the beaujolais wine celebration. beaujolais nouveau is a lighter red wine that normally gets promoted around thanksgiving in the US and is heavily marketed during its release--i guess especially since it's best to drink it within the year and i'm sure there's some type of history behind it. so i think i had around 4 glasses of wine and we finished 4+ plates of croque monsieurs (aka, fancy ham sandwiches..which they made oh so deliciously). oh, and the place was super cute and intimate. i like.

so tonight i switched my bindings from my old board to my new board (not depicted below). clearly, my new board isn't as exciting as my old one...and yes, there are unicorns. and for the record..i still feel pegasus>unicorn (probably because i dressed up as pegasus once).

+ double pwned, julia flaked on me =(
+ i'm sad. i want to go to mammoth. bad.

+ recommended by pdx--i really like it: if you want me

never thought i'd say this...

2008-11-19T22:51:00.002-08:00

but i think i like country

[but then again, all my boundaries have been blurred lately]

yes, i like songs from this 16 year old country singer. wutja gonna do about it?!?!

*sigh*

saw the ducks hockey game tonight. i think one of the players was pretty hot. but aside from that, the fights are pretty entertaining...and it's fun to yell stuff, per usual.

+ omg omg omg snowboarding
+ yay the joy luck club in 2 weeks! let's see if i can breathe through the play
+ i'm so excited to watch my tv shows...sometime

for those who know me...

2008-11-18T18:45:00.006-08:00

i love to eat, heehee =D

[the color of simplicity]

i don't feel like writing in sentences tonight. ok i just wrote a sentence. anyway:

monday night: appetite stimulus @ asia de cuba in the mondrian hotel in hollywood
- amazing hotel--gorgeous!! restaurant was just as beautiful, inside and outside =)
- i love the orange...
- future bf, take me here. thanks!
- calamari salad was bomb, butterfish was pretty good, braised beef spring rolls were decent
- i really like the hotel....

tuesday night: appetite stimulus @ leatherby's cafe rouge in the south coast repertory in costa mesa
- clean set up--but lights were too bright for the 40s standard music they were playing
- overall the food was descent--nothing amazing or extraordinary. definitely was not impressed though =\
- but all's good in good company i suppose

+ i got pwned by julia, i'm totally driving to mammoth. wish me luck
+ i did my good deed for the month--48$ contribution to united way
+ lunch w. niki. shared funny stories of 'game over' moments w. boys..haha
+ i promise i'm good and i wouldn't do anything with anyone's bf!!
+ so tired & sleepy already...

the weekend! it's here...

2008-11-16T19:17:00.005-08:00

and then it's gone

[the color of my new board]

so i've been pretty tired. i think i need some kind of energy supplement. or i can sleep more. or i can stop making plans. i should make plans to stay home and catch up with my tv shows...one of the highlights of my week was snuggling in bed with doggy and watching 2 episodes of desperate housewives. this season is SO good. anyway.

friday was cabana. and per usual, i never really feel like going and i don't really like the place/crowd but as always i have a great time with my friends <3

and then i ran into some familiar faces (as in two)

and don't you know i come here to visit ken enough that i sometimes guest dj??

naturally i ended the night with some hot juicy wiener ;p

the best part is the grilled onions!! (get your mind out of the gutter)

so then came saturday. checked out the sports challet tent sale with my newly connected buddy khoa. i went with the intention of checking out the goggles and gloves...but to my dismay there were an abundance of boards for pretty cheap. so naturally i perused the boards with excitement and was seriously considering the ride vista or the flow elation. the guy pretty much had me sold on the ride vista but it had unicorns on it. unicorns. that was pretty much a turn off so i opted out of impulse buying and left.

and for a brief moment, i saw my lil bro felix who came down on to OC for a business trip <3 style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.myspace.com/thenightstheband"> myspace (click me) and not being impressed..but they were great when we saw them. and the singer was cool hipster guy. i want to be cool hipster.

the band that we actually went to go see wasn't as impressive live..but i still like listening to their songs online. sampling time:

anyway. after the viperroom we went down to old town pasadena for drinks. i'm now hooked on greyhounds. *sigh*

so on sunday i went to sports challet again and i got the snowboard. the ride vista..with unicorns. whatever, a good board for $130. i'm super excited to test drive it this weekend though =D

the 151 was a nicer color but a 10cm jump from my old board is a bit much. but gosh darnit, so much for getting a not-as-girly board.

+ i haven't worn that white dress since 8/7/06
+ i have a new scent! sniff me!
+ quantum of solace was confusing...
+ i was super excited to see movie previews
+ my studybuddy rocks. who woulda thunk

a lot of the time i wish i had a better memory

2008-11-13T00:19:00.004-08:00

sometimes i wish i could stop thinking

[my ex-favorite color]

i need to invest in a new wireless router because the one i currently have sucks. because of this router, i was kicked off yesterday before i could blog my day and thoughts...which is no bueno since my short term memory tends to be self destructing. And still no new diary--i was at barnes and nobles and found one that was like my old one but i was holding out for a different colored cover. i guess i can always decorate it to be my own...darn..i should have bought it tonight.

anyway. yesterday. i took my dear friend out for his birthday to watch 'the heiress' at the south coast repetory. a very good play and a very cool venue. the play brought me to tears during the second half

hmmm...i guess this play was a movie too. anyway, then we went to tokyo table in the newish diamond jamboree plaza and shared 5 dishes. we were so full. happy belated peacedogx ;p

tonight i had coffee with an old friend that i haven't seen for about 5 years. it's always fun to talk to artistic people with jobs way cooler than mine. inspiring in a way...i've always enjoyed the more creative side of things. *sigh* one day. i hope we become more regular friends since we're in the same hood =)

on another note..an ANGRY note...i just found out that my new health insurance BLOWS. so i pay a premium for PPO since i like going to the doctors a lot. i like to be told that i'm healthy and i'm okay. so previously, as in last year, i pay about a bill a month and there's no deductible. this year, for the same plan, i pay a little over a bill a month and now there's a FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR DEDUCTIBLE!! wtf??? so angry. ohhh sooo angry. i'm sad now actually =(

+ i went to the dmv today to get a duplicate drivers license
+ it wont come until another 2-3 weeks =(
+ still not over it, i hate it when people fail to mention things they know i wanna hear
+ benefit of the doubt doesn't come standard nemore, sorry
+ yay my first letter from iraq <3>

edit: my wallet was stolen

2008-11-10T23:27:00.005-08:00

why are there mean people out there? =(

[the color of my stolen plastic]

i'm sleepy. i'm sulky. i currently have no money and no id. i can't believe someone stole my wallet and attempted to charge through $1000 worth of goods. i swear, these people. and now i have to go to the dmv and get a new id when i already had a perfectly good driver's license that reminded me of when i was once under 115lbs. i'll never be able to get those 'free' cute mustard yellow gloves from target with my 80$ gift cards, and i'll never get those 'free' gingerbread lattes with my new starbucks gift cards. my lucky new 5$ bill that i've held out on using all this time will never get a second chance to show how lucky it really is (yes, i probably lied all those times when i said i had no cash. i didn't want to use that bill!). my newly acquired duplicate check from my 'hard' work at oppenheimer in 2005 will not be cashed, and i'll never get to buy any more student priced movie tickets with my almost antique bruin card. and my lodis wallet that i had once contemplated to get for over a month will never see through it's first year with me.

yes, i'm being melodramatic. but losing your wallet sucks and is a huge hassle, and now i need to invest in a credit monitoring service since someone has all my information and can potentially open new credit cards in my name. i must have done something to deserve something like this, but knowing me, i probably forgot. i'm sorry, i think. *sigh*

this reminds me of the coral cardigan that i got for $8 bucks at target that i oh so loved. the one that i left behind in hawaii. basically, i want it back. (see retarded picture below)

i want it all back

+ highlights of my day: cefiore & hooters

+ i can take care of it myself, i just wish i didn't have to =\
+ 11/11/08...can someone ask for my hand on 11/11/11?? thanks =(

i lost my wallet

2008-11-09T18:52:00.003-08:00

again....

[the color of my wallet]

so yesterday i went to go see 'into the woods,' a muscial production of various fairy tales (cinderella, jack & the beanstalk, little red riding hood, etc) with a darker twist, including an exploration of the 'after' part of the traditional 'happily ever after.'it was at the lyric theater so it was very small and intimate...a rather long play but i really liked it =) then we proceeded to suede bar in downtown where i lost my wallet. i think it fell out of my purse when i put it down, which has happened before. *sigh* there's no one to make sure i have everything before i leave anymore....i should really get into the habbit of doing a physical check of my belongings. since the bar is closed today i'll have to call tomorrow to see. hopefully they have it cuz it'll be a pain in the butt to cancel all my cards and get my ID back...plus i had an uncashed check and target gift cards in there! boo...

+ no other love - john legend + estelle (click me, thnx)
+ fuck, i need to take my cpas =(
+ hmm....i want a gingerbread latte, special order!

goodbye my almost lover

2008-11-08T03:31:00.002-08:00

goodbye my hopeless dream

[the color of shooting stars]

old love, old habits, old flames....it's time to let go. never could i have envisioned a better first love. never. and never have i seen (and missed) so many shooting stars in one night....i guess that's what happens when starcrossed lovers say goodbye

+ i never wanted to see you unhappy
+ you will always be in my heart
+ i'll miss you poopoobear!!
+ let me go ;p <3

days like these....

2008-11-06T23:32:00.004-08:00

i just want to stay in bed forever

[have you heard? my new favorite color is yellow]

this morning i woke up happy and smiley...i haven't been this comfortable and relaxed in bed with both poopoobear & doggy for awhile. of course that was followed by me not wanting to get out of bed and then getting a muscle spasm. i don't even work out, wtf?? *sigh*

+ another 7th, almost 7
+ maybe there's beauty in goodbye....

money buys me happiness

2008-11-05T23:59:00.003-08:00

yeah i said it. so what?

[the color of...cashhh monneyyy]

so today at work i caught a glimpse of someone carrying around starbucks coffee and it was their holiday season cup!! i got really excited so i went to starbucks after lunch...my favorite has always been the gingerbread latte but this year they have the gingersnap latte...it tastes pretty much the same sans the slight burnt taste, which i liked, and the addition of tiny ginger pieces, which i don't like so much. but that was fun. and then herbie and i went to massage envy for a massage. not the best one, but it still felt pretty good. and we got conned into signing up for membership..(it's hard for us to say no to people). then we went to cherry on top for some frozen yogurt..and signed up to be on their email list for discounts and coupons, reinforcing that it's hard for us to say no.

so i perused snowboarding paraphenalia at sports chalet with rachel and i want...
- goggles. some cute spy ones..but vonzipper makes some with earmuffs and headphones!!
- gloves. i need snowboarding gloves. ones that keep me dry & warm and are cute
- beanie. i just want a new one
- socks. i need cute snowboarding socks
- thermals. i need them.
- board. ok i dont need one.

random thoughts:
+ don't lie to me, and don't be shady
+ drunk people are not attractive to me. i'm unattractive 1/4 of the time
+ 1/4 of the time is a vast improvement from 1/2 of the time
+ can someone make me study? thanks
+ love hurts, even when it's gone....

to new beginnings

2008-11-05T00:29:00.005-08:00

one step at a time

[the color of tabula rasa]

ok so a clean slate is quite the overstatement but here's to (the hope) of new beginnings. i'm not the most political person out there, and i never pretended to be...but it was nice to become that believer that i sometimes wish that i were during obama's speech tonight.

i found myself surprisingly moved, but of course, once i turned off the tv, i'm back to my skeptic self. once u send my friend back from iraq and stop threatening to deport my friends, i'll start to praise and worship.

As if i knew that there was going to be (the hope) of change tonight, i decided to slowly build my new and better beginning as well. for one, and this is sort of a big deal, i got rid of all the unread mail in my mailbox. i think i had over 2000 unread messages, which make some people nervous..but now i have zero!! so that was exciting. i also continued to reorganize/clean my room...but i'm not quite there yet. half of my room looks really good..haha. i need to find a good spot for my endless winter poster:

Its a harder task than you think since my room is super girly/highschooly/girly, which was something i decided to have a decade ago. seems too hard to change all that now, unless i move out (anyone need a roomate??).

+ mammoth plans in 3 weeks?!
+ i'm emotionally exhausted
+ how can i ever live without poopoobear =\
+ putting up all these kissy posters make me feel funny
+ no on 8, no on 8!

i love you diary

2008-11-04T00:07:00.005-08:00

you help me remember what i wanted to remember

so today i had an impromptu date down memory lane with my past diaries. i guess as of late (and i'm sure i've thought about this before in the past), one of the more predominant themes in my life is my shitty memory. and that's why when i went through my diary, it was one of the more entertaining nights i've had haha. and i guess i'm inspired in a way to start writing in my diary again. although by the looks of my diary collection i tend to ditch my diary after a few entries..although my most successful diary lasted until i ran out of pages to attach notes/memorabilia (i think i'm going to get the same journal again..it was perfect with different colored sections for different types of entries..haha). blogging is pretty fun too but i have to censor myself kinda and i can't write a fuck everybody part ii here (see 25th hr, ed norton). but hey, u can still holla at your girl ;p

you know how sometimes people describe you better than you can describe yourself? or sometimes people think they know you but they don't really know you at all? well whatever the case may be, may i present you richard nguyen's a-day-in-the-life of me, dated 7/17/03:

i wake up at 3 in the afternoon everyday, unless i get a friend of mine to call me every 10 minutes and act as an alarm clock to wake me up. i'm a planner. i do things randomly with people, and when they want to hang out, if i'm free, then i'm there. but if not, i'll have to take a rain check. as for me, i dont think i'm cute or hot or anything, but my friends think i'm hot. i have sex everyday with my f*** buddies, one for everyday of the week. except for sunday, because its a holy day. next year, i will be going to ucla. i want to be a curator. and i'm totally not a lesbian. yes, i am diem quynh-le nguyen

sad thing is he still doesn't know how to spell my name properly. i swear.

things i realized/found digging through my stuff
+ i totally went to saturday detention for hookie
+ i got a 'see me after class' note because i copied homework
+ i've always been more of a planner (although i'm spontaneous if i have no plans)
+ holy shit i had a detailed calendar & related expenses in my journal
+ i have serious trust issues
+ resolutions are definitely not my thing
+ i found money, i'm RICH bitches =D

moving on without letting go

2008-08-07T02:42:00.002-07:00

halfway there...

8708

with everything i wont let this go

2008-04-19T22:06:00.004-07:00

my first love

New Years Resolutions

2008-01-01T02:27:00.000-08:00

It's never too late

So once again I abandoned my blog...I figured I'd pick it up again because I need a way and place to set in my new years resolutions!

1. Read 3 pages a day from my new '30,000 years of art' book
2. Clean my room the beginning and middle of every month
3. Stick to my $400 shopping budget 7 months out of the year
4. Completely tuck away and save at least $500 every paycheck
5. Lose 5 pounds and keep it off
6. Go to the gym at least twice a week
7. Upload my pictures within the week that they were taken
8. Finish all of my required classes for the CPA by June
9. Pass one part of my CPA by the end of this year
10. Keep in touch with friends abroad--catch up with emails once a month.
11. Organize my receipts

I know, I'm ambitious. Happy New Years everyone!

the M-F that i'll miss

2007-09-02T01:37:00.000-07:00

because sept 17 is 2 weeks away

[the color of my week]

M: rumor had it that the new boudin's in irvine was giving away free lunches. so naturally, i was there...along with my brother, suzy, jo, & a lot of other smart food loving people.

newly opened!

this was free!

free food=happy people

after such an exciting feat we got greedy and got more free stuff at starbucks ♥

then i did something out of character: i played tennis. it was pretty fun, but i regretted it after the fact when i couldnt lift my arm above my head to get my shirt off.

but i suppose it was worth it just to bust out the old racket and see my brother adapt it to modern day technologies (ie, the wii)

i've been making it a point to catch up on all the movies i missed the past year, so after showering me and a couple of people headed over to sachin's to watch........

two thumbs up!!

after the movie ended in the wee hours of the night, we went outside to check out the lunar eclipse

interesting enough, but nothing amazing

T: BEACHHHHHH!!! yay for living close to the beach and yay for boogie boarding! someone please inspire me to pick up surfing again.

later that evening a bunch of us met up for dinner...and what better place to eat on a tuesday than at hooters for their trivia night! granted...the trivia was all UFC that night and i knew squat about that (t.g.i.d: thank goodness for don)...but it was still fun with lots of people and lots of wings. note: the 'hot' flavored wings at the hooters on harbor and south coast drive fare on the weaker side of the spicey scale..go for 911!

that's our waitress doannie..for more info ask richard ;p

so then there was random talk about blizzard, a game company nearby, which spurred my dormant desire for blizzards at dairy queen. and so there was a dq run...

then back to sachin's again for our movie night...

it sucks ;\

W: i decided to take it easy today since i am out of shape and tennis/swimming took a toll on my body......sooooo i lounged around in the afternoon and watched

i liked it ;)

later that night we had a game night at sachin's where we played

my first time ever! don won the first round and i won the second ;D

then we proceeded with our usual routine and watched

it's really good...watch it! future husband, buy me a huge conflict-free diamond please ;p

R: today was sachin's last day in OC so we had a little going away thing--first dinner at red robins and then (guess where?) back to sachin's for drinking and games

i swear we have a picture exactly like this 4-5 years ago

aww..sad sachin. or is it angry sachin? i dunno

yumm..refillable strawberry lemonades

speaking of strawberries...robertlabede! jp ;p ♥

king's cup. i should always have a bottle of wine handy.. ;(

yeah we're weaksauce..that's the king's cup

bowl of beer-cooler. we were determined to finish it so i made up a bunch of card games, like guess what suit this is and guess what suit its not

then we just straight up rockpaperscissored for it. dont be fooled by tuan's smile..he takes this game pretty seriously

F: the highlight of the week for my palate: mastros w. the a-team

all dressed up

martinis + riesling

omg...PORTERHOUSE ♥

best steakhouse in my book so far

butter cake...yummm

♥

♥

after a superfilling dinner shirley and i decided that we felt too fat and full to go out, so we went back to waynes to play random games: spoons (to the acapella tunes of britney's toxic intro, a group effort), my guess what suit this is game, and gin...in which i won ;D

it's ok shirley, i love you

a couple drinks, and

meh.

+ whew, what a week ;p
+ gluck with everything sachin!
+ thanks allen for the camera again
+ its been a whole month since i've stepped foot in a mall..be proud !

fv for life (as in fvhs)

2007-08-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

because the years of innocence had its own particular charm

[the colors of baron pride]

this weekend was the ultimate for reminiscing the good ol' times of highschool. props to robert's belated birthday bonfire for bringing us all together...it was nice to see the people that i've been meaning to see all in one go, and also nice to see people that i haven't seen since graduation! it was an unusually cloudy day in hb, but we were all excited for the bonfire (esp me!!). granted, things didn't go accordingly to plan when we got kicked off the beach for having alcohol, but i gotta say, that was one hell of a night at rob's place!!

highlights: a bunch of ex-fvhs-ers in one living room playing taboo & charades--some good ol' fashion fun with a helping of beers (and for me, wine ;D). and to top it off we invaded yogurt land at 1am with 3 (or was it 4?) cars of happy people...good times ;D

at least we got to do some bonfiring activities at vicky's place the next day--thanks for hosting! we had some of those good korean bbq beef that we missed out on from saturday..and we even got to roast marshmallows and make smores! and being the fatties that we are...we had chips, chicken quesadillas, and even a smore-dilla...

yay picnic! with naked lady statue!

foooood...yumm

!!! to-be-smores!!

who's invention was this???

+ i started reading again..started with something easy:

i'm 1/2 through and it's a pretty fun read, though not as fun as syrup by barry
+ i learned how to skateboard today!!! so far i haven't hurt myself yet ;D
+ if you're gonna do alcohol on the beach..be discreet dammit -___-

this is how we do in so cal + vegas ;D

2007-08-16T01:42:00.000-07:00

reunited and it feels soooo good ;D

[the color of good beachin weather!]

+ firstly, the a-team. i &heart; you guys. went to a bar and then to pho thanh, where we witnessed a fight. surprise surprise...well i was surprised, and scared.

+ and then my ladies from nzed!! jo & hana, or johana....good times ;D oi, and of course i made it to the oc fair before it closed...it's tradition with my family ;D

+ saw niki for a brief second...and later hung out with richard..but he ditched me to play tennis and dropped me off at sachins. allen came over and we watched number 23. apparently i was the only one that didn't fall asleep.

+ 4 year anniversary with dannyboy! we rented a cabin up in lake arrowhead...it was so nice to have a place on our own *ahem* ! and a jacuzzi in the bathtub + champaign is awesome as well ♥

+ meeting up toby, my surfing buddy from nzed! we showed him the wonders of rubio's fish tacos and downtown disney, and a sneak peak of disneyland's amazing fireworks ;D

+ oh, and viva las vegas!! went with some of my pledge bros and met some cool new people, and met up with some other akp people. it was an awesome vegas trip, and since my baller friend stephen got a host we got so many things comped including room buffets limos! clubbed at jet & tao...and got kicked out of a club for the first time in my life (jet) but it was still so funn..right guys? ;D and yes, hot tub party was amazing ;p some really good times

+ movie night at sachins. wth did we watch again??

+ last time hanging out with toby (for now)..went to the hb pier, loitered a lot, and jj's cafe. imma miss you toby!!

+ finally got to spend some time with kevin! sucked that we didn't get to meet up in thailand...i was just so miserably sick. beached it at corona del mar, indulged at yogurtland and taco bell, and ended our night with so u think you can dance & saw III. good times ;D

(oh wtf, u have a 6 pack?!)

+ lunch with monic, niki, and mr. parsek (middle school teacher) at park ave...best tomato soup ever!! it was a nice lil catch-up...and later that night sleepover with the girls...except me & niki didn't sleep, she left at 430am and i left at 6

+ highlands clubbing!! it was white themed and horrible because everyone looked the same...and it was SO hot inside. best after club-grub: taco bell's crunchy taco wrap (or something like that...SOOOOO GOOD).

+ dinner & comedy show with andrew, which lead to an awesome night of drinking at the yardhouse and then late night karaoke til 430am with the santa ana kids. good times, and HAPPY BDAY ROBERT!!

+ farewell brunch to kevin...have fun in mexico & argentina (sooo jealous). superbadd that night...super funny ;D

+ hung out with allen and thomas at his place in lake forest! cruised around the new boat, ate homemade pizza accompanied by a lil alcohol, and went to spectrum to watch bourne ultimatum.

+ went to the key club to see after midnight project play with my brother & danny--met up with molly & co for a really good show. free every tues night, check it out!! then we grabbed some grub at mae's...first time ever. nothing spectacular..still prefer the harbor house.

+ had dinner with suzy! and sach, and richard came just in time with starbucks goodies. good times, we reminisced a lot and we're in need of 'crack the case'! yes no riddles, so fun

+ DISNEYLAND!!! oh how i've missed you...went with my mum, bro, cousin amy, and dannyboy. the new finding nemo ride was pretty neat..brought back memories of the old submarine ride. i seriously love disneyland. and the fireworks show was just amazing...brought tears to my eyes ;*)

(my mad camera skillz got everyone...woohoo!)

+ my cousin vinh's 16th bday! haven't seen him in a year, and of course he's taller than me (story of my life...sigh). i love this kid, even though he used to wreck my room. and i also got to see fluffy!! cutest dog ever...she's the sister of my supposed-to-be dog lucky (my mom called me when i was in thailand to tell me that she got me a dog and asked me what i wanted to name her..so i said lucky...and a week later i found out she gave her away because she was pooping and peeing everywhere and my mom got sick of it ;****(

(!! i love them. and my aunt makes the best bbq everrrrr)

(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

+ omg what a long post. it's been accumulating..i guess it's about time i publish it (it is 3 weeks worth of fun crammed into one post ;D
+ my camera broke..no pictures for awhile :(
+ i think im caught up on movies
+ thanks hunny for taking me home ♥
+ thanks allen for lettin me borrow your camera
+ being a girl rocks. gets you random discounts ;p
+ don't eat tons of xtra hot hot cheetos before sleeping. red poo happens ;(

kap kun-ka, thailand

2007-07-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

it's been long enough since my last post ;p

[the color of massive posts]

no eager blogging here--most of my thailand trip consisted of stomache aches, fevers, headaches, wounds, colds, stuffy/runny noses..you get the idea. i think i had 2 fully healthy days (out of 18) and 4 not so miserable days. all scattered of course...which made travelling difficult (and nearly non-existant) and exciting travelling stories on the rare side..buttttttt there were some great memories and some pretty neat sights ;D

the airport

omg...i was so scared watching this show...more than jumping out of a plane/cliff

it's like a bkk sky tower!

king kongish vietnamese girls

the view from atop the revolving floor

crazily detailed temples

all golden!

awww...father & son

cousins + poopoobear

yeah..pretty cool palace

with asian versions of the statuesque british guards

entering safari world

where there are animals like baby belugas! reminds me of danny ♥

and baby tigers

more rainbow lorikeets!

safari by bus into the animal habitats where we saw lions and deer and bears on trees and all that gushy stuff

these birds stand perfectly still when it rains...cool huh??

rondald mcdonald thai style

at another temple. you put the gold foil where you want to heal...i put it on his eyeballs because my eyes are bad ;(

pretty lotus flowers everywhere!

and then there's pattaya...the city where the pretty people come out at night

the beach isn't too shabby

we went parachuting...it was meh..

helmet diving was more fun, and much more amusing looking

my brother was saving the fish as low tide approached but he wasn't able to save this one ;(

we found a seastar. it freaked me out when i accidentally touched it. then i accidentally broke one of its arms...sorry...it would regenerate like a lizard's tail though right??

ooo..the sexy lady show

these trannies are prettier than real women...damn!

our preferred mode of transportation: tuktuk drivers!

their vehicles look like this

and then the nightlife...me and hieu tagged along with chee for awhiles and he took us to the local bars n clubs

look at all the people we rounded up who were in LA!

another nightclub with live band performances

and another..this one is called 'bed'

where they actually have comfy beds for you to lounge in!

part of the gang...the girl on the far right is a former thai popstar!! crazyness

fooding...best katsu everrrr

ooo and also there are cute random elephants on the streets that dance to music and do tricks...so cute!

khao san road..the famous backpackers realm

yayyy met up with sachin and randy!!

and then we went to ko samet island...such a great idea ;D

our ghetto bungalow dwelling. we so got ripped off

playing in the water!

amazing food that i did not get to enjoy due to my sickness ;(

the island restaurant that these fellas swear by

cool fire show at night

motorcycling in ko samet. most memorable thing everr

everyone had their accidents...some more crazy than others

yet only we came out with battle wounds

*sigh* bye bye beautiful island

elephant trekking in kanchanaburi

and bamboo river rafting. not as exciting as it sounds

oh yeah..in thailand the guys kept on hitting on sachin. this guy asked for a picture with him. this one taxi driver called him sexy and touched his thigh. suckaaa

...that's just intense

+ movie theaters here get pretty baller...i.e. lazy chairs/beanbags/sofa beds. but we just did the cheap-normal-seats thing. first movie i saw was with my cousin hieu: turistas. so we were in there, watching the previews, and everyone stands up...so we were like, wtf? turns out it was a minute montage of images of the king and people were paying their respects. reminds me of the pledge of allegiance...remember that??

+ thank you chee for taking us around and letting us crash at your place!
+ sorry sachin for getting you sick
+ if you wanna go wholesale shopping in bkk go to 'pratunaam' in the afternoon
+ more posting comin up ;D

rest in peace, chi hang

2007-07-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

how everything can change in 10 years

as if life wasn't short enough already.