good mourn-in to yah

accents are great, aren't they?

i went for management training last week in Oxnard. it was just beautiful. we stayed at an embassy suites, which didn't look like any old embassy suites. it was on the beach, a resort type of place. waterfalls in the parking lot...beautiful pools...ocean view (actually could see the Channel islands)...amazing really. made it easier to sit through hours of training. the food wasn't great, as it's difficult to cater to vegetarians without just giving them grass, but it was edible. we get to go back for part 2 in april.

over the weekend i just relaxed and tried to write my essays. i finished the GMAT last week thank goodness so i don't have to worry about that anymore. i didn't do as well as i'd have liked to, but it's a good enough score where i don't need to take it again. i have 3 weeks to get my app together - including recs, transcripts, etc. i should get on that soon! not much else is going on. i finally got frames made for the korea paintings i got last year, and M said he was going to help me staple the canvas onto the frames. let's not kid ourselves; he's going to do it all. i'm going to mess it up somehow. lol.

what else? nothing interesting, really. had my performance eval last week; went fairly well. i'm going to try to come in to work earlier so i can leave earlier. now that it'll be light later and later, it will be great to have several hours of daylight after work. why waste it indoors?

can't think right now, so i guess that's it. good talking to you yesterday, joey :) miss you lots.

odd lines i've heard in the past week...

these are just funny ways to start conversations. and odd.

-"Do you want to come see the colorful fish in my apt?"

-"Do you like ice cream? I like ice cream. Perhaps we should eat ice cream together. Ice cream is good. I could pay for the ice cream." [i swear he said ice cream 5 times in about 10 seconds. it was a bit endearing.]

-"Wow - it's so awesome you drive a stick shift. Can you fix cars too?" [huh? what does one have to do with the other?]

-"Can you take a pic of my and my 3 friends? [all guys] Can I wear your hat in my picture?" [i shook my head cause i didn't want to share hats, and he tried to turn that into a conversation item. but i still think it's odd to ask someone if you could wear their hat.]

-"Do you dance in a dance group? Can I come see you sometime?" [uuhhh...yea, i'm part of a group named FancyFeet. but it was nice of him to think so.]

and those are the top 5 from the week. i'm going to a happy hour tonight at my fav place - Red Lion Tavern. where rick used to sing. i wonder if he's still there. he's a nice guy - great with a guitar!

A Dog's Purpose

i got this forward today - it's very cute. i don't know how much i believe that a 6-year old can say this, but the message still brings tears to my eyes, cause it's so true. i love dogs, and we should all be like them...


Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-oldIrish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa,And their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, andThey were hoping for a miracle.I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the familyWe couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform theEuthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt asThough Shane might learn something from the experience.The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker'sFamily surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog forThe last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without anyDifficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker'sDeath, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives areShorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly,Piped up, 'I know why.'Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth nextStunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a goodLife -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that,So they don't have to stay as long.'So Remember:
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

vegas or bust

i'm going to vegas this weekend as a last second thing. fun stories to come.

b school apps are stressful. i've been doing alright on the gmat studying. i think i'm feeling better and better about it - i'm taking it on feb 23. if i don't crash and burn, then i'll be applying to 2 schools for round 3. very difficult to get in, but it's worth a shot i think. we'll see how it goes. keep your fingers crossed for me. i hope it works out for me this year...

on that note, i'm starving. we're going to lunch with some dept ppl, so we're waiting on them to get ready.

some of my friends have started to wonder about their exes more and more. i never think this is a good idea. but then again, what do i know? just be careful...

good times, good times

Jolene is sort of in town for work. i say sort of because she's in irvine, so i've been doing a lot of driving the past few days. totally worth it of course =)

we're going dancing tonight, and she's leaving tomorrow at 2 or something. and K and i are going dancing tomorrow night. our goal is to actually try and talk to someone (usually we just talk to each other and don't give anyone the time of day) because our new thing is to be social. we're very antisocial when we're hanging around each other. oh well.

tomorrow is the superbowl, and for the first time i have no plans. i'm not interested in the patriots or the giants, and i'm more interested in studying for the GMAT. so i think i'm going to have it on in the background while i study all day. i cleaned my apt this morning (it's not too bad so it didn't take me very long) so i'm basically free the whole weekend to do other things. i suppose i'll have to go grocery shopping at some point, but that's easy.

i'm starting to wake up at 5:15/ 5:30. i like it. this morning was no different. so what did i do? i washed Simba. it's nice to have a dog who just doesn't smell, but it was time for his bath. it was hilarious. i usually leave the door open when i take a shower since i don't like it getting steamy. so Simba's seen my routine - turn on the water, then turn on the shower a few seconds later, take a shower, done. today i turned on the water, and let it run. i just looked at him, cause i knew he was not going to like the idea of a bath, and he KNEW right away. it was hilarious. he looked at me, looked at the showerhead, looked at the water, looked at the showerhead, and look at me again. he knew something was different. i took a step towards him and he cowered (poor thing); ears back, tail tucked under, and dropped to the floor. i picked him up, and he just became a dead weight, trying to avoid the inevitable. he's not a small dog, 55 lbs, so it was no small feat when he made himself a dead weight. hilarious! my hand happened to be on his chest when i picked him up, and i could feel his heart THUMPING so loud. poor kid. it just got faster as we approached the bathtub. awww. he was shaking and freaking out, but he relaxed as he got a massage with mint shampoo. haha. he's cute. he knows what "shake" means, so he waits until i tell him. i hold the shower curtain closed and tell him to shake so nothing (including me) gets wet too badly. very smart and cute dog. i used coconut conditioner on him, dried him off, and brushed 3 sweaters worth of fur out of him. very clean and nice smelling puppy =)

then i just vacuumed (i have no idea how to spell that) and did a little cleaning. i love mornings.

this needs to end

i can't sleep. this needs to end. i need to stop thinking like this and i need to be patient. it's not easy. i know it'll happen, i just need to be patient. for SO many things in my life. like my Amma says - aathru. meaning impatience. but it's more than impatience. it's impatience with urgency. almost desperation. i really just want my life to be set once and for all. i want to know which career path i should be on and BE on it. i want to figure out how i'm going to live my life and with who and just start LIVING it. i'm just sick and tired of this city, of the wierd people in this city. it was different in chicago. people seemed...nice. just plain nice. and put together. the people i met this weekend - the one thing they had in common were that they were completely put together. they knew where they wanted to be, where they wanted to go, and how they wanted to get there. they were successful, ambitious, confident, and looking forward to the rest of their life. and here i am completely confused, utterly lost, and totally dreading the next couple years. i'm excited that i've figured out at least the educational path i should take. and i think i'm starting to focus in on the career path i want to work towards. but where does that leave me? 31 and leaving b school? i dunno. i guess that's better than 39 and a surgeon. right? i have no idea. i can't sleep. and i guess i'm being dumb. it's scary to be here. for me anyway. outside looking in think it's fine and i'll be fine. i prolly will be. but getting there isn't going to be easy. and waiting for it isn't going to be fun.

i like the cold?!

yup. no kidding. i went to chicago this weekend to visit grossie, and it was cold. we're talking 0 or 1 degree or something equally ridiculous to describe the weather. but - i LOVED it. i loved the snow. the cold air. the city. uhh...yea. loved it. not to mention i made a life changing decision - i am going to apply to b school. there are a lot of reasons, and i'm not in the mood to go through it now, but end result is the same.

and furthermore, for the FIRST time in my life, i'm willing (and wanting) to move OUT of california. huh? me? where it's COLD? yup. i think it's time for a brand new experience. just getting out of here and starting somewhere FRESH. it will be good.

i really need to stop falling for men far away. and on that note...

electroplating is a woman's job

K - you're going to be shocked. but guess who's actually really cool and i became friends with? Cyrus. iiiii know. incredible. but he's REALLY sweet and nice and i had a lot of fun with him! it started a couple weeks ago when JD wanted me to go out with him. C came. i was a little apprehensive but i figured it was time for a truce. it was FUN. i mean, really fun. we were all a little...uh...out of it around 2 when the bar closed so we went to ihop to eat. i remember eating a LOT - of course the stuffed french toast. oh man that sounds good right now. with maple syrup, whipped cream, and strawberries. anyway, on saturday night we had JD's going away dinner. my choice, so i picked Ago. yum. C was there again of course. very sweet and gentlemanly, shockingly enough. he wanted to pay for the whole dinner (came out to a grand or so), but i wanted to contribute. i pulled out a 50 that H had given me for Cabo. i put it on the table, and the waiter comes and picks it up. C tells him - oh, that wasn't tip. why don't you give me the 50 and i'll put everything else on the card. waiter comes back and says, "what 50? there was no 50 here." !!!! unbelievable and gutsy. but what can we say? so we let it go. my 50 is gone, but at least i tried to contribute! then we went to Opera, which is a club. very very cool club if i do say so myself. hung out with this persian girl (who i think likes C who likes her too. very cute) and danced my little heart out. oh yea - JD called me a tease. humph. whatevers. anyway, went back to C's house and just hung out. we were waiting outside because they both forgot their keys (long story), and right in front of their place was this cop with his window open giving some poor chap a ticket. at 2:30 in the morning. sucks. so i'm just staring at the cop (what is he really going to do to me?). he's getting a little nervous cause i'm literally just standing there staring at him. he keeps glancing over and just waves because he doesn't know what else to do. i wave back and say, "JD - doesn't it SUCK to have to get a ticket at 2:30 in the morning?" well within ear shot of the cop. i mean, he's right in front of me. he freezes, stops writing the ticket, looks over at me, and winks. so mean. poor guy getting the ticket. unless he was speeding or something who knows. always give the guy getting the ticket the benefit of the doubt. haha. anyway, back to how cool C is. so on tuesday, JD, C, and little girl come over for indian food. C comes over earlier to hang out, and again, find out how cool he is. so now we're friends. i remember clearly why i thought he was an a$$ before, but i'm definitely willing to let it go now.

i'm leaving for Chicago in an hour! yay! visiting Grossie for the weekend. also get to see R&R. haven't seen them in months so i just can't wait to catch up. i miss Robin a LOT. he's been in Chicago since August i think so it'll be great to see him. i wonder how Rami's been coping with the whole moving countries thing. i was supposed to have finished a protocol by the time i leave (in an hour), but i've seriously been wasting the past 3 1/2 hours i've been here. JDoe gave me a ride this morning. i went to dinner with him and his other Sri Lankan buddies last night. talk about comic relief. they are absolutely HILARIOUS. between their stories of taking pictures of a porn star, finding a hooker in vegas, sleeping in a tent in the backyard during the crazy santa ana winds, and losing cousins while riding a bike and sending out a rescue team, i was laughing so hard i had tears streaming down my face.

and now i'm going on vacation. can life really get better than this? i wonder where grossie's taking me to dinner - he definitely owes me...

food food and more food

i was sick with some random stomach bug. didn't eat or hold any liquids for some 9 days or so. ended up going to the ER to get fluids (and morphine, which was fun) and antibiotics. so NOW - i have this unbelievable urge to talk about food ALL the time. yum. =)

Giggling Marlins, jellyfish, and sun sun sun

cabo was amazing. warm, gorgeous, fun. snorkeling, parasailing, horseback riding, cruises, jellyfish stings (pretty cool cause it finished the experience, and it was baby jellyfish), rambo, sunsets, nikki beach, guacamole, lots and lots of salsa (the last two courtesy of yours truly), hole-in-the-wall joints with great burritos, lots of learning espanol, beach, swimming in the ocean (good practice for june), cute silver ghost doggies, joe hanging upside down, smoky smokerson and her texts, cookie (awww....cookie and BB), my bro...

it was amazing. i'll post pictures sometime in the future.

a week is just not enough. especially coming back to rain...