So one paper down, one to go. The next one is going to be tougher since I don't have a good grasp of the whole concept yet. Anyways, here's 5 things that I can't live without:

1. My Cars- They are extensions of my being, much like my limbs. Without them I will feel helplessly immobilized.
   
2. Opportunities- Where would anyone be without them? Where are you now because of them?
   
3. Change- Life isn't at a standstill and the consequences of our actions are not restricted in a vacuum.
4. Time- Without time we are unable to create our existence.
   
5. Heart- Allows our emotions to fuel our drive to accomplish what others consider impossible. Impossible is nothing.

It is not to say that other things in life can be given up for these 5 things, but to me they are necessary factors. As much as we can love our family or our significant other, people can exit our lives as easily as they enter it. Undoubtedly, they are factors, but they do not impede on our ability to "move on". Eventually all people will leave in one way or another, only leaving us with memories. In this case, I would suggest that given a 6th option it would be "memories."  To clarify the first response, I must point out that everyone has at least one tangible good that they can say provides them with content. This "thing" may change as we move through different stages in our lives as we find new "things" to replace them with. As shallow as it may seem, for me it is my cars. For others it may be their cell phone, their computer, their game console, their toys, etc. Our "things" may or may not define who we are, but we cherish them enough to dedicate a part of our lives/time into having those "things." They become a security blanket so to speak, but they are not necessarily our primary focus of living each day. We all need to have a "thing" that lets us look forward to the next day.

So AT&T came by today to install their U-Verse service. Internet was down for a while, but Tomas, our tech, got it up in no time. There were some difficulties getting the computers to go online, but all the problems have been solved. I felt bad for the guy too because he was allergic to cats. All the PCs are now wireless, as well as the PS3. The TV has 1000+ channels and the service comes with a DVR. So no more missing shows and no more dealing with Charter's excuses either. This is a broadband speed test I just took to evaluate the service. So far, so good. Let's see how customer service handles issues later down the line.

So imagine if 10-15 yrs from now, you have a kid in school wanting to do a report on you. This is typical right? We had reports in elementary school or middle school on our parents' history; lifestyle, travels, hardships, and such. Well, what would you tell them? Our past is right now and what we had growing up isn't it? We had CRT monitors, typewriters, hard drives on large disks, we ran MS-DOS and Macintosh OS's in school, the largest external storage at one point in time was the 1.44mb floppy disk, we accessed the internet via dial-up modems, girls wore longer skirts , white t-shirts were cool, baggier clothes the better, MGM was a big hotel in Vegas, our President gave into temptation, there were no digital cameras, camcorders weighed 15lbs, gas was under $2 a gallon........

I added a list of sites, a list of movies, some more photos to the edibles album, and a couple permanent userbars. I should probably credit userbars.com as that's where I've found most of them.
Time for bed. AT&T is coming by for a U-Verse install sometime between 8-10AM.

  
Widget is responsive to this video. He thinks a cat is meowing from my speaker, although to me it doesn't sound that much like a real cat. Artist: Simon Tofield
Credit: mcg6 for the youtube post

Well, it's another late night for me today. Nothing out of the ordinary, as I've grown to be quite accustomed to it. Now that the exam is over, I have to tackle one of two papers. It'll probably be around 5 pages; easy enough right? Hell no. The TA is the most anal-retentive guy I've ever met. He grades on his own standards that do not reflect that of other TAs or the professor. He has more requirements than what's listed on the class syllabus. And all of this is argued, by him, as "for the greater good." Oh please, spare me of your reasoning you pompous ass. Even English courses don't have as many nitpicky requirements. He has single-handedly turned a course I enjoyed into one that I dread going to.

I can't emphasize it enough...THE most; to the point where when we play pictionary, and I draw a card with the word "anal-retentive", I'd sketch the TA's face.

Pfft..Nothing more to say. x_x!

So, it's 4PM, I've came out of exam alive. In fact, better than alive, because I feel so liberated to have something worth 20% of my grade off my chest. Beyond that, it's an even better feeling since I "think" I did better than my first one. With an anal professor and an out-of-sync TA though, who knows for sure. >.<"
-Break- Went to eat lunchner. I've been starving since 11AM.

So two things that I thought about over eating.

• Integrity isn't jeopardized when you do something wrong and get caught for it. It's the mere action of doing itself that makes you lose integrity. Being caught is only a public display of the consequence. The real consequence has already happened from within.
  
• Love isn't about finding the one you can live with. It's about finding the one you can't live without. There's no such thing as the "right one" until you get into love, because without experiencing how it is to be with someone, you can't deem them to be the "one". With that said, however, you can still determine those who are "wrong" for you.
  

One of the worst things that can happen before an early test day is insomnia. I think this happens to me almost every time. Because I "over-worry," my mind doesn't shut down. And the thing is, all the stuff going on in my head isn't exactly test related. Some of it is, probably because of self-doubt that I know the material. But I'm also concerned with 2 papers that are due within the next week. In my opinion, that's pretty messed up; to be thinking of other things that is. I know I should focus on the task at hand, primarily to get sleep at this point, or to think only of the midterm, but it just doesn't work that way in my head. As soon as you think "stop thinking," you're already thinking again.

Since I can't sleep anyways, I'd like to vent some frustration about the Lakers. W-T-F. Is the team turnover happy or what? Whenever we play the Spurs, I never have the expectation to win. For once I'd like to be proven wrong. There are good games and bad games, but more likely than not, when we're playing against the Spurs, it's a bad game. Our offense was nonexistent except maybe for the one or two explosive moves from Farmar. Kobe did his part on D, and it can be expected that he's not going to shoot the lights out every game. Where's everyone else? Like KG said, it's "We not Me." Let's get it together.

40% off on Outerwear at Old Navy this week. Good deal?
Just when I had written the weather has gotten nice and cold, what do we get today? 86 degrees and rising. -_-"

I've probably spent around 8 hours studying today. The material is dry, and there's just way too much to really cover and remember. Let's see if I'll remember any of it after going to sleep tonight. x_X

Was anything really accomplished in Heroes tonight? With only 4 episodes remaining, including tonights, all it did was fill in some gaps with no real progression in plot. So DL lived, then dies. Makes no difference. Nikki opts out of the Company's offer, then goes back for help anyways. We get the background story on the brother and sister from Mexico, and although we know of their abilities, so far we don't know their impact on the overall outcome. We learn how Peter gets into his current situation, but does that help much? The only thing I found interesting is that Adam helped heal Nathan. But from previous episodes, Nathan continues to see himself with a burned face. Is that a resurfacing memory of some sort, which causes a person to not let go of the past? Perhaps it's the reason why Adam is angry and hasn't let go of what Hiro has done because painful memories can't go away.

I love this weather. It would be even better if it rained. When it's cold, it's easier to sleep and it gives me a reason to use my blanket. Oyasuminasai, minna-san. Another day of studying tomorrow. Oh, I did a minor update on the figure album (Just posted up a couple old photos.)

• Motivation comes from the idea that what might be is more important than what is.

• Being a good leader doesn't mean much when the system in which you lead is poorly designed.

• When inquiring about other's perspectives we should actively seek to understand their view rather than restate it.

• People try to protect themselves from embarrassment by not exposing the way they think.

• Children have an insatiable drive to learn and experiment. When did adults start defying human nature?

Sunday, as usual, has become my day to focus on academics.
Yesterday I watched:
 Tae Guk Gi: The progress of life is pretty depressing. It shows you how easily good people with strong family values can change to someone unrecognizable even to themselves. People are capable of doing some things they probably never thought otherwise.
Frailty: I found this one to be predictable. McConaughey spoke as if he were his brother to try and throw people off. But the outcome wasn't any less predictable since he seemed a little "off" to begin with. I went into this movie thinking, "They won't make a movie where they'll have the viewers question God, therefore the actions really must be God's will."
Chuck and Larry: Watched this one already a couple days ago, but "KY Jelly, 2 for a dollar." Hell yeah!
One Missed Call 2: Decent. I bet the first one will be scarier. The whole Taiwanese girl mimicking the Japanese girl could have been excluded. It seems scarier when there is only one vengeful spirit. Throw in 2, and it weakens the presence of the one primary killer.
P2- In theaters now! My primary reason for wanting to watch this was because it was a believable story and the idea of it can be pulled off by almost anyone, crazy, that is. Good watch in my opinion, and if you like breasts half-popping out of a dress, even better, because it's eye-candy galore. I like the title of the movie as well. It's ambiguous, much like the situation, until you get into it and fully understand the circumstances. This movie would have done Hitchcock proud to follow in Psycho's footsteps.

The team looks a lot more promising this year, but we really need to cut down on some turnovers even if we are passing the ball more freely. Good win over Timberwolves tonight. Hope we have something for the Spurs.

On a different note though, what's up with Windows Live Spaces? There's no marketing for this service, which leads me to believe that there's a 0% chance that any hype will develop so that it can become a friends network. The only reason I can see it being useful is for photo sharing. And the photos being shared will be with friends that won't be using Spaces anytime soon anyways. Good try on integrating Vista with some online services, but try harder.

In no particular order of preference or deliciousness..
Dai Ho-
Small menu, hard to find parking, and horrible service, but the food tastes darn good. Stomach>Rationality

9148 Las Tunas Dr, Temple City, CA 91780 (626) 291-2295

Dumpling House Restaurant-
Oh man. Hand-made spicy noodles. Korean/Chinese food hybrid. Large portions, well-priced menu.
5612 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City, CA 91780 (626) 309-9918
In-N-Out-
This location is by my house, and from what I hear is the 5-star of them all. Lucky me, I guess. Fresh double-double, fries, and a coke. Enough said.
420 N Santa Anita Ave, Arcadia, CA 91006 (626) 287-4377
Curry House-
I won't turn this place down unless we go everyday. Menchi Katsu FTW. A bit on the pricey side.
17865 Colima Rd, City of Industry, CA 91748 (626) 964-4355
Applebee's-
This is a default American restaurant to fall back on. The food is pretty good and they open fairly late. No need for an address since they're all about the same and located all over the place.
Panera Bread-
Frontega Chicken Panini, Chips, and an ice cold Green Tea. That'll do it.
3560 Riverside Plaza Drive, Riverside, CA 92506 (951) 369-8855
Burger Basket-
This is a small little burger place I used to go to in high school. My usual chicken sandwich, fries, and a coke. Go enough and they'll remember you.
501 W Duarte Rd, Monrovia, CA (626) 357-3514
Aloha Boba-
I'm new to this place, but they've got a customer as long as they don't change what they do. Their tea is the best I've had AND they have Fosselman's Ice Cream.
666 W Huntington Dr, Monrovia, CA (626) 303-2283
Costco Food Court-
$1.50 for a hot dog and soda, $10 for a whole pizza. What more can you ask for? Best bargain without question. Located wherever there's a Costco.
Hakata Ramen aka. ShinSenGumi-
I haven't been here too many times, but I eat a lot of ramen and the noodles here are top-notch. The soup base is perfect, and customer service is great.
8450 E. Valley Blvd #103, Rosemead, CA 91770 (626)572-8646
Garden Cafe-
Haven't been to the Arcadia location, their newest one, so I won't comment. But the other ones can be categorized as stereotypical Asian cafes. The food is good, but service varies though from time to time. They open until pretty late too.
Chili's- This would be a second alternative to American food following Applebee's. Food is pretty good here as well. And like Applebee's locations are everywhere.
Los Jilbertos-
Carne asada fries. Oh my goodness. They also have chicken tacos for $2, don't forget to try one.

1635 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92516 (951) 683-6748

Bakers-
Mama and Papa combos. Fries are good. Better alternative to the other standard fast-food joints. Located in San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange County areas.
Chick-Fil-A-
Save a cow, eat some chicken. Don't know how, but their breasts are so tender.
2885 Canyon Springs Parkway, Riverside, CA 92507 (951)656-6503
Sinbala-
Order a #1, but don't turn around too fast or you might get hit in the face with your plate. This particular dish comes out in a blink of an eye.
651 W. Duarte Rd. #F, Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 446-0886
Class 302-
Taiwanese food served in a classroom atmosphere. Shaved ice, shaved snow? Hell, shaved anything sounds pretty darn good. Haha.

1015 S. Nogales St., #125, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 (626) 965-5809

Well, according to Francis Bacon, "A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds." Yet, when there's opportunity, there's temptation. Maybe we shouldn't have so many wise people.

So it's 10:50AM and I'm sitting here trying to upload some photos for the past 20 minutes while the server keeps rejecting my request because it's "busy." Isn't that funny? When we sit in traffic during commutes, that would be considered down time or idling. But when the server has too much traffic, it considers itself busy. The only thing that people and servers share in this situation is the amount of processes that go through our minds. I, for one, think better while I'm driving than anywhere else. Hell, if we took a road trip across the country, I'll probably have enough material by the time we get back to write a book. Anyone got a stack of napkins and a pen?

On another note: I think I've realized why I like horror shows and movies so much. It's because horror lasts longer in my mind and my imagination makes a new story out of it with me as the main character. Don't get me wrong, comedies are great and I can get a good kick out of them, but laughter before bed just isn't the same as a wild imagination as you pull the covers over your head. I used to love the show Beyond Belief, which unfortunately never made it as a DVD series. Whenever they told some insane story and asked you something along the lines of, "So did you think it was true, or are we just yanking your chain?" at the end of the show I'd always get a kick out of it. But man, did the true ones mess me up at night. Nowadays, I'm watching Ghost Hunters. For a while, the show has died down, but with a couple insane episodes, they've sparked my interest again. I'm intrigued by the show, and when there aren't any findings I'm disappointed, but when there are, it sends chills down my spine. Seeing a human figure on infrared, hearing things like "Get out of my house"....ohh damn. You don't have to tell me twice!
 

Alright, so I tried to make a top-ten list of brands I'm surrounded by, but there's no scroll bar to keep it within a small section of the page. It made it so you'd have to scroll the browser for eternity, so I've decided to dump the list, and just copy/paste it as a blog entry. So here it goes:

1. Subaru Current owner of a 2005 Subaru WRX STi. Never regretted the purchase; for the car and for the close-knit community Subaru owners are in.

2. Puma I've been a fan of Adidas for a long time, but I've found a new love for Puma's motorsports shoes. Their classics never go out of style and their vibrant colored ones call for attention better than any other brand.

3. Tamiya My go-to for RC, model paints, putty, etc.

4. Sony I've always trusted their quality and reliability. I've owned, walkmans, discmans, portable TVs, headphones, computer accessories, DVD player, a Playstation 2, a Playstation 3, and also currently using a T100 digi cam.

5. Apple Yes, even though my desktops are both PC. I may not be an Apple whore, considering I don't even own an Ipod. But if I had to choose a laptop, I wouldn't settle for anything less. Currently using a Powerbook G4 which is still going strong.

6. Old Navy For the most part, I'm not a big fan of branded clothing that say "A&F" across the front, or have little mascots on the polos. That's where the plainness and comfort of Old Navy fits in. Affordably stylish.

7. Ikea If you look around my room, 90% of my furniture is Ikea. Why? It looks good at a reasonable price. But one day I hope to pick stuff out of the TopDeq catalog :)

8. Samsung Innovative and sleek designs. Besides my first cell phone, which was a Nokia, all my other mobiles have been Samsungs. Currently using the Samsung u600 slider.

9. Nintendo I've owned a Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, and Gamecube. As well as almost every generation of the Gameboy console except the original NDS. Only thing missing is a Wii. Still not completely convinced.

10. Kotobukiya As an anime figure collector, I have to say, they are by far of the best quality.

Added some photos. Mostly in the Edibles album.

Currently Watching: Shakugan no Shana II

Nothing here yet. Just doing a quick test run of the new page.