only in LA can a seemingly simple day turn out to be such a complicated, draining day. =P i mean, all i really did was get up, take the bus to school, go to my two classes, buy my books, then came home. simple enough, eh? here's how it really went:

got up early to give myself enough time to catch the bus. decided to screw the first bus and just walk to the corner for my transfer bus. walk wasn't that long, i actually think it's a lot faster than waiting around for the first bus. so i get to school and realize grad school classes like to start right on time, 10am. not enough seats. honestly, how do they manage that? at any rate, my professor for the first class (two hours) was SO amazing and dynamic. he's so down to earth and everything he was saying i was right there with him. =) very dope. and in grad school they treat u so respectfully. we're on a first name basis and he gave us his cell phone #, told us to call anytime. pretty cool. SO NOT UNDERGRAD.

then lunch with rene, linda, and shelly at ackerman union. ate udon and sushi just outside. then back to our second class (3 hours), and on the way we walked along BruinWalk and had all these student orgs trying to give us flyers, to join sororities.. hehe! i was all thinking.. no i'm above that... i'm a GRAD student. so cocky of me, i know. =) the second class wasn't as exciting as the first. sort of slow and monotonous, but still interesting. unfortunately it's right after lunch =P then back to ackerman union to buy my textbooks with my magic money card. =*( over $300 and still don't have all the books yet. *weep* had to pick up another reader off campus, and oh my goodness the LINE!!! u can't imagine how long this line was... but as the cash line was shorter than the credit/check line, decided to run to the corner of westwood and withdraw cash from my bank. well, the ATM broke. had to go inside and wait in THAT line. O_O long ass line with only 3 tellers! honestly! finally got my cash and went back in line to the course reader store, where my classmate was holding my place. spent more money and waited forever and a half for the bus to go back home. so crowded, i had to stand.. and it's NOT a short ride. all the while i was carrying $300 worth of books. now i'm finally back at my apt after this hectic day, completely exhausted. time to go home home soon and take care of some stuff there, and do my laundry. =) oh yes, and eat good mom-cooked food.

*sigh* what a weekend... got to see my old roomies in their spiffy new house, which i'm quite jealous of. it's so good to just hang out and be myself around them, acting stupid and whatnot. went bowling with them and realized how bad i've gotten. so depressing. i should never pick up another bowling ball again.

also spent good quality time with a few friends, catching up and whatnot. especially with steve, time very well spent! (click on his name, u'll read all about it!) after i helped him pick out a suit (very spiffy!) we checked out the Pacific Islander Festival at Ski Beach. lotsa fun, and good food. make note of pumpkin turnover. in the evening, visited more buddies at the apsa bonfire. it was so nice to see everyone again! i miss them all so dearly. =*( they had a wonderful turnout last nite, and i know they will have a very exciting, action-packed year. y'all better keep me updated!

SD is good medicine for me. i certainly hope i will be able to come down on a fairly regular basis. yes, a part of my heart definitely belongs to SD. who would have guessed? there are a number of things i wish didn't change, and other things that i wish would change. but i suppose life is about how u accept and deal with those changes... i wonder how i'll do. too early to tell. but for now, i've got another day to be nervous over. my first day of actual classes at UCLA begins tomorrow. last week was all orientation stuff and whatnot. this week... the real challenge.

i hope that i'm able to handle everything with grace.

can i not find decent french baguettes in this country???

my first week of grad school is down. i actually begin my very first class this monday, so that will be the true test. i haven't even bought my books yet. i don' t even know how i'm going to pay for them, or for rent. i'm going to have to take out an emergency loan. my loans have not processed yet, so my tuition isn't even paid for yet. UC's take good care of you in undergrad, but as a grad student they don't care shit financially. it really makes me sad. i do believe money is the root of all (or at least, most) evil.

well, going down to SD this weekend! make a few rounds, as many as possible. i miss everyone so much. it'll be great to see everyone again... =) get to see everyone's new places and whatnot, see my old roomies, touch base with ppl... it'll be good for me. better to do it now than wait til the quarter really starts to roll. i've got quite a year ahead of me. have a great weekend, everyone!

just got back from the New Graduate Student Reception at the Faculty Club. damn, they know how to throw a reception. i can't even name all the food and lil hors de'vours they served! and get this... free alcohol. it was reallyyy weird. "more food and alcohol that way!" O_O really?? alcohol?! they didn't even card me, and it was free. all sortsa beer, wine, spirits. and the FOOD. i mean, that was my dinner. i'm really glad i got to go not only because i came back with a lemonade and sprite in my bag, but because i got to know the my fellow TEP colleagues that i came with much better. got closer to them in those two hours that we stood around eating and talking. they are awesome ppl. =) i can't wait to get to know everyone else.. and i know i will. with all the time we're spending with one another, we're really bound to become like a family.

so i took the bus again. did ok going to ucla, but messed up again coming back. argh. missed my stop for my transfer by one stop. the walk back is never bad though. very short. one-two blocks. this old guy sitting next to me kept falling asleep on me on the bus. i had to try my best from laughing out loud, so i was just sorta smiling and biting my lip. then it got to be too much and i moved seats. it's interesting to people watch on the bus. i'll be doing it a LOT more... i also met someone while waiting for our bus transfer. she asked the time, then we talked about the bus never being on time, and even if it were i could just walk from there cuz it's not that far... and i told her i don't know much cuz today was the first time i took the bus. and she asked if i was new at ucla... and i said, yes it's my first year here at ucla. i guess she picked up on the way i said it, haha. cuz she's all, you're a grad student? so yeah.. then we somehow got to talking about education and all that. and it was a really nice conversation._=) felt like i made a new friend, but then i had to get off the bus (talked throughout ride). it's cool having good talks with strangers. i'll miss that about europe, but i guess i could do it here too. =)

tomorrow we meet in our assigned districts to meet our respective school faculty and principal. gotta be up bright and early, latest by 6:30am for our traffic-ridden commute to Watts/SouthCentral, District I. freakin 405. oh, and must dress teacher-y.

oh my goodness... MADNESS!!

all started with taking the bus for the first time this morning. Big Blue Bus lines free for UCLA students. waited about 10 min. for the #14. hopped on, didn't know what to do with my ID card. asked driver... "uh.. =) i have a ucla iD card...?" he points to the machine with a thousand functions and says, "slide it through there with the black stripe down." um. where? he takes my card and slides it through for me. oh ok =) thanks. =P sit down, stare at each street name so i know when Santa Monica Blvd. comes up. i jump off, look around, then walk back up to the bus driver and ask where i go to transfer for the #1. almost get run over, catch the #1 to ucla, and i have NO FREAKIN CLUE when to get off. thought i missed my stop, but turns out i got off at the terminal just east of Murphy Hall. didn't do too shabby =) about 30 min. commute. yay janet! on the way back though.. sorta missed my stop. i couldn't open the door. i guess u always have to pull the request sign to be able to open it. oh well. got off at the next stop and walked back. not a biggie, figured it could've been much worse.

first thing: Convocation for Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. the whole welcome, u guys are wonderful, we're #2 education dept. in the nation, #1 publicly, yadda yadda... gave us free bbq lunch. =) then... met up in our teaching teams and got so much stuff dumped on us. we were handed a gazillion papers, schedules, maps, handouts, info sheets... O_O all of us were like.. ok so monday... in mid october.... at 5pm.... team A goes.. team B is where?... what high school?... which sheet are we looking at?... so this class isn't on campus... oh it's only every other monday... change what? u can only imagine the madness. we had so much thrown at us all at once. and to top it all off, our faculty advisor told us upfront that there have been some "tension between certain factions" in our area, District I. recent shootings, some teachers were attacked, etc. but measures have been taken, and our safety is in no way jeapordized. yes, i am afraid for my own safety, i will admit it. but we were assured that we are indeed safe. it's just one of the baggages that comes along with being placed in urban schools.

tomorrow we meet at our schools for the first time, and get introduced to our respective principals and whatnot. for the first few weeks i have been placed in a 2nd grade classroom at 93rd St. Elementary, one of our 4 partnership schools. the others include: 99th st., 116th st., and 118th st. i'm proud to say that ucsd is taking over one of the schools! haha... looking over the list of teachers at 99th street. elementary, i saw that i knew 3 of the teachers. ernest banes, lawrence tan, and jane calimquim, who was my TA for TEP 130 my second year. =) in time, i'll be rotating to hit up all 4 of our partnerships schools. how nice it will be to see them again! =) but for now, i have to try to soak in all the info we were given today. truly an overwhelming day... we all feel it.

now debating whether i should go to the grad reception they're having for all grad students at 5pm....

the start of a new stage in my life... UCLA

it has begun. what an opening journey, though. all my nerves were eased as the new UCLA M.Ed class of 2004 was welcomed yesterday morning. i guess it was due to jet lag that my body woke up at 7am. my roomie, lily, was so very kind enough to drive me to school on my first 2 days! =) she got up early just to be my ride. much to be thankful for, esp. since i have yet to figure out our bus system here. i don't plan to drive to school. think ucsd is bad? oy~ ucla is likely to make u die of stress. at any rate, all the new people and even familiar faces i met my first has really put me at ease. rene and maureen from ucsd, sharlene who is one of my high school friend's (paolo) best friends, fred who knows my friend from ucd, adam... and my teammates for the next two years. i represent Team Battenburg A, who is my faculty advisor. there are about 18-20 of us assigned per team. our assigned district... *deep breath* and i'm going to admit that this was the last district i was hoping for... is LAUSD District I: Watts/Southcentral. the mission of UCLA TEP that drives us:
"Provide high-status pre-service education and radicalluy improve urban schooling for California's racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse children."

i went home yesterday with a feeling of "Things are gonna be ok..." =)

and today... well today was even more amazing. met with our Inquiry Groups, and rene is in my group! =) also met someone else from ucsd, and someone who recognized me.. well, my name. small world... but everyone has so many stories and have come from such different walks of life. they inspire me, and i'm just so happy that there are so many others who i can identify with when it comes to education. it helps to know that i am not alone. well, i always knew i wasn't alone, but i just felt there weren't enough others who felt the same. it's going to be a dynamic two years for me. and i know i've already begun to create ties that will last through my professional career. these are amazing people i have the honor of calling my classmates and colleagues. i can't wait to see what the rest of this year has in store for me!

an interesting quote i saw today:
"What is the meaning of life? To give meaning to your life."

my heart keeps pitter-pattering.... i guess i'm really nervous. i'm here at my new place in West LA! my family helped me move in, and i set up a few things, namely essentials: bed, desk, computer. i don't know if i'll be able to sleep soundly tonite, as i keep thinking about tomorrow. it really is a big day for me. EVERYTHING will be new. hopefully i won't have to ask too many ppl for directions. i'm going to feel like a freshman again! ok i'd better try to get some shut eye if i'm going to attempt to wake up before 8 tomorrow.. er today. shit. speaking of shit, i stepped in some today. it was really very lovely. my mind is everywhere... i have so much to organize. i'm such a packrat too. argh =P i can't stop thinking about tomorrow!! i'm so exhausted though.. and it doesn't help that my body is still on london time. =/ anyway, this is me being a nervous wreck for my first day of school. haha.. i still haven't picked out what to wear. was advised to dress a lil more uppity than usual, like dressy casual. or casual dress. yeah that. my new roomie is awesome, i love her! i mean, i've known her for the past 3 years, but i'm living with her now. she's dropping me off at school tomorrow! wheee~ how crazy is this.... FIRST DAY OF SCHOOOL! =)

slowly packin... and i really DO mean SLOWWwww....

i've decided that Americans are way too uptight. and why DO we call restrooms restrooms? i don't rest in there. and not all bathrooms have baths. i've decided to try not to be all uptight about certain things either. i don't really see my American-ism until i'm not in America. learn a lot about yourself.

i'm nervous about this school year. i start tomorrow bright and early... i have NO IDEA what this year will be like. No APSA, no familiar faces, no "hey, how've u been" but rather "hi, i'm janet." no more tutoring little dale, no more of his mom's food, no more TA-ing, no more SIORC (mixed feelings about that one, but at least jas has $10,000 to play with. totally not the case when i co-chaired last year)... no more home in SD, no more "hey i'll be right over," no more "let's do lunch," no more cool ocean breezes, no more guy roomies, no more SD students...

but should i be thinking of them as "no-mores"? maybe i'm thinking all backwards. it's not like i'm dropping those memories and they will be no more. i still have them, just that i will be adding on new ones.... i guess i should be concentrating on the new experiences i WILL be having... but i'm just scared. having the same sort of fears, i suppose, as when i first came to ucsd. and i did alright. =) i came knowing only one or two ppl at ucsd... and i left with so many attachments. while i really should have faith in myself, i guess i'm just sort of scared of the new and unexpected. letting go of the familiar is not fun. i'm afraid that maybe i won't do so well. what if i'm completely bombarded and overwhelmed by ucla's coursework? what if i dont' meet very many ppl? what if i just find myself going to classes and vegetating on my own in my room? what if i miss everyone in SD so much i just want to go back? what if i can hardly visit and others can hardly visit me?

while throwing around what if's is likely to drive a girl insane, i can't help but wonder. it certainly helps to know that home is not too far, and i'll always have my family right around the corner. but still, i do have another home back in sd. i can't deny that part of my heart belongs to SD... it certainly has grown on me, as uneventful as the city is. reading up on mike's and phil's blogs... i can't believe we're all parting. but it's not so much as they're going away as it is more opportunities for me to visit other parts of this world. the funny thing is, while i can relate to them, i feel like i almost don't have a right to. i'm only LA, afterall. they're in SF and NY, respectively. compared to them i'm only a hop, skip, and a jump away.

i'm having so many mixed feelings right now. i told myself this entire summer how i'm looking forward to all the new changes in my life, beginning with europe. Europe has most certainly been a learning experience for me.. the world is much bigger to me now. the world i know is not this little californian bubble anymore. it's natural to be afraid of so many changed at once... i guess i'm just feeling it gradually, as tomorrow inches closer and closer. when i think about it, it really is ridiculous. a move from SD to LA is really nothing.

someone tell me to just suck it in and that i'm going to be just fine, cuz i'm sure having a difficult time convincing myself.

*sigh* well... it's done. bid my adieus to europe and now... now i'm back home. =( it's all over!! TAKE ME BACKKK!!! my last nite in europe was spent the way it should have been. in a london pub. haha... ppl in europe drink responsibly. it's so refreshing. they just go to chill, relax, and enjoy one another's company... not to get drunk off their asses and party like there's no tomorrow. it's was really very chill, and i enjoyed it. not much of a drinker, but i did enjoy myself. =) europe is simply an amazing place... can't wait til i return again...

ok, but now it's time to face up to my responsibilities here at home. got so much to take care of in such a short period of time. i can't believe all that i have seen and experienced in just two short weeks. and all the train riding... oh my gosh, u wouldn't believe how many hours we spent on trains. and planes! on and off planes 6 times in 2 weeks! and only got stamps in my passport from 3 countries! boooo~ i'm sooo exhausted. right now it would be nearly 9am in western europe. will i get over jet lag? i hope so, cuz i certainly can't afford to lose time sleeping. moving into my apt in west l.a. tomorrow and begin grad school the following day. oy ve~ *yawn* perhaps i'll return to europe sooner than expected... like tonite! in my dreams... =)

here safely back in LONDON! oh my gosh english pounds are so strong... london is raping me financially. =P everything is quite pricey here, and the american dollars being weak compared to their pounds doesn't help. i like to keep foreign currency as souvenirs, but i don't know if i'll be able to come home with any english paper money. smallest is a £5 which is more than $7.50, which i'll probably need to survive and eat here. didn't have much spare change to buy myself very many souvenirs, so all i'm really coming back with are postcards, receipts, tickets, and random little things... like, a piece of the roman colosseum. =) shhh~ oh wait, i just blogged it. i broke some laws and cheated the system a couple of times too. >=) hey, no one can prove any of this. i could just be making it all up.

i love listening to british accents! it's all around me, it's great. =) they call to-go "take away", and bathroom as "WC" or "toilets", yield is "give way", the subway is "the tube"... hehe! lots more stories and plenty of pictures. i've met a number of random ppl during my trip, which is my favorite part about traveling. sadly, this is my last full day here in europe.. =( when i return home, must move into my apt in West LA in one day (Sun.) and prep for grad school for Monday. so begins a new chapter of my life...

last day in france... =( just saw the Military Museum and now it's time to see last minute attractions before heading off to Charles de Gaulle airport to head over to LONDON until sat. i'm going to miss europe a great deal. lotsa pictures and stories to share! i'll post some up when i get back and have a ''normal'' keyboard to use. heck, i'll even miss these funky keyboards. grad school starts for me in less than a week. O_O wow. janet's growin up...

hey all~ saw Chateau de Versailles today... freakin Louis XIV really knew how to live like a king. dang... well, tonite is my last nite in paris, then off to LONDON tomorrow nite! i'll be home SATURDAY nite.... =( so soon. then the start of my grad school career!!! life is crazy crazy...

finally... a chance to sit down for more than 15 min. and actually have some time to blog. thank u to all my faithful readers =) makes me feel loved! this place is great!! i'm at a chain internet cafe called easyInternetCafe and it's by FAR the best deal i've come across ever. one euro gets us 46 min, and that's damn good around here. it's so frustrating though, these european keyboards! all the punctuations are all over the keyboard, several of the letters are switched, u have to press shift to type numbers... and periods... totally whack. but yes, as one can imagine this is really a task just trying to type. =P i've seen so much in just this past week alone. i never imagined that europe would be so beautiful! we'll be in Paris for a few more days, then off to london and home on sat. *sigh* europe is growing on me, even though i've been here only for a short time. i have so many stories to share, i hope i have plenty of ears to tell them to! i saw the Eiffel Tower today! and Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre musuem which houses the Mona Lisa. such an amaaazing sunset tonite too... truly a beautiful day. seeing the eiffel tower in real life was completely unreal... i went up to the top last nite and saw all of paris. =) can't beat that. then today we had a picnic in front of the tower, and it was so much nicer sharing our meal with the birdies, feeding them and watching them catch food in midflight. totally dope. i should do it more often back in the states too... picnics that is.

we were going to go to Versailles today, but it's closed on mondays so we'll be going there tomorrow instead. i also hope to ride the ferry that goes along the river in paris at nite! so much more to see... so much to tell... so much more walking to do.. oy =p miss u all so much. time to sleep for i've another big day ahead of me. what a day it has been for me today especially.... bon soir~

bonjour from PARIS, FRANCE! been to NICE with their damn pebbly beaches and topless women. very interesting indeed. no i did not do it. oh my gosh and GENEVA, SWITZERLAND is sooooo pleasant qnd beautiful. =) of course, had to buy a genuine Victorinox Swiss army knife. =) good deal, too. yqy new toy! ok this keyboard is way too weird for me. takes too long to type. miss u all! just paris and london left!!! au revoir!

greetings from ROMA, ITALIA! hmm.. how weird. i could have sworn i blogged something from venice. oh, yes i did. hahaa... yes that last post was from venice. internet cafes are not terribly cheap. and these keyboards... they're so weird. all the punctuation marks are all in different places. takes me much longer to type. well.. i saw lotsa famous city sights in VENEZIA (venice): san marco basilica, ponte rialto, gondolas, u name it. we left venice this morning and took the train to FIRENZE (florence), saw major attractions there too, but weren't there for too long. talk about fashionably dressed italians. dang. florence is so beautiful and artsy. i felt like i had just found myself in the middle of a painting. very photogenic and picturesque city... =) magnificent.

we arrived in ROMA tonite by train. we've found a decent hostel with lotsa nice people right by the station. only 20 euros (where is the euro symbol on this keyboard?!) which is roughly $20. not too shabby. =) i just saw the colliseum and other remnants of the roman empire by night. we're going to try to rent a moped and sightsee around the city that way. we'll get to cover a lot more ground that way. mam, europeans drive smalllll cars! i have so many pictures to show u guys. i still can't believe i'm experiencing all this! miss u all so much. it's past midnite and we're going to get up at 7 for an early start, as we only have one day to sightsee this crazy city.. mixture of modernity and ancient past. trippy. take care everyone and goodnite! do write! ciao!

i can't believe i'm here in italy. in europe. this is all so surreal! i can't possibly BEGIN to describe what i've seen and experienced thus far. ok i hate this european keyboard. argh! anyway... yesterday was BRUSSELS, BELGIUM. sooo beautiful, ate lotsa mussels, waffles, and chocolate. =) more to tell later! took trains all nite and the earlier part of the day today. seriously, i cannot begin to tell u in words the magnificence of SWITZERLAND. soooo green, soooo beautiful, so scenic.... we only saw it in passing through on the high speed train, but damn. we'll be in GENEVA in a few days so it's ok. =) alright, time is running out! tomorrow: FLORENCE and ROME! this is beautiful.

ok i have only ONE MINUTE left on this computer. in amsterdam, on our way to BRUSSELS, Belgium!! =) 3 hr train ride. take care all! miss everyone! gotta go! please write! *muah*!

ok it's not 4:40am it's 1:40pm saturday here.

i've made it here to EUROPE safely!

yesterday was basically all just flying. from LAX to Toronto, then a 2 hour delay to London. =P we went sightseeing in London for a few hours. just to take the train from Heathrow Airport to central London cost 10 pounds ($20 US) for two ppl roundtrip!! O_O then in the city we spent about 7 pounds to have some drinks and snacks. there went our $40 just like that. their currency is so strong, no wonder they didn't want to convert to Euros. =P

so now i'm here in Amsterdam! everyone bikes here! we borrowed bikes from jason's relatives, and his cousin is helping to be our guide. jason's also been here before so it's not hard to find things or to communicate. right now we're in the library using their computers. about a dollar for 10 min. so, not much time left. feel free to email me (or tag)! oh yeah, i accidentally turned on the butt-squirter water thingie in the toilet at jason's aunt's house. oopsie. it was really funny u shoulda seen it. =P i'm an idiot. ok, update more later when i get the chance to hit up another internet cafe! =) euros look cool. easy to use too because it's basically equivalent to a dollar. =) wheee~ this is amazing. truly and experience and i still can't believe i'm here.

it's here it's here!!! the time has come!!! time to go to the airport!!!!

well, everyone, i'm off to EUROPE! how trippy... i'm actually going. i will do my best to keep y'all posted during my adventures there! first stop, TORONTO, CANADA (stopover) for a few hours, then resume to HEATHROW, LONDON. hop on another plane and head over to AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND. a few days later, we got mayyybe BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (mm.. chocolate...), then hopefully MUNICH, GERMANY. then hook around to avoid austria, and on to VENICE, FLORENCE, and ROME, ITALY!!! =) start to make our way back up and over to NICE, FRANCE where we'll rent a car and drive up the east side through DIJON and GENEVA, SWITZERLAND. keep driving and check out whatever countrysides we feel like, and drop off car in PARIS. few days later, fly back over to LONDON and spend the last few days there. bid my adieus to europe and back through CALGARY, CANADA and home to LAX on 21st of sept at 9pm. =) *whew* of course, lots of gaps to fill in in between. =) do take care everyone!!! love u all madly. =) peace.

and the clock ticks.. and ticks... just HOURS AWAY NOW.... =) wow.

unfortunately i'm feeling really sick right now, want to puke. i hope it's not a sickness. that would suck big time (ya think?). so much for staying up all nite, i think i'ma have to get some sleep to feel better. being sick in europe will NOT be fun... i'm almost done packing. i'll finish up in the morning. one final post to come later on before i take off for europe finally! =)

I'M PACKING FOR EUROPE RIGHT NOW! how exciting is this?? =) =) =) i'm going to EUROPE!!!!

got my international driver's license today, my europass, and traveler's cheques... what else. a lock for my backpack. a keychain light... a straw mat to sit on wherever (the beach, the train station, the floor, hostels, what have u)... and a couple of other doo dads. i spent a lot of money today. =( traveling is so damn expensive. all the little things add up... but mostly it's transportation that kills. oh, and i'm going to try to get an international student ID card tomorrow morning. wasn't able to get it today =/ argh. and i'm trying to pack light. hmmm.. we'll see how that turns out. aiming to make it to LAX by noon tomorrow, flight leaves for Toronto, Canada at 3pm, then on to Heathrow, London. then hop on another plane to amsterdam. =) how crazy is this. i'm going i'm going i'm going... =) but first.. must pack.

sooooo~ does anyone read my blogs anymore? here, humor me...
<--- tag me!

[steve]: i wanna blog this sometime: dating is like a lottery ticket
[steve]: until you scratch it off, you never know if it's a winner.
[steve]: if you don't scratch it off, you never know.
doRkYjaNeT: hahahaaa
doRkYjaNeT: nice metaphor
[steve]: but once you scratch it off, and it's not a winner, you can't try that one again.
...
[steve]: so the longer you put off scratching the ticket, the longer the chances can still be there for it to be a winner... because once you scratch it, you know... and sometimes not knowing seems preferable to scratching and finding out it's [not the winning one]. as in, until it's scratched, there's still a chance.
doRkYjaNeT: i'd blog that right now but then i'd steal your thunder, esp. if u want to word it all grand and whatnot
[steve]: haha
[steve]: well you can give me credit and blog it
[steve]: i'll write it my own way =)

more food for thought! =) interesting, no? thoughts? comments? hey look! tagboard to your left!

EUROPE... only days away.... =)
i'm terribly excited, as anyone can imagine. it having been just a dream of mine to go backpacking through europe after graduation.. and to actually be doing it... =) it's crazy. i've been running some last minute errands today to prep for europe, but i haven't really been doing that great a job. i still have much to take care of, including getting ready for school. i only have one day, a sunday, upon my return to get ready for the start of my grad career. have to move into my apt, get all my classes settled, buy my books, get over the 9-hour difference jet lag... =| how am i going to do all that in a day...?

i feel really nekked without my car. i just dropped it off at pep boys to get 90k service (long overdue =P i'm a terrible owner). the great thing about pep boys is that u get to pick and choose what services u want done, as opposed to this one lump of "90k service" deal. car technicians get paid BANK, dood. i can't wait to learn more about cars so i can do stuff on my own. the only thing i know how to do is change the oil, but that requires a lift, tools, oil dispensing containers.. anyway, i get my car back later tonite, and it'll be much happier! =)

too bad my bank account won't be. just what i need, to throw myself into waist-high debt right before grad school. first my wisdom teeth, then major car service. i need to apply for more credit cards...

well, today was much cooler... i just found out that it was 102 deg. F in torrance yesterday!!! no wonder i felt so freakin hot and couldn't stop whining about it. i thought i became a complete wuss, but as it turns out i was really only a partial wuss. yesterday is expected to be much cooler, low-mid 80s. that, i like to hear. OH SHNAZ, i just realized something. i remember talking during one of my TA meetings that anytime the weather gets really really HOT seemingly out of the blue, there are usually earthquakes that complement them... food for thought.

earthquake!!! just now!!! no one else felt it, but i finally found someone who did, so i know i'm not crazy.
(my best friend): maybe it was a truck going down the street
Pasta Asha: didnt feel it =/
Pasta Asha: san diego is sturdy

>=( boooo~ so supportive. *sniff* i was scared. i get scared by earthquakes easily. at least it was the rolly kind and not the shaky kind. =/

man! i hate it when friends put up quizzes! curiosity gets the best of me. so here it is:




You are a CR-V. Your love for things outdoorsy tells you to go for your rugged impulses as they come. When necessary, you can be conservative and handle a night out on the town with a friend. Normally, though, you're a fun loving person, and your friends can't resist your good natured charm.


which honda are you?

thanx, jeff green, ya poop.

on another note, here's some uncomforting international news for you... Scores killed after typhoon slams Korea. (click on link to read about it... it sucks...) "SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea has begun a massive clean up in the wake of the worst typhoon to hit the country in 40 years..."

LABOR DAY WEEKEND TRIP to... BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO!!!

a family trip is never without its share of family arguments. but despite all that, we definitely had great fun this weekend! we're back early because we wanted to beat the traffic back. our trip began saturday afternoon at the AAA office with mexican insurance which isn't all too expensive considering the things it covers and the chances of something happening to either u or your car. i would recommend it to anyone, because there sure are some dang crazy drivers down there (not that i didn't realize that from the tijuana taxi drivers). it took forever and a half to get down to SD though. i have NEVER in my life seen traffic to SD that bad before. i mean, it looked like LA traffic.

oh yes! here's a fun stat: the 405 and 10 interchange has the worst traffic in the nation. that's where i'm living! yay, come visit!

at any rate, within hours we finally made it to the border. we made a quick stop at the San Ysidro outlet stores, which in all my 4 years in sd i can't believe i NEVER went. it's huge. we made our way across and into mexico, and it was nothing grand or spectacular. it was just like... ok u'r here now. we drove through tijuana into the night, through rosarito and from there we began our search for a hotel to stay in. let's just say i made several phone calls on thurs. and NONE of the hotels i called had any vacancies. mind u, this is a saturday nite during the busiest holiday season. i can't even begin to count how many stops we made at even the smallest hotels and motels to ask if they had vacancies. no luck. all the way down south, through puerto nuevo, to just north of ensenada. NO HOTELS. one place actually had one room but the dood wanted to charge us $50 a head. $200 for a freakin hole-in-the-wall for a few hours of sleep?!?? pass. by this time it was nearly midnite, we parked in the back of a gas station, and decided, hell, it's late and there are no vacancies. the gas station guys were really friendly and were cool with us crashing in our car for the nite. so that's just what we did. it wasn't so bad in our minivan. i actually got the most space because i made room for myself in the back and got to sleep lying down. (notice i said "the most space." it was nowhere near spacious).

8am. in the morning my mom bought all the workers there breakfast and gave them sodas as a gesture of gratitude. we got ready in their restrooms, then we made our way to ensenada and actually found ourselves in the busiest part of town! tourist catering galore. one thing we discovered about such touristy places as ensenada and rosarito is that they charge for parking and using the bathroom. it's like.. are u sure u can do this? a guy came up to us and was like.. here, park here! at a yellow curb. so we were like.. uuhhh.. are u sure we can park here? is it loading zone? and he's like.. no no! park here! i own this curb, park! i watch your car for you! and so what could we do? we're like. sure! and we stepped out and the guy's all "ok two dollars. all day!" can people really OWN curbs? whatever. for the security of having him watch our car, 2 bux for parking, eh. there were plenty of stores, vendors, fish markets, and restaurants. my goodness, i think the food business is the most rampant. after wandering around for a while we sat down and had lotsa good baja california food. altogether: 6 fish tacos, a shrimp taco, a bowl of 7 seafood soup (GOOD STUFF), and 3 sodas for only $14. and EVERYTHING is FRESH. fresh salsa, fresh everything. i was so full. we walked around some more and my mom randomly found 3 bux on the ground, "it was just dancing around" said my mom in korean. haha =) we walked down the bay and were thorougly amused at the seals, sea lions, pelicans, and sea gulls fighting for food from the humans. my mom and i got suckered in and had to join in on the fun. there was a stand that sold bags of fish about the size of my cell phone (nokia 6190) and we threw them into the water. i also threw them into the air and the sea gulls, quick as they are, intercepted the fish in mid air. while it was really cool, it was also terribly disgusting at the same time cuz the bloody water from the wet fish would sort of just splatter around. =P sick. i also ripped the fish in half so i could throw more. that was gross too. all in all, it was quite entertaining though! oh yes, on our way back we bought fresh churros from a cart dood. yumm~

late morning. we headed back up north along the coast as there was not much else to see or do in ensenada. i was set on having langosta, which is lobster in english. soooo~ onward to the lobster capital of the world... puerto nuevo! a tourist village in itself, we perused the shops and decided on a lobster restaurant to eat at. we went from one to another, where they would show us the lobster and tell us the prices. we found a place that offered nice sized ones for $9.50 per plate, which comes with the lobster, rice, beans, tortillas, and a margarita. what a deal =) alcohol, too. that was the first time i drank anything alcoholic in front of my parents. my dad was all, "janet's red!" =P i could totally taste the tequila... and feel it. =/ between the 4 of us we shared two lobster specials b/c we were so full from our breakfast/lunch earlier. we each got a lobster half and tore it apart. did i mention free basket of tortilla chips and salsa too! u get it while they're killing your meal. =) so yes, all that food and yummy lobster for a mere $20. it was also the second time in my life that someone asked my brother if i was his girlfriend. that's just wrong. i literally almost choked on my water cuz i was taking a swig right when he asked. on our way back my mom was intrigued by the coconuts (they sell em EVERYWHERE in baja) and had to buy one. we drank the juice and they cut it open and scrape out the meat so u can eat it. =) good stuff, the food. we ate a lot. =P

afternoon. onward to rosarito beach, a place that is definitely lively with plenty to do and see! the first thing we did was go horseback riding on the beach. i wanted to rent ATV's to ride along the beach also, but no one wanted to go with me. =( tired as we were, we got a room at the corona plaza hotel, with a partial ocean view. i showered and wanted to frolic in the beach waters, so my mom came with, but she just sat there. as soon as i stepped into the water i realized how no normal human could withstand that cold. instead, i just laid out. i told my mom to just go back in cuz the beach is literally just a walk away from the hotel. after about 30 min i went back to the hotel and we all vegged for a while. after sunset my parents and i wanted to mosey around the streets of rosarito, while my brother stayed back. there are sooo many food shops and just shops in general. but the food business is really rampant. we walked down the strip until we hit the college party scene area, which was when i told my parents to let's go across to the other side and walk back. so yes, for u party people, it's festival plaza hotel that u wanna hit up. i couldn't resist buying more food, so when i spotted arroz con leche, which is rice with milk (a sweet dessert) i had to have one. yes, more food.

while strolling down the streets the entire city experienced an electrical black out to as far as the eye could see. at first i was like... hey the street lights went out. but then i looked around and EVERYTHING was out. the only thing keeping the city lit were the string of car headlights. my poor brother was alone in the hotel room. and what about people in elevators?!? i would have had a heart attack. out in the streets, suddenly cops were just coming out with their sirens on. it was sorta freaky because i had weird thoughts going through my mind. not that people were going crazy though. i had thoughts that maybe the entire world was having a blackout as well, and it was the end of the world. that this was it. weird, huh? anyway, within a matter of 5 min or so the city came back alive. we kept walking and when we passed by this hole-in-the-wall taco shop, i had to have a real carne asada taco. only a buck. it was sooo good we ordered another taco and burrito to go. =) back in the hotel we just lounged and laughed at animal planet (a snow owl in the middle of a prairie?) and eventually fell asleep around 11...

8am, monday morning. woke up early again because my dad was determined to beat the traffic back into the states. we were going to make a stop in tijuana, but eventually decided not to. the wait at the border was probably less than 30 min, but it moved very slowly. there are strings or shops and people trying to sell last minute goods to sucker americans. i spotted a taco shop and decided i had to have another taco. my brother and i jumped out of the car and dashed across, ordered two tacos for only $1.50 and were content. =) at the border, the lady was such a bitch, but i guess she has to be. still, doesn't help to put u in a good mood or anything. and that was that. we made our way back home and here we are in the heat...

oh yes~ and i have pictures if u want to see =) mexico will be filled with memories of lotsa good, cheap food. that's basically what we did there. eat eat eat. i think i weigh at least 5 more pounds than when we left. mm~ good shtuff... =)