i am janet. hear me roar.

hallo? anyone hear me? welcome to the thoughts of dorkyjanet. u'll realize how un-dorky she really is =)

Thursday, July 31, 2003

it's that time of year again... time to pack my life away into boxes. i don't ever learn, though. every year i acquire more and more items, namely books and other school-related paraphernalia. what am i to do with all my ish?? i need to seriously become organized. at least my new room will be a good size, as will my closet. lots of storage space =) plenty of room for my snowboarding gear. i should also sift through my clothes and other belongings that i want to give to goodwill. it's hard to part with things, even if they really have no sentimental value. u know, clothes that u didn't wear for a year, but u don't wanna get rid of it? (or it could just be me *shrug*) anyone in the area wanna help me move? the big day is tomorrow and first half of saturday. i'm ready to start fresh! at least i'm not moving too far, so multiple trips won't be that big of a deal. just friday afternoon traffic that won't be fun.

O_O oh no. i just realized. we haven't set up our DSL yet. how am i to live without DSL for.. who knows how long? we need to set up an appointment and have the person come install it and whatnot when someone is home. aiya.

Wednesday, July 30, 2003

[aldrin]: and we have another dog too
[aldrin]: and yep, she peed everywhere too
[aldrin]: so now they're both outside
[aldrin]: they probably talk to each other outside:
[aldrin]: "you peed on the floor too, huh"
[aldrin]: "yeah :-P

YAYYYY~!!!! i'm sooooo relieved!!!! WE GOT THE APT!!! i was so afraid that we might not get it. we had to WORK for that place man. all 3 of us had to call our schools and ask them to write letters verifying that we've been hired as full-time teachers and will be making x amount of money... geesh. scrambling to hunt ppl down, fax it over in time, etc. and the owner called freakin everybody. my landlord (who said she had no idea who i was), my school, who knows who else. anyway. we got approved and the place is ours. handing over the money and getting they keys in... 1.5 hours. =) yay!!!

drove down to SD to visit my UBMS summer students from last year. man, they were complaining about so many aspects of the program this year. it was so nice to see them again. =) i miss them a great deal. i miss summer residential programs a whole lot. the gear-up program for this august is a summer program, but not a residential program (where they stay in the dorms on campus). still, better than nothing to try to fill this void.

i had such a beautiful time with my last year's roomies and old SD friends. used our $10 free powercard at dave & busters and played and drank. makoto and dave were cheating on the skeeballs. it was sooo hilarious. i took pictures and movie clips (gotta utilize my new toy). the thing was... they kept doing it and won the jackpot. so the siren thing was going off and it was flashing "WINNER" so we were like.. oh no. and the jackpot was 899 tickets. so we sat there as it spit out 899 tickets. O_O we went home with 2 spiffy shotglasses and a lemon drop martini glass. =) i love them boys. i miss them too. don't move away guys...

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

interesting... although not surpring: "Four researchers who culled through 50 years of research literature about the psychology of conservatism report that at the core of political conservatism is the resistance to change and a tolerance for inequality, and that some of the common psychological factors linked to political conservatism include:

- Fear and aggression
- Dogmatism and intolerance of ambiguity
- Uncertainty avoidance
- Need for cognitive closure
- Terror management" read more...

care for some humor? learn useful latin phrases now! compliments of anton. =) includes savvy sentences such as:
"Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare. (I think some people in togas are plotting against me.)"
"Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? (Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?)"
"Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est. (Yes, that is a very large amount of corn.)"

Monday, July 28, 2003

can u BELIEVE the ignorance??? READ and be baffled

for some reason, today was "guess janet's age" day. i'm always reminded how much i love working with students. =) today my first tutee asked me if i had a son, following a discussion of his family and relatives. i told him i wasn't even married yet (not that u have to be to have a child), then threw in that i think i'm still too young to have a kid. maybe in 5 year's time, i told him. he asked, u'll be 37 then? i'm like O_O dood, i'm way younger than that. 27? no, still a lot younger than that. 17? um, no older than that. i don't promote haphazard guessing.

my second tutee asked me when i was gonna get married, just randomly out of nowhere. i told her that i don't know, but probably not for a while. then she asked how old i was. she made a couple of guesses, to which i responded with my own question, "why do u wanna know?" i don't like to share my age with my students, but i couldn't pass up this learning opportunity, esp when she asked if she could see an ID or something. if she could do the math and figure it out, good for her! =) real life math application, i'm lovin it. so i hand her my driver's license, and i'm wondering what she's gonna look at. is she gonna calculate my age from my bday? or look at the strip that says "age 21 in 2001"? and voila! she chooses the latter. =) smart girl. she counts on her finger, 2001, 2002, 2003... you're 24! a little off. i want her to be accurate and to be able to prove to me on paper. so i give her a hint. why don't u make a table? so she does. 2001- 21, 2002-22, 2003-23.. you're 23! then i go into details about how she has to be careful of what month it is, cuz i could still be 22 in 2003, depending on whether my bday passed or not, etc etc. she's a smart cookie. =)

alas, i am not on the TEP blacklist. they actually awarded me a $1,000 grant. =) janet happy. financial aid always good.

alright well now i'll be entirely screwed if our new apartment doesn't go through. what have i done?!?! i found someone to sublet my place. i told him he could move in this sunday. if we don't get the place, both myself and mayrin will be screwed. well, technically i haven't faxed him the stuff yet to sign, so it's all verbal right now. not a smart move? i guess not. now i just have to wait.

my blog has become quite boring (not that i'm writing them to entertain anyone). i wish i knew how to post pictures in my entries. i have some interesting photos at least...

on my mind right now is my living situation. jimmy, mayrin, and i filled out and turned in our applications today. we should hear in a few days' time if we got the place or not. all i know is that i'm keepin my fingers crossed. it's the cheapest 3 bdrm ever, and it's a nice place. i really hope we get it. not just for those reasons, but at least for mayrin. she needs to be in LA by this weekend. i really hope we get it. also, i need to find someone to sublet my living room cuz i can't pay double rent. if i don't find someone i'ma be one broke woman. i have to borrow a G from my mom's friend. that's sad. i'm broke. and my family can't help me financially - they haven't been - which they feel bad about. but they shouldn't. when i start my first career job and begin to generate a constant monthly salary, life will be different. but for now, this is the first time ever since i was 16 that i didn't have a job. and it's been almost a year now that i haven't been working (for $).

i hate thinking about money.

i found a nice sofa and lounge chair for an amazingly cheap price. we need furniture, and cheap always works for me. i love browsing on www.craislist.org! if you need to look for apts or furniture or bikes or pretty much anything, i recommend this site. just be sure to click on Los Angeles on the right hand side (cuz it sets to SF by default).

if u guys haven't gone to Dave & Busters to use your $10 power card, do so! expires the end of this month, which means u have less than a week to spend it. click me! free fun!

Saturday, July 26, 2003

i'm alive and well! i've just been crazy busy... this past week was madness. had district math training all day every day. but i definitely got a lot out of it. my class is gonna kick ass this year. i also had the GEAR UP orientation and met the fellow instructors and TAs. so funny. everytime i introduced myself as working for the gear up program this summer, i was asked if i was one of the TAs. of the 3 instructors, i do look the youngest. well, as long as i don't get mistaken for a middle school student, i'm cool.

need to make arrangements to visit UBMS sometime this week. i won't be able to do it any other week. by now they should be going into their 4th week i think. maybe their 3rd. i hope they're having more fun now, for their own sakes. =)

bamboo lane internal drama is beginning to plateau. i think things are gonna be settled soon enough. but that aside, today's performance art workshop went really well. i forget how fun it is being around students. i feel so empty when i'm not around them! thank goodness for august. but then who knows... students can tear u apart too.

i'm thinking about how far away having my own classroom seemed. and i think about it now, and i still have over a month before that's going to happen. but i know that time will fly and that i'll be blogging about my first day of school. AS A BONA FIDE TEACHER. =) already, within a week, i'll be living with my 2 new roomies. both people i admire and jive with so much. and our apartment is so NICE!!! and so cheap, for the area! and with hardwood floors and all this space... i don't know how we lucked out. maybe it's an omen. =) we're gonna have a good year. and our apartment number is 12, mayrin's lucky number. but i hope i'm not jumping the gun here. we have to turn in our apps and get our credits checked, but i don't see why we wouldn't get the place. i'm soooo excited. a whole new year, and i wonder what it has in store for me. =)

Thursday, July 17, 2003

well.. it's done. i'm in the system now and i'm officially an LAUSD teacher. i was preparing to spend at least 4 hours at the district office, but i was only there from 9:30 to 12. not too bad compared to some other folks who waited up to 5 hours. processing paperwork is a bi***. =p and i don't understand all this legal jargon. but it's crazy... it's happening. my dream is coming to fruition. and on top of finally having my own classroom and my own students, i get financial stability and health benefits. =) things are gonna turn around for me (and my family) within a few months' time. i'm eager to see what the future holds for me.

but before the school year begins, i still have my GEAR-UP summer program next month! i'll be meeting with the program director tomorrow to discuss the math curriculum and whatnot, then get my paperwork to get hired. i found out that graduate students get paid quite a nice sum. and summer instructors get paid quite nicely in general. let's just put it this way... every year that i was an RA for summer outreach programs, i worked 247 (morning through nite, weekends, on-call). the amount i made for that month, i'll be making about the same as an instructor. but i only work 4 hours each day for a month. O_O big difference.

it's sad how money is this huge cloud that will always hang over our heads. so many things just comes down to money. like all these awesome things i'd like to buy for my class... i can't buy them cuz i don't have the money. i bought 100 different colored pocket folders today for my future students. and target is having a massive sale on their crayons, markers, and other back-to-school supplies, but i need to go back and get more stuff. unfortunately, i've depleted most of my spring quarter financial aid funds, i'm currently generating 0 income, and i still got rent to pay. and i have to pay rent for a new place, and put a fatty deposit down. august is really when i need some cash. i know i'll survive. i got ppl who can back me up. =) which makes me not worry so much...

speaking of which. if u guys have old magazines (g-rated, please), newspapers, picnic supplies, a small fridge (by any chance), storage supplies/containers, small furniture, bean bags, pillows, craft supplies, puppets/stuffed animals, old books, and whatever else you may have at your disposal, please consider donating them to my class! any and all donations will be gladly accepted. my future students thank you. =)

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

happyyy birrrthdayyyy tooo meeeeee~!

yay i'm... aiya. i'm 23. 23 sounds... older. i sound... older. 23. that'll take some getting used to. no one ask me any trick questions like, "how old are u?" it might take me a while. =) yay my birthday! if u would like to help me celebrate, i think i'll do something this saturday. dinner and clubbing? who's game? maybe this would be a good time to figure out this evite invention...

even though not too many ppl remember my bday, this year i'm really not saddened that ppl don't know or have forgotten. i don't know why. i'm not hoping for some secret surprises or anything. i've just accepted it's my birthday and that at least a few people have me in their minds today. =) i'm not saddened that i know i won't get a lot of presents, as that has never happened before anyway. besides, i like cards better. words mean a lot to me. and so does a simple fone call. =) thank u, friends...

Saturday, July 12, 2003

on my way down to beautiful, sunny san diego right now. performing my korean drum dance for the SIORC Student Summit this weekend. =) i'm very proud of all u guys in SIORC, and everyone helping out. too bad mr. connerly doesn't see it the same way. and pedro, i just called jorge yesterday and talked to him at length about Upward Bound this summer. it's unfortunate that he's not involved with the program this summer, and that there are no returning RA's this year. but i called him to see if i can visit u guys, which i definitely plan on doing sometime. =) don't worry, i still care about u guys! hang in there, u guys will have fun soon. u know if i were there i'd make it twice as fun as last year!! =)

Thursday, July 10, 2003

UC regents = racist, sexist, classist. ward connerly is an ass. click and read why

ah~ america...

Q: Daddy, why did we have to attack Iraq?
A: Because they had weapons of mass destruction
honey.

Q: But the inspectors didn't find any weapons of
mass destruction.
A: That's because the Iraqis were hiding them.

Q: And that's why we invaded Iraq?
A: Yep. Invasions always work better than
inspections.

Q: But after we invaded them, we STILL didn't
find any weapons of mass destruction, did we?
A: That's because the weapons are so well hidden.
Don't worry, we'll find something, probably right
before the 2004 election.

Q: Why did Iraq want all those weapons of mass
destruction?
A: To use them in a war, silly.

Q: I'm confused. If they had all those weapons
that they planned to use in a war, then why
didn't they use any of those weapons when we went
to war with them?
A: Well, obviously they didn't want anyone to
know they had those weapons, so they chose to die
by the thousands rather than defend themselves.

Q: That doesn't make sense Daddy. Why would they
choose to die if they had all those big weapons
to fight us back with?
A: It's a different culture. It's not supposed to
make sense.

Q: I don't know about you, but I don't think they
had any of those weapons our government said they
did.
A: Well, you know, it doesn't matter whether or
not they had those weapons. We had another good
reason to invade them anyway.

Q: And what was that?
A: Even if Iraq didn't have weapons of mass
destruction, Saddam Hussein was a cruel dictator,
which is another good reason to invade another
country.

Q: Why? What does a cruel dictator do that makes
it OK to invade his country?
A: Well, for one thing, he tortured his own
people.

Q: Kind of like what they do in China?
A: Don't go comparing China to Iraq. China is a
good economic competitor, where millions of
people work for slave wages in sweatshops to make
U.S. corporations richer.

Q: So if a country lets its people be exploited
for American corporate gain, it's a good country,
even if that country tortures people?
A: Right.

Q: Why were people in Iraq being tortured?
A: For political crimes, mostly, like criticizing
the government. People who criticized the
government in Iraq were sent to prison and
tortured.

Q: Isn't that exactly what happens in China?
A: I told you, China is different.

Q: What's the difference between China and Iraq?
A: Well, for one thing, Iraq was ruled by the
Ba'ath party, while China is Communist.

Q: Didn't you once tell me Communists were bad?
A: No, just Cuban Communists are bad.

Q: How are the Cuban Communists bad?
A: Well, for one thing, people who criticize the
government in Cuba are sent to prison and
tortured.

Q: Like in Iraq?
A: Exactly.

Q: And like in China, too?
A: I told you, China's a g ood economic
competitor. Cuba, on the other hand, is not.

Q: How come Cuba isn't a good economic competitor?
A: Well, you see, back in the early 1960s, our
government passed some laws that made it illegal
for Americans to trade or do any business with
Cuba until they stopped being Communists and
started being capitalists like us.

Q: But if we got rid of those laws, opened up
trade with Cuba, and started doing business with
them, wouldn't that help the Cubans become
capitalists?
A: Don't be a smart-ass.

Q: I didn't think I was being one.
A: Well, anyway, they also don't have freedom of
religion in Cuba.

Q: Kind of like China and the Falun Gong movement?
A: I told you, stop saying bad things about
China. Anyway, Saddam Hussein came to power
through a military coup, so he's not really a
legitimate leader anyway.

Q: What's a military coup?
A: That's when a military general takes over the
government of a countr y by force, instead of
holding free elections like we do in the United
States.

Q: Didn't the ruler of Pakistan come to power by
a military coup?
A: You mean General Pervez Musharraf? Uh, yeah,
he did, but Pakistan is our friend.

Q: Why is Pakistan our friend if their leader is
illegitimate?
A: I never said Pervez Musharraf was illegitimate.

Q: Didn't you just say a military general who
comes to power by forcibly overthrowing the
legitimate government of a nation is an
illegitimate leader?
A: Only Saddam Hussein. Pervez Musharraf is our
friend, because he helped us invade Afghanistan.

Q: Why did we invade Afghanistan?
A: Because of what they did to us on September
11th.

Q: What did Afghanistan do to us on September
11th?
A: Well, on September 11th, nineteen men? Fifteen
of them Saudi Arabians? hijacked four airplanes
and flew three of them into buildings, killing
over 3,000 Americans.

Q: So how did A fghanistan figure into all that?
A: Afghanistan was where those bad men trained,
under the oppressive rule of the Taliban.

Q: Aren't the Taliban those bad radical Islamics
who chopped off people's heads and hands?
A: Yes, that's exactly who they were. Not only
did they chop off people's heads and hands, but
they oppressed women, too.

Q: Didn't the Bush administration give the
Taliban 43 million dollars back in May of 2001?
A: Yes, but that money was a reward because they
did such a good job fighting drugs.

Q: Fighting drugs?
A: Yes, the Taliban were very helpful in stopping
people from growing opium poppies.

Q: How did they do such a good job?
A: Simple. If people were caught growing opium
poppies, the Taliban would have their hands and
heads cut off.

Q: So, when the Taliban cut off people's heads
and hands for growing flowers, that was OK, but
not if they cut people's heads and hands off for
other reasons ?
A: Yes. It's OK with us if radical Islamic
fundamentalists cut off people's hands for
growing flowers, but it's cruel if they cut off
people's hands for stealing bread.

Q: Don't they also cut off people's hands and
heads in Saudi Arabia?
A: That's different. Afghanistan was ruled by a
tyrannical patriarchy that oppressed women and
forced them to wear burqas whenever they were in
public, with death by stoning as the penalty for
women who did not comply.

Q: Don't Saudi women have to wear burqas in
public, too?
A: No, Saudi women merely wear a traditional
Islamic body covering.

Q: What's the difference?
A: The traditional Islamic covering worn by Saudi
women is a modest yet fashionable garment that
covers all of a woman's body except for her eyes
and fingers. The burqa, on the other hand, is an
evil tool of patriarchal oppression that covers
all of a woman's body except for her eyes and
fingers.

Q: It sounds like the sam e thing with a
different name.
A: Now, don't go comparing Afghanistan and Saudi
Arabia. The Saudis are our friends.

Q: But I thought you said 15 of the 19 hijackers
on September 11th were from Saudi Arabia.
A: Yes, but they trained in Afghanistan.

Q: Who trained them?
A: A very bad man named Osama bin Laden.

Q: Was he from Afghanistan?
A: Uh, no, he was from Saudi Arabia too. But he
was a bad man, a very bad man.

Q: I seem to recall he was our friend once.
A: Only when we helped him and the mujahadeen
repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan back in
the 1980s.

Q: Who are the Soviets? Was that the Evil
Communist Empire Ronald Reagan talked about?
A: There are no more Soviets. The Soviet Union
broke up in 1990 or thereabouts, and now they
have elections and capitalism like us. We call
them Russians now.

Q: So the Soviets ? I mean, the Russians ? are
now our friends?
A: Well, not really. You see, they were our
friends for many years after they stopped being
Soviets, but then they decided not to support our
invasion of Iraq, so we're mad at them now. We're
also mad at the French and the Germans because
they didn't help us invade Iraq either.

Q: So the French and Germans are evil, too?
A: Not exactly evil, but just bad enough that we
had to rename French fries and French toast to
Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast.

Q: Do we always rename foods whenever another
country doesn't do what we want them to do?
A: No, we just do that to our friends. Our
enemies, we invade.

Q: But wasn't Iraq one of our friends back in the
1980s?
A: Well, yeah. For a while.

Q: Was Saddam Hussein ruler of Iraq back then?
A: Yes, but at the time he was fighting against
Iran, which made him our friend, temporarily.

Q: Why did that make him our friend?
A: Because at that time, Iran was our enemy.

Q: Isn't that when h e gassed the Kurds?
A: Yeah, but since he was fighting against Iran
at the time, we looked the other way, to show him
we were his friend.

Q: So anyone who fights against one of our
enemies automatically becomes our friend?
A: Most of the time, yes.

Q: And anyone who fights against one of our
friends is automatically an enemy?
A: Sometimes that's true, too. However, if
American corporations can profit by selling
weapons to both sides at the same time, all the
better.

Q: Why?
A: Because war is good for the economy, which
means war is good for America. Also, since God is
on America's side, anyone who opposes war is a
godless un-American Communist. Do you understand
now why we attacked Iraq?

Q: I think so. We attacked them because God
wanted us to, right?
A: Yes.

Q: But how did we know God wanted us to attack
Iraq?
A: Well, you see, God personally speaks to George
W. Bush and tells him what to do.

Q: So basically, what you're saying is that we
attacked Iraq because George
W. Bush hears voices in his head?

A. Yes! You finally understand how the world
works. Now close your eyes, make yourself
comfortable, and go to sleep. Good night.

Q: Good night, Daddy.
(courtesy of shawn kim)

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

free sub at quizno's with drink and chips purchase! yay! click me!

my blog is whack. i don't know what i just did to it. aiya. i get to pick up my new canon s230 digital elph today! all i need to get now is a 128mb compactflash memory card. i wonder if the ones that say high-speed/ultra and whatnot are better. i've heard they let u snap the next picture quicker cuz it saves quicker. perhaps i should get one of those. sandisk ultra 128mb goes for about $60 though. =/ do i really wanna spend that much? any advice? i think maybe i should also get a camera case to protect it from scratches and droppage. hehe! droppage.

Monday, July 07, 2003

$10 worth of free fun at dave & busters! =)

Sunday, July 06, 2003

it's amazing how impacted friendster has become. what will the next online fad be?
i've forgotten how hot LA could get in the summers. while ucsd was fairly hot in the summertime, it was never that bad because we'd always get the ocean breeze just off the cliffs. this is my first summer in LA since college. so far it's been pretty chill, with nice chunks of free time. =) what i need to get serious about now is apartment hunting. i've become so used to moving every year. it'll be nice when the day comes that i'll find myself a permanent place to stay at so i can actually buy furniture and things that are sturdy and of good quality and whatnot, although i've made do with the cheap stuff i have now. still, it'd be nice not to move around each year.

which brings me to my parents. they want us to live together again as a family. they were seriously considering looking into houses to possibly invest in, but right now it's not plausible, financially. after i start teaching i know there'll be numerous incentives for teacher-discounted home loans and whatnot. but the thing is, i wanna be able to choose where i want to live permanently. i don't want to live in torrance. it's just too weird. and i DO want to live with my parents, but i didn't anticipate living with them so soon. i was thinking we'd move in together after i get married, cuz my mom wants to take care of my kids. but i don't plan on gettin hitched within the next few years. actually, if i were to follow my ultimate ideal plan, i'd be engaged at least by the time i was 25. i'm turning 23 next week. O_O but alas, that is only in an ideal world. i need my time away from my parents, cuz they forget i'm not a teenage anymore. i love them, but i just can't live with them just yet. for some reason, my mom is afraid that i'm just saying "yeah yeah we'll live together.. later" just to please her, and that i'm just going to have them live in convalescent homes. my mom, honestly. and for some reason, she thinks that when i start working, that i'm going to hoard all my earnings to myself. i don't know why she has these fears or worries. they're unjustified. i think she and my dad read too many other stories, or hear about other unfortunate cases. they just make me feel bad when they say such things to me. make me feel like i'm this ungrateful, horrible daughter. if only they knew how much i worry about them and how badly i want them to stop working so hard so that they could finally rest and enjoy their own lives... *sigh*

Thursday, July 03, 2003

i'm a community college drop-out. i've decided not to take the spanish conversation class upon examining my july schedule. i have at least one full week of district math training i have to attend july 21-25. and i still have a week of district literacy program training take also. hopefully i'll be able to register for the week of july 14-18. actually, i really would prefer not to considering the 15th is when i turn 23. i don't even know what to do for my birthday. i don't even know who's free and who'll be around. =/

Wednesday, July 02, 2003

last nite we went to go see a play called Chavez Ravine , a story about public housing efforts, culture, political action, etc. written by Culture Clash. afterwards they held a discussion about Chavez Ravine. i never knew there was such a rich history of struggle in the area where the dodger stadium currently sits. learned a lot. =) but it also showed me how much more i need to learn (history not being my forte and all).

well it looks like i've got 1st grade for certain. a little irked at the principal for a few reasons...

so i've got a bunch of errands-type stuff to get done this month. physical, tb testing (again...), lots and lots of paperwork, spend about 5 hours at the district office processing the damn paperwork, trainings for the district-mandated literacy and math programs... and apt-hunting. and house-hunting for my parents. when august comes around, i'll be part of the UCLA/Inglewood Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP) team as the 6th-7th grade math instructor. at first i didn't think i would do it cuz of another week of training that i'll have in august. so i let em know, "I apologize but I don't think I will be fully available for August. I have several days of training I must attend before I begin teaching this fall. I don't think it would be ok for me to miss a number of instructional days for a summer program. Thank you for considering me. I was really looking forward to being a part of the Gear-Up team this summer, as I miss working with students in such a capacity." but then the director hit me back with, "I would really like you to be part of the program this summer. About how many days total will you need to miss? There are several people on staff for our program. My background is in math education, and I would definitely be available to teach your class for a few days. Please let me know- there may be something that we can work out- if you are still interested." =) so i'm on board now. so exciting! i've always been an RA for summer programs, but this will be the first time i'll be an instructor. i hope i can hang...

the weather is great =) i love the summer.

Tuesday, July 01, 2003

friendster... NOT your friend. i just spend about an hour on that thing. aiya...

summer activist training was an empowering experience. i'm so glad that i went. =) i met some awesome, fellow activists. we stayed up late nites together, opened up to each other, heard each others' stories, learned about community organizing together... and we'll make a difference together. i got to know a lot more organizations, so this program was really great in terms of networking. now i have a whole list of resources and people i can turn to in my professional work. i have been reinvigorated and more hope has been instilled in me, just being around these people. hopefully my other friends will eventually avoid shopping at forever 21, nike, bebe, levi's, and some other sweatshop operated companies. and try to eat at small mom & pop type restaurants rather than big chains/corporations. every little bit helps. =) small actions at a time....

my boyfriend is being painted onto a mural in chinatown! =) it's a montage that tells a history of chinatown and what chinatown means to the people who live there. he represents the activist and teacher. woo hoo! my famous man. =) already in books (on the cover, too), co-founder of Teachers for Social Justice, a ucla professor, renown and respected DJ who knows the likes of outkast, Jurassic5, beat junkies, etc., a real social justice educator, among other things. what doesn't he do? =) so proud of him i am. so busy we both will be when school begins this sept... =(

tonite i played shuffleboard with my best friend who's in town! we played in a bar in santa monica. after pool we saw the shuffleboard table and played a game. it was so much fun! i'm going to go play it again. the pear cider was yummy. u guys should try shuffleboard sometime. =)

speaking of which, if u haven't seen finding nemo yet, u should definitely watch it. =) it's sooooo cute. even if it is disney (damn corporation). "i speak whale!" ellen degeneres is freakin hilarious!! all the CG animated movies i've seen have never let me down. also saw bend it like beckham the same day, for a whoppin $9.25!!! independent theatres, man. i wanna support and all, but really now. can't even give a matinee price at 4pm? pain feels my wallet. it was a good movie, at least. save for the whole woman of color ends up with the white dood thing. i still recommend it! support independent films, yay!

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