Going Mad

So I'm closing in on that thesis defense fast and I'm to the point where I just want to get over with before I fall apart. Anyway I guess I better calm myself down or it might have a negative affect on Thursday.
I took this picture last week when Zach brought his Tova over. She's a big doggie now and still super cute.

Weekend Events

This weekend turned out to be pretty eventful. On Saturday my kitty had minor surgery on her paw so I spent most of the day watching her. And today while my mom and I were on our way to do our Sunday shopping her car died. Thank god for AAA. I didn't think my weekend would turn out like this but oh-well.

Hand Henna

So it's finally official....my thesis proposal defense is scheduled for next Thursday and I'm freaking out. I just hope it all goes well. I think this weekend I'm going to have to spend some serious time on preparation.
By-the-way the picture above is a picture of the henna Mahina hooked me up with. It's a bit faded now since it's been a week since I first got it done.

Kit and the Flying Fire Breathing Shark

This one's for our "Family Guy," Brian: Thanks for the "Kit and the Flying Fire Breathing Shark" picture. You've got an interesting imagination. Isn't it nice to see your masterpiece on the web?

Xiaoyu's 25th

We had a healthy slice of cake for breakfast at work in celebration of Xiaoyu's 25th birthday. It was fun. Right afterwards we hung out with Zachy who brought his puppy Tova to work for a little while. Tova has gotten a lot bigger since the last time he brought her...but she's still the cutest thing ever. For the rest of my shift I had a meeting with a new instructor and we discussed the online course he's putting together. As you could see, I had a real busy day at work today. *wink*

Thesis Time

Jess and I were good girls and got together to work on our thesis proposals. Things are really coming along with my thesis. If everything goes well I will be defending it by next week.
Today I also decided to drop my singing class since I'm not learning anything. Looks like I'll be doing one unit of independent study instead. I guess it's for the best 'cause now I'll have more time for that thesis. I could already tell that this semester I'm going to eat, sleep, and live that freakin' thesis.

School Shopping

During my break, in between work and class, I decided to visit the little shops that set up at our school the second week of a new semester. A bought a few real cute jewelry accessories while I was there. It was interesting to see the mixture of shops that set up. I can understand them selling jewelry, scarves, and stuff...but shoes? Who goes to school to buy shoes? I just thought that was kinna funny.

Super Bowl Sunday

I don't like football but I do like that the Super Bowl falls on a Sunday 'cause it makes for the perfect shopping day.
*Picture from Yahoo.com*

Private Party

My bro and I worked at some private party...it was fun. I met a real nice lady (Mahina) there who hooked me up with some henna. Yeay.

Crazy Busy Weekends

The crazy busy weekends have begun. Now that school's started
I'm swamped with work. This weekend I have to finish up my reading assignments, HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) assignments, finish coding my thesis pilot study results, singing exercises, grocery shopping, laundry and work this afternoon at some private party with my little bro (he's got an airbrushing business). In short, I'm going to be busy!
Thanks to my buddy the Lemonizer for the MooDog picture.

In Memory Of . . .

Just got back from my friend's dad's memorial service. I must say, that was the most beautiful memorial service I've ever been too. It was also my first religious one. The speeches from the family members were inspirational, touching, and just plain amazing. I was very proud of my friend who gave the most touching speech of all. It's amazing the things you learn about someone at times like these. I have a new found level of respect and admiration for my friend.

American Idol...I think not

This semester I've decided to take a singing class which I'm thinking might have been a mistake. It's a little intimidating when almost everyone else in the class has sung before. I'm just a little concerned that this teacher may not slow down enough for those without experience to catch up. I guess I'll have to give it some time to be sure. I don't expect to be the next American Idol or anything, but I'd like to learn something from this course.

Wake Time

Went to my 4th Wake today and it never gets any easier. I don't do well in situations like that. First, I get nervous before I go and usually can't eat for most of the day. Then, when I'm there I usually lose it and still can't eat. And finally, afterwards I'm a total mess and I can't sleep or eat for the rest of the day. All that stress and anxiety doesn't go away for days yet I would never think twice about attending. Friday is another tough day...the funeral.

Mowed Down

So, today was my first day of my last semester and school was super packed. I noticed a few changes around campus including the fact that they mowed down the bushes where those pretty lady bugs would laid in the morning (See: "Sun Bathing Ladies" post) ...Sucks!

Mint Sniffer

I found out the weirdest thing about my kitty today. Rose had some mint tea in her purse and BooshBoosh (my kitty) couldn't stop sniffing it. It was so weird because my kitty won't get close to catnip or grass but now I find that she loves mint...odd cat.

First Visit

My manager and I visited my friend and his family today. It went a lot better then I thought. I was so happy to see my friend again and I was very impressed by how well he was dealing with everything. It's really amazing.
I met his mother and one of his sisters for the first time and they're just the sweetest things. I just don't understand how something this horrible could happen to such a wonderful family. It just doesn't make sense.

Sympathy

Today was another sad day. Everyone at work expressed their sympathy towards our friend's family, it was difficult to concentrate and get any work done. I lost it a few times but I try not to show it when I talk to my friend on the phone. I know it must be difficult for him to stay strong for his family since he's the man of the house now so I don't want to make it worse by losing it when we talk. I think tomorrow my manager and I will be paying his family a visit, I hope we don't lose it like we did today.

Tragic

Today I found out that a close friend lost his father in that tragic Metrolink accident in Burbank, California. I'm so sad...I can't even imagine what the family is going through. This is so sad.

Snail Picture

Took a cool snail picture today.

Happy Flowers

They're saying it's going to rain again this week...I bet the flowers are happy about that. This is the last week of our winter break which means next Monday is the start of my last semester in graduate school...*sigh.*

Fry's Electronics A.K.A. Marco's Store

Here's a picture of Marco's favorite store. Like every other weekend we had to make a quick stop by Fry's to check out their sales. It always amazes me how crowed that place is...even during the week, you'd think they were giving away flat screen TV's. Or perhaps the place emits a frequency wave that only males can hear and are attracted to....that's one of my theories.

Videos

Since I wasn't feeling well today I decided to stay home and add a few videos to my website. My favorite is the comedy central show with comedian Pablo Francisco. It's about 20 minutes long but if you get a chance you should check it out...it's pretty funny. Enjoy.

New Orleans, LA Slide Show

What a great way to start the weekend. I love Friday's! Well, I finally got that New Orleans slide show on the net. Back in September Jess (a friend) and I went to New Orleans for a Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Conference and we managed to see most of New Orleans in only 6 days. To view the slide show Click Here.

Sun Bathing Ladies

Found these ladies on my way to work today, aren't they sweet!? I guess they love bathing in the sun because there were several on the leaves of a huge bush.

Three Amigos

The weather has been wonderful these past few days, sure hope it stays that way. Hard to imagine only a week ago we were having flooding and mud slide problems.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Today I went to the LA auto show, it was the last weeked to go so it was extremely crowded but totally worth it. To check out some of the cars on display click here.

Goodbye 2 U

It's always tough saying goodbye. This week we have to say goodbye to two of the sweetest guys I know. We sure are going to miss them both! But of course we wish them good luck in their new jobs. To see more pictures of the goodbye lunch click here.

Packing Up

Today we had to pack up so that the painters could come in and do their magic on our office. As you could see from this picture, a few of us were having a little too much fun....not to mention any names, Carlo! To see more pictures click here.

Dutch Treats

So Marco came back from Holland yesterday and brought us back all kinds of Dutch goodies. Yummy! To view more pictures from his trip click here.

WSS

So I saw "House of Flying Daggers" and it was really good. It was basically a spin off of "Romeo and Juliet" or "West Side Story." It makes me want to see West Side Story again. I love that movie! The one I saw today ended pretty much the same way...ya know:
(song) "Hold my hand and we're halfway there. Hold my hand and I'll take you there, Somehow . . . Some day! . . . "

D-I-S-N-E-Y-L-A-N-D-!

Good thing the rain clouds cleared out because we were able to enjoy Disneyland on the 1st. It did get kind of cold at night but it was still a perfect day to be at Disney. We were so impressed by how friendly Disney employees were....they're pretty awesome! To see more Disney pictures click here.

New Years Eve

Happy New Year to everyone! For some that might be difficult...my heart goes out to everyone who was affected by the earthquake and tsunami which has claimed over 120,000 lives!

Rain On My Parade

It's still cloudy and cold outside but at least it's not raining. The bad news is that it might rain for new years which sucks for the Rose Parade.

Clear Blue Sky

It's been raining for a couple days now so I was real surprised to see it suddenly clear up. I took advantage of the time and went out to take pictures of the pretty flowers.

Killer Waves

It seems like every night the death toll doubles...it is now up to 44,000. What a catastrophe.

Giant Waves

The death toll is now up to 23,700 people lost from the results of a 9.0 earthquake and tidal waves in 9 countries. What a tragedy!

Tsunamis and Earthquakes

This is so sad! After a strong earthquake in Indonesia and several tidal waves over 13,000 people are dead! It's been so long since L.A. had an earthquake I'm starting to worry we might be the next city hit. Let's hope not.

Prettige Kerstdagen

Thanks to Skippy for this awesome Dutch Christmas card.... Prettige Kerstdagen en Gelukkig Nieuwjaar to you too!

Ugly Christmas Lights

Sometimes people get out of hand with their Christmas lights! To see more ugly Christmas decorating check out this site.

Sora

Another co-worker brought a doggie into work today. The doggie's name is Sora and belongs to my co-worker's friend. Sora will be moving to Japan soon with her mom so it was cool we got to see her before she left.

Mall Shopping

The mall was a madhouse today. Crazy man, Crazy! Too bad I waited this long to finish up my holiday shopping. It's cool though.

Office X-mas Party

We had an awesome little x-mas party at work today. Here's a picture of some pals at work. From left to right: WenShan, Thomas, Jason, Nishaat, Zach, and Irfan.

Colorful Sunset

Although it's been really windy lately, the sunsets have been very beautiful. I took this picture right outside our office door.

Tough Time

Today I had a real tough day a work...good thing the day is over. Now it's time to start fresh...
Yesterday was pretty cool. I took this picture yesterday on my way to work.

The Green Mile

Good, it's finally all over. Now the media can move on to their next victim.

Tova

Today was such a pretty day! A co-worker brought his puppy (Tova) to work and everyone totally fell in love with her. She's the cutest thing! Here's a picture of her and I. To view more pictures of Tova, click here.

Smelling the Roses

Life is so much nicer now that this semester is out of the way. Now I could stop and smell the pretty roses.

One Final Left

Tonight is my last final, I can't wait! This is going to be my toughest final so I'm still really stressed. The worst part is that I am going to be missing my brother's Birthday dinner because of that final. Happy Birthday to my bro who turns 25 today. =)

Think Happy Thoughts

Looking at this picture you wouldn’t know I was about to rip my hair out by the roots. Today I have a presentation to give, a paper to turn in, and a final to take…it’s all too much. Once that’s over with I can focus on my last final of the semester and then….home free!!
Anyway, this is a picture of my Sponge Bob pop I got one day when I was hagin’ out in the park.

Gambina Doll

I needed to post something that would cheer me up today. I'm so stressed with it being the weekend before finals. I can't wait 'til it's all over! Anyway, I got this dolly for my mom when I was in New Orleans earlier this year. It always makes me smile...she's just so cute!

Peek-a-Boo

Every morning Booshie (Princess) loves to lie at the window to catch some rays. But when she hears someone in the room she’ll play peek-a-boo behind the mini blinds. Silly Cat!

It was a Silk-Cotton Tree

Thanks to Thomas we now know that our Bread Fruit tree (See posting on Nov. 10, 2004"If not Bread Fruit then what?") is really the Kapok Tree or Silk-cotton tree. Turns out they use this tree for all kinds of cool things:
-the straight trunks are used to make dugout canoes
-the white, fluffy seed covering is used in pillows, mattresses, flotation devices and padding
-the seeds, leaves, bark and resin have been used to treat dysentery, fever, asthma, and kidney disease
Isn’t that awesome?! Anyway we picked one of the Silk-cotton pods and found all this cool stuff inside.

Pony Plush

Marco got me this little pony plush 3 years ago at Knott's Berry Farm. I love it!