Super Loco Gas Prices

This is the only good thing about not having a car at the moment. This is the cheapest gas price I saw yesterday.

Ana's Computer Desk

I finally went out and got a new computer desk at Ikea. Yay!

New Place

Rose and my bro are moving into their new place this week so we've been helping out in the afternoons. It's really starting to shape up. Moving is always a drag but once things have found their place it's a good feeling.

Disaster in New Orleans

I can't believe what's happened to New Orleans the past few days. It's so difficult to see how much people there are suffering especially since I was there only a year ago. I wish there was something I could do to help. I wish I could take time to volunteer. I guess the only thing I could do from here is make a donation.

Lunch-Time

Went out to lunch with some buddies from work again. It's nice to get out and do things once in a while especially since I've been feeling so tense lately. I think we've made Acapulco our regular place since we've been there a few times this summer.

WTF!

This accident thing has been a real hassle. Between trying to get a rental car, going to physical therapy, and trying to get answers on the progress of the claim it's just been exhausting. I sure hope all of this is over soon so I could go back to where I was.
I saw this car the other day and can’t imagine why someone would drive around with a bunch of stuffed animals on their front dash. WTF!

Zoom, Zoom, BOOM

So here's a picture of my pretty new car after the accident...yes, accident! I've only had it for 5 days and now it looks like this. Talk about bad luck! I ended up sandwiched between a Mercedes and a VW Bug. Turns out the Bug didn't notice the Mercedes and I were completely stopped so he rammed into the back of my car while going over 45mph. The impact caused my vehicle to hit the Mercedes in front. Thank god I was wearing my seat belt and was able to walk away alive. Tomorrow I see a doctor regarding the chest, neck and back pain I've developed as a result of the impact. *sigh*

Pablo in Seattle, WA

Pablo just returned from a trip to Seattle with my buddy Joel and his wife. It looks like he had tons of fun. Check out his travel blog for more pictures.

MY Car!

Today I became the owner of a brand new Mazda 3s and I'm lovin' it. Wow, talk about a great car! I'm excited! Here's a picture of Rose proving that the trunk is large enough to hold a body...lol.

Rock Stars

Went to another party today and saw that they had the kids recording their own music videos. That was pretty cool!

Chalk Shark

Looks like the Biology department at school was having fun with colored chalk. This is why I insist on carrying a camera everywhere I go...you never know what you're going to run into.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

Today I test drove a Mazda 3 and fell in love with it. The worst part about checking out cars is dealing with the paperwork just to get a quote. I got so bored waiting to get information that I kept myself busy by photographing the reflection of my legs on the table mirror. The car was great though...I think we may have to get one.

Sure!

On our way back from visiting a friend I saw this license plate and just had to snap a photo. I wonder what the story behind this was.

Sky High

Today we saw "Sky High" since there was nothing else playing this weekend. It was an ok movie. I think the boys enjoyed the arcade a little more than the movie.

Victory is Mine!

Hip-Hip-Hooray! The thesis defense is over and I've passed! What a relief. Now all that's left is to revise my thesis and turn it in by Friday. Once that's done, I'm home free! Dang I'm feeling good right now! Big thanks to everyone at DL for taking me out to lunch, showering me with cute gifts, and for all of your support through this entire process. You guys are the greatest!

A complete Wreck!

So Dooms-Day is coming up...yes, that's right, my thesis defense. I'm so nervous! I can't wait until it's all over with! I swear I don't know how Jess kept it together through hers. I'm nauseous, and a complete wreck...and it's still 1.5 days away. Argh, I hate feeling like this.

The Place 2B

Everyone loves Janice's new place! It's just so inviting, comfortable, and gorgeous. It's the perfect place to just go hang out and relax.

Hard Rock Birthday

Happy 23rd to Rose! We took her to the Hard Rock Cafe', had a great dinner, enjoyed the Sound of Music, and did some shopping. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did.

Housewarming

We had such an awesome time yesterday at Janice's housewarming party. She's got the loveliest home I've seen in a while, and the 50" TV isn't bad either. It was great seeing some old co-workers and just catching up on things. I can't wait until our next event. Thanks to Janice and her husband Andrew for inviting us into their lovely home.
Seen above: Miriam and her husband, Lourdes, Shabnam and her husband

Jason & Liz

Today we had lunch with Jason and his wife Liz. It was so great to see them again! Those two have got to be the most amazing people ever. After loosing almost everything they owned they still have a great positive outlook on life, it's really amazing. After attending a friend's wedding they'll be headed toward Connecticut. I wish them all the best!

Farmer's Market

So after being cooped up at home working on my thesis for the past 4 days, Rose finally got me out of the house. We went to the local farmer's market to get some yummy food and do a little shopping. It was nice to get some fresh air.

N.U.T.S.

This thesis is driving me CooCoo for Coa Coa Puffs!

Presenting....iClass

So the new GUI is finally done. Poor Lemonhead, he's slaved these past few months to get this done and now it is. Yay for him! Next week he's taking a well deserved vacation.

Attacks on London

This is just devastating!

No Dumping Zone

This reminds me that I need to make time this summer to volunteer with Heal the Bay. I volunteered once when I was younger and got a great feeling out of cleaning up those beaches. It's sad to see the beaches so polluted the way they are these days.

Americafest 2005

Thanks to Brian for suggesting the Rose Bowl for the 4th of July fireworks show. It was awesome! I've never seen so many fireworks at once before. Too bad the pre-show was a bore. It was still worth the $10/per person.

I give it an A-

Just saw this movie today and although I'm not a huge sci-fi fan I will admit that it was a great movie. It's very suspenseful and the acting is great as well. Too bad the ending was weak.

Catalina Fishing Trip

The boys went on a fishing trip to Catalina Island today and caught some nice looking fish. While they were out having fun I was at the doctors getting some x-rays done. Next Tuesday I'll be finding out if what I have is acid reflux or not. I'll post the results as soon as I get them.

Go-Kart Racing

Went to check out "Golf n'Stuff" today and loved it. We played a round of miniature golf, road the go-karts several times and then it was off to the arcade. Too bad it's located in Ventura 'cause we really need a go-kart place out here.
So today I found out that I may not have diabetes but instead acid reflux. I'll know for sure in a couple of weeks. Tomorrow it's off to get an x-ray...yay...not!

Vacation Part I

We're back from our little trip up north and soon we'll be headed south. I've posted most of the pictures I took during the first part of the trip and I will continue to post them on my gallery site. A special thanks to Jess and Sven for being such wonderful hosts!! Thank you for letting us crash at your place and eat your wonderful food! I miss you both already!

SF

Today was awesome. We got to see my bro at the Alameda County Fair. After we checked that out for a while we drove down to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and took a boat ride around the bay. That was a lot of fun, and it only cost us $10/per person. The traffic in San Francisco was a nightmare since most of the main streets were closed for the Gay Pride Parade. I hadn't seen San Francisco for a while so it was cool to go check it out again.

Hearst Beach

Today we traveled along the California coast and stopped by Hearst Beach so that Marco could fish for a bit. After that we continued up north and stopped by Monterey Aquarium. That was pretty awesome. Now we're going to be spending the night at Jess' house in Sunnyvile, yay! It's so great to see her again!

Solvang...Not a Dutch Town

On day one of our trip up north we stopped by Solvang (Danish Town). Had a great time just looking around and on the way back to the Fwy we got to feed the emus at the Ostrich Land.

Bad News Thursday

Today has been a day of bad news. First I hear that Jason's U-haul was found but it had been burned to the ground. That's very upsetting news. Then I go to the doctor's and find out that this little problem I've been having may have been caused by diabetes! Yikes! Anyhow, long story short...went to get my blood tested and now I have to wait a few weeks to get the results. I sure hope they come back negative 'cause I really don't want to have to deal with something like that. It doesn't help to find out that diabetes runs in both sides of the family. Crap! I will post an update as soon as I hear something.
Today I also had to say goodbye to my sweet friend Xiaoyu who has gotten an internship for the summer. I wish her all the best! It's always sad to see great people go.
On a happier note, Happy Birthday to my buddy Carlo who turned 26 today! Yay Carlo! Also, tomorrow is the start of my week long vacation so I'm looking forward to that.
**Seen above, Carlo and Xiaoyu at Acapulco**

Why do bad things happen to good people?

So last week Jason and his wife left for Connecticut to start their new life. Unfortunately they only got to Arizona before their U-haul was stolen! That just totally sucks!! Who would do that!? I feel so bad for them...everything they owned, gone. Poor Jason and Liz! I hope they find their truck and get to Connecticut safely. We really miss Jason at work; it just isn't the same without him.

July Deadline

Talk about having a busy day! Donated a car to charity so I'm feeling pretty good about that. Then I had a meeting with my thesis chair and found out I need to finish my paper by July 15th so now I'm totally wiggin'. So, after my meeting went to work for what seemed like an eternity. Now I'm home, real tense 'cause I keep thinking about that thesis paper...yuck! Wish I was in that pool right now.

Party Sunday

Worked another party with my bro this weekend. It was good. This time most of the kids were pretty sweet and some were just silly (as seen above). I'm glad this party was only a few hours long 'cause tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for me.

Pizza Time Friday

Although working on Fridays is usually a drag this Friday was actually kind of ok. Part of it was the fact that our lunch breaks were over an hour long spent watching a slideshow and eating pizza. Now that's what I call a lunch break. The only downfall to this extended lunch was the fact that eventually we all had to go back to work.
Now that my weekend has started I'm waiting for our guest to arrive. Skip (our guest) will be coming to stay with us for a month since he's visiting from Holland. It's going to be a blast.

Fire Season

Looks like one of the other buildings our landlord owns was on fire today. Crazy! Just a few days ago some guy in our building almost burned the place down when he jumped into the shower and forgot to turn the stove off. Minutes later we had to walk through a thick cloud of smoke and the worst smell ever. What was this guy thinking? Who goes into the shower while they're still cooking?! That's just plain stupid!

Acapulco Lunch

I had a wonderful time today with the gang from work. We celebrated several birthdays and Jason's 2nd to last day by going to Acapulco. Boy was the food yummy! I love when we could all just get together and have a nice relaxing lunch. The toughest part was going back to work and actually getting something done. That food coma gets me every time.

He Beat It!

Creative journalism at it's best. Since this is the topic that everyone is talking about I'll just say: "I'm glad it's over." Now we could all move on with our lives. It always amazes me how the media spends 15 minutes covering a story like this while a major earthquake in Chili only gets 1 minute of coverage!

Japanese Treats

It was nice to see Thomas at work again. He brought us back all kinds of goodies from Japan and lots of great stories. Perhaps tomorrow we'll have more time to check out his 3,000 photos! I also think Pablo is coming home tomorrow, yay!

Brunch Buffet

On our last day in Vegas we finished up our shopping and had a great brunch at the Flamingo's buffet. Boy was it yummy! Vegas was lots of fun but it was nice to get back home again. The traffic home was a little heavy but Rose got us back in just a few hours.

Moss Adams Party @ the Flamingo

After another long day of shopping and checking out The Strip, Rose and I attended her company's dinner party at the Flamingo. We had an awesome time. I got to meet some of her co-workers and the food was amazing. We sat in groups of 10 and every table had to compete in a little questionnaire game. Wouldn't you know it...we won! That meant that every employee at the table got PTO (paid time off). Rose was a happy girl.

Las Vegas Weekend

Today Rose and I started our weekend at Las Vegas, NV. We first stopped at a couple of outlet centers and did a bit of shopping. After a few hours of shopping we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe' and later checked into the Monte Carlo hotel. We really lucked out because we had perfect weather. Usually at this time Vegas is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pictures from Japan

Yes it's finally here, Pablo's Travel Blog now contains the first pictures of Pablo on his trip to Japan. Thank you to Thomas who took these amazing photographs. More pictures will be up soon and the journaling will be added once I have collected all of the data from Pablo's trip. Hope you all enjoy this virtual trip to Japan.

Mr. Popular

Today I talked to Thomas who will be returning with Pablo from Japan tomorrow. He sent me the first pictures of Pablo in Japan. Yay! It turns out Pablo was a big hit with his friends there. I can't wait to see the rest of those pictures. If things work out, Pablo might be going to Vancouver this week.

Going Away Party

Went to Jess' going away party. It was so awesome! Although it's going to be sad to see her go I'm very happy for her. There are so many things for her to look forward to. Just yesterday her boyfriend Sven proposed so not only will she have a great new job, house and stuff but soon she'll also have a new husband. Congrats to the happy couple!
Above is a picture of Jess and her Dad whom she dedicated her thesis to.

The Regent Beverly Wilshire Gig

Today I worked another gig for my bro. This one was held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. The party was awesome! I was very impressed. Not only did they have a great DJ, but they also had a magician, violin players, flute players, fortune tellers, dancers...the list just goes on and on. On top of all that, the people were great. I'm looking forward to the next gig.

Class of 2005!

Yay, it finally happened! Jess, Zach, and I graduated today!! The weather was perfect (not too cold, not too hot). The timing was just right (We only had to stick around for the first part of the ceremony). And now it's all over (thank god).

P.S. I manage to make it through the entire day without tripping. Yes!

Gift from Jess

I got the most amazing graduation gift from Jess. Although graduation isn't until tomorrow she gave it to me yesterday. She's so amazing! She got me a charm bracelet and picked out charms that represent stuff we've done together. Awww...sweet girl!