Sleep Is Good

Friday, 10/09 - Home
QUIT MY JOB. I needed a clean break, a fresh start, time to focus on my future. Actually quit on Wednesday, putting in my 2-weeks notice, but I told my parents, and they booked me on their cruise. So Friday was my last day, and thank God for it, because we all know for the last year and 7 months, it’s just been a paycheck. It was good for the resume, and had me write two books and articles, but it’s not what I want for my career and I needed to get out so that I wouldn’t be wasting any more time.

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Well, well, well, I’ve had a few days to recoup from my 2-week trip of a lifetime to Lebanon, and I’m not sure if anything I say here can give justice to what I’ve seen and experienced there. Despite however difficult this may be, the following is my best attempt at summarizing the last 2 weeks and conveying all the emotions of seeing family I never see, being in the land in which my parents grew up, and visiting the land with which I feel so strongly a connection.

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...okay, so I'm like a few years late, but whatever. I have joined YouTube.com and I must say, I'm in heaven. I am in love with Kathy Griffin, can't stop watching Sarah Silverman's music video with Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel's music video with Ben Affleck and celebrity choir, this dramatic squirrel, and the Romanian song "Numa Numa" sung by a very animated guy. That OK Go music video for "Here It Goes Again" is seriously cool; and 'Boom Goes the Dynamite' is one young sports anchor's demise. The Cyril Takayama hamburger trick is awesome, although I realize how it's done and a parody of David Blaine's creepy magic is hilarious. The great performances of song, street magic, and stage comedy are simply amazing. I mean, anything funny, great, or amazingly horrible on television will be on YouTube. I'm in love with YouTube.

Kathy Griffin is simply a genius. Her bit about the celebrities gets me rolling, especially her take on Paula Abdul, Ryan Seacrest, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan. Oh yah, and Barbara Walters haha (slash ew).

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Here it is as I know you've always wanted the lyrics:

Ma-ia-hii
Ma-ia-huu
Ma-ia-hoo
Ma-ia-haa(4x)

Alo, salut, sunt eu, un haiduc,
Si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste fericirea.
Alo, alo, sunt eu Picasso,
Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic,
Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic.

Refrain:
Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma, nu ma iei,
Nu ma, nu ma iei, nu ma, nu ma, nu ma iei.
Chipul tau si dragostea din tei,
Mi-amintesc de ochii tai.

Te sun, sa-ti spun, ce simt acum,
Alo, iubirea mea, sunt eu, fericirea.
Alo, alo, sunt iarasi eu, Picasso,
Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic,
Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic.

(Refrain)

Ma-ia-hii
Ma-ia-huu
Ma-ia-hoo
Ma-ia-haa(4x)
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Oh yah, I got a job.

Sat, Dec 15: Moved back home; skipped party at the COORS' (beer, really) because I was sick.

Sun, Dec 16: Lounged.

Mon, Dec 17: Lounged some more.

Tue, Dec 18: Finally brought bed, desk, dresser from garage to room. Met up with cousins Nadine, Amanda, Julia, and Amanda's boyfriend Jimmy at the bowling alley in Santa Monica and had our 'Cousin Christmas'.

Wed, Dec 19: Kicked it in Irvine with my people. Met up at Hollywood Video, Irvine; then headed to LampPost Pizza for food; to two workers' places, the latter at which I crashed along with Steff and Will. Wii Bowling with alcohol is surprisingly more fun than without.

Thu, Dec 20: Went to Jenn Jenn's at 7pm and hung out playing the Wii and Phase 10 before our 11:59pm screening of Sweeney Todd with her, Jasmine, and her friends. The movie was absolutely amazing.

Fri, Dec 21: Woke up at 3pm. Lounged. Taught parents how to play Phase 10 and played from 7:30pm-1:30am.

Sat, Dec 22: Lounged.

Sun, Dec 23: Parents and I met up with Dina Kouchakji in Hollywood (Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues and the Festival of Lights at Griffith Park).

Mon, Dec 24: Parents and I met up with family friend Nancy at her house in Redondo Beach for her Christmas Eve party.

Tue, Dec 25: HAPPY CHRISTMAS. Lounged.

Wed, Dec 26: Lounged. Played Mexican Dominoes and Phase 10 with our neighbors.

Thu, Dec 27: Moved DVD wall, cabinet, and spindles to room and all 1400 DVDs.

Fri, Dec 28: Moved DVD wall from one side of room to the other (fun). Room = nightmare, but it's coming together. Went to dinner at Onami (all-you-can-eat SUSHI buffet) with parents and mom's friend Michelle and Dennis. Met up with Amanda, Julia, Jimmy and crew for Amanda's 26th birthday party at Yankee Doodles in Long Beach where we played pool and hung out til 1:30am.

Sat, Dec 29: Screened (at home) The Bucket List and organized room some more. After dinner, went to Jenn Jenn's house and played Phase 10 and Would You Rather... for 6 hours with her friends Isabel, Phil, Chris, and boyfriend Cisco. That was fun :D

Sun, Dec 30: FINISHED ORGANIZING MY ROOM. Desktop computer and cd-stereo went back to the garage. DVDs are beautifully organized; desk, nightstand, tv-stand, cabinet and spindles all work where they are and hold what they need to hold. Thank God. 1400 DVDs all over the place was a nightmare to deal with, but it's done. Went to Yuko's and snacked/ate dinner lol and watched Hairspray which I love.

Mon, Dec 31: Woke up at 7am, threw up, and passed out on floor; woke up an hour later, threw up some more, and passed out on floor; woke up an hour later, crawled to mom's bathroom, threw up some more, and passed out on bathroom floor on carpeted shower mat; woke up an hour later, crawled back to room, passed out on bed for 2 hours. ...great start to ending the year off right. I lounged throughout the afternoon, played a bit of Wii. Yuko came over and brought Pepto and crackers :) and played the Wii with me for an hour or so. After she left, I showered and dressed for the night's party at the Coors' for New Year's Eve. It was better than I expected, actually.
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Tue, Jan 01: HAPPY NEW YEAR

I guess I'm feeling a bit down now; I guess 'new anything' entails change. I went through a LOT this year and frankly, I'm tired. I read my roommate-for-2-weeks' blog and find out now he thinks I'm "talkative," which doesn't help at all coming 2 weeks after having left the place. I guess I can be talkative; it just hurts hearing/reading negative stuff about yourself, espescially when you've given more than most would for somone who's in a bind. In the end, I realize now I shouldn't have gone through with it. Doing this good deed cost me more financially than the rent he paid (go figure). And sacrificing my space, time, privacy, food, electricity, water, and patience was ultimately not worth it. I feel so used.

It's 2008, though. Not that much changes from one day to the next, hopefully in this new year, I can figure out my life, secure some money to pay off my little debt, and make better choices. Apparently I too need to not talk so much.

I'm moving back home.

I tried living on my own for awhile and I've decided it's best to cut my losses. My position at the bank is unimportant and ultimately not worth the fight. I had found a person to move in, but unfortunately, it never came to fruition. Rather than continuing to lose half the rent and nearly my paycheck, I think it's best to discard a job that is truly not for me and discard a living siutation that exploded in my face. I could never have forseen being stranded by my roommates; I expected us as friends to mingle with others and form friendships with many people. The bank is not an ideal place to make friends; and living alone, it's really hard to kindergarten-ish "Wanna be my friend?". I met people at the tennis courts and that worked for tennis; but in my situation, I'm the guy who lives upstairs, works at a bank, and pays rent. Only 1st year in the dorm did I really make friends in college outside of class. As you move in with people, you befriend them, and generally not so much those who live below you, to the right, etc. I really miss friends. I miss my friends; I miss enjoying work; I miss having someone to meet at the courts; I miss my parents. ...sadly, I miss TV lol.

Had I just gotten a roommate, I could've furnished the place and gotten cable, etc. I could've duked it out and fought for a reason to stay. I stayed because of the job, and because the job allowed me to pay for rent. I expected to get someone in here and I expected to befriend people my own age. I have failed in every aspect of that attempt. People at tennis meet for tennis; why welcome in one person to an already established group. I should've gone to church or something to make friends. Oi, I should've done a lot of things differently.

Well, it's the end. My last day at work is Friday the 16th; and my move-out day is the 15th of December. I have a month to move and once I'm at home, I can relax, breath, watch freagin TV, visit friends, play tennis, enjoy life. I can also find a job to pay for personal expenses and help with food for the house. I can have the comforts of home again. I need this. I need people. And I know where my people are.

Home.

...I just joined LA Fitness for 3 years. I really think paying for something like that will motivate me to actually go and work out, get fit, lose my pouch since junior high lol, and rip these abs. Hopefully in addition to having the body of a Greek god, I can make friends and maybe, just maybe, find a roommate. Positivity is key; so for now, I joined a gym. ...what an update.

So...I can stay in the apartment. I just need to find a roommate unless I want to pay the full rent (again). Work is work; I passed teller school (with an A) and have been on the teller line at work for two weeks now. There's not really that much to update other than work and life. Life is pretty boring and unbelievably lonely. It's kind of embarrassing actually.

It was hard 'on my own' with company; it's even harder literally on my own. What's worse is that I'm paying for the empty room and bathroom. I could really use a roommate. I could really use a friend in this city. I'm clinging to tennis and facebook's damn geography game that I can't stop playing. I'm also watching more tv than I'd like to admit. Reality tv is something else; I'm watching people live in a house on Big Brother, and I think their social interactions with each other provide me hope (or, in some cases, lack thereof) in being stuck in a living situation that isn't the greatest, but will eventually turn to the positive.

Just the other day, I was really down and out and needed company. This guy was talking really loudly on his cell outside and I thought I'd go and check it out. As soon as I opened the door, this cat was sitting near my door and came to me for some lovin'. It was really embarrassing but you know, whatever, I pet the cat for like half an hour and we kept each other company for that time. I was tempted to feed her (I think she was a she) a can of tuna, but then thought she'd come back every day...so I just brought her a tray of water. ...I kinda miss her. I miss my friends. I miss pretty much everyone. What a situation. God help me.

Well, as of late I haven't been the happiest of campers. I've only divulged my feelings toward the living situation to a few but had hopes that things would get better with time. I've been working 9-6 at the bank and the work there has been "thrilling." I've been sitting at my desk taking lessons about everything imaginable under banking. I haven't been lucky at the tennis courts, but just as well, since I started working, I haven't had time to go either. I've been clinging to television (Big Brother primarily) because it shows people living with people and not all roommates are the best of friends. I've been bored out of my mind since I've been here. I guess I expected friendship; I guess I thought life would be similar to life in Irvine. I knew it wouldn't exactly be the same but I naively expected friendship to say the least.

What I got in place after 3 weeks is an eviction notice! While I was away with my aunt and uncle watching the 3rd Bourne film, drama went down at the apartment. People freaked out, a security guard overexaggerated the event to the police, and a swarm of police came. No arrests were made, but because the event took place, we're getting evicted. Forget 'we'; I'm getting evicted. I've done nothing to warrant such. I physically picked up my life and moved here to live with friends, to live on my own but with the support of friends. Financially, socially, it all makes sense. I found a decent paying job that is close by that will allow me to support myself financially with rent, food, and expenses. And now I have to do it all over again. Thank God I nailed the job because wherever I end up living, I at least can count on this steady income to get me through it.

I guess everything in life happens for a reason. I don't have friends here and "finding friends at work" isn't the ideal situation for everyone is much older and has his or her own life. The tennis courts haven't been kind, but then I guess I always go alone; in Irvine I could rely on other students to be there whereas here at the park, it's families and people that come in pairs. I am making a valiant effort to stay close with my aunt and uncle because they are literally the only two people I know in this city and graciously welcome me into their home to join them for dinner, outings, even church services. Without them here, I think I'd go nuts. I'm doing a lot of growing up with moving, getting a 'real job,' and being on my own. I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to packing up and having to move again. But because of the job, I am at least grounded to a few close cities, although I truly don't want to leave Vista. I'm just getting to familiarize myself with where things are. I even made it from my aunt and uncle's house in the dark back home (or rather to the main road) without directions. Up or down, I was getting used to the city.

Okay I'm done. I have 30 days. I have work to keep me going, I have family to keep me sane, I have a life of my own and the full understanding (lesson learned the hard way) that one cannot completely trust in others, but only in himself and in God.

God, please guide me through this. Amen.

So life's been interesting as of late: I moved and that went successfully, all thanks to my parents, but particularly my dad and neighbor Tak who pushed themselves physically to haul all my stuff from one apartment to the UHaul, and from the UHaul to the new apartment. Keli was very helpful in offereing to come all the way to Irvine as well to help us move while on her way to Riverside. Once in the apartment, though, it was something else just trying to build again my desk, DVD wall, and organize 1200 movies and boxes and boxes of stuff. My room now is perfect and I hope and pray that I will be fortunate enough to stay there for a while.

Since my cell phone, specifically only at home in Gardena, decided not to ring anymore and lost nearly all bars of reception randomly, my dad got us new phones. It's about time after nearly 4 years this December. Though I "showed up to court" on the phone because I literally followed Google's directions and got lost in the middle of L.A. (Culver City, Hollywood, Compton...don't ask), I won my case and appeal and thankfully am not sinking anymore. I also have, for the last 2 months, been applying, interviewing, for jobs and finally, I've got a job and a good one too. I guess it's not set in stone yet, but the branch manager of the US Bank in Carlsbad is recommending me to the district manager for hire as a Universal Banker. He said I just needed to meet with the district manager and go over salary...so I'm thinking I got the job.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was amazing. I can't believe how unbelievably wonderful the whole series is and how much we are capable of reading if we just put our mind to it. I now want to read literary works of fiction...so we'll see what I read next.

I've been fortunate enough to see a few films at the theatres this summer: Meet the Robinsons, Spider-Man 3, 28 Weeks Later, La Vie en Rose, Knocked Up, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, and Simpsons Movie. Thus, I still would like to see Ratatouille, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and then we'll see what else comes out. Nothing has really interested me during the previews as of late.

Vista, CA: So it's been a trip while I've been here. I'm trying to figure out the city and get a feel for it. I've ventured to the tennis courts at a nearby park: the first day, I just practiced my serves and watched a family play; the second day I found a very nice late-40s/early-50s great tennis player playing with a guy my age +/-, and was lucky enough to join them and hit for quite a while; the third day, I went again with Michelle and while she was on the phone for work, the same lady came again with the guy again but also with her husband, her son, and her friend who plays doubles with her. The previous day, this lady wrote down for me information on tennis courts in the area as well as a few churches near by, etc. This third day, I played with the son for a little bit, then when her husband played with his son, I joined the doubles action and it was crazy. These guys really play well and I only hope that when I reach their age that I too will be able to keep up my endurance and competitiveness. The day after that, we roomies went to see the Simpsons Movie with one of the complex managers Geoff and then Saturday we four went to the same park but to the Moonlight Amphitheatre to see Me and My Girl, which was really funny and entertaining. So slowly but surely, I'm figuring out ways to occupy myself, although it has been tough. Hopefully I start work soon so that I'll have a regular schedule.

Well, til next time.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS.

I've been rereading the 6th one as fast as I can so as to finish it before midnight, but alas with the move tomorrow, I don't think I'll be able to finish the book, start and finish the FINAL book staying up all night, and then move which will probably take a really long time to finish. At least I know that as soon as everything is here in Vista (oi, and as soon as everything is organized and properly put away), I can curl up and READ HP7. I'm so giddy it's not even funny; it's quite embarrassing actually--but I honestly think that we adults (kids at heart) don't care how silly others find it, because HARRY POTTER ROCKS. Case closed, the end, any questions? Oh for those true fans, that last bit I quoted from "Moody" in the 4th movie. Good times.

AVADA KEDAVRA! Just Kidding ;)