tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39357680774191480022024-02-08T02:24:56.569-08:00noirthenewblacktheGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-21300951896484319042010-06-22T21:21:00.001-07:002010-06-22T21:40:29.230-07:00~frequent biker program<br /><br />rules:<br />1. i bike and log the number of miles with the aid of googlemaps.<br />2. every mile i bike, i earn miles.<br />3. i use miles to buy upgrades for my bike with the ultimate goal of 1000ish miles for a road bike. mile to dollar conversion is 1 to 1.<br />4. miles do not accrue if i skip two consecutive days, and i must bike 5 miles to resume accruing miles.<br />5. if i eat out during a weekday, i lose miles at a rate of 1 mile per dollar spent.<br /><br />today i biked 3.6 miles and it took approx 25 mins = 8.64 mph<br /><br />TOTAL MILES: 3.6<br /><br />FIRST UPGRADE GOAL<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static2.biketiresdirect.com/imagesProduct/kekwe-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 300px;" src="http://static2.biketiresdirect.com/imagesProduct/kekwe-1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kenda Kwest tires: $18.95 x 2 = 37.90 + shipping...<br /><br />i'm gonna go with 50 miles.. just in case..theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-23434432298649269752010-04-18T22:03:00.000-07:002010-04-18T22:31:08.954-07:00~meaningful<br /><br />something happened yesterday. i'm not entirely sure of its significance quite yet, so i have to reflect on it some more. but i hope it doesn't just fade away into that murky realm of half memories that is the past. i just wish i could reconcile what i feel with what i see. also with what everyone else sees..<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQHcIQs8XqM<br /><br />in other news, my workouts have slowed a bit. probably due to the intensity of them, but i worked out on 4/9 and then didn't work out until 4/16. i'm still sore as hell from this past friday's workout that i did with candrew. but i've been seeing a lot of his progress in the last month or so. i guess i'm easing my way back into it. but i like the results that i've been seeing. just have to make it more consistent i guess. i plan to work out again on tuesday and hopefully friday again. definitely have to put in less overtime for that to happen.<br /><br />the last paycheck i got was fatty, but since putting that 5k away, my checking account looks sad again. it's gonna look especially sad after i pay off the chase card cause i've been eating out a lot. oh, that reminds me.. i gotta return that snowboarding jacket. not going to matter much because i'm thinking about buying a wetsuit but.. i guess this next paycheck is gonna be monster too and that comes in on friday. woot! note to self: stop eating out so much. it adds up!!<br /><br />i'm kind of discouraged about buying a house. houses are so expensive, even in crappy places to live in [ie next to dairy farms]. there's no way i can afford one unless i live super duper frugally. two incomes would be so freaken nice.. but that's still some years away. i can feel the 18,000 tax credit slipping away..<br /><br />finally, i'm really looking forward to this wknd. thuy's wedding in san diego.. woot woot!!theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-17215865799110496422010-03-28T19:05:00.000-07:002010-03-28T21:16:08.201-07:00~anniversary<br /><br />so yesterday was my one year anniversary with state farm. i can't believe it's already been a year since i've started working there. my new boss gave me an envelope with a hand written card and a keychain from the boss's boss's boss. i put the card on my desk and i proudly put my keys on the keychain. this past year flew by. i definitely learned a lot, met a lot of interesting people and started my life as a grownup.<br /><br />yesterday, i went to camarillo for this work party at andy's new house. candrew and i stopped by the outlets, and i got three polos and a button-up short sleeve for pretty cheap. my wardrobe definitely needed a boost for the transition from winter clothes to spring/summer clothes. i'm still lacking in a lot respects, (dressier work clothes, jeans, khaki's), but i'm going to hold off on those until i lose some weight. the work party was pretty low-key. candrew and i got a bunch of beers and a bottle of vodka/sake ? that was cool because it lit up, but hardly anyone drank. we just ate and played pictionary where candrew and i dominated. still, we left around 1130/12 and got home at 1.. >_<<br /><br />today i took the jack3d i got for the first time and went to 24. i started off with a wimpy version of "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVBgKB4Gnsw">fran</a>" doing the thrusters with a 35 lbs barbell and pulldowns at 70 lbs. it took me about four pretty intense minutes, and i definitely felt winded/tired/demoralized by the end. after that i just did random bullshit [one or two sets of different body parts] for 20-25 minutes until i couldn't take it anymore. i think sleeping at 4am last night could have a part of why my workout was so short. also, doing the ritual earlier that day. still, since i don't have any physics class this week [spring break woot!] i'm going to try to work out everyday or at least pretty much every day and hit wimpy versions of crossfit's <a href="http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/13_03_Benchmark_Workouts.pdf">benchmarks</a>. man, i really need to quit smoking too.<br /><br />either jack3d or working out had some really awesome benefits today. i came home feeling like shit, but after taking a shower, eating some fruits and taking some protein powder.. i got a lot done. i cleaned my room, cleaned out my car, organized my desk, bought some hdmi cables online.. basically did a bunch of things i've been putting off for a while. i can't wait until i get healthier and thus have more energy/initiative even after weaning myself off the jack3d.<br /><br />so paternal relations have been pretty good, and so i decided to use my dad's premiere techniques on him. i declared to him on saturday, "i'm not going to talk to you until you read <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhartha_%28novel%29">siddhartha</a>". i felt like an idiot because when i said it in korean, it sounded pretty awkward, i think i conjugated the verb wrong. i'm kind of scared because he's really good giving the silent treatment, and i'm really bad at it. pretty much every time it happens i'm the one who pesters him until he responds. still, this whole day i haven't said a word to him or even made eye contact. wish me luck!!<br /><br />shoot, i wanted to tabulate my spending for the past two months, but i'm pooped.. time to hit the sack early so i can wake up tmrw..theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-54383668438563828252010-03-22T00:39:00.000-07:002010-03-22T01:08:09.616-07:00~spring<br /><br />finally it's here, and there's so much more daylight. i've been looking forward to it all winter.<br /><br />for the past month, my eye has been twitching when i get less than 7 hours of sleep. this is annoying, especially when you're in a meeting with your boss.<br /><br />i have a new boss. he is much quicker at getting back to me and DWHSHW, but talks a lot and seems like a rubber stamp. i wonder what my raise is going to look like this year.<br /><br />being a grownup is a process for sure. haven't done my taxes yet, but my mom's pressuring me to buy a house. i wouldn't mind since she'd front the 20%, but i don't know if housing prices are gonna go up enough in a few years to justify putting myself in six figure debt.<br /><br />i bought a wii and a ps3. but i don't have enough time to play ffxiii or fallout 3. this makes me sad.<br /><br />i've been splurging this past month though since November or so i've been semi frugal. i've have enough to put the max for a year into a IRA, but i'm heistant to do so cause then i'd be broke. mammoth trip put be back more than $300, i got a snowboarding jacket for $120 [honestly thinking about taking advantage of REI's return policy and returning it] , and although i don't have to pay the full amount until a year and a half from now, i still spent like $800 on the ps3 and wii. also i spent some dough on fees and textbooks for physics.<br /><br />i'm taking physics at fjc. kind of random. i was doing really well in the class but i've been slipping these past couple weeks. still, i can get an a if i shape up. i like this professor's mindset. he knows most jc kids don't have study skills and procrastinate. solution? have a "exam" every week and a quiz every week. this way it's tougher to fall behind cause it reflects in your current grades.<br /><br />i saw wilmar and sarah and some other 'tones this past weekend. it was nice hearing some good accapella, even though the judging was bullshit. also seeing old 'tones faces and hearing their voices.. it's been a while.<br /><br />stuff i've been listening to:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">minus the bear - my time</span><br /> -finally, a minus the bear song where you can hear the bass<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">paramore - playing god, brick by boring brick</span><br /> -love the lyrics and chorus to playing god. brick by boring brick is just so catchy<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">kings of convenience - homesick, misread, i'd rather dance with you</span><br /> -kind of soft, soothing music. i love the lyrics to homesick, especially when i'm driving to work and dreading the day<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">phoenix - 1901, fences</span><br /> -lol cadillac commercial<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">alicia keyes - love is blind </span><br /> -i like how she changes her voice for this song, and how dark it sounds too<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">nicole willis and the soul investigators - soul investigators theme, keep reachin' up, blues downtown</span><br /> -can't believe these songs were recorded in the 2000s, sounds like a blast from the past<br /><br />~<br /><br />god, blogging is nice. why did i stop?theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-53515702091088943162009-11-23T23:45:00.000-08:002009-11-24T00:09:54.694-08:00~nightwish<br /><br />so i got into a fight with my dad this morning and listened to nightwish on the way to work. which helped, but didn't help as much as how busy work was today. everybody's on vacation or sick. it's amazing how big of a hit we took. supposedly it's going to be like this until new years. at least time will pass quickly.<br /><br />sergio's sick as hell. i brought him some grapes and perrier. i hope that helps.<br /><br />worked out today. just did the elliptical and dips and pullups. there have been changes to my body, but i don't think they're too apparent quite yet. i did def improve on the dips tho.<br /><br />in other words, debt blows major balls. it's like fuck, how nice would it have been to come out of college not in the red? but if i penny pinch like crazy, i can make it disappear in a year and a half or so. that's not too bad. i just have to spend my time not spending money. like working out, or reading books.<br /><br />i started beloved and the bell jar. which shall i finish first?<br /><br />i had other shit to say, but dota just sucked the remaining brainpower i had. freaken computer games.. if i didn't play them.. imagine the possibilities!!theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-18869603898786610312009-10-24T10:22:00.000-07:002009-10-24T10:37:47.322-07:00~funny day<br /><br />so i guess today was a funny day.<br /><br />i woke up really late, because the day before yesterday i only got four hours of sleep and yesterday i wasn't able to catch up either. i guess it just builds like that. but i made it to work in one piece, thinking that i would just come home. so i didn't pack my workout clothes or anything and just went to work.<br /><br />work was supposed to be a little different today because my boss's boss's boss was coming to visit. most everyone wore business casual or a tie. he came by my cubicle, but i didn't even get to talk to him because SOMEbody took up all of his time blabbering away. this was the same person who helped me put paperclips in my shirt because i forgot my collar stays which i asked her to do, but criticized me for wearing a wrinkled shirt which i did not ask her to do. still, it was funny seeing some people who ALWAYS wear something super casual wear something a bit more formal, just because someone from upper management was there.<br /><br />he came to basically conduct a meeting with all the managers and also meet the new fire claim reps. they enjoyed his visit as we did a couple of months ago. he's a really cool guy, been with SF for years and years. basically worked his way up the corporate ladder by being mobile and working in all kinds of offices around the country. still, if you look at the big picture, even that guy boss is super low on the whole ladder. my boss's boss manages the fire people in our building, and her boss [the guy who came today] manages fire claims people in our area. his boss manages claims in both fire and auto in our area and THAT guy has five vice presidents above him and THEY have the big boss of california above him. and this california guy has people all across the country who are his equal and then the there's another ladder in bloomington above THAT! it's crazy to think this company has like 85k employees and that's not including agents. it makes me feel small, but i feel that wow.. if i'm able to rise through this company.. that'd really be an achievement.<br /><br />and because he was there, my boss was busy the whole day which in turn gave me a lot of time to do whatever with. she didn't even notice that i was an hour late [although attendance of her new reps is probably really low on her priority list]. sweet. i did get some work done today, but the time i spent on it was definitely a minority compared to the other stuff i did.<br /><br />like read this article.<br /><br />even though i didn't get much sleep, for some reason i felt like i had a lot of energy today. it's like that i guess when you exercise because i've been pretty consistent this week. last week i didn't work out as much as the week before and i definitely felt a drop in energy. i'm still sore from monday's bicep workout, so i guess it was okay that i rested today.<br /><br />our sf agent called me today to ask me a question about if tree root damage to a block wall was covered or not. i told him that they're not covered and then he divulged to me that my mom asked him to set me up with somebody. LOL that came out of nowhere. he gave me his email address and asked me to send him a picture of me and that he would send me a picture of her. that was pretty random.<br /><br />i ended up going to my coworker andrew's house after work. we ate at this restaurant in corona. their shrimp cocktail had these HUGE shrimp, for sure must have been u-10s. because they were so big it felt like i was taking a bite out of a huge chunk of meat, and that was unusual for a shrimp experience. their ribeye was pretty good tooad either. it reminded me of bloomington when we ate out pretty much everyday and a lot of those meals were steak. still, i have to try the ribeye at ruth and chris's. i've heard good things about it from a lot of people.<br /><br />in other news, today is the first day of the rest of the year. i'm pretty much going to be focused from now on on something i'm working on. wish me luck because i'm going to need some discipline to finish this. but then 2010 is going to be a good year. i can feel it. i just need to save some money and learn some skills.<br /><br />F to the OCUStheGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-52883595776270024982009-08-09T20:06:00.001-07:002009-08-09T20:42:39.553-07:00~exercise<br /><br />it's a natural high, it really is. today i woke up late, ate a shit ton of enchiladas at my mom's friend mary's house and took a nap. the whole time i felt tired and impotent. but then i rode my bike to 24 and back and now i feel great. cooked dinner, ate it, took a shower. otherwise a pretty uneventful day. oh, i did play some games of dota. but the satisfaction i got out of that was dwarfed by the bike ride. i was supposed to return a bag at sports authority today, but i'll do that tomorrow on the way back from work.<br /><br />i wish they allowed flip flops at work. shorts also.<br /><br />but i guess i'm lucky that they allow jeans and such. it would be such a drag to have to wear business casual everyday.<br /><br />some other things i have to get done before leaving for bloomington..<br />1. order transcripts for my cuzn<br />2. call proactiv<br />3. call dell and tell them they forgot to include a dvi cable in my monitor order<br />4. return the duffel bag<br />5. meet up with june<br /><br />also, this week i'm going to try exercising in the morning. supposedly it burns more fat because u don't have glycogen stores or some shit.. lol and it'd be great to start off my day feelin gooooooooooooodtheGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-75106298392576728752009-06-30T22:19:00.000-07:002009-07-01T00:11:48.492-07:00~coincidence<br /><br />i was listening to morrissey today, and thought of a certain somebody. i hadn't checked my email yesterday because i spent a lot of time with my dad. so i checked tonight.. and guess who sent me an email.<br /><br />yes, that certain somebody..<br /><br />>_<<br /><br />but also, i'm happy that will noh's here. and shekhar came last week.<br /><br />suddenly the summer doesn't seem so lonely nemore.. ^_^theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-17336647746672755332009-06-03T22:22:00.000-07:002009-06-03T22:50:35.734-07:00~Dilemma<br /><br />So wow is really really fun. But raiding 4-5 times a week from 530-9 is really taking a toll. Perhaps it's because I'm coming off a really tiring weekend, but lately time spend at work has been dragging a little and I'm falling asleep more. Short-term remedy: I'm going to sleep tonight before 11.<br /><br />There's no doubt in my mind that I shouldn't sustain this kind of commitment. There is so much more I could be doing with almost 20 hours a week.<br /><br />Instead of playing wow, I could:<br />-work out (I have a borrowed gym membership that I need to try out)<br />-read (I got this really cool book on the Supreme Court)<br />-listen to records (I got this really cool record player and scores of records)<br />-play more bass (I probably put in about 15 mins a day before going to bed)<br /><br />3/4 of the above things have added benefits later on. I look better naked, I get smarter, and I get better at a musical instrument.<br /><br />wow has no added benefits later, except I get to know wownerds from really far away places. Places where Asians are an oddity apparently..<br /><br />Still, today was really fun. We one-shot Razorscale, wiped a shitton of times on Thorim hard mode and then one-shot Ignis. I didn't get any gear, but I'm not a gear-whore so that's okay. I got some DKP and that's good, considering I spent like 2k DKP on my tier 8.5 chestpiece (yay!). Also, I beat the other holy priest who has like 3/5 tier 8.5 and some best in slot items, on the healmeter. That gives me satisfaction.<br /><br />Anyway, my deadline is almost up. So far my plan is to play until Shekhar gets here around the end of June. Then become a "casual" raider, and perhaps try to raid once or twice a week.<br /><br />Is that reasonable?<br /><br />Ooo, and I used capitals on this post.. how does it look?theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-20335984274494779802009-06-01T23:27:00.000-07:002009-06-01T23:39:29.975-07:00~ups and downs<br /><br />the past couple weeks have been kinda crazy. but i guess the most important thing to think about when you're down is to be open to the good things that are around you while not not not getting caught up in negative things.<br /><br />today especially has been a roller coaster.<br /><br />but i'm glad to say.. overall it's been a good day.<br /><br />some good things today: seeing db, hearing my dad laugh behind me (right now), hearing jy's voice, being comforted by anilyn, eating good cake, finding a bunch of my cuzn's cds, seeing the cute girl who works at the place i got dinner at..<br /><br />may tomorrow be even better!theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-86428983953979217912009-05-21T19:50:00.000-07:002009-05-21T20:58:09.965-07:00~referral<br /><br />http://thegheem.xanga.com/702518076/item/<br /><br />^_~theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-63127565392459362972009-04-21T00:01:00.001-07:002009-04-21T00:02:49.801-07:0023<br /><br />tbctheGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-91475626542455490972009-03-20T00:59:00.000-07:002009-03-20T01:01:03.113-07:00~blackjack<br /><br />i had one cigarette today.<br /><br />that is all.theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-48407657377396800532009-03-15T02:58:00.000-07:002009-03-15T03:04:55.208-07:00~short day<br /><br />so i woke up at 730 this morning, drove home, computered, then went back to sleep around 10. i woke up again at 5, played some wow, ate some food, went out to buy smokes, computered some more. this has been pretty much one of the most unproductive days ever.<br /><br />but still, i got the rancho cucamonga job. i took the drug test yesterday, and found out from the hr rep that they haven't done my background check because they couldn't verify my degree from ucsd, couldn't verify my baskin robbins job, and couldn't verify my academic chess job. these are all things i have to sort out on monday.<br /><br />some guildies are running aq40 tomorrow. imma set an alarm, but it's no guarantee.theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-31183149990298687802009-02-04T17:16:00.000-08:002009-02-04T17:52:21.253-08:00~020409<br /><br />so things are looking a bit up. i got an email last week from the state farm hr person telling me that there was a fire claim representative position open in rancho cucamonga. i'm kind of worried about the korean language test that they're giving me on friday. i have to speak on the phone with someone in korean for like 20 minutes. the evaluations come out like superior, advanced- high mid low, intermediate high mid low, and probably basic high mid low. my cousin said i'm probably intermediate-ish, but they're looking for someone who's at least advanced mid. still, i guess i have nothing to lose for trying.<br /><br />there's this jehovah's witness korean lady that comes to our house every once in a while, and she just left. i think she comes because my mom humors her, and so do i. my dad kind of hates her. lol. but today she came with her daughter, who was super cute. what a waste!! i thought. part of me thinks that most religious people have a little bit of crazy in them, but a manageable amount. but jehovah's witnesses? no blood transfusions because of an obscure passage in a 3000 year old document that's been mistranslated, misunderstood and misinterpreted as justification for some truly evil shit? goddamn..<br /><br />she was super cute though, and i guess that part of it put me in somewhat of a better mood. i think next time they show up i might have a copy of doubt to give to them, just to spark up some conversation or perhaps a copy of religious just to make them stop coming. probably in that order. doubt then religious. i hope their religion isn't against piracy.. loltheGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-66131151132720795082009-01-29T14:29:00.000-08:002009-01-29T15:48:30.656-08:00~stink<br /><br />ben frank said that both fish and visitors stink after three days. it's been three weeks since my two aunts, uncle and cousin came down from washington state, and i was mostly glad they were around, i think they're starting to stink. i was talking to my other cousin about this the other day and said, "God.. if they don't leave tomorrow, i'm going to leave." so yes, if they don't leave by tomorrow, i'm going somewhere. somewhere else.<br /><br />of course, my cousin also put forth a metaphor of his own about girls being underwear and after "wearing" one for one day, you have to wear a new one or at least launder the old one. i think perhaps his metaphor falls short of ben frank's.<br /><br />in other news, john updike died a couple of days ago. a month ago, i planned on listing a bunch of people that died in 2008.. because there were a lot. let's see...<br /><br />william f. buckley<br />bobby fischer<br />sir edmund hillary<br />heath ledger<br />arthur c. clarke<br />charlton heston<br />albert hofmann<br />syndey pollack<br />george carlin<br />issac hayes<br />richard wright<br />paul newman<br />michael crichton<br /><br />hmm, i guess this is it among the people that had some sort of effect (some small, some large) on my life. it'd be tight if i could go down this list and do something in remembrance of these people. number seven would be tough to do now-ish i guess.<br /><br />my internet's been really shitty the past month. some hours of the day it works fine, while in others it connects for like 10 seconds and then disconnects and follows that routine. i probably spent like 20 gold on repairs on deaths where i didn't really need to die (dc while fighting a mob at 3/4 mana and hp). still, i dinged 71, and wrath is pretty fun. they made wow so easy. as soon as i started again at 61 or 62, i had like 3 new abilities that made me able to not drink while questing plus a finishing spell and an aoe heal/damage. supposedly you can even run naxx in a pug. in the very near future i'm going to get a new router and if that doesn't solve the problem, i might switch to verizon fios or something.<br /><br />also, once upon a time in america is a really good movie. sergio leone, robert de niro, ennio morricone.. goddamn.. >_< now i need to watch a fistful of dollars trilogy.<br /><br />the past couple weeks have been different from the past six months because the presence of my relatives and the shittiness of my internet have precluded me from distracting myself with my usual distractions. having all this time to think about my situation kind of made things worse. but i guess it's an opportunity to realize i need to get busy. in some respects, post graduation life has been great, home food, waking up whenever i want, free time to do whatever i want. but it's time to get moving again.<br /><br />btw.. i saw this comment on youtube..<br /><br /><div class="watch-comment-body"> <div> Why would call a person weird for liking Isaac Hayes? Music today is fuckin silly, man. That shit is weird. Gewn Stefani? Fergie? That shit's weird. It's music for girls with bi-polar disorder and histrionic personality disorder and attention whores. </div> </div><br />LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4grr0EaDVAQ&feature=relatedtheGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-29120348501761417242008-12-19T01:28:00.000-08:002008-12-19T02:00:45.352-08:00~talent?<br /><br />so i've been reading a bunch of stuff recently about people getting good at stuff. a lot of it is saying that there's no real such thing as innate talent. getting good at something meant that you just put a ridiculous amount of time and energy into doing that something.<br /><br />http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.htm<br /><br />http://www.hooversbiz.com/2007/12/05/the-work-ethic-of-will-smith-deliberate-practice-in-action/<br /><br />and outliers (http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html)<br /><br />pretty intense. they talk about the 10000 hour rule, basically saying that if you do anything seriously for 10000 hours, you get sexy at whatever you do.<br /><br />in other news, bone in rib roasts are on sale at ralphs for 3.79/lb. i think i might purchase 4-5 bones worth, dry age it in the fridge for a couple days, season with salt and pepper, roast in an oven for a few hours over a pan to catch drippings, deglaze the pan with some water and wine and serve. i wish it was choice, but it's select. i wonder if that'll make a big difference.<br /><br />http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3002979<br />fascinating..<br />i guess it won't be too sexy, but i guess i should try.. it's only gonna be like 20 bucks.<br /><br />oh, and i've come to the conclusion that i suck at dota. and it's tough to learn in pugs i think.. or is it better? because i was spoiled by all the good instance runs that nate ran me through, so it was tough for me to run things with noobs.theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-66922832070136650902008-12-14T20:08:00.000-08:002008-12-14T20:43:38.029-08:00121408: open-minded<br /><br />so i was driving this morning, and for some reason i felt really receptive to the music that i was listening to. i got the cd a couple of days ago from japan, and listened to it a bit, but i don't think i fully appreciated it until today. i can't wait for shekhar to get here and check these tracks out. you know, it's like when you walk past a mannequin and think, "oh shit, i think ____ would look good in that." hmm, that's never happened to me before.. but whatevers.<br /><br />toe - all i understand is i don't understand -- pretty simple, yet lyrical guitar riffs that guide an intricate drum pattern. i think my favorite part is in the middle, where everything drops off except for the guitar, which goes into 7/8 and then all the other instruments come in one by one matching the new time signature. it's so sexy.. >_<<br /><br />toe - c -- this one starts with an aggressive drum track, but it's weirdly matched with a fairly simple motif done by two guitars that just develops into really pretty rock instrumental music that manages to contain the percussion's intensity. the arrangement is so well done, especially the piano that ends the song.<br /><br />it's crazy because i'm not missing the lack of vocals at all.<br /><br />i wish i could just turn this on and off. being receptive i mean. i'm pretty sure it's because the clutter of everyday thinking sharply reduces my attention span. how much cooler would it be just to be in that state of mind all the time? i think i'm going to meditate or something tomorrow..<br /><br />oh, and i saw nate today. ^_^theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-16222267554185357622008-12-12T01:20:00.000-08:002008-12-12T01:22:00.621-08:00~good movies<br /><br />i've seen two in the past couple days.<br /><br />jsa<br /><br />philadelphia<br /><br />both named after places i guess.<br /><br />but yeah.. they are amazing films.<br /><br />i think i did better last week than i did in oct. but we'll see. two more weeks!!theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-19926214070121939712008-12-04T22:47:00.001-08:002008-12-04T23:01:02.263-08:00120408: incompetence<br /><br />so i went to kaplan today with plans to take the most recent prep test at 1030. but they only had two copies of it, and two other people were going to take it at 1030. wtf. why do you only have two copies? the girl said they've had it for two weeks, but didn't have time to make laminated copies. wtf. so i took another test while these two people were taking test 54.. and then i took it afterward. what's worse? the fucker who used my booklet before me wrote all over the test. and even though he tried to erase it all, i could still see his answers. also, since it was one of only two copies that kaplan had, i couldn't write on the test. logic games.. wasn't as bad. but how am i supposed to do reading comp w/o writing in the book?? arg.. not only that.. kaplan is "green" now and they wouldn't give me a printout of my score.. just showed it to me on the screen.. i have never cared so little about the environment than at that moment.. it's two fucking sheets of white paper..<br /><br />because of what happened at kaplan, i had to cancel my dinner appointment with de and miss the tritones show. but after getting back home and relaxing a little, i'm tired in a good way and so imma pass out now. i need to get a little bit more used to being up in the morning for sat.<br /><br />a bit of consolation is that i got a 175 on the first test. i only missed five lr on one section and misbubbled (wtf!) a logic game question.. but got 'em all right on the other two sections. lucky? perhaps.. but woot anyway. test 54.. due to the circumstances.. wasn't realistic at all.. but i still managed a 169.<br /><br />crap, i missed the office, but i guess i can wake up to it tomorrow. yay!theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-87388209361435961002008-12-02T22:06:00.001-08:002008-12-02T22:28:22.767-08:00120208: rest day<br /><br />so today i didn't study as much. the past two days have been pretty intense and i needed a break. i still did some games, and already i'm running out of stuff to do in the mastery book.<br /><br />i saw sympathy for lady vengeance a couple days ago. i really liked it. although cast members, motifs and a bunch of other things are taken from old boy, i still thoroughly enjoyed the film. waiting for sympathy for mr. vengeance, it's netflixing in tomorrow. i'm also waiting for this toe album. i got an email from the vendor saying it's coming from japan via airmail and should be here in a few days. that was a few days ago.<br /><br />mom talked to me about a bunch of stuff yesterday. how things are going in virginia and how she feels about what i'm doing. it's funny.. i wanted to hear about the former but didn't really like what i heard. i didn't want to hear about the latter, and didn't really like what i heard about that either.. but i guess i needed to hear it.<br /><br />so i've obtained a bunch of new music recently. i'm behind in listening to it.<br /><br />let's see..<br /><br />gary moore<br />the smiths<br />ne-yo<br />john legend<br />demi lovato<br />morrissey<br />the smiths<br />santana<br />camera obscura<br />the magic numbers<br /><br />i have my work cut out for me.. loltheGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-4373459552664259832008-12-01T22:26:00.000-08:002008-12-01T22:28:21.416-08:00120108:countdown<br /><br />so i did a shitton of games today. and i think i'm getting better at them.<br /><br />tomorrow, i'm going to wake up early and practice writing the writing sample.<br /><br />just a few days left..theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-55664471590776501402008-11-30T22:39:00.000-08:002008-11-30T22:43:58.993-08:00113008: more studying<br /><br />yesterday.. i didn't do what i had planned, but i finished the two pacing sections so on that test i got 174.<br /><br />but today, i got 168. i thought i raped it too..<br /><br />i think i've hit a limit on what i can do until saturday on rc and lr. the percentage i get right on those sections is pretty stable, but it's just the logic games that are inconsistent. and on the tests i do well on games, i get 170+.<br /><br />eh, i'm not stressin too much. this week i'm going to wake up every day in the morning to get myself ready.<br /><br />can't wait for this to be over!!theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-44583444794318233572008-11-29T00:03:00.000-08:002008-11-29T00:17:17.446-08:00112808: studying, dota and more studying<br /><br />so today i took another practice test. i got 171, but there was a mapping game that i lost big points on. i got all the rc right and only two lr wrong. i got one role of a statement wrong, because i misidentified the main conclusion, and an assumption wrong because i flipped the sufficient and necessary clauses. for logic games, i got one sequencing wrong because i miscopied a rule. i got two hybrids wrong because i overlooked two rules. and i got four mapping questions wrong because mapping games are of the ghey.<br /><br />except for the mapping game that screwed me.. if i did this well on game day.. i'd be ecstatic. not only was the scale on this test closer to more recent scales. i just have to be able to reproduce this consistently and be up every morning until the day of the real test.<br /><br />to celebrate my performance i played dota, then i uninstalled it. i'm going to give the cd to someone until after the test. no more temptations.<br /><br />after uninstall, i did two pacing sections. i got one paradox question wrong because i didn't read the stimulus carefully enough. i got one sequencing wrong because i didn't follow through all the rules.<br /><br />tomorrow i'm going to finish two more pacing sections to finish prep test 43 and do another whole lsat. but after i bike with daniel bay again.<br /><br />one more week!!theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935768077419148002.post-52176742160478470732008-11-27T23:47:00.000-08:002008-11-27T23:50:02.786-08:00112708: steak, hills and redemption<br /><br />yesterday, i didn't study that much..<br /><br />today, we ate steak instead of turkey.<br /><br />i biked four miles with daniel bay, but there was this big hill.. and it was infinitely tougher than the six mile bike ride last week. gotta stop smoking.. haha<br /><br />i did 2 lsats today. i did really well on one of them, until the games section put me at a 168, and the second one had a tricky logical reasoning section and a harder scale so i got 166. man, i really need to work on games..<br /><br />that's all.theGHEEMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11010437953309565776noreply@blogger.com0