Supersonics Vs Mavericks

This is a post from the past. I was waiting for Astri to send pics from the game but they never came. Which is fine b/c Astri did a lovely photoshop job by colleging the pics! Hats off to ya!

Even tho we took out Dirk in the first 5 mins and kept an amazing lead in the first half, the Sonics still caved in the 2nd half. But hey, $1.00 hotdogs and sodas plus kick ass seats for $18.oo was worth the trip.

PS. Sorry for "stealing" the pics Astri! Hope you don't mind. ^__^

Dilbert knows best

I bet Scott Adams worked as an AE before~

Donuts~

Craving a jelly-filled donut.... Damn Mark Harmon and his Summer School movie!

In other news: thanks to the snow, I made another snowman! The neighborhood kids mauled and destroyed the first one. Kids are savages nowadays~

Here's my new and improved "Walter". Ain't he dreamy?

Who Would've Thunk

So I'm chatting with Jenn (she's still in Taiwan) and I tell her that I miss the noise, the mrt, the nite markets, the abc's there and she replies "they have all that in the states... just different names..."

nite markets = chinatown

noise = building construction

mrt = bart

abcs = locals

so true, so true~

2007 New Year Resolutions!

I'm looking back at what I wrote last year and I think I stuck to most of the resolutions. Go me!
I'm going to include the one's that kinda sorta didn't happen in hopes of achieving them this year. Be forewarned, the list will probably change in the next couple of weeks.

*in no particular order

1. Volunteer more -- if any at all. Does donating blood count?

2. Save money

3. Get a job, get a job, get a job...

4. Take salsa lessons

5. Travel plans: Vegas, Mexico, Chile(!), Chicago, Costa Rica

6. Jog 2-3 miles a day, 4 days a week

7. Be more adventurous

Hmm... I thought I had more, but as of now, that's all I got.

Happy New Year!

I 'heart' Taiwan

When I was in Taiwan, I had a nice, simple lifestyle where I was free to go wherever I wanted and to do whatever I wanted. Now that I'm back in the states, I'm confined to Federal Way (high gas prices/sharing the car with my sister) and I get calls from my parents non stop and its driving me nuts.

OMG, I wanna go back to my scooter, to 通化夜市, to 大安路, to my mah jong nites...

I guess this shows that I'm not adapting well. lol...

Dawson's Creek

What can I say about one of my favorite past times? My life back in high school was nothing compared to those that lived on the creek. I rooted for Pacey and Joey from the beginning and the show did me proud by having them end up together.

Ahh, television destiny.

Its been years after the series finale and I still get choked up everytime I catch it on tv. This post is actually dedicated to Josh cuz everytime the series finale is on (5th time now), I rave to him on how great the show was.

Lets keep the tradition going!

"IRASSHAIMASE!"

I was always a bit hesitant to visit major cities, which is why I've opted for SE Asian countries/islands. But the trip to Japan was a nice welcome into urban travelling.

Day 1.

I arrived in Japan around 8PM -- took Iris's advice about taking the JR into Osaka (never again without doing my own research!) I guess there are different trains with various speeds/stops and apparently I hopped onto one that took the longest. I didn't get to the hotel till 10PM. Felt kinda bad cuz I had asked Queenie and Emile to wait for me in the lobby around 8:30-9. Haha, oops.

When I got in, NO ONE was in their rooms! I kinda sorta started freakin out until I called Mandy's room (the person I had least expected to be in her room)-- she was in! I hung out with her and her sister for 5 mins before Queenie and Emile came back (turns out they were in Yafe's room...)

The rooms were hella small. Japanese people sure like compacted things. Two twin sized beds in each room with barely enough room for walking. Aiya! I was a bit disappointed cuz I saw rooms with sofa's on the hotel website and I didn't see no sofa's... This only meant I had to rough it out with one of the girls for the trip. I knew Queenie snores (haha, hope she doesn't kill me for writing this) so when Jean asked if I wanted to crash with her and Ginny, I said koo.

*funny moment of the nite*

Jean had apparently forgotten to bring shorts to wear to sleep, which wasn't out of the norm to me. I was kinda hot when we were about to sleep, so I didn't use the blanket-- Jean looked over at me and casual goes "Nancy, just take off your pants..." Ginny and I cracked up laughing. Jean was just lookin out for me but the way it came out was 100% pick up line. Before we passed out, I made it clear on the twin sized bed where the border line was between us. Haha...

Day 2.

Shinkansen to Kyoto! Why did we spend 3x times the amount to ride the bullet train to Kyoto was beyond me. But hey, at least I get to say "I rode the Shinkansen!" First stop in Kyoto was 清水詩. Place was goregous! The temple was perched on top of a hill and the view was amazing. We took tons and tons and tons of fobby pics -- which kinda delayed our schedule.

*Randome moment of the day*

Queenie and I walked ahead of the group, so as we were waiting on a bench, we started singing random Chinese songs to fit the moment. Needless to say, she was very into it. The looks from passerby's can attest to this.

After 清水詩, we split into 2 smaller groups. I wanted to eat lunch at this place called Asuka and visit one of the castles. Took us about 20 mins to find Asuka and it was a cute little restaurant ran by grannies. Claire wanted to see 金格詩 so we decided to head there first and then stop by the castle. 金格詩 was another amazing temple. Needless to say, we took X number of pics there.

We were suppose to rendevous with Yafe and her BF at 6pm -- but it took us longer than expected to return to our meeting point. Sorry! We walked around Kyoto for a bit, had some really salty but good ramen and retired early back to Shin Osaka.

Day 3.

Osaka + Kobe!

大阪成 was once an Emperor's palace back in the day and now its converted into a park/museum/major tourist spot. Queenie and I got hit on by a bunch of Korean tourists and another group of Korean boys asked if they could take a group pic with us. Felt nice to be wanted. Hehe, just kidding.

We headed to Kobe to for the latter part of the day and it was not what I had expect at all! I had forgotten that Kobe and Seattle were sister cities! Haha, no wonder I felt oddly at home there. We took more fobby pics, rode the ferris wheel, ate not-so-salty ramen and shopped around.

*moment of the nite*

We were walking around the pier, sorta like Seattle's waterfront (they even had an Old Spagetti's Factory!!) since we were all pooped from walking all day, I suggested that we lay on our backs and prop our legs on the railing to relieve pressure. To my amazement, everyone agreeed! I bet the locals that walked by thought we were crazy. Will post pics up soon!

Day 4.

Nara!

Attack of the hungry bambi's! Nara is a town east of Osaka that's known for a national park filled with wandering deers. I mean, they were everywhere and not leashed nor caged. Felt like I was back in Alaska -- roughing it in the wilderness with mother nature. There were vendor's that sold deer biscuits and being the tourists that we were, we all bought some and once you pop one into a deers mouth, they all come running to ya. And they were aggressive too! Queenie and I both got bit on the ass by a herd of bambi's. Queenie's ass being bitten and bumped was caught on video... We're wondering if we should send it into some sort of "funniest home video's" or something.

On our last stretch at Nara, we wanted to visit this one temple --- took us 30 mins to find. Turns out, it was tucked away in a residential area and was a bitch to find/leave. We asked a group of jr. high girls how to reach the JR station and to me, it's funny how everytime we asked something in English, they would reply in Japanese. Haha... But they pointed us in the direction we needed and we took a bus back to the station.

Queenie and Emile wanted to buy bags they saw in Kobe the day before, so we rushed back. We had made plans with Claire and Yafe to meet back at the hotel at 11pm so we could drink at one of the 居酒屋's to make our trip to Japan complete.

Mandy and her sis joined us and it was actually pretty fun to eat/drink/chat. Perfect way to end the trip for me. I had to fly out earlier than the rest -- which was totally bummer cuz I wanted to see more spots, but I guess I'll have to wait till next time.

2 thumbs up!

QK の下午...

[side note: took 10 mins to find'の']

For the first time in a long time, I'm relaxing on a Sunday afternoon at an internet cafe in 永康街. Even though I'm 'relaxing' I still have work to do. Estee Lauder is having their year end blow out sale and the promotions are just massive and non stop. It's also one of my last projects for JWT before I say "peace out".

I have an upcoming trip to Japan and it is well deserved. I'm going with the LB crew for 5 days and I'm imagining Osaka to be beautiful this time of the year. My friend is even bringing a mini mah jong set so we can play in the hotel! How awesome is that?!

Amanda went back to the states for good last Thursday. Seems like everyone's leaving -- Lan, Jenn, Chuni, Josh... The funny thing is, everyone that's leaving lives in the Bay area! I'm even thinking about moving there, just cause there are more ad agencies there than Seattle. Who know's where I'll end up.

Random thought... thinkin about switchin blogger to msn space. More changes! AHHH!

Anyway, I need to get started on the Sogo promotions and then plan the Osaka trip. Will post pics up when I get back.

YAY!

YAY!!! Diva's back!!!

Sliding Doors

I used to wonder what my life would be like if I stayed in Seattle or settled for the job offer I got in LA. Now that I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing, it's hard to imagine being anywhere but here. It's a scary thought to think that I will be here for at least another year.

I've come to be known as a [nomad] to my past collegues. I guess its the constant job changes or the fact that I can't seem to stay in one for very long. Sounds about right to those that know me. Even with the new job, I'm already thinkin about my next step.

Speaking about my new job, things have been improving ever so slightly. It's hard not to goof at work and the people there are still clique-ish. In a way, it feels like I just transfered to a new high school and I'm the odd one out. [haha, I bet you guys are telling me to "oh, cry me a river..."]

Sometimes I wonder "what would've happened if I had returned to Batey and stuck it through to the one year mark?" or "what if I stayed at Leo Burnett despite having a shitty boss?". I think I would pick the latter than the former. I'm constantly surprised in Taiwan -- the LB crew surprised me the most by being down-to-earth and brutally honest. At my new job, whenever I mention my short stint at LB, I smile and laugh naturally and no one believes that LB is really that great. [its only cuz XXX sucks!] *the 'xxx'is to protect myself just in case people at 'xxx' read this blog =P

[to be continued...]

Waiting...

I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. Let it be something amazing or shitty, some good will come of it. That's some optimistic words for someone that's in deep shit right now. [chuckle chuckle]

I made a leap into unfamiliar territory and so far, it's kicking my ass. I often feel lost and alone -- something that I haven't felt for a very long time. Sure, it's only been 2 weeks... 2 of the most stressful and frustrating weeks of my professional career. I now have chronic headaches, bad posture and zero appetite. I admit, I've thought about leaving and being 'happy' again. [Happy] -- at this moment, I've forgotten what it feels like.

Sure, I might sound overly dramatic, but if you were in my shoes right now, you would feel guilt, stress, frustration, even powerless. There's only one person that has confidence in me. She sees the potential that I don't think exists. She believes that I can overcome my insecurities and grow. That person is my new boss.

I've had numerous chats with her already about not adapting well into the new environment and the long road ahead. "It takes time. I know you're frustrated. You're giving yourself too much pressure. Remember, you're still new..." were her responses.

I'm not sure how long I can last [especially after today's screw up]. I do want to stay and fight the good fight [office politics], but I don't know how much longer my mind and body can take it.

[I want to believe... ]

Janet recommended a 'counselor' to go and talk to about my conflicts. I think it's a great idea. I'm going to try to book a session this weekend... [Waiting for that something good to happen....]

Match maker

Once upon time in a land far away, I was an aspiring match maker... Remember the old saying "those who can't, teach"? Well, that's exactly me. I wanna say I have a knack for finding the common demoninator that'll bring 2 people oh-so-close. I do not have any success stories to share -- although 1 attempt did come close but the other attempt just bombed....

It's a learning process. I'm mean, Rome wasn't built in a day. They must've snowballed somewhere in the middle. But anyway, the whole point of this entry --- hmm, there is no point. Oh right, here it is: new company, fresh meat. all new guinea pigs. [insert evil laugh]

B.E.P Concert!

Okay, so we didn't really take pics of the B.E.P peeps.... I think we were too busy gettin retarded, wondering where is the love, trying to shut up and keepin the locals from grabbing my humps.... But regardless, it was a fun concert!

Things you didn't know about women

Esquire Magazine had some women celebrities write down "things you didn't know about women." Halirious!

1. Superskinny women really irritate us. We hate when they say, "Sometimes I just forget to eat." Now, I've forgotten my anniversary and where I parked my car. But I've never forgotten to eat. -- Sela Ward

2. Women like porn, too. We just hate it when you hide the porn. -- Alyssa Milano

3. Women remember everything . Don't believe me? Ask your girlfriend where you met. She won't tell you it was at a party. She'll say it was a Thursday, she had just come from dinner, where she ate a veggie burger, and she was wearing her friend Cathy's pink top, which was big on her because Cathy is a big girl. You were wearing a blue button-down, drinking a Jack and Coke with two straws, and talking to Bill, that mutual friend. She waved and you gave her the "what's up" nod. This still infuriates her. ("How could you give me the nod?") -- Alyssa Milano

4. We think it's weird when you watch sports and concentrate to help your team. -- Alyssa Milano

5. No matter how much your woman loves you, there are going to be three to seven days each month when she wants you dead. (She may even quietly fantasize about turning her eyelash curler against you.) You have two options: Tie yourself to a tree and wait out the storm, or stock up at Tiffany's, toss a blue box or two into the wind, and hope for the best. We recommend the latter. (The key chain doesn't count.) -- Alyssa Milano

6. It's the circumference, stupid! The numerical measurement of the bra has nothing to do with the size of our boobs. -- Jennifer Coolidge

7. You say: "I'm intense." We hear: "I'm a psycho." -- Jennifer Coolidge

8. The fact that you hesitate before using our razor because it's pink and that might make you seem gay is equal parts cute and pathetic. -- Jennifer Coolidge

9. When the car won't start and you do nothing but open the hood, there's a 40 percent chance it will start on the second try. Men will always act like they fixed it. We know and accept this. -- Jennifer Coolidge

10. Never take credit for something we actually did. Unless that something is farting. We'll never raise our hands there. -- Jennifer Coolidge

11. Shaving down there doesn't make your equipment look any bigger. It does make it more manageable, however, which improves the chances of us admiring your manscaping. -- Jennifer Coolidge

12. When you say, "All I did was kiss her":
a) You are already in trouble.
b) We know it isn't true. -- Paget Brewster

13. Women over the age of twenty-two almost never get pregnant by surprise. If she wants to keep the baby and marry you immediately, you are, in fact, being trapped. -- Paget Brewster

14. We can pee standing up, but it's not pretty. -- Felicity Huffman

15. If you would just listen to us, we'd shut up. -- Felicity Huffman

16. Want sex? Fix something. -- Felicity Huffman

17. You would be crazy, too, if your insides fell out every twenty-eight days. -- Felicity Huffman

LB

Thank you for 3 months of laughter.
12 weeks filled with one too many overtime days.
90 days with meals consisting of meat, meat and more meat.
2160+ hours of me making an ass outta myself.
129600 minutes bitchin about work but lovin it at the same time.
7776000 seconds of being a part of something great.

Thank you.

Red Alert

I have a huge pimple on my nose. =(

I think its from blowing my nose x number of times last week. I hate Taiwan in the Summer. Why? B/c its freakin hot outside and air con cold inside. It's inevitable not to get sick. Blah~

Couple nite ago, I had a dream taht I was back on Tioman Island. It was as if I had never left. Needless to say, I was super bummed when I woke up. Things have been hectic at work and the thought of taking a month off crossed my mind many a times. Since it was payday last Friday, I calculated how many days I could afford to be on that beach again -- lets just say I could park my ass there till I become a local.

I have 3 more weeks till I pass the inital 3 month employee mark. After taht, I will be an official employee and my salary will increase ever so slightly, but yet make my life so much easier.

school girl crush

I'm a 15 year old girl again...

I have a crush on Channing Tatum!



If they only had guys like him in Taiwan...

may day....

It's almost JUNE!!! How the hell did I miss Jan-May? Oh shit -- nevermind, I spent those months workin like dogg (ha ha). An update on the past month. For those that didn't know, I switched jobs again. This is my 3rd job in 10 months. I'm hoping it's the last one too. (knock on wooooood)

The Leo Burnett job came through so I'm back in advertising baby! The office is pretty sweet -- well, the lobby is. The people are super duper awesome ( they know my blog =P) and overall, it's a great place to be. And being the hot, single chica that I am, I already hunted down 3 office lahhvers. Of course, 1 is already married, 1 has a girlfriend and the last one is just goofy. ^__^ Not to fret, there will be more later on [wink, wink].

Other than work, work and more work, I'm going to start apt hunting soon. I guess I don't have to cuz living at grandma-ma's ain't too bad. I just need to get internet and I'll be good. I guess I should cuz I could use the money for my next trip. Interesting. Anyway, it's late and my eyes are starting to become one.

I 'heart' Tioman

Picture a secluded island off the eastern coast of Malaysia. The soft touch of the sand beneath your feet, the clear blue water as far as the eye can see and reef sharks to scare the shit outta ya when you're snorkelling in the South China Sea.

Are you picturing something like this?



To get there (from Singapore), you take a bus to cross the Singapore/Malaysian border, a 2 hour taxi ride to Mersing (pier) and finally a 2 hour boat ride to the island of Tioman. Sounds like a bitch to get huh? But let me tell you--once you get off the boat and your feet touches the sand, it is pure bliss. It's a shame I didn't go with boyfriend, b/c that place is perfect for vacation sex.


First night on the beach... we were starving like a mutha!



That's me on the beach. I went 3 other girls and for some odd reason, there isn't 1 decent picture of me, but a freakin stack of photos of the 3 other girls (they must've thought they were swimsuit models or something..hehe)



In most of the "posing" pictures, I'm in the background lounging on the hammock. Who could blame me? Wouldn't you want to be relaxing on the beach instead of taking pictures like these:


*warning: be ready to be fobbified*


Now with props!!! (notice me in background sleeping on the hammock?)

In a nutshell, Tioman was one of the best islands I ever been to in SE Asia (believe me, I've done my fair share of island hopping). Malaysians are so laid back and chill. The best thing about the beach -- besides the clear water, NO HAGGLERS! It was pretty much just us for 3 days 2 nights.


You must be wondering who took this friggin awesome picture-- ya, that would be ME! ^_^


Like my karate pose? (I'm on the right)


Our cozy, simple and hella cheap chalets. (alice said it looked like a bathroom shed)


While we were waiting for our food, we played some darts. As you can see, I kinda sorta missed.


When I'm included in the group pics vs...


Just part of the background....





Would I go back to this hidden oasis? HELL YAH!