Renaissance

I am resurrecting this blog. It might be a short rebirth - truth-be-told it might only be tonight - but I am turning again to this outlet because I think it fits me better than the rest.

Recently, I updated my life with the purchase of an iPhone and have been trying really hard to get into Instagram. Ideally it is the perfect social tool for me because it relies on images, which was the usual filter I would apply to browsing Facebook. However, right from the start I had some user issues, mainly, how to make my life look as interesting and appealing as possible. I know I am not alone in this.

However, this is a problem I could eventually get past. My life is awesome after all. But no, after applying just the right filters to my life, I then faced the issue of how to caption the damn thing. I wanted to write too much, to be witty and ironic, to tag the right people, to be appropriately conscious of the medium. The whole exercise just became too burdensome. You might think this all a little too neurotic and you would be right: #introvert #maybe #neurosis #somethingsneverchange #highschoolmemories

Then came the coup d'etat. Instead of inspiring jealously in all my friends, my 14 followers, which is a really, really questionable goal to begin with, I started feeling the tendrils of jealously* and I began to envy the awesome lives my friends are living. They do have awesome lives after all.

This, wanting to be a part of everything, has always been a struggle for me. I know Ryan and I have had conversations about it. I know it will undoubtedly continue, much like my use of Instagram. Hopefully I can stop at the happiness I feel seeing my friends successes and move on with more productive things, a category to which this blog belongs.

*Are tendrils of jealousy a thing? For some reason the only bridge in my mind between feeling and jealously is tendrils.

Strange Happenings in El Segundo

I am at a Starbucks in El Segundo waiting for my friend Evan to arrive at lax and without anyone immediate to talk to I am turning to this old thing.

First of all, I have been here about an hour and a half. A little over an hour ago started frappachino happy hour. Right before it happened the staff started really panicking and I overheard one of them saying that hopefully all of the girls don't show up right at three. I thought this was funny until an hour and a half later, the Starbucks is fully inundated with teenage girls giggling and sipping their outrageously flavored frappachinos. At least a hundred have came and went so far, it is amazingthis preteen propensity for flavored coffee slushies.

Second, I am minding my own business, doing some steel design homework when out of the crowd of girls steps a handsome looking man in a grey suit, no tie. He asks if I am doing design work or homework. I say HW and he says that's great, where do I go to school? I say UCI and as it turns out he is both a structural engineer and UCI alum. He invited me to stop by the office and I think I will, definitely, at least the next time I am in El Segundo, getting squeezed out of a Starbucks by teenagers needing a frappachino fix.

Professor 1

"This is a sparse matrix, a sparse, matrix. And mathematicians... they like."

The first professor I want to tell you about is a faculty member in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He is at least a head shorter than me and always wears tan or blue slacks, a striped dress shirt and a fleece jacket. He is Chinese and did his undergraduate and first graduate degree in China and then his second and third graduate degrees at UCLA. I only share this so you will know he has a bit of a heavy accent and is pretty much brilliant. 

He makes me thankful that the whiteboard is planar because if it was multidimensional, I am sure he would write in 3D. As is, by the end of class the contents of the whiteboard make my brain explode. He never erases, has the habit of enunciating with the DryErase marker and the even worse habit of placing the marker tip on the board, starting to walk, scanning the board and finally connecting to two bits of relevant information together. 

My favorite thing about Professor 1 is that while he rarely takes a breath while lecturing, seriously he talks continuously (if you really think about it this is amazing), he has moments where he gets completely sidetracked with a philosophical or serious personal thought. For instance, last week he was lecturing and made a note of a mistake made by the author of our textbook. He then pauses for a moment, a longer moment than he has all night, frowns at the screen and says, quietly and to no one in particular, "it's ok... everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

Bonus Pictures from Eric and Arisa's Wedding

I should be studying right now but am just having too much fun reminiscing about the weekend. Instead I thought I would share a little bonus with all of you who still glance this way every now and then. 

Here are some of the pictures from last weekend that didn't make the cut for the facebook album (although I am not sure why, there is no sixty-pic limit anymore... anyways). If you have not seen the facebook album and didn't know that I was in freaking Asheville, North Carolina, well I was and here are some pictures.

 

Clearly I am the only real pro photomaker

No don't, you are so ugly when you cry

 

 The undeniable allure of the iPad

 Drew, way to mess up the spacing

 

Groom in the background, dummy in fore

 "Whether we are super rich or dirt poor (but hopefully the former)..."

 

 "Arisa, you are not a Disney Princess but I love you anyway."

 Arisa: This is magical

Eric: Who invited that guy (just keep smiling)

And then we had to search for the reception... twenty one people never made it.

"Is that a PoTAeTOE!"

 "I am confused, what else do you want from us."

 

 Huaw!!!

 

Evan: Hi I am Evan.

Guy: Please stop talking to me. 

 En route to part II of the reception, clearly no one knows who this guy is or how he is related to Eric and Arisa.

Arisa: God this is good

Eric: We were supposed to cut the cake first (I am so embarrassed, why does she always have to attack cakes with her hands like that) 

 Ryan - you better not let this one go.

Bradie - you just made love to the camera all night.

Cuddlefessst 2011!!

Something changed in the dynamic

Love amidst chaos.

 If we just had a boat, you and me could sail away.

 And wouldn't that be awesome.

GTBKOC: Diamond Jamboree and Kula Sushi

One night Kari and I were out searching for a Japanese restaurant when we stumbled upon the Diamond Jamboree shopping center. We originally headed there for one restaurant but found that one busy, luckily, we had stumbled upon the Diamond Jamboree center where every restaurant is an Asian restaurant (with the notable exceptions of a bakery and a Yogurtland) and the grocery store, H-mart, is an Asian grocery store.

Tonight I returned with good friend Brandon Woods. We went to Kula Shushi Bar, a revolving sushi bar. You sit either at the bar, or at a table with direct access to the bar. The bar itself consists of two conveyor belts that slowly revolving, bringing new plates with different types of Sushi. Each plate cost two dollars. Brandon was not phased, he had been to a rotating sushi bar in Poland or something cool like that.

I was blown away.

Last Day of Summer

Technically, today is the last day of summer, the equinox being tomorrow and all. However, yesterday was my last day of summer. Classes began today. More on that later.

Late in the afternoon I decided that the last day of summer should, in some way, be commemorated. It was easy enough to decide on how this might be done.

This summer I spent the majority of time in Irvine, working near anonymously from my apartment, trying my best to reconcile the numerous changes taking place in my life. When work was done and my apartment became too suffocatingly hot, I would walk around the surrounding neighborhoods to cool my head.

Yesterday it seemed approapriate that I do the same and I set off toward the peak of the housing develipment directly west of my apartment. The development is called University Hills and is properly equiped with well lighted walk ways, playgrounds, dog parks, people parks and all the amenities you would expect from the ideal Orange County development.

University Hills, unfamiliar as it is with crime, petty theft and the like, has at least two grassy knolls equipped with two Adirondack Chairs. One I discovered on a previous suburban hike and the other I discovered last night. I can only assume the existence of others. It was the former I set out to find with the thought that I might sit upon that suburban throne, gaze into the oblivion of Orange County and  sort through the different pieces of my life.

However, as Tolkein would have it, it is a dangerous thing stepping out one's front door. I ended up talking to Eric Conwell, about change, relationships, developments, career growth and the difficulties of being part of the elite (iPad owners). Before I knew it I was at my destination and had yet to figure anything out.

As I sat there and watched dusk creep over the eastern horizon, a three-legged dog hopped up to me. "Don't worry she is a friendly three-legged dog." The woman was middle-aged and very kind. Apparently, I was in the dog's spot. They came there every evening.

The dog's name was Gracie and she lost her leg last May. Cancer. She was going through Chemo at the moment in the form of two pills twice a day. She was ten years old, a black lab, and the woman had got her as a puppy. All things considered, Gracie was doing pretty well and managed her handicap rather - this is terrible, but I can't think of another word - gracefully.

The conversation was wrapping up and I was struggling with what parting phrase I should use. "Nice to meet you" was wrong. We never introduced ourselves. "See you later" was inappropriate. Then, as I reached for a third possibility the woman said "Come on, Gracie," and to me, "Good evening." And it was.

Big Freaking News

Guess who is getting all of his textbooks electronically!?!?!?

It was not the best day of my life. But it was close.

A Brief Look Into My Apartment

Right now, at least it is clean. I have been living here almost four months and am just getting moved in.

It is very functional.

 

The apartment is technically unfurnished but the tables, chairs and sofa don't belong to anyone currently living here. I don't know how they got here or who they belong to but I can guess why they were left.

This is Rafa's plant. It is the one decoration he has in the common spaces of the apartment. He left for two months and asked me to water it occasionally. I told him I was not the best care giver for his plant but he said it would be ok. I took this yesterday so I guess it worked out. When he came back he told me why it is growing  up like that. No room for roots. I didn't know what to say so we just stood there together and looked down at the plant.

Down the hallway to the right is the bathroom and to the left is my room.

25 and Still Alive!

My Birthday was last Wednesday. I turned 25. This is how I chose to celebrate:

Normally, I do not like to make a big deal of my birthday. I always feel like I am demanding attention and that makes me uncomfortable. However, 25 felt special and since Evan was flying in the day after my birthday for Matt and Alice's San Diego Wedding Reception (they actually got married in Zambia), I decided to draw out the celebration.

Unfortunately I do not have pictures from the first few days but this is how the beginning of my weekend looked:

Wednesday: I turn 25! Then I work for 10 hours. I had come out to Loma Linda the day before so as soon as Kari gets released from the hospital she joins up with me for the last hour and half of work, assembling proposals at Fedex Kinko's. We then go to Eureka! in Redlands for burgers and a beer.

Thursday: Wake-up at 5:00AM, Kari leaves for the hospital and I leave for Irvine. I get to Irvine, finish up the proposals, stop at Fedex for some more copies and head to Mission Viejo City Hall to drop the proposals off. Head from Mission Viejo to Carlsbad, pick up Evan, go to El Cajon. We stopped by the house, talked to my dad for a bit, then went to Starbucks so I could work some more. Once finished Evan and I go back for a swim. That night Mom, Dad, Evan and I go to Fleming's Steakhouse and Wine Bar in La Jolla. My dad does the taxes for the manager there. For dessert they brought out a platter with cheesecake, molten chocolate cake, fresh whipped cream and crème brûlée. It was heavenly.

Friday: More swimming and reading, go downtown, wander the Gaslamp looking for food, settle on the Whiskey Girl for appetizer's and beer, meet Matt and Alice and company at Padre's game.

Saturday: Hike Torrey Pines with Matt and Alice and company, go to Trader Joe's, more swimming, lounging and reading, go to reception at Matt's house in Solana Beach, return to Irvine.

Sunday: Sunday is the day actually devoted to my birthday. Kari arrives - about the time Evan and I are waking up - we go to Panera for coffee and cinnamon crunch bagels and then more bagels.

Ryan arrives and we go for a walk to scope out the park where we will picnic

We laugh and play in the sand and Ryan chases a swan.

We return to University Center where we meet Joe, Becca, Eric and Arisa. Everyone disperses to find lunch to-go. Kari and I go to the Veggie Grill.

We return to the park for a picnic.

There was lot of good food to go around.

 

This is part birthday and part reunion but I liked it that way.

Next to our picnic table was the easiest climbing tree I have ever seen. Branches went all the way like rungs on a ladder.

It was a perfect day.

We then went to see The Gaurd at the University Center. I loved it and had been wanting to go to that theatre for a while.

The next event was supposed to be a ride in a giant balloon at the Orange County Great Park but it turns out it fills up pretty quickly. Instead we just hung out in the park, a eerily beautiful park, recently constructed on an old Marine base.

I was being indecisive about dinner plans but really I just wanted someone else to pick for me. Kari picked up on this and so I told her my only requirement was beer on tap.

She picked the Yardhouse. They have close to a hundred beers on tap.

The next day Kari, Ryan, Evan and I went to coffee before going our separate ways.

We went to Paradise Perks which has a wonderful selection of nerdy board games. We chose to learn and play the Carcasonne Card game.

Overall it was the perfect weekend.

Palo Verde Maintenance

These past two weeks have been very busy, one reason being our apartment is in a bit of transition. Shaowei and his wife moved out a week and a half ago and our new roommate is moving in on Sunday. In the meantime it is just Rafa and I and we have set about cleaning the apartment. Cleaning the scum off the kitchen was a bit of a nightmare but once it was finished it was not difficult to maintain, Rafa and I being very neat guys.

Yesterday a few painters came by to patch up the vacant room and today the Palo Verde maintenance crew showed up on my doorstep to do a deeper clean. All together there were three men and one woman. The man to ring the doorbell was obviously the crew leader. He was about six feet tall, tan skin with apple cheeks and round eyes. He spoke with an indistinguishable accent and apologized for the inconvenience. I told him I work from home and there was no better time.

The crew brought all their equipment in, a huge zamboni-like carpet cleaner, and headed to the back room. I stayed in the kitchen to get something to drink, some Trader Joe's Iced Tea. A few seconds later the leader comes back, wearing a ridiculously large smile and continues with this grin while he tells me about how I have no idea how many apartments they see where the resident has not cleaned for four years and how yesterday (yesterday when it was 98 degrees in Irvine) they were in one apartment for four hours. That is why he is so happy when he comes to an apartment like ours and he was so happy that he wanted to hug me, but he was not going to, instead he asked to shake my hand.

So we shook hands and when they left they had cleaned the carpets of the bedroom, the hallway and the living room, even though they were only supposed to do the one bedroom.