I should be studying... but....

I bought a load of stuff. Ha. Typical. I have enough things now to occupy my time with scrapbooking. Yup. I'm going to make a few pages and see how they turn out. I got some pretty nice stuff. So we'll see. I got some boxes and folders to thin out the papers in my room. Which is a pretty good idea. A rubik's cube. Some grocery. That's about it. Took me a while to decide if I want to get scrap stuff. Last but not least, bless the person who thought of microwavable Indian food. haha...

Stranger Than Fiction

It's a book about a man who doesn't know he is about to die, and then dies. But if the man does know he's going to die and he dies anyway. Dies willingly. Knowing he could stop it. Then isn't that type of man you want to keep alive?

Changed my mind....

I want either a DSC-H7 or DSC-H9... I'm leaning towards the H7, it's a little bit cheaper. There are not a lot of difference between these guys, only a flash setting and LCD size, big deal. A few things that are attractive... 8.1MP, ISO3200 (note the H5 is only ISO1000), 15X optical zoom, HD output, and still $300 less then the Alpha. Yeah where is my list now?

1) 24" Gateway monitor ~ about $600
2) DSC-H7 ~ about $500
3) Wii ~ about $600 including games and random crap
4) 360 ~ about $600 including new games (have a bunch of X-Box games already)
5) Speakers ~ yeah if I move? about $250 - the ones I'm looking at anyway

Not really interested in the PS3... haha...
Anyway... all of those purchases will have to wait until I have enough RZ points. I'm up to about $180 right now, which is not too bad.

Here's the last bit:
Specification for DSC-H7
Specification for DSC-H9

My Shirt

bwahahahahaha!

Tuesday Mornings

I'm sore all over.
Only had 4.5 hours of sleep.
Didn't get all of my homework done.
Feels like it's in the 50's when I'm in the shade.
Have a midterm tonight.
Probably an assignment due tomorrow.
Really should attend the lab class.

Coffee, iPod, text book... I'm shutting the world out.

Weekend fun

Work was tiring.
Birthday party was interesting.
Work was... well I don't really care at this point.
Poker was fun.
Dim Sum is yummy.
Almost got scrapping things just for the hell of it.
3 Mile run is good, 300 crunches afterwards was better.
Strawberry Yoplait Light is good.

I need a shower.

Excuse of the day

Some bitch stole my table. I know it's midterm time, you people don't have to crowd the union like you really know what you're doing. Desperate people inconveniences diligent people. Comfy chair isn't all that bad, but I can't really lay out anything. So I blog. That's about it.

I feel fat. I think last night I stopped fooling myself. I haven't dropped a pound in I think a year. A few things I have to work on.

Bowling Would Be Better If...

This is how I bowl....

english lesson and preparing for gym class

ten ten....

Hard Gay and Jonathan Ross Japanorama

A little lesson you can only show on the BBC....

p.s. He wants Morgan Freeman to play him in the movie version. I can totally see that.

Toasty

Just because I love Joe... haha

Ovechkin!

Condilicious

Evolution of Dance

interesting....

Swedish Twins

ROFL....

A few more things

This morning started out kind of bad. I don't think I slept too well. I had some really random dreams about some shows NBC kept advertising when I was watching Heroes. So that kind of sucked. I overslept a little, so I had to rush a bit. And of course I forget a few things. All I've discovered so far is my coffee. Not the best thing to forget. I'm not entirely happy about it, and at the same time I am not going to shell out $3.25 for a cup of marginal coffee. Why should I pay that much money for a cup of coffee made by somebody who probably doesn't even like drinking it and is paid minimum wage on campus so they can afford to drink later on this weekend. No. I can get a really good iced latte at my favorite grocer for less then half that price. Unfortunately, I left it in my fridge.

I went to class and realize I was suppose to do that homework. Not only that, I was suppose to print it out so I would have something to reference to when I do the quiz. Needless to say I was freaking out a bit. Went online, grabbed the file, and did the exercise right away. Thankfully it was open book and laptop. I think I did well on that quiz.

I did the wise thing last night and backed up my notes from my computer to my flash drive. To my dismay this morning while I was looking for my homework.... the whole notebook was gone. Not only did I backed it up, I actually moved the whole damn folder to the drive. Smart one. Maybe that's a good thing, one less toy to worry about. We shall see. All I really want to do today is to relax and get things over with. It really hasn't been that bad of a start so far.

I was totally confused with one homework last night when I was trying to do it. Maybe it was because I had in my mind that I can't get it done. At any rate, I took it out just now, looked through it, and banged out the homework. All I really had in mind was to do as much as I can, make up something if I had to. But I did it, I actually understood what was going on. Which is rare. I really should do this more often. With other homework. Although that is one of the things I really despise in life, I have to admit, they really do help. As I said before, I really need to start anew.

I think I woke up this morning with a new attitude on just about everything.
-- Do those homework on my days off, they're really not that bad
-- Make my lunch the night before, so I don't have to wake up so damn early in the morning and still be late
-- Pack my bag the night before. Seriously.
-- Lay out clothes for the next morning. Again, seriously.

I think I can describe the Union as a parody of the circles of hell. Except it's enjoyable. There are random clusters of people. There's like the circle of loners with their laptops. Then there is a lair of anime loving nerds. The rare studying groups, and the oftenly see sleepers. It's interesting how those same groups of people exists on every campus.

I am never going to get that customized shirt from starbucks.

I always thought I am a whole lot more profound then this. At least when I'm walking to class or in the shower. I can have multiple thoughts running through my head, but when it comes time to jot it down I've lost it. I can come up with a whole book in my head, but if I can't write it down it's useless. The only time when I can really write something down is if it made a strong impression on me. Pretty tough job I think. My attention span is short. Maybe I should have a small notebook looped around my neck with a pen. I'll be like that guy in A Mighty Wind. My thoughts are coming faster then I can write it down. I hope I don't go crazy like him though.

I really should get that privacy screen. I already find it useful.

A few things on my mind

Heroes rocks my socks. I love that show. Ok there are a few things I'm not too sure about. A lot of the show is predictable. But I love little moments when they do visual puns that literally only nerds like me will get. Right after Hiro told Ando how life is not a comic book, he boards a greyhound bus driven by Stan Lee. I guess I should explain why I cracked up for a good 20 seconds.... Every film that Stan Lee has been in were of the comic characters he himself created. By having Stan Lee appear in this show quietly affirms that this show is created from a comic book... which Hiro had just refuted. Yes... I think too much into these things. I still can't get over how those two guys keeps referencing Star Trek as a joke and yet Hiro's father is Mr. Sulu. I'm just nerdy enough to giggle about that every time I watch that part. Then I would also randomly also remember the roast for Shatner and how flamboyantly gay Takei was (which he is for those who doesn't know). Now if he was acting like that in the show that would be friggin hilarious. Yeah I'm pretty random....

... but not as random as Britney. She shaved her head. Nice. I hear the hair salon is selling her hair for a few million. Who wants to bet that online casino is going to end up with it. Put her golden locks next to Shatner's kidney stone. I sense a Star Trek theme with my post tonight.

I saw a commercial the other day that made me think a little. This guy was looking at his bills and shaking his head... all the while his significant other is holding up a few different outfits. "French maid? Naughty Nurse?" And the voice over said something like, can't focus on the fun things in life? consolidate your debt... something or other. That made me think. What if it wasn't the debt that can't make him focus. I know men. Even if they were eyeballs deep in debt they would focus on a hot woman in a naughty nurse outfit. Hell, I would too. What if the guy is gay and realize he's in this marriage just to show people that he might not be? See now I'm thinking too much. Anyway, at the end of the commercial, the voice over saids they promise happy endings. At that point I get a little confused. What exactly are they trying to sell there? A debt consolidation service? An escort service? A class to improve on your sex life? I don't get it. So what they're saying is, you should get yourself into a but load of debt, they will come by with a hot chick in a naughty nurse outfit, and you will forget all your troubles because by that point all your blood have rushed to your penis? hum... interesting.... I bet a lot of people would like that. Sex and debt free at the same time.

If I talk about sex, I might as well talk about food. At least I'm getting that. I ate way too much today. That's what happens when my whole family has the day off. We were just eating Vietnamese food all day. Kid you not. I got up a bit late, since I was able to sleep for once (long weekend... read previous post). Went to San Jose and ate some chicken pho. That place was really good, and crowded too. That's what happens when you try to eat at a Viet place during Tet. Then tonight we went to a place that specialize in beef. In fact their most popular meal is one that features beef cooked 7 different ways. We ordered 2 and barely finished. I ate so much veggie. It's not a bad idea really. We figured the majority of the things we ate there was actually veggie. We went through 4 plates of veggies and 2 stacks of rice paper. Not much carb there. And the things weren't too greasy either. It was good. I like food. A little too much maybe.

I've been cheating on my diet a little. I really need to be strict on myself. I need to get up early to eat breakfast. Limit on fatty food. And no booze! That last one I somehow have been having a pretty bad time keeping. Let's work on that one for a bit. I need to go up on my activity level also. I average 3 miles when I am at work, and pretty much next to none when I am not. Not a lot at school either, 2 miles at most I think. I just get so tired. It's not really an excuse people tell me. But I use it. Because I believe it. Maybe it's time to change my belief system. That is going to be hard. Argh.

I like new years because I get money. I hear I have more money on the way on the UPS truck right now. Me likey. Speaking of money. I like using my credit card. I can earn up to $500 in certificates with that card. I pay everything with it. My phone bill goes on it. I have about $160 on it right now. I am going to wait. Here are the few things I want to get with it:
1) The 24" Gateway monitor
2) Wii (seriously, by the time I get enough credit for that, we will have it in stock)
3) mmm... I guess I have to think harder, but this will be months away, so who knows what I want by then
So ok, I only have 2 things I want right now that I don't exactly need. Oh wait, good speakers.... so there 3 things. I don't need these things, they are pricey, and I can wait until I can get them for next to nothing. Speaking of next to nothing, I haven't ordered that camera yet. The Sony H5. I don't know what I'm waiting for. Maybe I'm waiting for when I actually have something to take pictures of. Ha. I've spent too much in the last couple of weeks. That's what happens when I start to flip out a bit.

I don't think I write enough. I simply don't have the time to write. I want to. I think this is good for me. When I have too many thoughts pent up in my head I go a little loopy. When I am like that I lay there and lose time, then I go and spent too much money. I don't like that. Especially when I am trying to save up. I need to feel accomplished in some way. Little things I need to change in my life that are means to the ends.

- Write more, so I don't go insane thinking about things and have no outlet. Lord knows I don't have too many people to talk to. We're all too busy. I like writing here because some people reads it and they respond. It's like having a delayed conversation. It gives my actual social skills a bit of work.

- Watch what I'm eating and move about more. I'm not losing weight. I feel like I'm doing a bit of sabotage to myself. Things reminded this week. Smoking and drinking ups my blood pressure. Not the best feeling. I feel way bloated. I do have a regiment I'm suppose to keep every week. I'm suppose to run and walk 10 miles, 100 crunches, 10 leg lifts, 5 isos per day, and knit or do some sort of puzzle every day. That keeps my cardio, abs, and brains working. Those things have been piling up. I need to knock them out. I need to run.

- Do homework. Hey that's an idea. And don't skip class too. I get too lost. It's not fun.

- Change one thing about my room every week. Take a box out. Move something around. I don't care what. I need my room to look significantly different every week. When I look around, it looks half done. Not good enough.

- Plan a trip. I don't know when. Just pick a destination. Put a trip together. Something to look forward to.

If I'm changing my room, there really is just one rule. If I'm not going to use it for the next month, then it doesn't need to be in my room. Get a box, move it to the garage, I'll sort it out later. Just make room. Take out the clutter. I need the space to breath. I can put more plants in my room. I want this place to look like a garden. If possible that is. My rose bush is growing pretty out of control. Usually those things dies in like 3 weeks. This thing is in it's 3rd bloom in 4 months. Yeah. It's so hard to keep the room in order when there are so many things. I took out so many things from my closet. I really can't believe how much room I made. I don't really want to get rid of the stuff I took out though. I need to separate them and label them by season. That's what I really should do. But before I do that I need to clear out the stuff that I really do want to get rid of to make room. So many things to do.

It's weird how I can get so ambitious about getting things done, and when the time comes I'm really too lazy for it. I do have this theory though. I have to start small. I need to focus on things that are short term goals. I need to be able to do the little things, like keeping thing that are already in order, in order. Start working out to get my energy level back. I know I can get all of those things done. I just need to do those damn things. It's not hard. It's just willpower. I know I have it.

Now that is clear, I have the willpower to stop pretending I have something to say so I can stay awake. The most logical thing for me to do right now is to finish up, go to sleep, and make sure I have enough energy to be in class tomorrow. If I start out right and keep on doing the right things, then the effect will accumulate and I know I will be better for it. First step. Get enough sleep.

Thank You Microsoft!

Ah... with the title you know this will start as a work rant.

Let's start with something I've known for a while, Vista sucks. Don't get me wrong, this is one of the best piece of software Microsoft has ever published, but the little anal quirks it contains drives me up the wall.

President's Day weekend, we had a fairly decent laptop on sale for $599. There was, of course, a line. A couple of us who knew what we were doing had a nice little plan on how to run things. Our theory was, if these people can wait outside for two hours for this laptop, they can wait another 20 min for us to explain every little thing we think they should get with it. Anyway long story short the whole thing goes to hell.

People are stupid. We tell them, this is what you need for this thing to work... they go, no, I don't need it. I usually end the conversation with a big smile and "Good Luck! See you soon!" *cheesy grin*

Love it.

Here's a fun one, well once we got somebody to believe we should do a customization for them. Windows Vista Firewall blocks Windows Update. I'll let you think about that one for a minute.

again... Love it.

My Drink

.... Remember that =P

New Year

So it is technically Chinese New Year now that it's pass midnight. I am pretty tired, but I feel like I have a lot to write about. This posting is going to be fairly incoherent.

I wore a pedometer for the past few days. I discovered that I average about 3 miles just walking around the store. I've been recording that as part of my weekly goal. Which is kind of cheating I realize... but how else am I going to knock out that 50 miles I've already accumulated? I work 3 days a week, and 3 miles per day... So I only have to run 1 mile per week to meet my goal. Yeah I'm such a stinking cheater... haha... but my feet are killing me... I'm so tired.... it feels good to be laying down.

I put way too many seeds in that little pot of shamrocks. Poor thing. It's growing out like crazy though... which is cool. I hope it really does grow out and all... because I want a little pot of shamrocks dammit....

I went to BJ's last night with a few friends. I'm such a light weight. It's not fair actually, I would love to have a bit higher tolerance. But then again the Jeremiah Red is pretty strong... plus the liquid cocaine. It's interesting... but I still don't like Jager.

I'm having a weird allergy flare up. I went to work the other day and developed a rash on my neck, chest, and now to my face. Looks like I have sunburn. The majority of the hives on my chest are gone... now I have only some rashes on my neck and what looks like a sunburn on my face. Not pretty. I really wish it would just go away.

I still want to write about a couple of things... but dammit I really am too tired....

Spring?

It was so warm today I went out to lunch in jeans and tee. Too bad I have to work in half an hour, I so would just drive somewhere and take a walk

I'm growing shamrocks. haha... The little dollar kit from Target actually works... but I think I put too many seeds in the tiny pot.

Having a store BBQ tomorrow.... I'm seriously going to be cutting onion tonight before I leave. =p

I got some of the prettiest roses in my room. When everybody were shelling out 15 bucks for 6 long stem roses on V-day, I got myself a bunch of yellow spray roses for $5.99. It looks so good... and they're not even in full bloom yet. I did have this vision of a room clean enough so I can put fresh flowers in my room. Now I have that, my pot of rose that keeps blooming, and a tiny thing of shamrocks. Now I need a new vision, because this is not good enough. I think it's the sun light these past couple of days. I feel more energized and inspired to do things. Fresh air helps too.

I hung out at a friend's house last night and he had a lot of Apple posters. That sort of made me think. What people put on their wall really relfects who they are. My walls a purple, what does that make me?

I want to make at least one change to my room every week. By the end of the year it'll look different. There are other little changes I want to do as a habit on a daily basis too. I'm thinking if I can put 10 bucks into my savings account every day then I'll save another $3600 in the year, plus compound interest or whatever. I've spent way too much this week I think. mmmm.... Yeah I'm being kind of random right now.... I think I'll write more tonight. Gotta go to work...

Focus

Oh yeah, I need to do the list thing to put focus back on myself. I've been thinking about how to make the people I care about happy too much lately.

Let's make a list

Well ok, multiple lists, more like a matrix. Lists of multiple categories, and I have to check things off of each of them everyday. Like daily exercise, homework, eat food that is good for me, stuff like that. I need a note pad...

Clarity

After an hour nap and a seriously hot shower, I find that I have a need to reprioritize my life. I haven't quite figured it out yet.... it will come to me soon.

I just realize

I just feel empty. I can't put my thoughts together to write anything. Maybe it's because I feel like I've falling into a pattern. Nothing is out of the ordinary for me anymore. I'm boring. There is nothing interesting for me to write about. Everyday is the same. I'm going to lay down, clear my head. I'm thinking if I can sort out my thought in some coherent manner, write all of it down, then I will feel a lot better. But in the mean time, I need rest.

You make me feel....

I sat in the Union for about 2 hours, feeling absolutly miserable, so I did the only logical thing I can think of. I went home. There was a need for me to leave. Take off. Get away.

Drift

I got up a little late this morning, wasn't feeling my best. Got to school about 5 min late. Decided to skip class because my stomach is not cooperating. That's what happens when I have Indo/Pakistani food for dinner. At any rate, I had my day off yesterday and needless to say I didn't get around to do any homework at all. I think I'm slipping back into a sort of a funk.

I always maintained that if everything seem well and fine in my life, there is something wrong. Now that school and work are going relatively well, it must mean that my personal life is either non-existent or in an absolute mess. I am going to blame it on the fact that I haven't been able to write much about it lately. I keep too much in my head and I go insane.

I spent the majority of my day yesterday just hanging about at home. I honestly don't remember all the things I did. It amounts to about nothing.

I consider it a bad sign when I lose time. Which is happening more frequently of late. I would put things off, close my eyes... and the next thing I know I've lost half a day. Another thing is, I've noticed I spent a bit more then I planned in the last few days. Just random stuff I don't really need.

On the road

I'm amazed that I made it to class today. People on the road are insane in the morning. I almost crashed about 3 times. I guess not much else is going on at the moment. Just class again. Trying to pay attention... see how well I'm doing that... ha.

Words

Sometimes... I feel like writing about something meaningful. That is usually when I can't really think of anything to say.

Things I see on TV

I guess this is one of those days where I feel like I can do a lot of things. I think I did for the most part. For one I really like having that 1 hour right after my first class in the morning. It gives me time to really wake up, get some work done, and really enjoy a marginal cup of coffee... Class just went very slowly today. It started out good, then it went down hill from there... lol. Such is school. I got so bored in my lass class I did an online sudoku. Yeah. That and was reading about Anna Nicole. Anyway.... So I came home and got some work done. I only have 2 loads of laundry, which was fine, I really should do them every week. I was way too lazy yesterday to do anything. Took a hot shower and moisturized... yes I'm keeping that up. Made dinner. Yes I'm making my turkey meat sauce again. Well I guess that is all I have done. Not too bad for a little less then 2 hours. And of course I leave the TV on when I'm doing all of that stuff....

1) Anna Nicole Smith
- Honestly, I don't know what to say. I'm shocked. That's about all. I guess I'm kinda sad too. For what specifically, I'm not too sure. She was one of those weird things that was produced by our culture, and now snuffed out by it. That's the way it goes I guess.

2) Teachers on YouTube
- What do you expect kids to do when school is dull and they have a camera phone given by parents? They record how crazy the teachers can be and post it on YouTube. It's fun to watch actually. The privacy of teachers in the classroom has never existed in my opinion. So whatever.

3) The Secret
- This was interesting. I saw a thing about this book and video on some local talk show before, plus I have seen the book at Borders. Never interested me, maybe it's because I know this "secret" already. Then there's a whole Oprah show on it today. What they advocate is you have to visualize what your life is going to be and you will achieve it. I guess I have been doing that. And I also acted on it. I still can't see where I am going to be more then two years from now. But at least I'm making a change. I have a good outlook on life nowadays, and I don't dwell on the bad stuff. I know what my potentials are, and everything I am doing looks attainable. So that's the way it is. Oh the visualization board thing I found very retarded. I guess that's all I have to say about that for now. I foresee a long post about that in the near future. For now I have to finish making dinner.

dull

somebody please motivate me to pay attention in class.... I'm reading news about Anna Nicole Smith instead.... help me....

On my way....

A couple of things I observed on the way to class that made me go, you've got to be joking....

1) asian guy trying to be stylish... bleached mohawk and all... problem is, he's losing hair...
2) portly guy trying to get to class on his skateboard.... he should learn how to ride it.... *step... chug chug chug.... step.... chug chug chug...*

that is all

Traffic

I almost feel bad for my opposing traffic this morning. I was going at about 80, and northbound was going 10 if they were lucky. Couple of traffic peeves: 1) people who drives slow on the fast lane. I hate to be able to pass people on the right without meaning to. 2) People who have really bad timing when they change lanes. Pisses me off. Anyway.....

I'm so sleepy.

I draw the line at Hilary Duff

I found a particularly nice establishment on campus today to hang out at. A couple of draw backs I can deal with because the availability of Peet's and beer off sets them. I haven't found a power outlet and the wireless in there is crappy. I can deal with that. And then they started playing a Hilary Duff song. No bitch, I don't feel like partying with you on a Saturday night. Now I'm back in the bowels of the union again. Yeah. It's nice and sorta warm.

Oh and I'm not bringing books to class anymore. Unless I have to. Even during the break I didn't get anything done. Seriously. So if I don't bring it next week, I won't have anything to do. Yup. *sigh* What is wrong with me. I did spend an hour making a calender on excel today though. It looks good. Lays out everything I have to do for the semester. Not bad at all I think.

bored to the max?

I think I'm almost there.... If I were just sitting in the cafe doing my own things I would be ok. Did I mention I hate the tabulation of statistics in any form? I like looking at them, just don't make me calculate it. The class I'm in right now is quantitative analysis, which means there's a huge statistics review in the beginning sections. And guess what, there needs to be some class participation and of course a majority of people in the class are retarded. It feels like he's trying to make the class more interesting and engaging.... I am seriously bored.

New peeves
1) people who forgets to turn off their ringers and have questionable music taste
2) people who thinks they know everything becomes disturbing to me... stfu
3) people who ask too many questions so he can feel the satisfaction of tripping the professor up... you too... stfu
4) people who questions a meaningless quiz that is not going to be of any consequence later on in the class.... again... stfu... I want to move on in the lecture

ok maybe some of them are old.... they have just been revived..... *sigh*

Mmm...

Yeah I know my last post's title didn't make much sense, I was hiding in the lower level of the Union. Hence the title. I thought it would be nice and quiet down there, but hey, I get to sit next to a bunch of people that, let's say, makes me think of high school. Fun fun. Needless to say I didn't really get anything done. Anyway....

Hide

I found a rather nice little food outlet today. Well just about 20 min ago. It's usually just a little food market/cafe type. They happen to have a Peet's there now. I'm very happy. I'll be happier if they would learn the proper ways to make a good cup of latte. Fresh espresso please. Please. I've discovered it's really an art to make a good cup of espresso fragrant and not bitter. It's easy really... just don't overcook the damn espresso. Those kids have a lot to learn. But still, I am happy there is such a place on campus.

Speaking of the campus, the place is pretty damn small. One big square. I think Poly was a little bigger. Which is weird because I've always considered that one small. Another reason may be because this is on flat land and not hilly. It's easy to get from one place to the other, it's just stairs that are killing me. haha. I'm so out of shape. I laid about in the house yesterday and did pretty much nothing at all. I felt sort of guilty about it I think. Wasn't the best way to spend my time. Especially when there really is so much to do. I did have a very good dinner last night thought. Went out with Minna. We never hang out anymore. The whole opposite schedule thing doesn't really help. She works weekdays and I have school weekdays plus work on weekends. Go figure. I can't really do anything anymore. Which is fine by me. Gets me on track. I had some pretty good sushi last night at Tsunami on Castro Street in Mountain View. I will probably stick with some variation of California Roll next time plus a few pieces of Nigiri. I think they put too much breading on anything they fry. So yeah, no Spider Roll or Amaebi next time. I liked the Nigiri part of the Amaebi, just not the fried. It was ok. I had a variation of the Kamakazi roll, which was decent, and a piece of the Submarine Roll (baked scallops on top of a California Roll), which was probably the best thing on the plate. I've been spoiled by going to Kitsuo so much =P At any rate, it was a good dinner, we even went for some Gelato and walked up and down the street for a bit. I don't do that enough, need to do more of that.

I had a couple of epiphanies last night.

First of all, I will never get anything done without a plan. I know I've talked about that before, but it's more clear to me now on how to rectify that situation. I need to plan out my day the night before. I need a clear set of goals I need to accomplished, and at least some sort of plan on how to accomplish them. For example, to have a list of all the school work I need to do is not enough. I have that on my laptop, and I never cracked it open. I need to have an action list where I specify on what I need to do for the day. Get up early, look at the list, get some homework done, go to the gym, etc, etc. It's all because I'm too damn lazy to plan my day when I wake up. So yeah I have to start that tonight. The only days where I don't really need to do that is when I have class, especially today. I barely have time to breath, much less screw around and do nothing.

Second, one of the best perks of saving money is that I can eat whatever the hell I want, on the financial basis. I had this big discussion with Minna last night about that. If I buy less useless random crap that are expensive, I save money. The money I save can get me good things to eat, which is the most satisfying thing for me. I'm all for instant gratification, but here's the thing. I can buy stuff on impulse, but I usually won't consume it right away. It's fun when I make the purchase, it's like, oh I can use that eventually. But with food, I order it, I eat it right away. What better then to look at the menu and order whatever the hell I feel like at that moment without considering the price (much). In the last three months I have been a lot more careful with my money. I have put a lot more back into my savings account and have not touched it. That still gave me room to spend. I have not purchased anything just because I think it would be cool to have and not use. I was able to hold off my impulse and wait until I go to the mall with my parents and have them purchase it (I'm bad like that). There are just so many things. To me, going to Target or Costco is a bit therapeutic. I would pick up a whole bunch of stuff, and the prices would force me to think of alternatives. For example, I went into Target to get a label printer the other day. The printer itself was 18 bucks and refills were 15. I stared at it for 2 min, put it down, and picked up a pack of sticky labels for $1.77. Hell I can hand write. I am on track on my rough savings goals I think. I am putting money into my savings. 20% of my paycheck goes into stock purchase. 5% of my check goes into my 401k, and there's 4% matching that is 100% vested. I don't have that much school left. I'm thinking at year and a half to two to finish. I'm hoping by the time I finish I would have enough money for a down payment for a house or a condo. I know I can borrow against my 401k for my first home, and I can always sell my stock, which pretty much has a guarantee gain. I actually have very good credit, so getting a loan shouldn't be a problem once I get a steady job. So here I am, investing on my financial future.

Third and most important, I have to reserve an hour and a half of my day for body care. I kid you not. And I'm not counting the hour I need for light exercise. So that makes it two and a half hours of taking good care of myself. I have found that it is a great thing to be self centered. I have been slacking on my exercise, I need to get to that. I have my daily/weekly goals set, and it is piling up. I need to really get around to knocking those goals down, double time. I was doing pretty well for a little while, and it's building back up again. Makes me a little sad, but hey I know for a fact that I can do it. That is motivation enough. I just need to be a bit more diligent about it. It's hard when I don't have a workout partner, but hey I have done it before without one. So I like taking a 20 min hot shower. Do the whole rinse repeat thing on my hair, because it gets oily as hell. I was going through my bin of body care products the other day, and I have so much body cream. There is really no excuse for me not to use it. Takes me a while, but it's needed. What does this all mean? I can't take showers in the morning anymore... haha.... I'm too lazy to wake up an hour and half earlier in the morning just to take a shower. Seriously. By the time I finish lotioning up my hair would be dry. I'm thinking about getting a hair cut sometime soon. I don't want to chop off too much, I do want to grow it out a bit. But I do need to get it trimmed. Eventually. I also did a little bit of research yesterday and I found a place to get a massage at Santana Row that sounds reasonable. I might book one in a couple of weeks. I've been wanting one for a long time. One good thing about that place, they don't take tips. Love it. We shall see.

Customers

Ok I have a life, so I wouldn't be the one who wrote the following. But I did read it and found it quite amusing. Enjoy...

*********

These people piss me off--guess i better be glad i get a paycheck though.

Kinda long---sorry!

Juan Paco & 6 kids- comes in with a 1997 IBM thinkpad and asks for a universal power supply. gets mad when you show him that the price of a new one is 120$$. tells you how he bought it at the swap meet for 20 bucks, and asks if you can sell the store use power adapter cuz we have SOO many open laying around

Frustrated Dan-comes in with a cracked screen, wireless not working, and demands a new laptop cuz he spent his hard earned 399 on a sunday acer. sweres he woke up with a cracked screen and the wireless never worked. when you tell him physical damage is not covered under our warranty he tells you he bought the "one year" acer warranty that came with it. when you tell him he has to go THROUGH acer, he starts yelling and says he wants to speak to a manager. manager addresses the same issue and customer leaves the store cussing

cheap business guy- comes in the store with a half assed suit n tie. never smiles, never talks. just points at the cheapest laptop. doesn't want a case, mouse, CCA, installs. just the laptop. opens up wallet with 6 american express cards and 600 cash. pays with an american express card with NO spending limit. then walks out without saying anything.

apu and the hindus-come in the store reeking of god knows what? they come in the store asksing for last years open box for under 199.99 with a free monitor and printer . then when you tell them no, they go to their car and bring a AT board p1 and ask you to tell them whats wrong, and walk them through a system restore for free. then when you say you have to charge, they start mumbling in their language and leave with an attitude.

nerdy phone caller- in the middle of a busy sunday, keeps calling for 10 minutes straight, when someone finally has a chance to pcik up the phone. he asks for some product in stock. you check, come back tell him we had 12. and of course he has to ask CAN YOU HOLD IT FOR ME!! ill be down there in 10 minutes! you say no its store policy, but do it anyways. and of course he asks for your name. you know hes never gonna come so you set it right by the register just in case....when its closing time. the item is still there and nobody ever asked for you.

im a network engineer Eric- comes in asking for a DSL splitter. you tell him there is no such thing, its called a router.
he asks you to show him a good one, you point at a router and he has to give his "damn, why so expensive" line. then says is this pretty easy to install, here is wehre you TRY to offer ANY type of firedog service and he goes, oh its alright i can do it MYSELF im a network engineer. calls that same evening telling you the "POS #($*�($& router doesnt work, and asks you to guide him through the WHOLE setup" you say no, and he comes in the next day returning it as "defective"

Rude Reshawn- Walks in verrry slowly. Smells very dinstinctly of marijauna. You asked if he needs help with anything and he replies "can ya'll hook my sounnddss up". "Sounds? soo you have speakers? subs? radio?". He disregards your question and walks over to the jensen subs in the box that lights up. "Yo are des jensens any good" "yea, pretty good." He then asks if we can hook his sounds up. I give up and have him pull the car around to look at it.
After opening the trunk of his 1986 cutlass ciera I find two 12 inch Pyle subs and a four channel sony explode amp (he got them from his boy for 40 bones). After explaining that he needs to buy wiring to hook it up I show him what we have. Every price and product offer gets shot down with "25 dollars? that's some bullsh*t, ya'll be taxin that sh't" Finally pays for his install and wiring with 7 10 dollar bills, 10 5's and 18 1's. Then asks me every 10 minutes when the installer is going to be done. Disclaimer: Rude Reshawn is used as a general name in this scenario. Rude Reshawn hypothetically could be of any race.

GPS Gary- Walks directly to GPS upon entering the door. Knows ever model, by number, because he's been researching for 2 months. Seems flustered due to lack of sleep from being on the internet researching until 4 in the morning. Asks if we match some internet website that sells refurbs. Trys to test my knowledge with every single spec of every single unit. Punches in numerous addresses in numerous units. This guy is probably the most irrating person I have every talked to yet I still smile and nod while thinking "deushbag, deushbag, deushbag, deushbag..." Disclaimer: GPS Gary is used as a general name in this scenario. GPS Gary hypothetically could not be a middle age white male wearing New Balance tennis shoes, a button up Polo with Tight jeans, thick glasses and sipping on a Starbucks.

Audiophile Erny: Subtelly trys to put you down when voicing any opinion in a conversion. Talks at you the entire time. Tests every speakers we sell by putting his ear directly on it. Says "that ones not bad." Asks if we sell Alpine. Asks me If I've every heard of manufacturers such as Focal, MB Quart, Ect. Wants to know the FM sensity on a lower end panasonic radio. Always tells you about what he has owned in the past and how it blew away any system. Probably not Erny, you dick. Tells me he installs his own stuff, yet wants to know install pricing. Never buys anything at all, and comes in every week. Disclaimer: Erny is used as a general name in this scenario. Erny hypothetically could not be a complete prick that just got a divorce, has no money, and beats off to pictures of speakers on his Mac while listening to Queen's Greatest Hits.

Satellite radio Susan: She tells me she needs help and seems kind of pissed. Wants to know the difference between Sirius and XM. Has no idea you have to pay a monthly fee. Gets 3 diffent calls on her phone and tells ME to hold on on second. I tell her the stuff she needs to buy with it for it to work and she gets very angry, thinks I'm ripping her off and calls her brother in law to ask him because he's an "electronical expert". After hanging up she says she just needs the box and nothing else. Disclaimer: Satellite Radio Susan is used as a general name in this scenario. Satellite Radio Susan hypothetically could not be a pretentious 37 y.o. housewife on her period that thinks I work on commission.

Ipod Ian: Dashes into mobile with his 30 gig Ipod like a rabid wolverine is chasing him. "How can I play my Ipod in my car, I just got a 2007 Hyundai Sonota." "Ummmm, well there are a few different ways. The first way would involve driving at a very high rate of speed into a building. Or you could take your Ipod filled with Christina Aguilera songs and jam it into you cd player, that usually works well. I hate you Ipod Ian. Shutup. Disclaimer: Ipod Ian is used as a general name in this scenario. Ipod Ian hypothetically could not be an annoying gadget tweaker that pisses me off at the very sight. Ipod Ian hypothetically doesn't have to be some guy that comes in 3 minutes before we close and makes me suplex him onto a stack of totes.


Coupon Stacking Calvin- comes in for a cheap HP camera, buys the smaller memory card or sometimes no memory card.
expects a "mark down" cuz its too expensive, then asks you to match the online price. after that, he gives you about 3 coupons one after another, and after you scan them all you tell Calvin we can only accept 1 discount and we dont' stack offers he demands corporates #. calls corporate and they tell him the same thing. leaves the store 3 hours later after arguing and yells that hes gonna file a lawsuit

Fraudulant return Roger- you can tell this guy is a sneaky bastard right off the bat. walks in the store empty handed ,acts so suspicious that all the sales managers watch his every move. grabs a basket and throws in 6 DVDS and the most expensive DVD player. goes over to the customer service counter to do a return. when asked for receipt, phone #, address, card used with payment, etc etc date of purchase.. the works.. you can't find ANY trace of roger. "sweres" that he bought it not too long ago and that his wife changed her mind. when offered a giftcard he complains and demands cash. when confronted and taken to the data catch room to watch the video of him putting the dvds in his basket, he yells at the sales manager and walks out saying hes going to call corporate as well. sadly, on his way out mall security/the cops escort him back in and arrest him.

Waving hands waldo- normally stands in the laptop aisle with an ad and waves at you half way across the store. nags about how he had to wait for service for 30 minutes, yet he barely walked in the aisle. you go through the 'full journey' and CCA and installs......wastes about 45 minutes on the sale. then either says he forgot his credit card or ... "ill think about it" and asks for your name... and gives the same "are you on commision, ill come back and see YOU" line. walks out of the store with your business card. you marked down the sale so low for him too, and you never see him back in the store again.

Dell Ink deborah- walks around the store and asks every associate where the ink is, then gets frustrated when she cant find her Dell ink. stands in the tech line impatiently while yoru trying to deal with 5 other customers. when told that she needs DELL ink from DELL.com she rolls back her eyes and leaves the store pissed off.

Memory Upgrade marvin- doesnt know anything about computers, you ask him if its laptop or desktop and eh says its a hard drive. ask who makes it? doesn't know his manufacturer. calls his daughter on her cell and she tells it to him. you look it up on crucial.com and it says he can go up to 2gb 1gb/slot. when you show him he needs either pc 3200 or pc 2700 he looks at the price and his jaw drops. "WOW ITS THIS EXPENSIVE" when you tell him theres a rebate that will bring it down to 32.99 he still digs around and grabs the cheapest laptop ram and says "WHY WONT THIS FIT!?!? its 24.96" you explain that its a different speed , size, and slot. he walks out the store saying he'll find it cheaper or get it some other time. don't even bother asking for the install.

Dvd Dan- Comes in in the middle of the afternoon, walks around. ask if he's doing ok. He says, "well i'm looking for a movie" well duh. "i saw it not too long ago. it had those two guys from that one show. You know what i'm talking about" No sir i sure don't. He gets frustrated, tells me i'm stupid and walks out.

Slide Music Sally - Walks to csa and demands help in cd's. I walk over and attempt to help. She looks me up and down, and says "you're the only one working in cd's today?" Yes ma'am. its the after christmas lull. I'm alone from 9-5. She starts rambling, "I'm looking for slide music. You know, like the Chicago slide, Mariah Carey slide..." Uh ok ma'am. Do you know what the cd is called? What genre it is? ANYTHING?! She knows nothing. Calls me dumb and demnads i call a store close by to ask them if they know what slide music is. She wouldn't even attempt to explain it to me. So i call the store, thankfully, a white boy answers. This is key. She says hello to him, realize's he's white, like myself, and hangs up on him. So she gets angry, tells me i don't know anything about music, because i'm not black and walks out. Terrible.

MP3 Mark - Walks up, stares at the glass case. Touches the display units a little bit, but backs off when he fondles them too much. You approach, he just stares, and sighs. Says "I'm looking for an ipod but there's so many. And whats the difference between and MP3 player and an ipod? I'm so confused!" Well sir, do you want to be hip, buy the ipod. If not, i've got this lovely 512gb sandisk player on sale for 30$ its pretty popular. Ok i'll take it. Walks away. Suddenly turns around and walks quickly back, "Does this have everything i need?! charger, case, software!! Help!!" well sir, you probably need this wall charger, and this 14$ case. Oh and the 24$ accidental. You look like you work out a lot



Cell Phone Grandpa- This is the extremely OLD and RUDE person. He demands to know everything about your cell phones. The prices, cost per minute, calling area's etc.... When you explain to him that you need to add money to your account evey 90 days he flips out. I explain its not the Stores policy, but the phone company. He still yells at me.
He then DEMANDS I activate the cell phone for him, I explain we do not offer that service and he must do that from his home and on his home phone line. I explain its a liability for us to service his phone since we are not authorized.I also note there is an instruction manule included with pictures. He looses his temper and demands the manger, who tells him the same things. He still buys the phone, however ends up calling you the next day asking how to put the "SI" Card in correctly. You explain he must call the manufacture's toll free number as we are not a support agency for their products. He calls you a bastard and hangs up.

Cell phone Harold and Betty
This is an extremly old, however nice couple. They are very polite and glad you helped them. You begin to explain the rate plan to them. This is when they stop listening and become cenial(sp?) They cant understand the rate plan at all and you end up spending 30 or so minutes on it. They give you this blank face and cannot understand that for $100 they get 1000 minutes and it comes out to 10 cents a minute. After about 45 minutes of them not understanding basic math, they become angry and say there bringing their grandson in tommorow to explain it and walk off..

Life story John
This is the guy who is middle aged divorced and probably a porn addict. After you ring him up and the sale is complete, he talks and a talks about his life. You learn how he has cancer, his wife left him and he might be getting laid off. He then starts talking about the Superbowl. Next topic his is 1968 chevy or mustang. He tells how he has it pimped out and all custome work done. Finally another customer comes up and saves me.

No Life Nick- Never buys anything, never talks. Just walks around for about 7 hours every saturday and sunday looking at things. screws up all the screen savers and adds stupid computer wallpapers to computer displays. knows the store so well hes probably worth hiring for minimum wage to put go-backs away.

Rebate Rebecca- this character camps out 5am for a sunday 399 laptop. rushes in and points the ad at you. begs for the cheapest laptop, doesnt let you talk about it, doesn't let you explain return policies, warranties, etc.. then asks for all the FREE stuff after rebate. when asked what anti virus she wants she says "none, i already have it". then when you tell her you have Norton for free, she tells you shell get it. free printer after rebate? yes. USB cable? no, she says she has it. Ink? she already has it. you go on and on and basically get her EVERYTHING free after rebate and she smiles and busts out 1500 in cash. her rebates use up 3/4 of all your receipt paper. you laugh deep down inside cuz she wont get ANY back . lol.

Interupting Isiaih- its a busy sunday afternoon, all associates are busy with customers and this guy is bugging every sales associate. he taps people on the shoulder while they are on the phone with the bank for an approval, and tells associates off when they say "sorry, im busy ill help you in a minute" he finally drags someone from the other department on the OTHER SIDE of the store and asks for a simple question. "do you have this item on display" ... associate from other department confirms that yes you do. customer says "thanks" and walks out empty handed. within the next 10 minutes, when all associates are free, they ask each other if they've seen the pest thats been asking EVERYONE for help. finally the guy from department far away tells everyone "its okay, he just had a quick question"

Holiday Harold- we all know this guy. walks around atleast 6 hours 4th of july, new years, christmas, and easter. just walks. oh, and hes there 20 minutes before we open. and stays til hes hungry. then comes back.

Crappy Specs Cedric- Buys the cheapest computer, gets humiliated when you indirectly tell him his piece of junk sucks ass. comes in every week asking for advice about his celeron with 256 MB of ram. you tell him to either get a new computer or upgrade it. never actually gets the service or upgrades done, but comes in every few weeks and says "you know i outta buy the ram soon.. ill let you know how it turns out"

price quote patrick- this guys probably has called geek squad, firedog, compusa, fry's, and every repair shop in town for pricing. spends either 30 mins on the phone or 45 minutes in person asking for a certain price for some in-home computer work. this guy makes you and your manager have $$$ in your eyes because he leads you on so much. you think you have a transaction of almost 600 dollars in pure installation profit... and right when you ask him if hed like you schedule the service and pay he ALWAYS says... "let me ask my wife/computer IT guys at work/my kids" or some lame excuse. or gives the classic "let me give you guys a call and schedule an appointment" you and your manager get desperate for the sale so they offer him 25% off if he pays on the spot, and the moron still says "ill let you guys know later on , ill call to schedule"..your manager gets even more desperate and tells him well do it for half off, and gaurantee someone there by tommorow (normally 99 bucks extra) for free. he still insists hell call later. your shift ends and the store closes. you NEVER hear from him and your manager gets pissed off.

I would like a copy of Vista Chewy Ranch please ^_^