[*ouch*] my brain hurts. it is the final stretch of school, and hoo-boy is my brain working.

[mind reading] b and i were in the city on saturday meandering around after checking out the asian art museum (which is absolutely fab btw -- woo asian pride!), and it was so funny how someone can know what you want without them telling you. mebbe it's a girlie thing, mebbe it's a dumdeedumdi thing, or mebbe it's just him trying to cover up how much he wants to browse the store, but i was pleasantly surprised =)

b: ooh look it's diesel..
d: yup!
b: do you want to go in?
d: nah that's okay.
b: okay then. i know you want to.
d: awe alright.

... or something to that effect. basically, it didn't take much cajoling to get me to walk through those diesel stores (and btw annie, a pair of jeans *is* $125 =O ) now as trivial as that sounds in writing, (boy, it does sound trivial, doesn't it?) it wasn't because i know b asked me knowing i'd say no when i really meant yes. it was a small sacrifice to a larger cause =)

hmm. okay never mind, this story isn't going anywhere and i'm just starting to blabber =) point of this story: i did not do any shopping this weekend though tempted to no end =D *weeeeee~*

[shoutout] to the Thetas for crossing =) it wasn't that bad right?

[premature reading?] in one of those rare spare moments, i sat in bed reading this morning highly reluctant to immerse myself in the cold, rainy surroundings that awaited outside mah blankie :D so on a monthly basis, i pick up Wine Spectator , y'know to try and read up on good buys, good keeps, good wines to try =) it was never a big deal.. i would just flip to the buyer's guide or the featured article (this month, australian is in da house! -- but more about that later) and it'd be part of my recreational reading. today more than ever though -- i am clearly reading out of my league! the second ad in the magazine is for Flight Options . at first, i was like.. flight options, waht is this? ooh, a new ticketing system online? alright! but no. it was an ad for jetplanes. pre-owned starting at $199,500. factory-new starting at $368,750. it is a jet-plane sharing program. uhhhhhhhhhh. i think it's time for di to read that trash US again! bring on those breast pump ads! i'm not quite in the market for a jet plane yet.. (though nor am i in the market for a breast pump, don't get the wrong idea now =P )

anyways, for something publically useful -- if you're interested in trying a very drinkable and affordable wine:

Rosemount's Shiraz-Merlot blend 1999. (and i think it has a tinge of merlot in it too - mmm) it's got a purple label and might be tough to find on the shelves, since they've now been replaced with the 2000, but it's still possible. they go for $7/bottle, sometimes $6 if safeway is having a sale :D good drink, great wine.

if this becomes at all popular, i'll post up some other wines from time to time.. i pretty much try to try a new one every weekend (right b? keke) =)

[shock horror] madness! di is infesting her blog with posts! =O

[the truth] tonight my brother accused me of being whiney and ungrateful. i seriously resent that =( if anything, i'm *not* ungrateful -- but he said that i kept whining about my parents coming up for my graduation. the only reason i'm concerned was that originally, they were thinking of coming on may 17th, a good week before graduation! i don't end finals until the 20th -- and what kind of daughter would i be if i didn't entertain and spend quality time with my parents? =( the same dilemma faces me with my brother. boy do i miss him, and there is nothing that i would love more than to chill with him and let him live my life for a bit over here. he's thinking of coming over on may 15th now -- again before my finals are over =( i guess -- there goes my accounting career! haha =) well, i hope that they still know that i'm looking forward to them coming and don't misinterpret my concerns for something else...

[nba update] oh my for the lakers. hahaha =) i didn't watch the game, but i can't stop hearing about it tonight. allow me this shameless plug for b -- goo Suns! man, i *know* the kings are gonna make it far again this year, and let's hope i can go watch another one of their playoff games like last year. we were *right* on the top corner, but arco is so small that it made no difference. only problem was that the slightly large people kept on bumping our backs =P haha *whoops* =)

[feeling like friday] even though it's only thursday night -- i managed to get all this week's crap out of the way, and =O it's only 12:30! super! this means sleep for di! unlike the rest of the week... thank you for everyone's support and understanding through this intensely academic four days =) i will live to see another friday...

[guest post] or rather guest excerpt -- but yeah, i've been meaning to post this for a few days now, because when i read it, i cracked up to nooo end, hahaha. so let me introduce to you guys again: my dear brother dru and his shower experience.

I just got out of the shower. I had an eventful time in there today. Sick fuck, what are you thinking? Im talking about Kiddy Shampoo. It said "no tears," so I thought I would try and keep my eyes open. True enough, I didn't tear when I was shampooing the sparse quantity of hair I presently have with my eyes open. So since I trusted the no tears shampoo, I decided to be its friend and really rub it into my eye. So I took some of the foam and rub it into my eye. All I can say is that its a scam. Those bastards, I feel betrayed! No tears, bullshit. So yeah, that was my lesson. Also here's another shower adventure story. Okay so I use Dove bar soap, and those of you who use it will know it lathers alot, and consequently, it doesn't last very long. I had a small piece left, and I started to use it. Then I lost it. I was looking for it and I found it under my armpit muahahahahahah NICE.

no he's not a freak -- he's just a very funny guy who takes pleasure in the small things in life. as we all should :D take care y'all =D

[for what seems like an eternity] is it me or are my blogs becoming less frequent? =T oh poopers. i remember the days when i really used to have "di-time" just for di :D now it's.. homework time.. project time.. chatting time.. baking time.. shower time.. gym time.. friend time.. brian time.. :D and though i love every single time i do all of these things (no pun intended, ha ha), i wish i had more *down* di time. anyways, that little whine-fest was not the point of my entry. the point of this entry is to...say HALLO :D

[merry easter] and here's hoping that everyone's easter was filled with smoked ham, turkey, roast beef, and any other kind of baked good (for those vegetarians out there) =D easter was spent at my uncle vic's pot luck, chowing down on family food and catching up with distant relatives that i haven't seen in months. have you noticed that older people don't really look much older as the years go past? it's like.. if someone reaches 60, you really can't guess how old they are after that.. they just look forever 60. unless of course, they become physically delapidated *knocks on wood* and drool from the mouth constantly =P i keep my fingers crossed for the older generation -- though we don't notice it all the time, they really do enrich our lives and bring out issues and wisdom that only an older generation person can...

but anyhoo -- so for Lent, what did i end up doing? i ended up realizing that as the months have passed, i have become less tolerant of my weaknesses and inabilities. though it may sound like a selfish syndrome in a weird way, i guess in the long run, it'll benefit my psyche and my health, which is a good thing right? i've noticed that i nit pick at myself when i do something wrong.. i get frustrated at myself for being frustrated at something -- when really, i should just embrace who i am. it's hard being self-critical, and it's also hard not being self-critical enough, but at the end of the day, the most important and fulfilling thing is simply finding that balance. so don't worry guys -- even if you don't think anyone loves you, everyone really does, and if they don't, you take 'em to see me! *hrmph* =T

[yayness] hallo byron. hallo michelle and chris. hallo howard and amy. hallo annie! hallo natalie (but only over the phone). hallo christina. i'm glad i've managed to talk to or see people this week.. =) it helps me remember who i am.. thanks :D

[bake-a-holic am i] for the record, i have baked 5 times in the last month. 4 times in the last 2 weeks. =O i made brownies. i made chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. i made mango pudding from scratch (ok it doesn't count as baking, but it's kitchen work right?!). i made easter sugar cookies. and i now have loaves of banana bread going in the oven. what is going *on*?! if you haven't managed to sample any of this baking and given me your constructive criticism, then you're clearly not bumping into me enough =P

[just wanted to] send out hugs to everyone :D i know there are simultaneous rough patches going on in every nook and cranny of the bay right now. take it easy and take care =D

[the html blackhole] apologies linus -- technical difficulties. i type your link in, and save it, and publish it. and then *poof*, it's gone. i've tried this 6 times. heeeeee-lpppp.

[welcome linus] since he kept his promise about adding me to his list of blogs, i have done the same =) welcome to the list linus! (his blog is usually part of my morning reads anyways, why shouldn't it be conviniently located too? :D)

[dream a little dream] more and more lately, i've been thinking about my dreams. actually -- i take that back. i've been trying to recollect my dreams. i can't technically think about them if i don't know what they are =P only certain snippets of it come through, or sometimes just a general sentiment. why is that? i can remember how to record journal entries for a purchase commitment gone wrong, but i can't remember a full-blown experience that i had in my head? eh? does anyone know why the memory of dreams dissipates so quickly? =T dangit, i just want to remember what that *hot* guy looked like.... kekekek *jk* :D

[my pointless saturday...] logistics. are a tough matter. the giants-dodgers game got rained out on saturday, much to the dismay of b and i who had been sitting in the car for two hours!! in the rain! and then we proceeded to spend another two hours!! sitting in traffic!! daaaaaaah. oh the misery. oh my sore buttocks. though the rest of the evening went well, and though i loooove my vroom-vroom, doing something pointless is.. frustrating. =I oh oh oh! hahaha.. also watched "Bend it like Beckham", which if no one has heard of it, is completely roll-on-the-floor hilarious. there is this one line: i can make these swollen mosquito bites look like juicy juicy mangoes!! hahahaha =) which of you has the most perverted mind of all? hiak hiak =) plot-wise, it was super, and it brought up a lot of issues that i know many of my close friends are facing. the dichotomy of tradition and modernity. tradition is tried and tested, it is proven, and it is safe. but tradition usually means going against your desires as a young person. modernity is new, refreshing, and with it! but it's viewed as risky to your parents, and often times, unsacred. pooj and richa, if you ever read this, i hear ya babies =D look on for love...

[and my purposeful sunday] which brings me to my next thought -- arranged marriages. yes or no? for a moment yesterday, while watching "Coming to America", i had a flicker of belief in arranged marriages. how you could grow to learn someone who, by the book, had been perfectly suited for you. regardless of whether or not you felt passion for that person, you could grow to love him or her, and it would work. realistically, i don't know of an arranged marriage that hasn't worked out. on the other hand, who wants to be imposed onto such a lifelong commitment as marriage? with someone you don't know? =P blah. i'm still going in circles about this. maybe it just has to do with what point of life you're in.. *get me a wife already! says andyah* kekeke =)

but sunday wasn't purposeful because of that. it was palm sunday. it was a day to gather old friends. and it was a day of good 'ol shopping on college *awe yeaaaah*. plus -- it was sunny =D

[have a good week] last week was rockin', this week will be even better. hope to see all of ya soon =D

[coming out of the weekend] i realized that you don't need to be party-hardying every single day to have a *super* weekend =) funnily enough, i had the most balanced weekend ever, sneaking in some apartment viewing, some bar-hopping, some exercise, and pleeenty of studying. and coming out of the weekend (apart from the doom-gloom feeling of having two midterms this week), i felt great knowing that i was productive in most facets of my life =D got to see friends, got to spend time with b, got to eat yummy food, and got to address my health and academic needs. the only thing missing in all honesty... was a movie :D

[don't you hate it when] you come out of a midterm knowing exactly which part of a problem you screwed up.

[don't you hate it even more when] you knew exactly how to do it -- but just forgot that you were supposed to =( AAH.

[it's me again -- this time with a test] every time i come out of my social responsibility class, i seriously just want to become a better person. is that weird? am i easily swayed? =T anyways, kellie spent most of today just story telling.. and the class spent most of its time story telling too.. just about spring breaks and stuff. kellie was at a conference for one part of the week, and left with a very interesting sentiment after she took this quiz. here's a taster:

how is your code of ethics?

1. have you ever gone over the speed limit?
2. have you ever taken office supplies?
3. have you ever bought an outfit, worn it and returned it 2 days later?
4. have you ever fibbed on your resume or job application?
5. have you ever taken overwhelming amounts of free food?
5. did you lie on this quiz?

a shocker huh -- but it goes straight to the truth of many ethical matters. small, but mighty. on that note, did you know that 10% of mba students who applied to haas this year got their acceptances rescinded because they lied on their resume or application. this is the first year that haas decided to check out the validity of mba applications, and looky what happened... *shocking*.

[go shorty] it's your burfday! we gonna parteh like it's your burfday! happy burfday markang! hehehe =)

[oh the insanity] so here is what my brother posted recently:

I am tired. Even though I had 12 hours of sleep last night I am still tired. I think the very thought of school makes me tired. I am so tired that yesterday I packed my bag for economics, then took the elevator downstairs to go to class. When I reached the first floor, I got out of the elevator and thought, "shit, forgot my bag upstairs." So I took the elevator back upstairs. When I got out the elevator, again I cussed, this time aloud. The backpack was on my back all along. Wah lao man! "How can?" you ask. Can! I did it.

I am so tired. Very, very, tired.

hahahaha. poor dude. to add to that very candid story, i have one of my own, that so happened to occur at a similar time -- this morning, as i was getting ready to head out to class, i was peeling and cutting up an apple to pack for my healthy-snack-of-the-day. so i peeled it, packed it up in a zip lock bag, but instead of putting the apples in the zip lock bag, i put the peels in the zip lock bag. i didn't even realize this until i was walking back to my room and thought "hmm, this zip lock bag is awfully light". thank goodness i didn't chuck the apples into the bin... *pheu* this is what school drives me to. that is what school drives my brother to. i technically have no excuse. i go to cal. he does, he goes to columbia =O. "How can?" you ask. Can!

oh the insanity.

[left london] i did. and so very unwillingly. london was marvellous and i loved pretending like i lived there for 5 days. had high tea. shopped on regents street. partied in leicester square. watched the lion king. visited cambridge. rekindled old friendships and fostered new ones. it was the only trip where jetlag did me good! managed to get up at 7am, go to the gym, and zip out of the hotel by 11am for a day of fun-filled action! wooo! =) to view some fun stuff, check out pics here, and don't fret about signing up, it ain't no biggie k? go to: http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?collid=50754909205&UV=992086347835_48121229205

[coming home to madness] here is what is on di's plate: two group projects this week, one presentation this week, two homeworks this week, two homeworks next week, two midterms next week. can we say oh my

[so i apologize] that these next few weeks is going to potentially be a little humdrum since my mind will be on nothing but academics. BLAH.

[but] i'm glad to be back and have a chance to see everyone =) hallo there.