[Super Duper Fantastic] ISFP/INFP. 4w5. World Explorer. Super Hero. Rose-colored Glasses.

Not too long ago [about half a month or so ago], there was an article on Forbes about cellphones and what they say about you. I have an LG Chocolate, and apparently that means I’m a hipster. HAH!

What does your cellphone say about you? Link here.

Cylon Mom: BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry Curve, Palm Centro
Fashion Cop: LG Prada, Samsung Armani, LG Venus
Ultimate Work Warrior: BlackBerry 8820, Motorola Q, Samsung BlackJack II, Samsung Ace, Palm Treo
Game Boy: Nokia N95, Sony Ericsson W910i, LG Voyager, T-Mobile Sidekick, Apple iPhone
The Kustomizer: Motorola Razr V3, Sanyo Katana
Toob Boob: Helio Ocean, LG Vu, Samsung Access, Samsung u620, Motorizr Z6tv
Hipster: Sony Ericsson Walkman w580i, Apple iPhone, Samsung Juke, LG Chocolate
Mountain Dude: Casio/UTStarcom GzOne, Motorazr V950, Sanyo Pro700, Sanyo Pro200
Cheap Date: Samsung M300, Samsung Dial
Trustfund Techie: HTC Touch, Bang & Olufsen/Samsung Serene Mobile, Apple iPhone, LG Shine
Hearty Partier: Samsung Flipshot, Nokia N95
Teen Texter: T-Mobile Sidekick LX, LG enV, LG Rumor

First, there was the tapioca ["boba"] craze. Then, there was the cupcake craze [still a craze as I'm planning on attending a cupcake-eating event this weekend].

Now, there’s the frozen yogurt ["froyo"] craze, specifically that of the tart variety. I’m still not sure I understand it at all, but I broke the seal and tried one of these froyo places today. Yogen Fruz, a franchise that started up in Canada in 1986, has finally opened up shop in California. The San Francisco location is its first on the West Coast, second to open in the U.S. after Chicago, which only opened up three weeks prior. Absolutely LOVE their logo [see above!]. It makes me smile.

I was basically the first in line. Their grand opening was at 10am, and I was there 1.25 hours early. I wasn’t there alone, of course, and actually the main reason I got there so early was because someone else said she’d be there early on. I was finished with my orthodontist appointment early, so I went right over. About 45 minutes before 10am, the owner came out to talk to us. He even let us into the store and showed us around, giving us a background of the franchise. He was friendly and answered the questions we had regarding the product itself.

I ordered the soft serve with raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry toppings [see above!]. Fresh fruit! On the plus side, the froyo was neither too tart nor too sweet for my tastes. Maybe I’ll jump on that froyo bandwagon now…

Last night, I attended WordPress’ 5th Birthday Party. Of course, I was as socially awkward as ever. How awkward? So much so that part of my conversation with someone I’d just met was regarding that very fact. Ugh, lame, right?! Thankfully, I wasn’t there alone. There were some familiar faces, just a few people who know that when I’m in my own element, I’m not all that bad.

So two new websites to check out: Reschool Yourself and AirBed and Breakfast.

Reschool Yourself: Melia of Spark [the non-profit organization, not the networking site] is taking a one-year sabbatical to revisit her schools [from elementary school onward] to understand how her experiences in school shaped her identity so that she can reshape her way of thinking and doing. She will also learn the things she’s always wanted to learn. It reminds me of the 101 in 1001 Project, only in a fewer number of days and with a more precise focus. I stopped tackling that project a few years ago, but perhaps it’s time to hop on that wagon again.

AirBed and Breakfast: Essentially, it’s a site to find a place to stay or to offer a room. Hosts and travelers put up profiles. Similar to the idea of Couchsurfing [perhaps one notch above it], it’s about staying with a local while traveling, rather than in a hotel. What differs is that money is involved. Hosts decide how much to charge, and travelers pick a room based on the hosts’ profiles, the description of accommodations, and the price. I’d probably use the site if/when I travel next. Finding a host on Couchsurfing can be tedious, and this just sounds a little bit more reliable.

My world seems to be shrinking. Everyone knows everyone else. As it turns out, Melia is a co-worker of a gal I’m acquainted with, and one of the founders of AirBed and Breakfast appears to be a friend of someone else I’ve met in the past year.

That’s pretty fantastic.

Photo taken on the rooftop where we played beer pong.

It’s my last night in Los Angeles. The last few days have been a much needed vacation from everything back home. I basically didn’t do much more than study during the day and then catch up with friends at night. It was awesome. Finally partook in one of Brian’s beer pong tournaments. He has them every year, and every year, I’ve missed them. It was a good time, just hanging out.

During study breaks, I have been playing with the Wii Fit and Professor Layton and the Curious Village on the DS Lite. Those are absolutely addicting, and I am very glad I do not have the games at home. And thankfully they are not big enough of a distraction to keep me from studying.

Tomorrow, I hop on the plane back. I’m going to miss this. This being the friends, the neat apartment [it's pretty freakin' awesome], and the video game study breaks. I also managed to finally take pictures. Hooray!

Wow. Just wow. In one day, I find out that two people [+ their spouses] from school [one high school, one college] are becoming parents! It’s pretty crazy, and at times, I feel left behind in the dust. At the same time, I know that I’m where I need to be. There isn’t room in my life for anything like that, at least not for the time being. I’m happy for them, but wow.

Spent the morning and afternoon studying. Alex and Jen were out with Alex’s parents again. For dinner, I drove up to the Valley to catch up with Jeshii. We wanted to try this vegan Vietnamese place, but it was closed by the time I got there. Oops. Instead, we ended up getting Mexican food. I, of course, am totally messing up my “no dairy” diet. Frustrating, but I am definitely more conscious of it now. I DO eat a lot of cheese when I eat out because it makes everything taste better. Now I realize that. After catching up over dinner, we headed over to a friend’s “girlfriend’s” graduation party. Nothing too eventful, and so I headed back to Hollywood after a couple hours.

The funny part was that when I learned of the high school friend’s pregnancy, I totally thought in the back of my mind about the college friend. He’s the only one of my immediate circle back in college that got married, so when he asked me if I wanted to hear the news, I was not surprised one bit. It’s weird how that works out.

Yes, that’s a photo of meat on clothes pins.

• awake! #
• Son of Rambow looks HILARIOUS. Who wants to watch it when I get back from LA? :) #
• study study study. :) wish i was even more productive than this. #

As planned, I have been studying for the exam while staying with Jen and Alex in Los Angeles. Their apartment is actually VERY suitable for studying – quiet [when the people upstairs aren't jumping up and down, screaming at the top of their lungs], well-lit, spacious [I can spread my books all over]. There’s no need to fight for a table at the Borders downstairs or endure the loud music at the cafe downstairs. Meanwhile, I am also catching up with people on the side.

Aein picked me up from the airport on Thursday and basically drove me all over the place. We had breakfast along the way, and we hung out/studied at the apartment for a few hours. A few hours after she left, Jen came back to the apartment, and since she was lending me her car during my stay [she takes the Metro to work], I dropped her off at dinner with Alex’s parents. They’re in town while I’m here, so Jen and Alex are hanging out with them. It’s actually perfect because then I can just study, study, study! PLUS, they won’t get sick as quickly over seeing me for six days straight. Hah! Had dinner with L after dropping Jen off and returned to the apartment around the same time that Jen and Alex did. We played with the Wii Fit for the rest of the night. That Wii Fit is quite the workout.

Ann just left her job at the House of Blues. Yesterday [Friday] was her last day, so I attended her going away party. Met her crazy former co-workers, and wished that I was actually close to any of mine. I mean, seriously. I spend so many hours at work… After her little happy hour, I met her boyfriend, Nader, and we all had dinner at Dar Maghreb [Moroccan food]. It was definitely more of a place that you pay for the ambiance and experience rather than the food.

When Jen and Alex came back to the apartment, we watched WristCutters: A Love Story. I loved it. I suppose I have that odd sort of humor.

Even though I brought my camera down here, I haven’t taken any photos yet. Sad. Plus, the weather’s been all sorts of crappy.

Even if you’re not sick, you need some medicine. What kind of medicine? The kind that can transform what’s pretty good about your life into something that’s really great; the kind that will super-animate your merely average efforts and blast you free of any lackadaisical attitudes you’ve come to accept as reasonable. This medicine won’t come in the form of a pill or a potion, but rather will be produced by your own body if and when you slip away from your comfort zone and go out to play in the frontier. Be your own doctor, Libra. Break your own trance. Crack your own code. Escape your own mind games.

That IS my problem. I’ve come to accept a lot of things. Rob Brezny is always around to remind me.

I look absolutely ridiculous on my way to work these days. I have waaay too many things to carry. Taking public transportation does not help. So this morning, I tried to consolidate and put everything into a rolling piece of luggage. It’s quite funny to see the reaction of people when I pull out three or four full binders out of the bag. To the unsuspecting, I might appear to be a consultant-on-the-go. But to those who know, I’m just another little worker bee. Can’t get anyone to help me out, so I have to lug around these wonderful binders.

I really need to look into getting some nicer looking laptop bag that can hold more than just a laptop, while remaining stylish and not so bulky… Good luck, right?

Luckily, I was able to wrap up a lot today. I can focus my energy towards studying in the next week and a half. I scheduled my exam for Friday. It took a lot of talking to oneself to convince myself not to push the exam back until July. I need to get this done NOW. By July, I will have another to worry about.

Saturday, we went to a BBQ at Neil’s house since his roommate was out of town. It was a nice laid-back way to spend an afternoon/evening. His den has a somewhat low ceiling, so we got a kick out of taking some “hand-stand” pictures. Haha. Neil wishes there were a blank wall behind us for these pictures, but alas. My sister is a crack-up. She’s drinking in the last one.