10.31.2006

a look back

I think I finished writing this when I was a third year in college. Maaan, those were the days. 2006 comments are written in bold.

101 Things That Make Life Fun
(in no particular order)

1. hot chocolate on a really cold day
2. falling snow
3. breaks in between classes - yeah...there are no long enough breaks in between work
4. talking to friends until the wee hours of the morning
5. finding a really good sale at Banana Republic
6. having no classes on Fridays
7. the fresh smell of clothes right off the dryer
8. multiple channels of HBO - we don't get hbo anymore! booooo! thank goodness for tv dvds. i still get to watch entourage.
9. getting real phone calls
10. The O.C. (Benjamin McKenzie is from UVA! yay!...but ultimately...it's all about Seth Cohen)
11. Kodak commercials - My favorite commercials now are the MasterCard ones.
12. Jason Mraz - he's still good...but i haven't been listening to him as much
13. Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream
14. the feeling you get after the last final exam
15. FRIENDS (the TV show) - there are so many more great sitcoms now that FRIENDS has been cancelled. I think these are actually better (all the hardcore friends fans are going to hate me): ENTOURAGE, THE OFFICE, FAMILY GUY (my top three sitcoms that aren't cancelled)
16. Tobey Maguire as Spiderman
17. your real friends
18. home cooking
19. Sunday Brunch - oh the dining hall!
20. Sundae Bar on Sundays - O-hill does have its great moments
21. Starbuck's Brownie Frappuccino
22. Christmas Eve...
23. Christmas Day
24. Big-screen TV
25. sharing an umbrella with someone
26. Ocean's Eleven (the 2001 version)
27. screaming your head off while watching a game
28. not having to stand in line to get food
29. cooking your own meal
30. Travis (the band) - haven't listened to travis in forever..i probably need to listen to my old cd's again
31. watching a live concert
32. visiting new places
33. the toy train that dispenses hotdogs - thanks to the guy who put up the condimentalism exhibit
34. Tim Hawkinson art exhibit
35. sleeping in on Saturday mornings
36. a fast internet connection
37. getting letters
38. The Rotunda Cam
39. Fall Break
40. Spring Break
41. Winter Break
42. Summer!
43. taping your favorite show so you can watch it over and over
44. QuizYourFriends.com
45. a professor who says "fuggly"
46. John Mayer
47. that show Trading Spaces - I don't watch this show anymore...they emphasize the drama than the design now..tsktsk
48. 80's sitcom Family Ties with Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton
50. calling someone famous
51. your handy camera...for those picture perfect moments or the not-so-perfect times
52. magic 8 ball
53. A desk at studio...hey, i get a lot - i mean a lot!- of work done there
54. my power drill...vrrrm...vrrrm (i love tools now) - i think someone took it...cry!
55. Lambeth...it's so close to the A-school - but our apartment in JPA totally kicks ass!
56. Zoolander...F-U-N-N-Y movie!!! see the website
57. Saturday Night Live
58. Not having to spend all day and all night at studio
59. When charrette is over
60. Chivalry is NOT dead....thank goodness.
61. Quote wall
62. People on your TOP 5
63. Norah Jones
64. My Christmas Survey
65. Guys who open doors for you
66. Pictures
67. IM
68. Getting gifts
69. Volunteering...seriously, it makes you feel good inside
70. Sunsets
71. BILB party! double yay with caramel popcorn!
72. mmmm...chocolate cake
73. my bernz-o-matic soldering torch
74. OYFA
75. NU107's live internet feed - now more obsessed with WNRN (c-ville's awesome college/indie station!) and virgin radio uk live feeds
76. Seth Cohen (Adam Brody in real life) of The O.C.
77. crazy random sounds
78. Syndicated versions of your favorite TV shows
79. Jack and Karen from Will & Grace
80. Free cone day at Ben and Jerry's
81. learning something new
82. turning 21
83. driving around
84. people who say funny random stuff - check out overheard in new york
85. Lord of the Rings...it kicks ass
86. The Matrix: it's just plain cool...accept it. the first one...the last two didn't live up to the hype...i don't think
87. having your own room
88. critics that care
89. doing nothing on a rainy day
90. birthdays (doesn't matter whose) - because there's always cake!
91. Monopoly...the board game
92. singing along the car radio
93. the ancient Greeks...have you read about them lately?
94. rubber ducky
95. tiny alcohol bottles, mini muffins, single-serving condiments, sample-sized soap, shampoo...small objects
96. rain drops tapping your window
97. feeling really smart when you get to answer Jeopardy questions
98. sunglasses: "'cause the sun never sets in the land of cool"
99. keeping in touch with people you know...i'm trying hard to do this
100. the beach
101. ....and lastly...whatever it is that floats your boat!

10.08.2006

are you all fastened in?



this vw jetta ad is from 2001 and in my opinion the best one that year. we were obsessed; my roommates and i even went online to look up the name of the guy in the car. (fyi: he was in that episode of friends where he was phoebe's overly sweet bf and monica's incompetent sous-chef.) oh, kevin rahm, where are you now?

get a clue

caution: major update overload. get ready for an extra long blog. get yourself something to munch on or to drink. sit on a relaxing chair. don't worry about bathroom breaks; there are intermissions.

first off - update on my volunteering gig. i really love volunteering for the national building museum in dc. i know it sounds geeky. (why do you want to work in a museum? why?!) but it's so much fun. since i'm new, i meet a couple of people every time i go in for a shift. and they're around my age, which is a little surprising. i also get 20% off everything in the museum shop which is btw one of the best giftshops ever! i already bought a keychain and a money/card holder and received tons of compliments on them. the most unexpected benefit of being a volunteer is discovering all the city has to offer. we're blocks from other museums and a block from chinatown. also i recently just found out about the "arts on foot" festival. apparently this occurs every year but since i'm rarely in the city, i was missing out on such an event. we had a table set up to promote the museum and demonstrate "building origami." after my 2-hour shift i walked around and saw a cooking demonstration from a famous restaurant in dc and got to sample a dish for free. i saw art produced by prison inmates. and i saw this: a one of a kind bag made from the hardcover of a book. of course, it and all the other "book" bags (like the harry potters, the classic nancy drews, and your college textbooks) sell for $100 apiece since they're original and hand-made - a utilitarian work of art indeed. (and still much less expensive than a prada.) i liked this one the best mainly because of the book title. i haven't read the book but putting a title like that on a handbag is nothing short of irony for me.

i'm really attracted to unique objects...cool design in general - from architecture to the kitschy stuff in your kitchen. when i get my own place, i will fill it with awesome stuff so there's so much more to talk about than what's being shown on tv.

||update on gre studying:
i promised my friend freni that i'm going to pull myself away from the tv and study more for the gre's. (i've been studying for a while now but still probably waste a lot of time watching television.) so until october 21st, tv is put on hold during weeknights. (i do still watch an hour before dinner time...just a break between work and studying.) i'm taping and/or downloading all the shows i'm watching...err..could be watching for viewing during the weekend when i'm braindead anyways. we really do need to get tivo. seriously, i really feel like i'm improving and actually getting it. i don't feel as stupid as when i started. i'll be kicking it's ass during exam day!

||ok go = ok great
speaking of kick ass. you should definitely check out ok go. feel good songs with lyrics like "sweetheart, you'll find mediocre people do exceptional things all the time." nice catchy beats. awesome dancing. yes...dancing. and yes, everyone in the band does it. just check out the video from my previous blog. also if you pass youtube on your way to or from checking your email, search for their video of their song "a million ways." trust me, it will be most amusing.

||annual company golf tourney + company picnic
so remember last year when i said that i could be good in golf if i only play it more often? uuuh...i take it back. that was beginner's luck. i did much worse this year...but i did get a back-to-back hole-in-one during the putt-putt section of the tourney. fortunately our team captain was the principal who takes time off during the work week to play golf. talk about an avid golfer. fyi: at around 4pm, two or more of the principals practice putting in the office. it's a big no-no to walk into a shot or kick the white-out bottle they use as the hole marker.

the company picnic is fun also. because of three things:
1. we played kickball. i wasn't the last one picked to be on a team. everyone from age 6 to 60+ played. there were too many people in a team. there was a flying birkenstock at one point. one team had a two year old as a sub shortstop. everyone had a different way of keeping score so in the end both teams won.
2. the food was freakin' awesome.
3. a dozen or so people threw water balloons at one of the principals (we have five btw). he did throw a revenge balloon aimed at no one in particular, but it hit his wife! the fact that this was caught on video is even more hilarious.

||let's hug it out, bitch!
ENTOURAGE = GENIUS. that's all i'm going to say.

||how to feel smart
i've been reading the new yorker fairly regularly now. i still haven't read an issue cover to cover, but everything i've read is thought-provoking and informative. i liked that article about the fields medalist grigory perelman and the world of mathematics. i also am checking out the economist. i got a free four-issue trial of the magazine. now i know that i don't know squat about current events. i like that the articles present issues, events, and commentary in a relatively succinct manner. i'm almost done with ayn rand's the fountainhead - required reading for architects. (and everyone in the design field. actually, everyone should read it.) even if it's been more than sixty years since its first publication, most of the issues and moral dilemmas faced by the characters still apply to today's society. next stop atlas shrugged and the philosophy of objectivism.

||christmas '06
yes, it will be great. i will be in manila for two weeks! i get to see family and friends i haven't seen in three years. i'll get to experience new year's with deafening fireworks again. i have so many people to see. there will be lots of pictures taken and lots of presents opened. it will definitely be a hectic, action-packed two weeks. get ready. i'll see YOU with your party shoes on. ;)

music player survey

so what happens when you put your music player in shuffle mode and then answer questions? 1. you realize you have songs downloaded that you're kind of ashamed you still have on your player (example: that first song that happened to pop up when i hit next after i turned on the shuffle mode.) and 2. you hear songs you haven't heard in a loooong time. enjoy.


What's the song and what's the 6th lyric?:
(oh for shame..haha) "ice ice baby" by vanilla ice - 8th word: "baby"
What's the song and what's it about?: "forever young" by youth group. wishful thinking? nostalgia.
What's the song and why do you like it?: "take your mama out" by scissor sisters. the beat is catchy.
#1: "there's a fire" by ok go
Who does this song remind you of?: honestly, i don't know who.
#2: "unnecessary trouble"
Who sings this song?: hard-fi
#3: "a million ways" by ok go
What word is said the most in the song?: "zero"
#4: "shut us down" by lindsey buckingham
What's the first line?: "oh you and i, we sure can dream"
#5: "head over heels" by the go-go's
What's the last line?: "looks like the whole world's out of sync"
#6: "hide and seek" by imogen heap
What song number is this on your player?: 226
#7: "cupid" by 112
What's the mood of the song?: hurt and betrayed
#8: "crash the party" by ok go (is it obvious i'm obsessed with ok go right now?)
What number is this song on the album?: 10
#9: "uki uki watching" by various superfantastic japanese artists
What instrument is most prominent?: synthesizer...and i think trumpets
#10: "hardcore days + softcore nights" by aqueduct
What language is the song in?: english
MORE RANDOM
Is your boyfriend shiny?: "still take you home" by arctic monkeys
Where's the best place on earth?: "loop + loop" by asian kung-fu generation...i guess that means a merry-go-round is the best place on earth
Do you go to church?: "decent days and nights" by the futureheads...so that means yes
What do you like to say?: "reason why" by rachel yamagata (fyi: this song is highly recommended for rainy day listening.)
WORD ASSOCIATION
Luca: "shortly before the end" by ok go...who the heck's luca?
Church: "even if" by ken hirai
Castle: "when the sun goes down" by arctic monkeys
Shiny: "around the world" by red hot chili peppers
Metal: "will i ever make it home" by ingram hill
Rome: "rewrite" by asian kung-fu generation
Steel: "cash machine" by hard-fi...oh yeah, armored car!
Music: "paper bag" by fiona apple
Friends: "your ex-lover is dead" by stars...thank goodness for friends, huh?!
Traveling: "kimi wa tomodachi" by ken hirai....it's a sign. i HAVE to go to japan.
Darkness: "love is" by vanessa williams with brian mcknight....sheeet...i still have this song in my player? haha
Swords: "the middle" by jimmy eat world...good advice: don't get in the middle of swords
ALMOST DONE...
What's your favorite song?: "heal over" by kt tunstall...according to the shuffle feature...but in reality, i can't tell you one favorite song.