MJ Experience

So, for the weekend we went down to L.A. for a little family get together. Today, my cousins and I went out to Rodeo Drive to walk and look, of course. Anyway, we left and went down Sunset Boulevard to sightsee the big, fancy houses. As we were driving, we saw some people gathering around and the street blocked off, then on the street corner were signs and flowers...of course! it was for Michael Jackson! So we followed the signs for "Star Maps" so that we could park. We got out and joined the people. There was a good number of people but not too much. As my cousins were taking pictures, out comes a car. A big gray Bentley, then a rush of people and paparazzi. It was insane. You could hear the, "Who was that?" "Who is it?" Then you hear, "LaToya, LaToya!" There was LaToya Jackson driving out from the house with the police trying to get her through. It was just a totally weird experience. I had to just stand back and see everyone rush the car, trying to get a picture, to get a look, to get something. And as she drove away, you could hear a shriek coming from a car that was just driving through on Sunset Boulevard, "Oh my god, it's Janet!!!" It was funny and sad at the same time.

Definitely, rest in peace to Michael and condolences to his family, friends and fans all over the world. He went through so much in his life, but no matter what you think of him, he was a music legend. His early work was just incredible. I loved Off the Wall and Thriller. He was a great performer. Of course, he will be missed.

100 Things, Part IV

And now I give to you the final installment of my 100 Things...

76. I can honestly wait patiently for anything. As long as I have my music and notebook, I can wait.

77. I can't leave home without my notebook and pen.

78. I like to people watch.

79. I enjoy watching the Bravo Network.

80. I like learning about different worldly religions. I even have a Koran in my bookcase.

81. Sometimes I write in the middle of the night in my bed with a flashlight.

82. I love the idea of tradition.

83. I won't let Supercuts come anywhere near my head.

84. I really enjoy polishing my shoes.

85. I have a major crush on Mariah Carey. I've got a wall full of Mariah magazine covers on my wall.

86. I have a weird love for corned beef. I love cooking corned beef omelettes, corned beef fried rice, corned beef with cheese on top...

87. I enjoy creating ambigrams. It's tough but the end product usually looks awesome!

88. I am a California boy. Northern Cali or SoCal, I can live anywhere up and down the state.

89. I found that I'm not a big fan of movies based on great books.

90. I don't drink coffee. I do like drinking tea.

91. I enjoy doing logic problems.

92. I enjoy playing Texas Hold 'Em poker. My friends and I have been known to play until 5 in the morning.

93. I'm not a fan of local news.

94. I enjoy organized chaos.

95. I really enjoy watching golf and tennis on television, especially the major championships.

96. I like the number 96.

97. I enjoy reading about other people's philosophies.

98. I consider myself a morning person.

99. I've recently started to train for a marathon...so much fun!

100. I don't really like talking about myself...

Part I, Part II, Part III

First Track Workout = Ass Kicker

Okay, I was a little bit sore yesterday, so I wasn't able to blog about this but on Tuesday, I went to my first track workout for my marathon. It was a very good, crazy, intense, insane workout. After a 12 minute warm-up jog, which I wasn't prepared for, we did core exercises inbetween one lap around the track. And after 40 minutes of that, I was exhausted! Anyway, my workouts have been tough but been going great!

NBA Champs!!!

I am super psyched that on Sunday night, my L.A. Lakers have won their 15th NBA Championship and are the 2009 World Champions! Needless to say, I have been in a very good mood. The Lakers beat the Magic 4-1. They were dominant the last two games and played like the team they were supposed to be. The played like the best team in the league right now! They have two key free agents, Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza, to sign during the summer. And if they do, they will be a dominant team for many years to come! I am super excited for the parade tomorrow! Go Lakers!

100 Things, Part III

My continuation of 100 things...

51. Rick James and Teena Marie's "Fire and Ice" is my favorite karaoke song. But that doesn't mean I do karaoke...or does it? :)

52. I can fold my tongue in half.

53. Both of my thumbs are double-jointed. Yes, I'm a freak! ha!

54. I have dislocated my right shoulder twice. Both times playing basketball.

55. "Breakin'" was my favorite movie when I was a kid.

56. I was a break-dancer for Halloween when I was in kindergarten.

57. I love singing Biz Markie's "Just A Friend" outloud in my car with or without friends.

58. I prefer hard alcohol to beer.

59. I'm an R&B dude.

60. I'd say my style is a mix of Jamie Foxx and Justin Timberlake.

61. I love the color blue, in any shade.

62. I enjoy watching movies that I've seen before. The idea of familiarity is comforting.

63. I love cold pizza.

64. I don't like to brag, but I have great handwriting.

65. I am a new lover of sushi.

66. I had motion sickness when I was a kid. It kicks in when a crazy driver is behind the wheel.

67. I would throw-up every first day of school.

68. I have learned to love to run. I'm starting to train for a marathon thanks to motivation from a Playboy model.

69. When my hair grows out, it becomes curly.

70. If I wasn't a graphic designer, I would probably be a psychologist.

71. I was born and raised in San Jose, CA.

72. I dislike ignorance.

73. I enjoy a quiet Saturday morning, eating a breakfast bagel sandwich at a sidewalk café.

74. I love writing lists.

75. I've been enamored by only 3 girls, been sprung by countless.

Part I, Part II

Sacrifices

Today's blog was supposed to be about my first track training for my marathon but unfortunately I decided to stay home and watch game 3 of the NBA Finals. That was definitely a double whammy because I missed a good core workout and my Lakers lost. But I did get a bit of a workout painting my mom's guest bedroom. It was a bit tough but the room is starting to look better. Anyway, once in a while you have to sacrifice things for the better or worse or neither.

Training, Day 1

Yesterday, I had my first official training day for my first marathon with Team-In-Training. We ran early in the morning, at about 8, down in the Los Gatos Creek Trail. A very beautiful place to run, with lots of other people on the trail. I ran-walked about four miles. That's the usual mileage that I go but I was very proud of myself that I ran more than I had walked than I ever had before. I did start out a bit faster than I should have but it wasn't too bad. It will definitely get better! More hard work to come!

Please don't forget to visit my Team-In-Training fundraising page to the right and donate what you can! Right now, I'm planning to run a marathon in Hawaii and I can't do it without your help! And don't forget that you're doing it for a great cause, helping to wipe out blood cancers! Thanks so much!

Quote of the Week

You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose. –Abraham Lincoln

100 Things, Part II

here comes Part II for you...

26. I am a lover of culture. Culture shapes how you live your life.

27. I am 100% filipino.

28. Eclectic is one of my favorite words.

29. Phenomenology, which is the process of letting things manifest themselves, is another favorite word. Shepard Fairey is awesome!

30. I am a design freak.

31. I am a perfectionist.

32. I am a procrastinator. I hate it but I can't help it...okay, okay, I can, but I'll do it later.

33. I like things to be done correctly or not at all. So sometimes that means some projects never get finished.

34. I believe that perfect practice makes perfect.

35. Danica McKellar aka Winnie Cooper was a childhood crush.

36. Uniqueness is very sexy to me.

37. I believe in having your own personal style.

38. I believe that everything's already been done, you just have to put your own spin to it.

39. I am a world-traveller that has barely left the state of California.

40. I enjoy the Planet Green network.

41. Mixed-martial arts has taken boxing's spot on my list.

42. I love taking notes.

43. I love string cheese and turkey jerky, although not necessarily together at the same time.

44. I am a dog lover but don't have a dog.

45. Alberto Vargas is my favorite pin-up artist ever.

46. I love boiled chicken.

47. I love to cook and eat spaghetti.

48. I am starting to love to cook.

49. I can cook hamburgers from scratch.

50. I love to drive around the city.

Part I

Most Valuable Puppets - Kobe v. Lebron

Well, tonight is game 1 of the NBA Finals and the NBA as well as everyone else's dream of a Kobe-LeBron matchup went down the drain. I wanted to share these hilarious commercials of Kobe and LeBron as puppets. We won't see them on the court but it's still funny. Oh, I do love that marketing! Haha!

7th Floor West

As long as I'm on this late night talk show thing, if any of you all watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, then you definitely know about 7th Floor West. If you don't, think a funnier version of The Hills. This is absolutely the greatest thing on late night TV! I thought that I would share the latest episode...

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Last night was the long-awaited debut of Conan O'Brien as the new host of The Tonight Show after taking over for Jay Leno. Conan definitely didn't disappoint. He had a long jog from NYC after forgetting to move to L.A., a returning Andy Richter, first guest Will Ferrell and musical guest Pearl Jam, Max Weinberg and the Tonight Show band, as well as his hilarious bits. Conan is gonna have a field day with all that he could possibly do on the Universal Studios lot.

Some may like his humor or some may find it annoying, but I think that Conan is hilarious. It was about a little more than a year ago that Conan took the Late Night show out here to San Francisco. I was so excited that I signed up for tickets and was all set to go on the Thursday show of that week. However, I wasn't able to go because on the Tuesday of that week, my grandfather had died. But I do thank Conan for helping me in a little way to get through that tough week for me and my family. It was great to have that hour to get away and laugh. I'll always be a fan!

2009 NBA Finals

Alrighty, so the 2009 NBA Finals are set, we have the Orlando Magic, who surprisingly took care of the Cleveland Cavs in six games, versus (my beloved) Los Angeles Lakers, who beat the Denver Nuggets in six.

Now, I'm gonna look at this series with a bit of a biased slant to it. The Orlando Magic did sweep the season series against the Lakers during the regular season but that really doesn't mean much now. When it comes down to it, the Lakers' experience will pull them over the edge. The sized and strength of Dwight Howard will take its toll on the Laker big men, but the Laker front court can hold their own. They are much more athletic than the Cavs' big men.

Another problem the Magic can cause against the Lakers are their outside shooting from Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. The Lakers match up better than the Cavs did, who left me confused from their own matchups against the Magic. They surely can get hot but can they stay hot the entire series to beat the Lakers four times? I'm not sure about that.

Anyway, I think this will be a very exciting, competitive Finals. I know the whole world was waiting for LeBron v. Kobe...But I've been thinking, if LeBron carried the Cavs into the Finals all by himself, would he have enough to make it a competitive series against Kobe and the Lakers? We will never know! My prediction...Lakers in 6!