Inner peace at Aliante to close out 2006

49 minutes till a New Year starts, and I am already spent as I begin writing this entry. I used to like being on the Strip to see the fireworks, but now that I have residency in North Las Vegas, I don’t feel like being on the Strip again because I feel like a tourist. I feel like I’m not seeing Las Vegas the way I want to see it: an ordinary American city that accommodates to everyone and anyone.

North Las Vegas was the answer to finding a suitable house for us to move to. Last year, when we filed escrow for it, the realtor told us that we are in a great neighborhood. Aliante, a planned residential community, is an elite, rich, luxurious place to visit, shop, enjoy entertainment…and we were just right next door! When he told me about this, I was grinning. But then, we had to leave the Valley. I had my Fall semester classes to take care of at Long Beach State, my mom had her preschool classes to teach, my dad and sister had to take care of patients at their respective hospitals.

The New Year’s Eve weekend was the first time we could settle in our new home, if only for a few days. As I walked inside and set my room up, I had a wide smile. No more hotel reservations. No more need to reserve a room on the Strip months in advance. We just had to drive down I-15 a few minutes to get to the destinations. I was enjoying myself.

But then, bad news happened. One of my mom’s friends who is also a surrogate aunt to me, was on the verge of dying from cancer. It had metastasized so badly that she was terminally ill. I was stunned. She was 65, and she was terminally ill. My mood became silent as I went through my rounds on the slots. I lost focus, and just a few hours ago, I broke down as we went back home to our house. The cold reality set in. 65 years old. I was anguished by the fact. She’s not technically a member of our family, but given her close ties with my mom, she might as well be. I hoped that she would be able to be alive enough to at least see 2007 begin, but my mom told me that she will be able to see it. She would just be bed-ridden.

Even so, I was anguished, and wanted to find a way to come to terms with it, and accept it. So, knowing that my family and I would leave for Long Beach early New Year’s Day, I took a walk up the street to Aliante. There was a park there where I could do some reflection and be at peace.

It wasn’t an easy walk. The path up was not finished yet, so my shoes had to trudge through dirt, a stone walkway, more dirt, and an unfinished crosswalk. This was nothing new; I knew North Las Vegas was still growing, and so it was. At last, I saw the entrance, with the community’s official logo: the silhouettes of two birds flying, combined with the letters enhanced by floodlights: ALIANTE.

I passed by houses, more houses, up and down winding paths. A young resident took a smoke as he cleaned his large SUV. But I was alone, by myself. The police weren’t there. Aliante, from what I know, didn’t have any intruders invade their property. But, knowing their status being residents of this community was a privileged one, I walked by, looking at the houses, eating some popcorn along the way.

Finally, I saw the park. Nature Discovery Park was a small park and activity center at the corner of Aliante Parkway and Deer Valley Road. Just across the street were shops and places to eat. The park had tennis courts, basketball courts, and courts where the young and young at heart would play shuffleboard. The park was sometime reserved for parties, weddings, and other socials. But no one was using it. Heck, they wouldn’t dare do it at this time of the night! Many of them were at home: they were either sleeping, surfing the Net, or watching the news or the New Year passing through other parts of the world. By now, most of the world had seen it pass through. The West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii and Samoa were yet to see it.

I found a gazebo, well lighted, near a senior community center, in the park. I sat down, ate morsels of the Orville Redenbacher Kettle Corn I popped earlier in the morning, inhaled the clean, crisp Nevada winter air, devoid of the pollutants of cigarette smoke that swirled all over the casinos and hotels in Las Vegas and the Cannery (North Las Vegas’ hotel and casino). And I reflected on the good things and bad things that went wrong, and I realized that when my time comes, will I be ready? And what if my dad’s time comes, or my mom’s or my sister’s? Will I be ready when that happens?

I knew that there was no way my aunt would be denied her opportunity to see the new year before she let go. Confident, refreshed, and with a smile on my face, I walked back home.

I passed by a couple of residents, saying, “Good evening. Happy New Year.” They said in unison, “Happy New Year to you too.” These residents have class.

It’s now 20 minutes to the New Year as I finish up this blog entry. As I went down, I could see the Strip and Downtown, and I know that I will be able to see the fireworks from out there. I can’t wait.

This being the last entry of 2006, I wish a Happy and Prosperous New Year to all of you.

Video of Saddam Hussein being executed

Originally posted as a link on the Something Awful forums, I saved and uploaded it to google video before the it died.

Saddam Hussein...is dead.

And so, 2007 will open with another less tyrant to worry about.

Viva North Las Vegas!

I can now use my laptop for the Internet. I'm posting here from North Las Vegas, and in the words of James Brown, "I feel good!" I’m watching the archived 2006 Hawaii Bowl downloaded via torrent from my iPod, which is charging as we speak (with my SLVR L7 and my Love Generation, my laptop), and things are looking up.

I found out that I got a C in FIN 300. I got the bare minimum. I know that I will get at least a B in ECON 333, but if I did well enough on the final to get an A, it’s gonna be a 3.0 average for Fall, because the A and C cancel each other out. Fine by me, as long as I get that core stuff out of the way, because an Info Systems-heavy Spring with BeachSort, Anime Club, and Rugby on the side, as well as Super Fan duty (at games and with the Union), topped with a shot at selling my talents at the Job Fairs, are on tap when 2007 begins.

For the meantime, I’m gonna soak enjoying life as a Nevada citizen, and get to know my second city a bit more. Viva North Las Vegas!

Weird dream, but a colorful one.

This was one of the few dreams I can remember in full.

The dream started with the Moon Angel Troupe going on another of their missions, Milfeulle was hanging on to a ladder connected to a truck that Vanilla was driving. The truck was passing through a boggy swamp that was 6 foot deep of mud and water. She almost lost her grip, but when they got to the other side, the ladder lowered so Milfie could land.

So the team went to this house that had another of the lost technology tidbits they were looking for. Forte, Ranpha, and Mint were searching one room, Vanilla (with Normad) in another, and Milfeulle was looking in one room, where she stumbled on a large pink, cute, bag. Hey eyes were turning to stars, and she was madly blushing, because it was the cutest, most gorgeous looking bag she had ever seen. So, Milfeulle was about to touch it, when…the bag swallowed her whole! Save for a flower from her headband that the bag spitted out.

The bag had grown eyes and a face. Indeed, Milfeulle (as the bag) was pouting, saying, “Nande~~~!? Why the heck am I inside this bag?” So she opened herself to find some appendages. She used a scissor and pliers for arms, and two scalpers for legs.

Soon afterward, the bag swallowed everyone else, and it turned into Ranpha wearing a gorgeous, long-flowing yellow dress, and she was wearing high-end lipstick. She was about to be engaged to this hot guy that the was talking to-her “dream guy”-but the lost technology was about 6to be destroyed, so she kissed the guy and whispered as tears flowed from her eyes, “I’m sorry.” She vroomed like an engine, spat out a little bit of blood that turned into a shadow impression of Ranpha dancing in her dress, with a ribbon underneath, and blasted off, going through the guy and killing him in the process, and blasted through the roof off the house.

From there, Ranpha exploded, turning into her and the other angels flying their respective frames, and the ending credit of that scene was the original Galaxy Angel game logo, with the Moon Angels’ emblem, accompanied by the anime series’ typical fanfare music.

In this dream, I watched all of A, AA< st="on">Vatican, on Via Fiorentina, whatever that was. But GA in the Vatican? Unbelievable.

The final part of my dream was that me and the other members of my fraternity were climbing up and down this large jungle gym. One part of the course had me go through a hole, crawl through a gauntlet, and go out the other hole. Unfortunately, I couldn’t squeeze through the hole (due to my large size, perhaps), so I went out a bigger hole to the side. The others were laughing. At the end of the course, we tied pink paper ribbons, each ribbons with our favorite maxim, on to end of the jungle gym. A large number of pledges were waiting for their first event on their road to being new members. We would lead the way.

And thus ended my dream.

Props to the local boys from Hawaii

Let me give my Christmas shoutout to the people of Hawaii.

First off, I want to extend my congratulations to the University of Hawaii football team for bouncing back to win the 2006 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl over Arizona State. That was a sensational performance and this puts the 2006 team as the best since 92. Hawaii, you bloody beauty!

Secondly, June Jones. I have placed you at the top of my favorite football coaches at the college level. Now you are one of the greats. You are now the winningest head football coach in Hawaii in the modern era, passing Dick Tomey, whose Spartans won last night, by the way. Let's see if you can solve the mystery against Boise next year.

Finally, Colt Brennan. Man oh man. Words can't describe how important you are not only to Manoa, but to the state of Hawai'i. You decided to change your life the day Coach Jones opened the door for you, and you took advantage of it. Where you go from here is up to you, but I advise you: make the right decision that you will be happy with in the long run. And also, you have made the Mission Football Conference, and especially Mark McElroy and the Gauchos of Saddleback College, very proud to have seen an alumnus break Klingler's record.

And to the staff of the Honolulu Advertiser, the Star-Bulletin, KKEA 1420 AM, and everyone who follows the Warrior football team, you are the best. Keep it up, and keep believing. Enjoy the holiday, enjoy life, and let's do it all over again next year.GO WARRIORS! Aloha to you all.

One good shot leads to another!

There’s this song by the Fixx called “One Thing Leads to Another.” It’s a great tune, and it’s one of the few songs from the band I actually like.

But let me cut to the chase. If you were here in the Spring 2006 semester (yes, the Spring before this one), you will have been familiar with a guy by the name of Aaron Nixon. Combined with Kejuan Johnson, they are touted as “The Next Big Thing.” Well, if you saw the Big West Semifinal against a group of players from that shithole known as UC Irvine, Nixon made the game-winning shot that sent the Beach Nation into frenzy, the likes which I want to be accustomed to every fucking day.

Well, Déjà vu can be an angel. And it came on the night of December 22, 2006 against Loyola Marymount at Gersten Pavillion. 1.8 seconds left in the game. Kevin Houston lobs a pass from mid-court over to a certain guy wearing number 55, who drains in a three-pointer from 35 feet outthat sends the visitors into orgasmic heaven and the home fans into celibate, Scrooge-like [sic] impotency.

And you know who was wearing the number 55? Yes, you probably know now. It was none other than Aaron Nixon. The guy made the zots orz, and now he made the Lions orz. By the way, in this paragraph, orz means “fall to their knees and bed over in failure.” It’s a Densha Otoko thing.

But anyway, I thought that this was going to be one of those typical collapses, but instead, the Fixx came to town and said, “One Good Shot Leads to Another.” Aaron Nixon, you bloody beauty. For once, there was a glimmer of hope for Larry Reynolds after all.

(And I got another song to put to my iPod, the SUV of media players…)

Coincidentally, or even apocryphally, the title of the album that includes the song in question is called, “Reach the Beach.”

Super Fan comic by J.R.: Volume 1

I open my comic strip side with this piece.
I will never forget my club's URL again.

World, ease your mind and Kananize!

My mind's been eased with reading Galaxy Angel. And that, I think, is the power of seeing the art of the greats in shoujo manga. From Miho Obana, to Arina Tanemura, to Naoko Takeuchi, to Kanan and between, the best mangaka create characters that are immortal in appearance, memory, and character. It's those characters, and their development into something special that make them unique.

Kanan's rendition of Galaxy Angel (which is different from the Galaxy Angel anime for a few obvious reasons: continuity, character development, and the type of storyline that mixes comedy with drama, romance, and great art) is no exception to this rule. I have all volumes of Galaxy Angel 3rd (or Galaxy Angel II) to date, as well as all 5 volumes of the first arc so far, and I love how she molds the hooks with the uniqueness of the characters. The scenes with little of text are the best parts of the chapters for a number of reasons (mostly, having to do with graphic design ideas for your sites), and after my iPod charges up (it died just a few hours ago; I had to get over to campus to charge my iPod, iMilfeulle, up), it's off to a few more rounds of scanning before stuffing up at Round Table.

Wings are the type of attribute that I have embraced to most of my recent drawings. I like how Kanan draws the wings on Milfeulle. I gotta try doing some tone one of these days; she's a cut above a number of other mangaka, but in the league of Arina, Naoko, you know, the Bishoujo Mangaka Masters...If the plotline in the manga follwed in the anime, I know that GA as an anime would have been in the top 30, instead of the middle of the top 100 list by Anime News Network. Maybe top 20, even.

And that's why Sailor Moon, even though it's seen by people in North America as a mere stepping stone for those who were first exposed to anime and manga in the 1990's, is in the Top 30. It doesn't have the strongest following, after ending its run nearly a decade ago, but the impact it had in blazing a trail for the bishoujo plotline (led by a certain pigtail-and-bun immortal in a fuku and her company of soldiers doubling as a princess of the past and queen of the future) makes it a memorable one.

If only Galaxy Angel's anime plotline followed this, using what Kanan came up. At least my mind is still at ease before Big Thursday comes rolling in less than, I don't know, 40 hours.

Buy backs are love.

I am so glad I was able to buy back my Management textbook. I got enough money to buy a new set of headphones that replaced the worn-out ones I had for my current iPod, which I call iMilfeulle. (I call my SLVR with iTunes iApricot, and my current USB iNano-Nano, all Galaxy Angel characters.)This new set of headphones is from this company called Skullcandy, and it's called GIs. This headphone set was designed for those who want the best out of their headphones. It's much better, and more stylish and versatile, than the other ones I currently have. It's cooler than those earbuds, and easier on my ears.You can see these headphones, plus the many other Skullcandy logo stickers I posted around the Beach, on my updated gallery at SeiyaUsagi.net

(Note: you may have to register to view it.)

What I want for Christmas

I have a list of what I want for Christmas 2006. Here is a partial (but not complete) version of the list.

Nutella
All the Galaxy Angel manga volumes available
More pictures of Milfeulle Sakuraba's younger sister Apricot-she's a study in drawing the moe aesthetic!
A PS3. For obvious reasons
A power-conserving mp3 player, the iPod is like an SUV
Jackpots at the slots in Vegas
Taking a break at my other house in North Las Vegas
Prepare for 2007 the right way

More to come...

Finals on the way...

Hmmm, let's see, now...I've already come up with a list of what I want for Christmas. It's not much, but then again...it is much. I'm posting on an empty stomach, my face burning from breathing on the Horn Center sofas while sleeping, and feeling rather miserable (for now), because I haven't gotten my Spring tuition paid yet.

For starters, I want to ace all my Finals. At least this will put me in a position to have an A and 3 B's for the semester. I was so thrilled to have another score of 90 or more on my recent Econ exam. I feel awesome when I receive a score like that because it shows that things have turned around for me.

I don't want to sit on my laurels too early, because those Finals will be what I'll have to focus.

There's more stuff I want for Christmas. See my next entry.

So this is why the suicide rates are through the roof...

Oh man, am I such a sour mood today. I’m not even in a mood to type on this blog, but I am.

After receiving another gut-cringing exam score, (18/30, FIN 300), I am hoping that my professor can adjust it to give me a better shot at passing the class with a “C.” There is nothing worse I hate that having to drop two classes after getting scores that made this class look like a waste of money. I told this to my instructor that I want to pass the class. He told me, “Getting a C in this class should be very easy.”

That is a load of bull. I don’t believe in such horseshit if I receive scores like this. When these scores add up, it adds that much stress because the chances of failing the class increase drastically. I can only hope that my instructor decides to go ahead and do this. I don’t like finishing this class with a “D,” a “W”, or god forbid, an “F.”

I went to class still feeling miserable after seeing this news. I lost focus, wasn’t interested in learning Chapter 14 in HRM 360, and what’s even more fucked up is that I have an ECON 333 exam today! This is bad timing times infinity because I have to talk to my Finance instructor about this after my second ECON 333 midterm.

I’m going to look into taking FIN 300 again later this year with an instructor that can actually give me a shot at passing this class, and whose exams are open-book. I have too much on my plate.

Somehow I don't think there's a rock big enough for Reynolds to hide under. I hope I'm not the only one who has lost faith in our coach. This isn't like the JCs, where you're not as much a liability, especially if you can be on tenure. And this isn't the DII level either.

With losses like the one our guys faced tonight, the calls for his dismissal keep growing to the fact that it was a bad decision to have him finish it out, but can you blame Vic Cegles?

God. I leave it to you to figure that out.

What am I thankful for? Hmmmm...

You know, there are so many things I can be thankful for. I'm going to have to put a list. Let's see, I'm thankful for...

• Being alive
• My family still being alive
• Hawaii football winning again
• Money
• Cal State Long Beach
• Nutella
• Anime
• Manga
• The moe aesthetic
• Rugby
• American Football
• Soccer
• Borat
• Lance Armstrong
• Life-size pillows
• Blogger
• Myspace
• Tagworld
• Long Beach State Athletics
• People viewing this blog
• YouTube
• Education
• The Walter Pyramid
• Fog during important night football games
• orz
  
• Water bottles
• Vault Soda
• Women with great bodies
• The power to copulate
• Galaxy Angel
• Haruhi Suzumiya
• Anime Expo
• Densha Otoko
• Imageboards
• 2channel, 4chan, and WAKAchan
  
• Democrats winning the House and Senate
• Saddam Hussein getting the death penalty
  
• A day in which we can be thankful for something good.

That's about it for now. Happy Thanksgiving!

2006: a year of mourning

They say that death is another part of life. When it is your time to pass away, you will do so. There have been so many famous people who died this year. I can name hundreds of people I knew one way or another who died this year. My friend Milly Andriole, who I used to read from scripture with at my local church. Jack Palance, who I knew for his aftershave commercial. Corretta Scott King. Kirby Puckett. Bobby Hatfield, one half of the Righteous Brothers. Billy Preston. Aaron Spelling. Susan butcher. Maynard Ferguson. The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. Red Auerbach. Ed Bradley. Gerald Levert. Bo Schembechler, who died this morning, the even of the Michigan-Ohio State game. And countless of young men and women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I wonder, as I type on this blog, "When will I be next? When will it be my turn to leave this world? Am I ready? Do I deserve to die right now, when I feel I have at least 50 years left on my contract with life?"

Those who are still living today must appreciate life. You never know when that day comes when it is taken from you. If it will be my time, it should be when I have found happiness. But I don't want that to happen yet. Not yet. Not yet...

Is FireLarryReynolds.com up yet?

Oh. Fucking. No.

To lose to a bunch of gooney birds from Colorado Springs who will all die in Iraq anyway within the next two to three years (good riddance for taking part in a meaningless cause after being fed on taxpayer money, losers) has to be frustrating. Not just for me, and the students who couldn't be in Palo Alto, but for the bunch of inept beefcakes that is the Long Beach State 49er Men's Basketball team. And the reason? It's simple. They beat themselves. Poor shooting. Getting in the team penalty too early in the second half. Poor ball handling, bad fouls...but mostly inept shooting that would leave even the Anaheim Arsenal's players think, "WTF is wrong with this team; we'll kill them by 40!"

That's what I was thinking when Long Beach State faced Air Force tonight. To lost 69-68 has to be a very ominous start for Larry Reynolds. Ominous, as in bad news. Terrible beginning. As Lily C. Sherbet of Galaxy Angel Rune would say, "NG-da." Not good. In fact, if this is how Long Beach State is going to play this season, this will be Reynolds' final year. I was hoping they would end his contract last season, but Vic Cegles decided to give him one more chance.

Obviously, Reynolds needs to get W's upon W's, and reduce the L's. Those L's are like cholesterol that clog up your arteries. Losing is a disease that can affect a university, and it can be contagious if it isn't treated with wins.

That being said, I hope there is a FireLarryReynolds.com up right now. This should have been a W for the Beach. Instead, it's an L, and perhaps it's no coincidence why those tards from Men's Fitness ranked us as the fattest university in the nation. This cholesterol of losing is going to kill the men in the end if they don't get into shape, and pile on some wins.

Give those Air Force Falcons credit. Those future Iraqi/Afghanistan casualties who will have died for a meaningless cause deserved this win. Hopefully this will be their last for the Zoomies, but the way they have played tonight, it won't look like it.

Fucking gooney birds.

zOMG Ohio State Bunny Rabbits!

I can't believe what I head on the radio in Hawaii. One of the callers on the station's talk show lambasted an attack on June Jones, the Warrior football coach, going so far as to say that changing the team name from the Warriors back to the Rainbows is soft, and is akin to calling the Ohio State Buckeyes the Ohio State Bunny Rabbits. Classic.

By the way, the radio station was ESPN 1420 AM in Honolulu, home of University of Hawaii Athletics. When I don't keep tabs on the local teams, I check and see how my Warrior football team is doing. I think they will be bowling by the end of this Saturday.

Also, I hope my Long Beach State women's soccer wins the Big West Tournament this weekend. This will really make me happy, as my school has never won a conference crown in women's soccer. That might change by Sunday.

I can't believe John Kerry would score an own goal less than a week before the midterm elections. While that may not make significant effect (at least I it doesn't) in the election on Tuesday, Kerry might as well be a godsend for the struggling [sic] Republicans. We'll find out when the 7th comes.

I've got 2 easy classes and 3 hard ones this semester. I just hope survive with at least a C in each of them (though one of them should be an A).

Motorcyclist dies in collision - News

Motorcyclist dies in collision - News

The Orb of Fate.

At Long Beach City College, there's this trophy that consists of a crystal orb on a pedestal. This trophy represents our position as the best junior college athletic program in the state of California. We finished 20.5 points ahead of Mt. San Antonio College, buoyed by state titles in men's water polo, baseball, men's volleyball, and women's soccer, where we also won a national title. By the way, that team is the preseason No. 1 in the JC Division III (non-scholarship) by the NSCAA


One time, I looked into the orb, the "Orb of Fate" as I like to call it, and said, "Oh Orb of Fate, what does the future hold this year for Long Beach City College athletics this year?" and it only said, "Noble J.R., alumnus of the Viking class of 2005, this year, the Orb of Fate sees potential. More titles, more honors. Perhaps a reprise of last year's landmark achievements is not out of the question, oh Wizard of Westside! That is all." And I said, "How do you know all this?" It only replied, "I don't know man, I didn't do it."


You know, if winning these Orbs of Fate become a chronic, annual, nasty [sic] habit, we may need a bigger trophy room in the college's Hall of Champions.

Dress rehearsal to a big week

Well, this has been a crazy day. And for the most part, I was in a suit. But alas, the Indian summer heat made me sweat like a lady in need of an impregnation. Yes, on that day, 26 August, 2006, a few days before the Fall semester at the Beach returned, I spent a day out by myself, watching volleyball, walking, resting at a coffeehouse, and then taking the bus to a dinner for convention staff before writing this blog.

First, I spent the yesterday watching a football scrimmage at LBCC, and then I took the bus to watch Long Beach State’s women’s volleyball team begin its 2006 campaign. The first opponent was the Missouri Tigers, ranked 13th in the nation. At the beginning, I thought this was going to be an easy match because I thought these Tigers weren’t ranked at all, and they were at the same level we played. For the first two games, it looked that way. The crowd knew the cue when the opposition was serving, and we were going to counter with the kill: “GOOOOO….BEACH! LONG BEEAAACH…STATE!” Every time we scored a point, I danced, looked at the crowd knowing we made a good play, or looked at my fellow students when the kill came on cue after our cheer.
In the third game, Missouri actually tried to put us on the brink. They got swept, 3 games to 0. Only when I got back home did I realize they were ranked 13th in the nation, so this was a very good start for us.

The next day, donned in my suit (and sweating like a mofo in it), I returned to the Walter Pyramid to watch the 49ers take on Alabama State, whose volleyball team would make even my high school’s freshman squad laugh.
Before I go into the game, I have to say a few things about the changes to the Pyramid, including during this game. One, spaces for the banners underneath the scoreboard are all filled, since we won the Commissioner’s Cup last year, we have a banner for the seasons we won it. I suspect they will be filled in time, if we got the right players on our team to lead us to the Promised Land: the highest-scoring point average at the end of the season. Two, there is new text in the banners for the Beach on the north side, since some of our teams won titles, and/or have participated in tournaments. Three, and this is a bad one: the buzzer. It sounds like a horrible farting noise that not even Miu Matsuoka in that onsen episode in Strawberry Marshmallow can duplicate. When that buzzer sounds, I make an ugly face, act like I have a heart attack, do the orz formation, or scream in agony. That buzzer needs to be fixed or replaced immediately. I don’t want my precious Walter Pyramid to have a notoriety of having The Buzzer From Flatulatonia for the rest of this season. Never!
Fourth, and this is for this game: they operators put in “Alabama” instead of “Ala St.,” “Alasu,” or even “Bama St.” Hello? We’re not facing the freaking Crimson Tide here! If that were the case, we’d actually have a game on our hands. (Coincidentally, Villanova would give that close game to the Beach, albeit they got swept, but not before a tightly contested first and third games. I’ll give respect to the Big East for giving their all, but they could not steal a game from the Big West’s best team [at least according to the media and coaches].) That Alabama team won the Academy Sports Invitational this weekend, defeating Alabama A&M and Kansas while losing against Miami, and was predicted to finish second in the Western Division of the SEC behind LSU.
Which brings us to the game itself. It was nothing more than a glorified practice before a few committed supporters. I could not bring my flags, mainly because one of the sticks snapped when I got home last night, and so I had to make to by using my Beach jacket as a rally towel. The ladies, led by Alexis “Big Lexy” Crimes (I call her Big Lexy because she’s 6-foot-3, a good frame, and packs a punch when she’s at her best), didn’t have to break a sweat. In fact, incoming transfer Michaela “Misha” Hasalikova (which I was able to recognize because of her trademark short hairdo [perhaps typical of great volleyballers from her region, I don’t know], signifying that she plays like a pro when she’s at her best) led the way in kills with 11, and she made them look easy. Effortlessly. She could close hr eyes and still make the kill. As for the Hornets? Their leader had only 4 kills. Hello? My high school lost a volleyball game last season, and the top person had more that 4 kills in the effort. Either these folks weren’t ready for the Beach, they just started playing volleyball, they simply weren’t even trying…I will never know the reason. But every time we made a point, I yelled at the ladies, “Again!” and when they made the point after that, I yelled “Again!” like that fake Chinese master in that beer commercial where he’s trained to pour it like a real bartender should. I think that took little over an hour to complete.

At the end of the match, I felt that the Hornets had guts to come over to “Volleyball U” to take on the 49ers, and they should be commended for their courage. Otherwise, Alabam,a State, who was expected to finish next-to-last in the Eastern Division of the SWAC (a conference in which is specializes only in football and marching bands, and baseball if you’re Southern, and senseless rhythmic booty-shaking, which Alabama State would win the Olympic Gold Medal in) simply had no right to be here. Period.

Disgusted, I took the bus, and the long way, over to Cerritos. I had plenty of time to kill, so I tried looking for a bookstore in Los Cerritos Center, in hopes that I would find Strawberry Marshmallow Volume 2 in English. Unfortunately, B-Dalton moved, and there was no bookstore in sight, so I wandered over to the nearby Starbucks, where I had an impromptu conversation with a troubled drunk. I was able to fix up my glasses at the Lenscrafters, though.

This lady basically told me that she worked in the ranches in the Midwest when she was young, and did a lot of stuff when she moved away from the ranches, but her husband became mentally ill years after he was honorably discharged from the Vietnam cause. Her son was also mentally ill, and a destitute. She also fears that her daughter, a social worker in Orange County, was murdered by some crazy guy in Huntington Beach. She talked in a much accented slur, probably from episodes of drinking, smoking, and drugs for many years. After I changed back to my suit, she left. I was going to say thank you for showing me a side of American life that is very dark, and must be avoided.

I then waited for the bus, and headed to the Prince Seafood Restaurant, where the Anime Expo Staff Appreciation Dinner would be held. I was able to sign on a photo of the convention area, and I waited a while, until my squad leader, and a few others from my team on Registration, came in to chat. This was some very good company, and the slideshow that started the dinner really fueled the fires of my return to the Registration lines next year in Long Beach. When I voted for my squad leader to get an award weeks ago, I knew he was going to win that award. Our squad, nicknamed “Aizen” performed better than any squad on Registration, and he had experience, too. As always, those who performed well beyond the call of duty got the highest awards, while I had to settle for a couple of DVDs of the event itself. I think I’ll be able to fit those DVDs into my iPod, but I’m not sure.

Anyway, it was a great event, and thus concluded this day. Bring on the fall…and football. Speaking of which, the Vikings are going to go at it next Saturday against Ventura at Vets. This coming week’s going be a big one.

Whoa!

It’s like….Stocks, Stocks, Stocks (man)!

I can’t believe the upgrades to one of the computer labs. It makes me look like I’m on Wall Street. I pull the keyboard, and out pops the monitor. I let out a slight chuckle. And there’s a live ticker to my left. So now I can see some quoted from the best companies in the world fire it up on Wall Street. By now, the market’s probably closed for the day. But this is amazing, because it looks like I’m working on Wall Street, although below me would be people yelling down on the floor.

This is cool. By the way, the Dow is up 96.86 points today. We’re rolling.

Quick hits #2

Lately I tend to be a bit loud while working at my station. I've already got a couple of pricks telling me to quiet down. To which I say, hey, I won't be the one who's going to get out of my computer station. If you don't like it, leave. I'll just stay here.

I tend to lack courtesy when it comes to actually doing things I want to do, namely, checking my e-mail, posting on the BBS, and even doing this blog which I just finished posting. The thing is, I am in a very blah mood, and the only way to do it is to let out what I have to let out. If they want to study somewhere else, so be it. I don't care about them. I have a class to go to in less than 4 hours, and I know that I have a lot of time to kill, and I am slaughtering it, mashing the keys incessantly, while waiting for 5:00 P.M. to show on the watch.

I am hungry for knowledge, and tackling the summer class I have to be in: IS 301, Business Communications. And this is a class that focuses on making a meeting effective, as well as getting people in your group to collaborate in a way that is the most productive, among things. So I deduce after reading from the textbook I will be using for the next few months leading up to the Fall.

At this point in my life, I am an individual person. You can blame this...hole I call America for infiltrating my psyche with this. But there will be a point in my life where I need to place team, and purpose, before self. Granted, it's not easy, but no ever said running a successful business is easy. And truth to tell, it isn't.

But for the next few hours, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, interrupt my less than three hours on Cloud 9, lest I purchase a thunderbolt from Thor to put to good use.

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Super GALS Second Season is coming soon. After many months of waiting for the last 26 to come this way, a company by the name of Right Stuf International has answered the challenge to make this a reality. I expect Industrial Smoke & Mirrors to provide the dubbing duties, as always.

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Italy has won the World Cup! Again. I wonder how this is going to affect the cheating scandal in Serie A. The last thing I want is to have this leave a fatal blow on the prosecuation against the like of Juve et al. God save that football federation.

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In recent days I have been attracted to the likes of this series called Strawberry Marshmallow. It’s this 12-episode series of 4 elementary school girls and the big sister that has to look over them. It makes you wonder, those four could make up a good band. The plan goes as this:

Matsuri Sakuragi – drums
Miu Matsuoka – rhythm guitar
Chika Ito – bass
Ana Coppola – lead guitar

And Nobue Ito, Chika’s older sister, is their manager.
I leave it to you to determine where they will go from here.

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I’ve been on this new medicine tablet. It’s called SeroQUEL, and it’s different from what I have been used to. While it keeps my appetite at bay, a major side effect is that I can get agitated when taking this. For example, the music that I’m listening to doesn’t seem interesting, and when I try a different type of song, I am transparent to it.
But back to the agitation. When I get agitated, I can get REALLY agitated. If I don’t see something I like, I am vocal about it. I don’t like being to told to be quiet or keeping my comments to a minimum, and when I’m told that, I express my disapproval in a number of different ways. Mashing the keyboard, flashing the middle finger, etc. I don’t like being agitated with things, else it’s just asking for trouble.
Hmmmmm. There’s a saying: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Note that.

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Just a few more weeks, and football season will be coming back. American football. I expect USC to return to the national championship…and win, otherwise they fail football. Just because LA cannot get an NFL team (thanks to henpecked arsehattery by the cronies in the city’s government and by NFL owners who still this LA sucks as a sports town) doesn’t mean that the Trojans are a worthy substitute. They are, and if they don’t come clean at 13-0, time to bash their demise with a rattan cane, Singaporean-style.

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How good will Hawaii’s football team be? No, forget that question. They will still underachieve due to a Pop Warner-caliber defense.
How good will the Lakewood Lancers be this football season? Good enough to finish second-place, with wins over Mayfair and Millikan? That is the minimum, Sunny Jim. Defeat Poly? A must, else they fail the Moore League in terms of achieving something tangible. Win it all in the playoffs? Why not, cause another one-and-gone makes Thadd MacNeal look like a total fool to coach the Big Red.
You heard it here first.
And for Long Beach City College? They are going to be solid again. I can’t wait to report on the Vikings’ home games for the fine folks at JC Football Network. Stay tuned for a season preview to be posted on that site, Blogger and Tagworld. And mind the weekly wrap-ups and bowl highlights, et al.

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The Long Beach Armada (my adopted Golden League team) is third in the league standings, behind Reno and Chico. Those underachieving punks…come on Armada, hit up a win streak to last till the end of the regular! We need all the wins we can get.
And the Las Vegas 51s are 12 behind Tucson for the PCL Pacific South pennant. At this rate, those turds will never catch up. [Insert sigh here.]

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There needs to be some change in the Saskatchewan Roughriders front office. 1-2, giving up more points than anyone else in the CFL? I smell a shakeup.

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Anime Expo 2006

I am here to report on what happened at Anime Expo 2006 from my view. Overall, this was a successful event, with a record-breaking attendance of over 41,000 attendees. As a staff member of Registration, I had to learn how to get badges printed, refer attendees to where they had to go for group issues, comp badges, etc. The curve was steep, but I was able to get a full understanding of everything. Of course, I ran into my own set of issues along the way, in which most were eventually resolved.

Day 0 – Friday, 30 June 2006
Fresh and ready for staffing my first AX, I checked into the Hilton, getting a room on the 12th floor, Room 421. With a great view of the Anaheim Convention Center, I set myself up, getting my badge the 4th floor, before taking off for the ACC. No sooner had I checked into the Exhibit Hall C (which was were Reg was located), that I was pulled into taking care of those who pre-registered, thereby getting ahead of the bedlam on Day 1. There was a line that stayed long for about 2 or 3 hours, moving quickly before dying. Since the convention didn’t start until tomorrow, I took the time to look around me, getting familiar with the members of my department, and later in the evening I took part in an all-staff meeting. The people from AX Human Resources debriefed us on what to do and what not to do during the convention. I couldn’t stay for the film afterwards, because I had to get some rest for tomorrow.

Day 1 – Saturday, 1 July 2006
Canada Day! And the most grueling of days has arrived. Technically I didn’t have to work until 10:00 a.m. but I was on standby until then. The lines snaked, even going out of Hall C. I would work nonstop here, from 10:00 a.m. up until 5 p.m. I was able to manage getting my share of attendees’ badges taken care of. Sometimes I would joke around, singing to announce that I would take the next person in line. While all the others had bored looks, I seemed to be a bit perky. Blame it on the Starbucks Doubleshot that I drank early in the morning. Without that, I wouldn’t have survived. After I was finished with my long shift, I refueled at a bar called the pulse, where staff members can get food and drink with a card that needed to be stamped (I picked mine’s up yesterday), before looking for an event I liked. There was this event called “Anime Singled Out.” Even heard of the ABS-CBN game show Wowowee? One of the events, “Pera o Bayong”, vaguely resembled this event. One of the contestants asks a question to a group of people in the audience who participate, and if they get it right, those who do advance, those who don’t stay, and it continues until there are about 5 or less people. And then a special individual question is given to them. The audience can also play a key factor in determining who the winner is. One round had it reduced to one contestant from the audience, who was declared the winner, other times somebody would be eliminated personally by the contestant with the “Golden Ticket.” I did get to meet up with my friends from the CSULB Anime Club, including Mora Moth, and “DJ” Eric Le Du, the latter holding up a two-sided emoticon sign, something I would copy later in the convention.
Interesting footnote: Before attending Anime Singled Out, I attended a panel for this company called Mega64. Basically, they are a company that combines elements from Jackass into popular anime and Japanese video games. They were embraced more at San Diego’s Comic-con, primarily because the SPJA saw their AMV unsuitable for being bestowed any honors whatsoever.
Another footnote: this was the day CLAMP was having a panel. Unfortunately, I could not make it to the panel due to my shift taking place at that time. And I did not win a CLAMP signature from the staff raffle. Que sera, sera.

Day 2 – Sunday, 2 July 2006
Reduced lines meant a supposedly easier day, right? Wrong. I suffered frequent lapses of concentration, making small mistakes here and there. Of course, they turned into non-issues in a hurry. In between shifts, I checked out goods from the exhibit halls. Eventually, from there, I would buy a Rin Tohsaka keychain, a Tomo Takino plush, a Sakura plush, and the first volume of Full Moon on DVD. After my shift, and several shots of cosplay in between, I went over to the Newtype USA panel. I learned a few things from there: first, there was a 5-7 year window of what they can choose for their issue; secondly, they took what was popular in the USA, and then took what was popular in Japan, and blended them together; third, the reader population of Newtype USA turned from 70 male 30 female to 50-50; fourth, they had a lot of autonomy, meaning for the most part, they could do what they want, save for occasional advice from Kadokawa and Newtype Japan as to how to pronounce something this way, and what not. It’s a networking process that gives the magazine a consistency unlike any other. Afterwards, I was able to get an issue from the head honchos of the company, personally autographed too; albeit the ink ran off later in the convention. A photographer also took photos of those cosplaying. Those photos would be added in the September and October editions of Newtype USA.
Afterwards, it was off to the Yozuca* and Rino concert on the third floor. After taking a few video shots, I was told by the volunteers not to take any videos, so for the rest of the convention, I took photos with my cell phone (there was no flash on my phone, which was kosher). The two of them sand classic tunes from Da Capo, an anime series and also a popular video game series from a company called Circus.
Footnote: While taking care of the attendees, I was given a couple of balloon swords, however, a person from Viz Media (who created the swords, by the way) attached something to it. I later removed it, and stomped on the piece, to the dismay of one of the top people there. Later, an attendee who wanted any busted balloon took the stomped piece (actually some of it was still inflated, but then it was stretched out), and decided to have use for it, taking off. After which, I went back to the usual work without a hitch. One of the ACC staff members commented that the pink balloon sword looked like a dildo. His mind must have been in the gutter since he first arrived here, but that’s a given.

Day 3 – Monday, 3 July 2006
Aside from going back and forth to get my money from my cash box to send to the Finance Department, and nearly losing my badge and even my cell phone, this was another smooth day. I had to go to HR to get a replacement, but one of the top people in registration recovered my badge, but I forgot to get my cell phone. So, I asked one of the people from AX Access Control (of whom I have high praise for), to contact convention security to open up Hall C. After I had finally recovered my mobile, I went over to the Masquerade, which was a variety show. Many cosplay companies from all over the nation participated in providing a skit. The winner of the competition was a performance called “The True Power of the Clow,” in which Clow Reed revealed his true identity: Captain Planet.
I did run into a few rounds of hooliganry during the intermission, when a taiko ensemble from UCI played. I informed the volunteers to watch for any objects being thrown into the audience. I’m sure there is a zero-tolerance policy for objects being thrown during an event like this. I don’t know if they were caught and sent off, but I did tell this to my squad leader.

Day 4 – Tuesday, 4 July 2006
My last shift was about 2 hours long. After the shift, I brought an emoticon sign (of which I would have to return the stick back to Convention Operations) that would use for the rest of the convention. At the “Whose Line Is It? Anime” event, a group of people played out some far-fetched scenes a la “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” starring Drew Carey. Of course, someone tried to sabotage my experience, and I had to shoot them. I was ready to cane him with my sign, but he left just in time. I personally don’t think he wanted to be owned by a staff member. Not worth it, big guy. If you don’t like it, leave.
Next, was an auction of goods at the Main Events Ballroom on the third floor. Some of the merchandise for auction were sold in the thousands. Rich bastards, all of them, to quote Haruhi Fujioka of Ouran High School Host Club. Even a water bottle drunk by the person hosting the auction was sold, for 20 bucks! Insane. I would have to win the lottery first before diving in.
And then the closing ceremonies came. As all of the GoH’s were given praise and applause, I went over and threw myself down at their feet. Some others did as well. Hiroshi Nagahama, of whom I would win an autograph from, brought work with him during the convention. Two other GoH’s brought work with them as well. Uh oh. There is a chance that I would not receive anything at all. If that’s the case, there shouldn’t have been a raffle in the first place. Stay tuned for an announcement from HR if those folks gave us our sigs….
At the end of the convention, I went off to the Pulse one last time, for the Dead Dog event. In this event, which is staff-only, unlimited food and drink is on the house, the games are set to free-play, and my folks just party all through the night, Trouble is, I couldn’t stay due to my sister picking me up at 8:00. After munching on span musubi for the first time, and discussing my future with Anime Expo with the director of registration, I took off for home, thus concluding my journey through Anime Expo 2006.

Pictures to come.

A Sunday jaunt

I love Right Said Fred. I like one of their recent songs, “You’re My Mate,” and it seems to be one of companionship while watching a football game. But that’s a different story. Last Sunday, I was bored, and I wanted to go ahead and take a trip to Los Angeles. So, I took the trains first to Little Tokyo, where I bought the recent issue of Megami magazine. A whopping 11 dollars plus change. That was the only book I bought.

But I decided not to just limit myself to visiting Little Tokyo. I wanted more. So, I went on the Red Line to visit Hollywood, stopping off at Hollywood and Highland. I shot pictures of stars on the Walk of Fame, while seeing various people cosplaying as superheroes, Disney characters; even a Freddy Krueger was tapping me on the head in a jovial manner.

After spending an hour shooting photos of stars, I decided to go ahead and take the Orange Line to Warner Center, in the San Fernando Valley. Along the way, I saw a group of Argentine supporters waving their flag and celebrating. I knew that the albeceleste has defeated Mexico. Later, I would find out that Maxi Rodriguez made the game winning goal in extra time. Curious, I made a pit stop at Pierce College. When I got off, it was like I was thrown in an oven. It was a scorcher. There was a festival going on at Pierce, and the heat made it unbearable to walk inside and visit the campus. Thank god the sprinklers were on. I was able to re-hydrate myself a bit!

Afterwards, I took the Orange Line to Warner Center, where I realized that I was starving. Thank god for Trimana Grill. I wolfed down a sandwich, fries, and a couple of Cokes like there was no tomorrow. I then stopped by the Barnes and Noble, where I stumbled upon a Thinking Man’s Guide to the World Cup. In the Australia section, I saw the story of Australia taking on American Samoa in 2001, where the poor teenage Samoan side was run over in world-record fashion 31-0. I personally hope American Samoa tries to make improvements in being a strong side in Oceania, but with American sports taking precedence, it’s highly unlikely.

Australia did make it to the Round of 16, thus sending Bruce Arena’s perceived comment that Australia was a weak side to hell, but they lost on a last-second penalty to Italy, 1-0, but not before a successful World Cup run.

When I was waiting for the Orange Line, a black teenage prostitute was asking if I had a cell phone. When I said “no,” she said, “Thanks for lying.” Well, yes sistah, I did lie, but, w3rd up, it was for good reasons, yo.
1. I was down to my last bar. Long calls are a no-no.
2. I charge people I don’t know $10 for using my cell. Exceptions are family, and people I work with or work for in a company of mine.
3. I am wary of theft. Ergo, see rule number 2.

I them decided to make on last stop, this time to visit LA City College. As I visited the campus, I realized that it did look like another high school. This college, only 2 years younger that Long Beach City, had one of the strongest men’s basketball teams in the state. But they were having a financial crunch. An old, non-functioning scoreboard presided over a parking lot, a sad reminder of the football team that used to linger at LACC. And the parking lot was called Snyder Field. I was disgusted to see that scoreboard in the parking lot. It made me realize, when will Cubs football come back? Compare this to Long Beach City, the Vikings have a much better athletics program.

And that’s when I decided to go ahead and head home. Maybe tomorrow I will head over to LA Trade Tech and see what they have to offer. Photos to come soon.

Las Vegas, and a new house moving ever closer.

Last weekend, I went on a Memorial Day holiday to Las Vegas with my mom and dad. It was very eventful, and an experience that had highs and lows.

Day 1:

While I watched a glorified depiction of the Vietnam War at the end of the night, I would like to highlight the first day of my trip to Vegas. This was my first trip in 5 months We set out for Caesars’ Palace, making a pit stop in Primm for gas, and gaining a few credits on the slots. We got stuck in traffic arriving at the strip, and I got lost looking for my hotel room that I lost my earpiece for my Motorola SLVR L7. The security at Caesars was made of fail and lose, as attempts to recover the item were unsuccessful. There goes a part of their paycheck. If I were to give a survey, I’d give them a 1.
But after settling down, I took the time to play some slots at Caesars’. One of the slot machines, Magic Forest, lasted a very long time, and I was able to get credits. There were a few other slots I decided to try out, and thanks to me and my mom’s efforts, I was able to obtain a free duffel bag. Actually, all 3 of us got tote bags. The last slot machine we went to for the night, a Powerball slot machine, paid off 91 dollars and change. It could have been even more.
To put it even further, this was the very first time I tried the slot machines extensively. In the last meeting, the machine wasn’t too keen to give, but this time, it was able to give, probably because Celine Dion was performing that night with her “A New Day” set. The generousness of the slot machines, who probable were happy Celine was performing, combined with a huge revenue from a casino operated by Harrah’s, probably explained why we went back to our hotel room in high spirits.

Day 2:

An earthquake in Indonesia, Riots in Afghanistan, more Americans committing voluntary suicide in Iraq…and a shitload of moolah highlighted the day. This morning, we set off for North Las Vegas, where we met this guy who works for Liberty Realty. At the end of the meeting, we moved one step closer to owning a house that is just a hop, skip and a jump away from one of the wealthiest communities in the nation, and soon to have the second-largest mall in the nation, Aliante, in North Las Vegas. The could not only be my summer home, but my new home should I consider getting a master’s degree at UNLV.
And after eating at the Rio Carnival World Buffet at the Rio, it was off to Harrah’s, where I struck paydirt at the Powerball slots, winning $400. I gotta look up North Las Vegas. This growing city might be adopted by me in a hurry!
Later that day, I learned from the Press-telegram that Long Beach City College defeated Sacramento City College to win the California JC State Championship in baseball. The first title in 30 years. Historic. Unbelievable. Enough fuel for my dynasty I am typing up on Utopia. And Miami went up 3-1 over the Pistons in the East Finals. I hope it’s Dallas-Miami in the NBA Finals.
We returned to Harrah’s to tinker with the slots. Unfortunately, the Powerball slots went dry, so I instead retired to buying a few gifts from the gift shop.

Day 3:

The day was rather short and quick, as we left Caesars’ Palace for Long Beach, but we made a stop in Primm. Not only did I eat up a feast at the Trail’s End café at Whiskey Pete’s, I won $70 on the slots, bringing me back up to $400. On the way home, I used up the remaining coins I won from Whiskey Pete’s (which were won by a spin on a Top Dollar slot machine that gave out quarters) to pay for gasoline. By the end of the day, it only filled half tank, but now I’m here, typing this up.
I enjoyed my trip to Vegas. I am really excited at what might happen if I’m able to stay in North Las Vegas at our new home. More time to see Vegas, Hoover Dam, maybe watch some UNLV games…but the next thing on the agenda is….Anime Expo 2006.

Alumni ignorance

While I am watching this new shoujo anime called Kirarin Revolution (some sto-ck footage for the moe shoujoholics among us), I am wondering why the alumni of my university that I’m calling don’t want to donate any amount of their money to the Annual Fund. See, I’m now in the second week of my work, and I have not been getting any paydirt since two Sundays ago when I got my first pledge. All the others in my group have had at least one per shift. I am currently 4 straight without a single pledge.

Some had their voicemails on, and for the purposes of my spiel, I am pretending that they don’t exist. The various alumni that I’ve been calling had their reasons. A few had their children going to universities already. Many cannot afford to donate, even though I was asking for anything that is comfortable for them. Some are angry with the university. Others think we’re the Alumni Association, which is a completely different entity. And the people I really dislike either don’t give a reason why they are not interested in donating, or just hang up when I introduce myself.

I then wonder why we have alumni that only use the university just to get a degree, and not even show a deeper appreciation for their alma mater. Do they not realize the consequences of not donating even just a measly $10.00? Have they no idea where they graduated from? Have they no idea what their purpose in life is? Okay, I suppose for the majority of my contacts, their purpose in life is to graduate from a university, get a job for 40 years, then vegetate and do nothing in their retirement while ignoring what got them there in the first place. How sad is that? Is this going to be how Generation Y will be: never learning the lessons of the Baby Boomers and X?

I mean, come on, this is Cal State Long Beach we’re talking about! This ain’t Dominguess Hills, or god forbid, Fail-erton. This is a university with the third-best value in the country! These alumni had the privilege of graduating from one of the best universities in the nation, donning the Brown and Gold (or Black and Gold if you want to be a technocrat) for 4, 5, or however many years they were a student. And for them not to even make any donation of any amount shows that they have chosen to take their education for granted. If every alumni on my Futures list donated 10 bucks each, we could be looking at many corporations across the USA and the world pitching in. See, alumni participation is crucial, because if the alumni donate, then the Fortune 500 companies will pitch in. This doesn’t take rocket science to figure this out. And many of the people I contact are Business majors, so this should not be something of an annoyance for them if they just donate $10 of their paycheck per year. It’s not much to ask. And these people don’t want to do it. While I do respect their decisions, shouldn’t these excuses-for-alumni realize that Cal State Long Beach’s status as one of the best in the nation is fueled by alumni like them who are frequent donors?

It really angers me that they don’t realize that a small donation doesn’t hurt. What’s worse is that many who will graduate this semester, or who will in the future, are going to do the same act of ignorance when they are in their prime of their lives, or retired and what not. May the spirit of Prospector Pete have mercy on their souls.

Un dia normal

I have had a rather good day today. Yesterday, in my first shift after a two-year stay in the desert of unemployment, I only had a few contacts, and it was rather fruitless. Today, I got a monkey off my back. I had 21 contacts, which was a personal best for me, and I got my first pledge, which gave me a cash bonus, since it was from a list that didn’t donate as much.

At the same time, the Lakers and Clippers are now 3-1 on the Suns and Nuggets respectively. One more win for both of them, and we got us a Hallway Series, one which will definitely divide a city in two. And while my 49er Men’s Volleyball team finished their season losing to UCLA in the MPSF Championship game, Long Beach City finished off a perfect season, going the distance against Pierce, winning 3 games to 2. That’s their fifth men’s volleyball title. And another set of number to put to Long Beach City’s list of accomplishments. Men’s Volleyball State Champions: 2006. Randy Totorp, you are a god.

Thus another good day for me. Did I mention the Galaxy won on the road against Real Salt Lake 3-2? Ooops, I just did.

Low expectation for my first go at it...

Oh boy. My first job in two years. I have rather low expectations for my first go at the Annual Fund. In this site, all I do is contact Alumni of Cal State Long Beach, inform them of what's going on, and then ask for a donation.

Well I gotta do it right. Stay tuned for a result on the first shift.

Quick hits: April 19

I can’t believe that my Spring Break was boring. While my parents and older sister (she’s still a brat) were out working, I was stuck doing some studying and sleeping in. How boring is that!? I mean, why can’t Cal State Long Beach just do Spring Break the following week? I guess that would be bad timing….

Speaking of which, my mom checked out some new houses in Las Vegas the past few days. She’s planning on giving me a new home to live in. I don’t mind Vegas, but there are two things I have a problem with: cigarette smoke and the heat in the summer. The casinos and the one-arm bandits are a non-issue here…

Long Beach State’s volleyball team will take on BY-Who this Saturday in the quarterfinals of the MPSF tournament at the Pyramid. We defeated BYU twice this year, but will the third time be the charm for the defending national chumps? I hope not…

Just one more month, and I am done with this semester. But I got a grip of classes to go. Anyway, I’ve had enough posting. I gotta do some cramming for a couple of midterms coming up this week.

Orochon Ramen Special Level 2: Easy.

As morning calls for Saturday, I am sitting at my computer typing on another eventful Friday. I had to sacrifice my Business Calculus class for the bulk of my day.

The first event was the Meet the Industries Expo, at the Grand. I managed to meet a number of companies that were interested in my resume. I sent 9 copies, one each to the companies that were hiring positions in Information Systems. With two years left, to go, I wanted to see if I could find work. However, the lure of the Leadership Academy proved too strong, and so I wanted to go ahead and register for as many workshops as I could go for the semester. Of course, I may be overworking myself in a way, but I saw this as an opportunity to improve on what I could do. And a sweet medallion to wear during graduation…I could get all this done in 1 year. By the time Fall 2006 is through, I’ve completed this.

The big part of the day was when I headed to Little Tokyo with my friends from the Anime Club. After visiting a few stores that sold anime, even getting ticked off by the fact that I could take a picture of a statue that had oversized boobs (the figure couldn’t see what was ahead of her---unrealistic), we stopped by Orochon Ramen for dinner. The fact of the matter was that there was this spicy ramen soup, the spiciest of the spiciest, called Special Level 2. I decided that I was going to conquer that soup, no matter what. My friend, DJ of E, aka Eric, also ordered one. It turns out the bowls we had were switched (different bases), but a Special Level 2 is a Special Level 2, so it was dig in or die.

As I took a sip, it was very intense. As if they had put in so much kimchi base and hot chili stock into it. After sipping down the noodles (which was the easy part), it was time to tackle that monster that was the broth. I saw this as my rite of passage. DJ couldn’t finish the broth, and his friend Jeff took a few sips, but couldn’t wolf it down. Even by friend Mora couldn’t wolf it down, either.

I said to myself, I’m not going to let my friends down, the restaurant down, or myself down. This is my rite of passage, and I will go through this, no matter what. Midway through, the broth was tearing through my tongue, my throat, and my sinuses, which cleared. My breathing returned, any my cough had disappeared. But the broth still remained. There was a little bit left. At first, I thought I had reached my limit (I had also drank 4 cups of water) but there was no way I was going to give up this fight. Taking a deep breath, I wolfed down the rest of the remaining contents, finishing the soup in less than 30 minutes. When I completed the trip, I thought I was going to puke. But I told my gut to absorb the richness of the soup, and take it all in. I didn’t get a shirt (they ran out), but I had staked my claim as a person who finished Special Level 2 in less than 30 minutes, and my photo was on the wall.

A few reasons why I completed this…

1. No complaints. I knew this was going to be a very intense one, so I looked at this as something to enjoy. I never flinched, I took my time, pausing when I needed to, and eventually wolfed down the contents. I had to be humble.
2. Dairy before. At MIE, I at a vegetarian lasagna that had some calcium in it. Calcium is a buffer that helps take out some acidity. That may have made it easier.
3. Divine intervention. Indeed, the caption of the soup said, “For the Glory of God.” I wanted the man upstairs to help me finish this, and I did it.
4. Heart and determination. I wanted to finish my food. On every plate (with buffets being the main exception), I finish it clean, I wanted to do the same for this. I was on a mission, and it took heart.
5. I wanted to motivate myself that I can accomplish anything. Even wolfing down a hot, spicy bowl of ramen. Now, I can go back and enjoy wolfing it down at Level 7 (non-spicy) as a form of “retirement.”

The rest of the day was easy. I got the books I wanted to order (though I owe my friends some money for the second book I ordered), and I watched my friends bang on taikos, play on guitars, and do the usual shooting rounds at the arcade.

But wolfing down Special Level 2, the spiciest of the Orochon ramens, has to be one of my favorite accomplishments today. And the good thing is, I’ll live to tell my kids about it. Maybe.

Tokyo Angels....

Mmmmm......religion.

PCC forgotten - Opinion

PCC forgotten - Opinion

The dance floor is closed.

Long Beach State’s men’s basketball team had put in a valiant run this past weekend at the Big West Tournament. I was honored to be a part of the festivities the past 3 days.

Our men had a rough go at Cal State Fullerton, but we escaped with a 94-91 win. Against UC Irvine, we had a game-winning shot at the buzzer by Aaron Nixon, winning 75-73. We had gained a few more points on Irvine in the Black and Blue Rivalry Series, which was a plus at the tournament.

However, when I saw that Cal Poly lost to Pacific, I knew that our road was going to take a detour back to Long Beach the next day, barring chaos by Bob Thomason’s Fighting Tiger Team. See, these Tigers had some talent. Christian Maraker and Tournament MVP Johnny Gray would see Pacific defeat us 78-70 on a chilly Saturday night in Anaheim.

I was so exhausted from the past two days, that I saved my energy. To my surprise, I didn’t lose my voice, and I still had some energy left. I soaked in the whole experience that night. I was proud to have been at the Big West Tournament, save for the first day.

But during this run, the Beach’s embattled head coach’s job was on the line each game. As soon as the Beach Band and Cheer bus left the Anaheim Convention Center, I knew that there was no way that Larry Reynolds would keep his job.

I mean, let’s face it. In the Larry Reynolds era, we haven’t had decent records at all. Our coach has a terrible record at the Beach, a complete aberration of his success at Cal State San Bernardino. We simply didn’t have the right system, or the best group of players to give us consistency in winning. The outgoing AD, Bill Shumard, was responsible for having Reynolds as our coach still, even though he could have rode off into the sunset by giving him his walking papers.

I will note the pluses of this season:
* Best record since 2001-02
* First appearance in the conference title game since 1995
* School and Big West record 17 3’s in one game
* Two players on All-Tournament, Jibril Hodges (the career 3-points leader) getting All-Conference first team
* Two out of three taken from Irvine, including the semifinal, giving us a bigger advantage over the Anteaters in the rivalry series
* The best year in the Larry Reynolds era
* I was on TV (personal plus)

However, all these are moot if you look at the bigger picture. A seat at the Pyramid for a men’s basketball game hasn’t been a hot commodity when Reynolds was coach. The boosters, alumni and fans are frustrated with him not delivering wins on a consistent basis. And this year, we dropped our homecoming game, a game we were expected to win.

The decision would have been tough for the administration and our new President, Dr. F. King Alexander, had the outcome been different and in our favor. I think Pacific’s ticket being punched made the decision easier.

I have so much respect for UOP. They have quality players, an accomplished coach, and are the Gonzaga of the Big West. I congratulate Coach Thomason, their players, their fans, and even the mascot Powercat, and hope they make the BWC proud at the NCAA Tournament. But it will also be a moral win for us if Reynolds is fired next week or sometime soon. If he is still our coach next year, I think our season will surely have been below expectations.

I know this isn't fair to the coach himself, and with all due respect to his efforts, it should be a privilege to coach at the Beach because we have a tradition of playing at our best potential, and having it all pay off. To not deliver when it matters most is against the wishes of the students, the fans, the boosters, and the alumni. This is the same at any institution, in any sport. If you don't win as a coach over a period of time, in all likelihood you will be sacked (as the say in the football sense).

In any case, when Long Beach State went down against Pacific, they went down fighting.

Short thought #1

Brokeback Mountain is a bust. There’s no doubt about it. Only winning 2 Oscars shows that this movie has failed to live up to expectations, and that Crash is the movie to watch. Kinda shows you how the MPAS is partial to those movies involving heterosexual relationships, no?

A short thought.

Strength in numbers...

Wow. Today was a fun one.

I started my day going over to the rugby field to watch Long Beach State clash with UCLA in rugby. The Beach went back to their normal selves, scoring on opportunities, and stretching the defense wide. I had to leave the game to see the 49ers clash with UC Davis in women’s basketball at the Pyramid. It seems to me that thanks to the pep band, I do some signature dancing with my pompom sticks. I have fun watching games at the Pyramid, waving my banner when we win or when the game starts and the 49ers take the court. UC Davis is not yet in our conference yet, but if they were, they would be on top. We defeated them on Senior Day handily.

The only negative of the day was when I went to Blair Field, and when I got inside, the game finished, the baseball team taking the 3-game serried over the Flames of Illinois-Chicago, 6-0, with one game to go.

After commiserating on an opportunity that I would have missed anyway (both games were starting at the same time), I made a pit stop at Los Altos to eat, and then returned to the Pyramid to watch the Beach take on UCLA in men’s volleyball. This time, we swept the Bruins in 3 games, snapping (coincidentally) a 3-game losing streak (2 on the roads against Hawaii, last night against UC Irvine).

I met an aspiring actress, Lauren Glenn, who starred in a number of TV series, is a graduate of CSULB, and is a sorority girl (Alpha Phi). In fact, I was surrounded by sorority girls when I watched the volleyball game. It was a fun day.

Add in the men’s basketball team defeating UC Davis, women’s tennis toppling Denver for their seventh straight win, and a water polo win over…wait for it….UC Davis (the only real negative being their loss to San Jose State), and softball defeating Wagner (a negative a choke against Western Kentucky), and we have had a good day.

Several positives against a few negatives. That’s what you call strength in numbers.

PINK? Ano sa...

Yes, I got a pink phone. And it's not because I am gay (I am not, of course, but I am not homophobic either). Actually, I do like the color pink, but there were no blue or red Motorola RAZR V3s out there, so I stuck with this. I treat this phone like a girl, a mistress with moe tendencies. I call her Rosebud, and she is all mine. At least for a few years or until they are completely bettered by something else. Or a new provider and plan pops up.

Speaking of which, I had this insane dream that I was Harima Kenji of School Runble, and I was making love to Tenma Tsukamoto on the beach. Funny how Harima finally got his wish, without any inhibitions.

But me likes my Rosebud. I think me play with it. And it's a girl, so it must be treated with respect, as well as made love to. But then again, how can you make love to a pink cell phone, if it isn't human? Oh, the frustrations of an androgynous consumer...

One great day....

Today was fun. I woke up this morning fresh from envisioning I was my friend Steve Tran, and that my sister told me she won the lottery. (She was in angel white undies saying this //// ). My first wet dream in ages...I am saved. >_< I was impressed by Long Beach State's basketball teams defeating UC Riverside. Later that night, I taped the match between Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales. Pacman took over in the sixth, and TKO'd El Terrible in the 10th. The Philippines rejoiced as a nation, and the song "Pinoy Ako" by Orange & Lemons kept playing incessantly. And I gorged on some chocolate in celebration.

Meanwhile, in another part of Las Vegas, Miss Oklahoma won the Miss America pageant. Her significant other should already be in Iraq by now, fighting a meaningless cause, or maybe he's already dead...I am a jinxoholic. Somebody save me, nyo.

This will set me up for a fun week, the first week of the Spring semester. I don't know if I got that position at the computer labs; I haven't received a phone call or e-mail....le sigh.

The trip to Vegas

It's now time for a little reminiscing. A 3-day holiday to Vegas during the Christmas weekend...

Day 1

When we took off in the air for Vegas, it felt like I was taken back into 1992, my last flight in an airplane. I was going on a trip with my mom to see my relatives in Pembo, Fort Bonifacio, Makati. Anyways, after my first taste of tonic water and Terra Blues, I tuned into ZZ Top, listening to bookend favorites such as Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, and the like.
As we were about to land, I saw the Strip. It looked like the same old Strip from last time I visited. Only change I could see was that there was a new hotel and casino, the Wynn. More on that later. Also, Westward Ho was shutting down and would be imploded in January. It’s like I was just here yesterday. Though the shuttle took too long to get us to Stardust, I finally got to savor what I always wanted to do: play the slots. The last two visits here, I couldn’t play it, and they had to babysit me. That wouldn’t be the case this time.
After I quick change, it was time to take care of business. First thing me, mom and dad did was check out the Stardust slots. The paybacks were good for a few machines, but a lot weren’t that friendly. After a quick stop at one of the restaurants, we went to Circus Circus. Slots were nicer this time, and I nabbed $500 or so, while Dad netted $300. A number of slot machines had longer playing time. I call those machines “fighter slots,” because they fought to prevent the house from gaining the advantage.
My Cheez Whiz jar was almost full, and I got $53 in my wallet (pennies if you ask me, peanuts if you’re Supreme like McGriff or Irv like Gotti), and some confidence for tomorrow.
At the Stardust, there was a karaoke contest. One of the contestants sang like she was drunk. Think Jonathan, a female version (not unlike Jona-ko).

Day 2
To make a long story short, I gained 27 dollars. Now to make it long.

At 7 in the morning, I woke up, spent 9 bucks on breakfast from McDonald’s, much to the chagrin of my parents. Me, with my green scarf on and my hat, which I would lose later in the day (rats), went with my mom and dad to the Wynn. Now, here’s the thing. The Wynn is just like the Bellagio, only better. The food here is amazing, and the rewards card I got looked sexy like Haine. Red. Sleek, sexy red. The type of red Haine would look like a goddess in. The bane of my existence as a shoujoholic along with Sailor Moon. I treasured it. And the point are accumuilative and do not expire. Unfortunately, it was under my mom’s account, but I still treasured the card as a souvenir.
And even more so, it paid well. We got enough credits to get us one of the best buffets in Vegas. But we stopped there for a light breakfast. I grooved to Haddaway while snacking on a pancake. Ah, Steve Wynn. Your expertise and professionalism would make Bill Gates cry.
After rolling up the credits, it was off to Caesars’ Palace via Bloc Pary and “Helicopter.” This, though, did not pay well. Though I had a Players’ Club card as a souvenir, `the house was too strong. My parents bought some stuff at Abercrombie & Fitch, located in the Forum Shops. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything relevant to my interest. I’m stunned they didn’t have any LA Galaxy gear. Pete Rose was there to sign autographs, but I’m an LA Angels fan, and I could care less about buying Cincinatti Reds merchandise, and I still think Pete Rose is a cheater. Me, mom, and dad hightailed for the Bellagio. They didn’t pay well, either. The house was again too strong.
ZZ Top took over on my iPod, and as we ixed the Rio for the Tropicana, my mind began to wander about understanding Las Vegas. I came here to spend all my money on Vegas, to help make the dreams of the people who strived hard to work here come true, in my own personal way. It didn’t matter that I had money. I wanted to get rid of all of it by tomorrow. It wasn’t my own money. It was my mom’s, specifically made for Vegas. It would have been so easy for me to save the money, but this being the first time I could play the slots, I wanted to go ahead and get rid of all of it. This was my personal baptism into being a regular visitor to Las Vegas who can gamble.
I also observed one thing about Las Vegas people. They are hard-nosed folks who are frank, to the point, and won’t hold your hand. They’ve been that way for 100 years. Why should it change?
At last we headed to the Tropicana. Excitedly, I got my own account. And then it was back to the slots. Now, Tropicana had a lot of fightin’ slots. Meaning, they fought to prevent the house from gaining the advantage. No sooner has I gotten back from getting my account that to see my dad hit the jackpot. 135 dollars, to be exact. There was an instant swagger in my step.
One of the nickel slot machines, called Island Getaway, fought like crazy. I had spent an hour on this machine, gaining credits as I went along. Another slot machine, called “Go Big Money” paid well. All in all, I had over $120 bucks. After making up the blunders by getting back $5 from Winners Club, I was ready to treat my parents. But wait. The bag containing my mom’s Abercrombie gift for my sister was missing. My mom was panicking. I knew, though, that Tropicana’s security was paid tomake sure it was safe. After Mom rejoiced, I said to the security guard, “You rock!”
The Island Buffet wasn’t too bad. Granted, it was just a few selections, but the pasta was Aramark-quality. The pasta chef, coincidentally, was from West Long Beach, my neighborhood. Naturally, I tipped him, in hopes that he makes it big down the road. If people’s dreams are realized, I hope they maintain it.
As I got dessert, a shattering of ceramic could be heard across the buffet room. I thought it was bad luck for us. Actually, that wouldn’t happen until tomorrow, but Mom said it was bad luck on them. Whoops.
With the buffet down, it was ti0me to wander off to the MGM Grand Hotel, the City of Entertainment. Here I got another account, but only two cards.[ P+ayout was decent, but not as strong. We savoured the Star Wars slots.
We then decided to go to the Las Vegas Monorail. This was the first time I would go on a Monorail since Disneyland. But we had to go through something. There was not a crowd, or a mob, but a SEA of tourists from Asia flocking into the MGM Grand to celebrate the New Year. As a side note, in January, there will be a rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales. I would place my money on Pacquiao to set the judges right. That fight will be at the Thomas & Mack Center. But back to the sea of tourists. They just kept on heading towards the casino, There were so many of them, I swore I was in Tokyo or Singapore. It was unbelievable how many were coming in. It just didn’t stop. An endless sea of Asian tourists.
The Monorail ride was a bit bumpy, but I got to see some very good views of the Strip. King Kong and D. Jungle Girls provided background on my iPod. The problem was, we stopped at the Hilton Station, and it was one mile to get back to Stardust. While we haqd to trudge though a junkyard/contruction zone to get there, we stopped by the Riviera.
At the Reel Em In slots, my mom hit the jackpot, and on the same machine, I caused it to tilt. I savored my new winnings, in spite of the casino unable to convert dimes.
By the way, Nevada outlasted UCF in the Hawaii Bowl, 49-48. Lucky Reno stiffs.

Day 3
We slept like babies checking out of the Stardust. We returned for the buffet at the Wynn, but the line was ridiculously long. So, we left. I got so excited, I yelled at my dad for no- apparent reason. He got mad for no apparent reason either. I probably shouldn’t have taken my medication, cause it made me sober that morning. But my dad will get over it.
So after eating at the Harrah’s buffet, I got another account there, but after seeing low payouts, we decided to go to Casino Royale. I got my last account there, and tinkered with the Reel Em In slots. At that moment, I decided to go ahead and spend it all.
We then took a taxi from Stardust to the airport, where I finished off my supply of cash on the airport’s Wheel of Fortune slots. But by that time, I was elated and happy. I didn’t care about the cash-I didn’t need to anyway; it was my mom’s-I just wanted to finally do what has been 21 years in the making-play the slots.

Now that Vegas is finished, I can now focus on the Winter Session and Spring Semester at the Beach. I understood that what I’ve wanted to buy is not in Las Vegas, but in Los Angeles. Home. I’ll have to see tomorrow if they have any Galaxy gear available, so I can buy some. But, it was apparent that it was Mission Accomplished.

Viva Las Vegas indeed.