My Newfound Obsession - Flowsik of Aziatix

SO in high school, I had this obsession with Jin the MC. Corinna and I went to all of his performances, meet & greets, and cd signings. One of the events that I hosted as a head promoter with DNC just happened to sign Jin as a performer (well it was actually after relentless begging of the CEO, haha). That night I got to go up on stage with him before and after the performance, and I got to hug him and talk to him. I felt a bliss like never before. I remember going to work at the airport at 4AM right after the club, not a wink of sleep and feeling like nothing less than a million bucks. I was walking on clouds.

And until now, I'd forgotten that feeling. But tonight, oh tonight. Tonight was a night of wonderment, and experiencing the sultry rhymes of Flowsik was simply elating. There's something about that deep and comforting voice. And that super cool, laid back demeanor. I really love Aziatix - that sweet boy band R&B sound that makes your heart drop for 3 minutes at a time. Oh, and I liked New Heights also, the opener from tonight. Got to take a picture with the lead singer!

I'm sad I didn't get to take a picture with Flowsik. But when he signed my arm, he asked me if I was going to keep it forever. I don't even remember what I said back. I think I said I'd try. And after we left I was looking at the signature on my arm and the signature on Menie's poster - I realized that MINE HAS A HEART!!!!!! *Swwwwwwwwwoooooooooooooooooooon*

Le sigh. I'm so glad Menie convinced me to go to this concert, for a band that I'd never heard of until two days ago. I'm so sad that I didn't get a picture with Flowsik, but I'll always have the picture of the autograph on my arm (with the heart, BOOO YA). And I'm going to pretend that I'm the only girl in the world that he's ever put a heart on. :)

Valentines Day 2012

In anticipation of the veil of misery that always seems to envelope me on Valentine's Day, I bought myself a little treat. Something cute to keep me distracted while everyone else rolls around in their bountiful piles of roses and chocolate -- you know, no big deal.

And it worked until about lunch time. Then people started asking me what my "big plans" were for Valentine's Day, and then doing the whole "what do you mean you don't have a date?" -- like I must be doing something terribly wrong. And so of course, every time that happened my mood turned a bit darker.

Then something terrible happened. Our landlord was pulling into our parking lot to drop something off, and accidentally hit an elderly man in a wheelchair. I'm SO THANKFUL that I didn't see it happen, but I did see when everyone on the street ran over to help. I walked up to the window to take a look out and I saw the wheelchair, the truck, and the man crumpled up on the pavement. I am especially thankful that I was not wearing my glasses, because I would not have the stomach to see the carnage. According to my coworkers though the damage was pretty horrifying, and they had to tape off the area and clean up the mess.

http://lynnwood.komonews.com/news/911/719692-man-wheelchair-struck-car-highway-99

And then there was the landlord who was frantic and praying on his knees in the parking lot. I was too afraid to go near the window again, but I could see the medical and police officers walking around and taking care of business. I thought to myself, here were two people, whose lives changed in less than a moment's notice. I felt bad, of course, for the man in the wheelchair who was just motoring along on the sidewalk. I also felt bad, though, for the landlord because I know that making that turn across traffic on Highway 99 is difficult - there is SO much happening environment-wise, and then you're in the middle of 5 lanes of highway with cars coming at you about 40mph and cars behind you in the turn lane waiting for you to go.

It was a lot to think about. And it was deeply disturbing for me. By the time my work day was over, I just decided to settle with thanking the higher powers (if there are any) for my fantastic luck. And just being fucking happy.

SO I went home and made the breakfast burritos that I'd been craving. And then for dessert, I had a nice cold bottle of Fantasia with my quesadillas. Yeah -- I had a date with Dr. Phil, but hey at least I'm not in the hospital.. or trying to deal with almost killing someone, right?

Museum

Since I got laid off on Tuesday, I've been working out religiously and trying to enjoy my time more. I watched the first two seasons of The League, which was hilarious, and dedicated my Thursday to museums!

I started off at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), and it was actually much more interesting than I was expecting it to be. The Now & Then exhibit in the gallery was my favorite! There is just something about a set of old and new photos that really gets my noodle going. It was amazing to see the same street or the same bend of water captured a centuries apart. A lot of times I felt like I preferred the "then" pictures because it all seemed so simple before, and less cluttered. I was happy to see that many of the buildings in Seattle are actually restored buildings from long ago!

There were also other exhibits that were very interesting, like the Rainier beer exhibit. I had always thought that Rainier was just a local inexpensive beer but little did I know there is so much historical significance! The strangest thing I saw today was probably Eddie Bauer's taxidermied cougar. Very odd.

It only took about an hour to get through the whole museum, it was rather small. I stopped for a pastrami sandwich on The Ave before heading down south to the Museum of Flight. Traffic was starting up and I'm definitely glad I got there early! The free portion of the day started at 5:00 but at 4:45 I could already see the parking lot filling up with eager families.

The Museum of Flight was absolutely amazing, as I thought it would be. Technology is so intriguing for me, and the idea of flight is still out of this world conceptually. Even the small planes are SO BIG! And then the huge Blackbird -- WOW. The cut-outs of the engines were so very cool, you could see the huge pistons and other components so clearly. They even had planes where you could sit inside of the cockpit! Just being there made me smile. I love airplanes and I surely love that museum! I felt like a kid again, in a library full of all of my favorite books.

Today was simply wonderful. Going to the museums alone was great because I got to see everything that I wanted to see and I didn't feel rushed or have to wait anyone else. The downside? No one to take pictures for me! I asked a few strangers who were kind enough to help me, but the patrons could not quite figure out how to focus on a digital camera. Oy vey.

Winter Wonderland - Snow BBQ Awesomeness

So when Matt and I heard a huge storm was coming this week, we decided to load up on groceries in case we got snowed in. And well, since we were already at Safeway, we decided we might as well stock up our liquor cabinet while we were there.

We decided to expand our horizons, so instead of grabbing a bottle of Jack or Patron, we picked up some whiskeys that we thought looked cool. We were both very happy about our decision to try new things.

With the anticipation of snow, JR and BJ came over and we had a onesie party! I was very excited because I very recently got a Paul Frank onesie and was just waiting for an occasion like this. Needless to say, we were toasty as could be last night. We stayed up late just hanging out and talking. There were old cartoon classics playing in the background, it was definitely good times.

We woke up this morning to SNOW SNOW SNOW! After waking up Tuesday morning and expecting snow (then being very disappointed), it was awesome to get the call about not having to go into work. We cooked up a hearty breakfast that was yummers! I spent a lot of my morning staring out the window, watching car wheels spinning on the patches of ice on our block.

After breakfast, we all went over to the Zante house to play in the snow. There was probably double the amount of snow in Lynnwood than there was in our neighborhood. Everything was covered in snow and looking gorgeous. We started by making snowmen, and I got to practice my ball rolling techniques. I think I've much improved since last time! We pumped up the boom box and were dancing in the snow. It was a jolly good time. Even Reubs came out to play, he's such a cutie!

Someone got the ingenius idea to build an igloo. So we started patting down snow even though we weren't sure exactly how an igloo is built. In any case, we got hungry from all of that grunt work! We took a break and picked up groceries to have a bbq. MY FIRST SNOW BBQ!!! And it was so good. Snow BBQs are awesome because the fire also warms you up!

After eating, we had more energy to build on! But first, we trudged down the block and up the hill for some sledding. Also my FIRST TIME SLEDDING! It was really scary at first, but still very fun. The snow looked so pretty in the night, the sky was dark but because the snow was reflecting the light it seemed still bright outside. Almost like a sepia effect? We had to stop sledding after JR and Matt got hurt. Old geezers.

We went back to our igloo, and kept patting away. We eventually decided to call it a fort instead and quit for the day. Everyone was exhausted! It turned out pretty well, I think it was very impressive and I'm proud to say that it was my first snow fort. :)

Snow days are the best. We DEFINITELY didn't have those in California. Skipping work to play in the snow and drink? Yes please!

SNOW!

I am pleased to introduce you to, my first snowman! The snowing season is now underway. :) There was a teensy bit of snow yesterday, lots more snow today, and according to the weather forecast we're in for snow for at least a few more days.

How does it feel, you ask? Simply enchanting. The only times I've ever experienced snowfall were in Tahoe - they were tiny, miserably cold snow flakes that didn't look like flakes at all. BUT TODAY! The snow was powdery and flaky, and the most wonderfully delightful thing I've experienced in Seattle yet. Matt woke me up this morning to show me the snow, and when I finally got out of bed I bundled up and went upstairs to the roof. I made a snowman! Or at least, what I thought was a snowman. Matt joined me later on and after he told me I was supposed to roll the balls in the snow to even them out and make them fluffy, I made a much more proportionate snowman. They don't show you these things in the movies!

As the snow cleared up later in the day, so did my excitement. Truthfully, my time here in Seattle is become less and less blissful. Things have been unwinding since New Year, and my future is now very uncertain. Things with Victor have boiled down to us just being friends, which I'm totally grateful for, but not very happy about. The feeling of being so lucky and cared for all of the time has now turned into two feelings 1) at times feeling lucky for the fun new friends I have made, and 2) at times feeling sad and left out, wishing that things had stayed the same.

Dealing with the negative emotions in my life is exponentially worse being 800 miles away from the people that I know and love best. The weekend before last I spent two days doing absolutely nothing, just laying in bed feeling so discouraged that I couldn't muster the motivation to shower or eat. Being in a new city and feeling alone is scary, and so unpleasant. But I'm sure that this would have happened eventually, no matter where I went. Sadness seems to be inevitable for me.

There are also changes in my work situation recently, and it's only a matter of weeks before I'll be out of a job. There are plans to move me to a different shop, but so many things can happen at this point. Leave it to me, the worry wart, to wring my brain about everything. So many things scratching at the back of my brain. I'm exhausted and so discouraged, but I'll just keep smiling through it.

I still have fanastic moments here though, like this morning with my first snow experience. Or even just hanging out with Matt and partying with the guys. I went to karaoke with Menie last week, and we had a BLAST. Her friend and his friend joined us, and I almost went to Whistler with them the next day. I know it would have been an amazing trip, but I was feeling sick and didn't want to risk getting sicker on the road. Every day is a new adventure, and I'm trying my best to shake the feeling of loneliness and missing certain someones to enjoy the opportunities that come up. It's tough, but it's the best I can do. And the best I can be is all I've ever wanted to be - that's why I never have any regrets.

Jump Starting Resolutions

Life is good, resolutions are great.

Day 2 of the New Year and I've managed to knock out all of my resolutions! I woke up and did my face, and then I checked my lotto ticket at 7-11. The machine told me I'm "not a winner" -- I suppose it would be cruel if the display said loser. With my mood slightly dampered, I went to the Urban Coffee Lounge to read my book. It was noisier than I thought it would be (I Yelped "coffee, study" to find it) so I ended up just people watching instead of reading. I really enjoyed witnessing the scuttling through the rain by the passerbys. I even saw a girl dressed like a tiger, wearing shuffling pants. SO bizzare.

After an hour of people watching, I went to the thrift store in Kenmore. I was searching for cute little trinkets for a craft project I will be starting soon. I didn't realize that today was the 1/2 off everything sale, so there were quite a few people already there. Unfortunately, my quest for trinkets was a bust. But not entirely! I got a fancy glass plate to put my fruits on, it was only $1.65. I was also tempted to buy cute animal shaped sculptures, but I knew deep inside my heart that it would be a waste of money and space.



I went home to start cooking dinner. I prepped my curry ingredients during commercial breaks while watching the Sharks @Canucks. Such a good game! Overtime of course, and then the shoot out. I had to remind myself to breathe during OT - good thing it's only five minutes long. I miss getting all of the Sharks games, but at least now that the NHL is on the new NBC sports channel, I'll get more hockey games.

After the Sharks won, I went to the gym! Six months and one resolution later, it felt great to have finally gone back. I really like Planet Fitness, a lot more than 24 hour fitness. Many more machines, less crowded, nicer facility, and there are even tanning booths and massage chairs. Although, I highly doubt I'll be using the latter.

I came home to my big pot of curry. I feel great, and I'm going to sleep early tomorrow so I can wake up and have time to brush my hair! If today is any indication of what this year will be like, I think it's safe to say that this could be my best year yet.