timeout.

I'm trying very hard to write the truth onto this page without sounding too rabid. I am totally upset after having such a stressful workweek while flailing madly to keep on top of my other priorities. I just want to scream my head off and get it done and over with.

cheese (on a friday night).

What would Louiie do on a Friday night when her brain is screaming, "OVERLOAD!"? But of course... I would pick to watch a movie with the most predictable plot to eliminate any possible need of thinking more. While I'm not about to jump up and down after seeing this film, I must shamefully admit that it made me laugh. Yes... it made me HAHA-laugh out of its sheer hokeyness. The sword fighting scenes were also worth seeing, so at the end of the day, if something manages to get a chuckle out of me, my thumbs go up for it.

something that works.

Okay, I realized that I'm under time pressure to study for my naturalization interview on Monday. What I failed to take into account was that I don't have the time this week to sit on my ass and study at leisure. As a last resort to avoid failure from unpreparedness, I decided to record the entire questionnaire on top of a delta and theta brainwave track so I can listen to it while I sleep. Smart eh? Information planted directly onto my subconscious. Until Monday, I'm crossing my fingers for positive results.

priorities

Been lugging around this booklet at work so I can brush up on the civics questions for my naturalization interview on Monday (at 7AM). I am more worried about not waking up on time for the interview than actually studying. SHEESH!

overhaul.

Walked into my closet and practically ejected everything from inside of it to my bedroom floor. Ahhh... Spring cleaning! How absolutely wonderful and time consuming!

SCORE AGAIN!

And I say, YESSSS!!!

Popped by the Salvation Army thrift store and found a pristine copy of EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES (an awesome grammar book that I've been eyeing for a loooooongggg time). What an awesome score for $ 0.50 (yes, fifty cents!). Even the Panda stickers in it are intact and unused.

SCORE! SCORE! SCORE!

And to make matters even sweeter, I visited my aunt who recently moved and voila! I inherited her piano, just like that! Myoozik, here I come!

SCORE!!!

Slept in this morning and skipped Kendo class. Celebrated my newfound "wu-wei" (state of non-ado) by hitting up my favorite store - World Market. I decided to pick up this beautimous Chinese clay pot (amongst other things, thanks very much to the pull of retail therapy) which was a screaming deal at $9.98 plus tax.

I predict that the first dish coming out of this baby will be Kare-Kare (Filipino Oxtail Stew). Woot! I can't wait for next Sunday!

finally entitled to sleep

Aha! Success!

After staying up 'til 7 AM trying to finish my post, I am happy to announce that I am done. For those of you who are interested in seeing my first installation for 2009, it can be found here.

With only 4 hours of sleep, I went and endured a grueling 10 hour shift. Right now, only toothpicks can hold my eyes open, yet I am amped with adrenaline. I finally resorted to drinking some sleep tea so I can pass out effortlessly.

If this was myspace, my current mood would read: FULFILLED.

editing

I'm up late and cramming, as usual. Luckily, the ideas are flowing in a steady stream, and so far the piece has been "jell-ing" well. Will I be able to pull this layered experiment off without it going off in different tangents?

flippy

I haven't used this gizmo in a while and it's now going to be a part of my installation for project7days. I hope I finish my piece in time. *crossing fingers*

Una Furtiva Lagrima

With the traffic being so bad on the 15 while en route to work, I was fiddling with my iPod and doing my sound research for my upcoming post on P7D. I ended up using this track by Edvin Marton playing a Stradivarius.

This sounds exceptionally haunting it gives me goosebumps (the good kind).

new kicks

I threw out my old ratty loafers that I use for work. I bought these clogs over a year ago but I never really decided to use them in the kitchen. I decided to start off my week with a brand new pair of kicks. After all... who wants to be treading on old and worn out ideas?

places of inspiration

Reading this at the Sundance Resort while wait-listing for 500 Days of Summer absolutely moved me. There is an unspeakable truth to it, and you'd really have to be at the place to really understand what is being said, err... in this case 'inscribed' on the wall to my left.

This place in the mountains,

amid nature’s casualness toward deathand birth,

is the perfect host for the inspiration of ideas:

harsh at times, life-threatening in its winters of destruction,

but tender in attention to the details

of every petal of every wildflower resurrected in the spring.

Nature and creativity obey the same laws,

to the same end: life.

~Robert Redford

better late than never

So I got up at noon. I must admit Kelly and Mum tried to wake me earlier on but they were met by my cranky, half-asleep self. Anyway, today was the day I said, "F*ck it! We're going.". And so we went. We were on the road by 2:30 PM with a 7 hour drive ahead of us.

Photo here is Kelly and I dressed in Mountain chic and almost ready for the snow in Utah.

fon*dizzle wizzle

I had a horrible night at work. We did 230 covers at such a short timeframe, plus I had a VIP come in and order fondue (which is not even on the menu!). I'm achy all over, plus I have to get up early so Kelly and I can drive up to Utah tomorrow. *sheesh!*

to 'DANCE or not to 'DANCE

Checking out the film schedules for the weekend. I am crossing my fingers that I'll get to go.

a long term relationship

Juno and I... going steady for 6 years.

Mental note: spend more time with this one cool cat.

ADD no more

Surprisingly, this movie (although two hours long, give or take) managed to glue me on the couch for the night. Very rare happenstance indeed, especially since I was skeptical about it.

music in exchange for sleep.

Always listen with your eyes closed.

Beatstripping duties robbing me of precious beauty rest.

my cookie army

It hit me this afternoon: I cook mostly for pay, and I never seem to allow myself the time to actually do it for leisure or simply "for the love of". I decided to remedy that by baking these bad boys (Candied Walnut and Chocolate Chip Cookies). I have 55 of these sitting on my kitchen counter. Bring soymilk and help yourself to my little cookie feast.

sunsets upon sunsets

I recently wrote in my bedside journal that I wanted to find time to watch more sunrises and sunsets than I had in the previous year. Here's my first one for 2009 on top of Exploration Peak Park.

the disappearing act

The unfortunate rock chip was on the lower right hand corner of the passenger side windshield. IT WAS THERE less than 24 hours ago. Here she is... all bright, sparkling, and new. Proof enough that sixty bucks buys a little something better than a magic trick.

twinkle, twinkle

An artful rendition of a little mishap my windshield suffered after being hit by a rock while driving through the McCarran airport tunnel.

ride that second wind.

I don't know where that late night burst of energy came from, but I managed to fold laundry, write my bio, do some tune-scaping, and read a few chapters off the book I was holding in my hands before nodding off.

ten

It's that little dog park on the street corner where I ran 10 laps before I headed off to work today.

back to the books

My online food writing class started yesterday. I am buried in homework and research, plus I have a buttload of writing to do.

Here's to taking the first step in diversifying my career.

too cold to go out.

Spent the day mostly dozing in and out of sleep in front of the TV watching movies my friend Kelly and I borrowed from the library.

Sundays and the Art of the Sword.

In Kenjutsu class while practicing some cutting and footwork drills, my Sensei posed a question and told me to be candid about answering it. "Are you enjoying this at all?", he asked. "I am.", I replied. Then, I started to smile a little.

I have to learn to smile a lot more because there is a whole lot going on in my life that is worthy of smiling about.

putting the party hat away...

Juno posing by my current reading material.

I survived the holidays. I'm glad to actually have time in my hands to plan and organize my to-do lists, schedules and activities for the next few weeks. The first quarter of 2009 is definitely going to be a push, as I am trying to juggle at least three different projects outside of work that desperately need my attention.

Over the weekend, a bunch of people asked me about my New Year's resolutions. I must say, I don't have an immediate answer to that. I've thought about my goals for the year as early as November, and I've managed to swing a few of these into action. But, I'm not quite satisfied with the passion I exert in my doings because of my multi-tasking and lack of time. I then ask myself: How much can I actually do before the quality of my work turns to dust?

I need to break the habit of piling to-do's upon to-do's and start funneling my energy into one focused motion. That will be my resolution for now.

I get by with a little help from my...

...friends.

cheering on for peace (and a little bit of mischief) for 2009.

The Promise of a Sweet Tomorrow

Bread Pudding in the works as I sleep. Mix everything together, throw it in a crock pot, doze off, and voila... First thing in the morning, I am sure to be greeted by the aroma of citrus and spice, and a tantalizingly good breakfast. Now that's the way to start it right.

It feels golden to be able to give myself of perks like these. If there's anything I learned (so far), a little insight, a little patience, a little elbow grease, and a little love definitely goes a long way.