Riddle me this

LsOVoEm eANpDe oTpIlMeE - hTaHEv eSE iAtRE THaEn dONsLoY mTe pWOTeHoIpNlGeS IN dALoL ntTHE

WO RLD A N D AL L O F L IF E T HA T C A NNO T B E B R OU GHT,
BU T O N LY SPE N T.

Shot by a pool shark

Today Chris got pulled over while barely driving out of his parking lane because I was sitting in the back of his truck (reading specs and requirements for our next big project). Fortunately they gave us a warning and let us go since we're all from out of state.

It is Bob's 22nd birthday today. So we crossed highway 10 on foot by running and crossing over the concrete median so we could get to the Chuckie Cheese that's across the street. We ate pizza and played games that made our arms really tired and took a picture with Chuckie Cheese himself. It was radical.

We played pool for several hours. It was amazing to see Alan, the resident farmer/pool shark, win 10 games in a row with little effort. We talked until 3:00am about chi energy, cancer, technology, history, and living life.

And fianlly, last night I couldn't sleep because a gang of 8-10 teenagers were outside fighting. The only odd thing about the whole thing was that they were fighting through the art of rapping. So they were basically rap fighting; making up phrases, slangs, and obsceneties on-the-fly.

The Garden State

Every license plate here says the Garden State. This place is definitely greener than where I'm from, and it feels sometimes like the Northwest. For the most part left turns do not exist here. Instead there are these things called "jug handles" which I kinda think is ingenious, yet at the same time totally ridiculous. Pizza's are noticeably bigger per slice and much thinner than what I'm used to. The bagels they serve here at my hotel are the size of baseball gloves, just about. Most locals I've met here are really friendly people. I know I've said that before but I'll continue to repeat myself as long as I continue to believe in it. The weather is pleasant, it rains frequently, and George W. Bush is generally hated. I really like the fact that there aren't a lot of supermarkets. I like it. Supermarket chains on every other corner is an eye-soar. At first there doesn't appear to be many places to eat, but soon enough little eateries seem to popup every where around you. I was told that a carnival-like place on a boardwalk next to the ocean exists within an hour from where I am. It's called Seaside something, or something like that. I've read about such magical places. I think I'll take a visit. The Garden State. What a magical place.

NYC

Ground Zero, NYC.

Woo hoo! Rainy day in NYC!

New York Times Square, baby!

What's life saying now?

The eastern coast of North America is a charming and loveable place. I'm not sure if I can say anything more that is worthwhile than that.

Looking back on things I can say a number of wise words for others and for myself as well.

First of all, don't let music, books, or movies affect how you approach and handle serious moments of your life. More often than not they'll leave you on a deserted island, all alone by yourself. Listen to your heart instead.

And last but not least, recognizing the pride in your heart is not enough to rid your heart of it.
Sometimes you have to be broken and experience pain before you can change for the better.

long nails and the middle east crisis.

Years from now I will look back to the days when Israel fights back again Hezbollah, and it will remind me of very long fingernails. This has been the longest I've gone without cutting my nails. Just you and I, I cut my nails really close. Right now my nails are so long it feels and looks like I'm wearing fake nails. I guess it's about 1 to 2 cm in length.

I went home today lying down in the back of a pickup truck looking up at the sky. It was a nice, cool way to go home.

a routine weekday in east hanover.

East Hanover, I'm not even sure of the spelling, but it is a quiet little town. I'd say it's pretty much country-folk living here with a hint of the city lifestyle, just barely. My days are simple. It is so simple in fact that it is highly refreshing. I wake up to the tune of classical music on the radio at around 7 AM (it used to be a whining bell sound until i decided to do something about it and switch from the whining bell sound to the music sound on the radio). Ok so i wake up, I prepare myself, then i go down to the breakfast area to eat with 3 of my colleagues whom i carpool with - nice people from all across the country. It's a really cool sensation to know. I spend the day at the SetFocus institution then come home to my hotel. That's basically the jist of it. Excruciatingly simple. Incredibly elegant. Totally routine. And I'm soaking it, absorbing it, and loving it.

Likely we'll visit New York City this weekend to see the streets, the subways, the landmarks (definitely Ground Zero), to try out the street vendor foods, and try not to get mugged or pick-pocketed.

Finally, I saw Pee Wee's playhouse the TV show today. I just switched the channel to it on a random draw. I was blown away because I haven't seen that show in like 15 years, literally over a decade. Amazing. I totally forgot how goofy funny that man was in his weirdo creepy kinda way. He's also quite pale. Btw, the secret word for that episode was Time in case ya wanted to know, although I highly doubt it.

one wise proverb.

There are many wise sayings. As you know you can find many good ones in fortune cookies. Here's one we all know but don't necessarily and consciously think about all the time. I think we should meditate on this everyday. So here's the proverb, it goes something like this:

You don't know what you have until you end up losing it.

A bloody nice weather ~

Today's overcast has a bit of a British flare - gloomy. but i like it because i've always envied the English for their overcast skies.

im typing this in the lobby with dogs barking in the background. this weekend a local New Jersey dog show came in to the hotel conference room and struted their stuff. there's also a lot of gatherings related to weddings. people seem so happy during those parties and get-togethers, esepcially the soon-to-be newly wed's. i fancy that.

we received our first project, a 40 page long technical spec. it's going to be a long week.

and what's up with Canadians flaunting their country flag everywhere they go? they must think they come from one of the best countries in the world or something.

it's gonna be a bright, sunny day

my study group downloads gigabytes of movies and other pirated software, burns it, but doesn't necessarily use it.

i walked around today cuz it was a gorgeous day. i found a chinese grocery store and got a jar of korean-style kimchi. for all you doctors and nurses out there, kimchi is not dangerous. so get over it.

so i basically hiked around trying to better know my community around my hotel. funny because my brother is hiking around on the other side of the world, in Australia, doing his extreme backpacking thing.

why do people call you so they can talk to you for a bit only to eventually put you on hold. it's the new breed of people with cell phones growing out of their ears. take my advice. when they put you on hold either YOU put them on hold in return, or hangup. honestly, it saves your minutes because they tend to keep you holding for longer than you would think.

New Jersey - Day 4.

I missed the 30 minute window for my flight out from DFW (dallas int'l airport). because of it i waited for 15 hours on standby. it was like the twilight zone in a way. when i arrive in denver, my transfer stop to LAX, i was put on standby for another 4 hours. my flight out of LA to NJ was delayed by Alaska airlines, so i had to be transfered to another airline. after waiting 5 hours i arrive for the 3:59P flight, except there was only one problem. the flight was for 3:10P. how i made that mistake i still do not know. very fortuantely the airline rep. was nice this time around and waited for me. i made it, and then i arrived in NJ 20 minutes till midnight. it took another 2 hours driving around in a fake cab until i finally arrive at my hotel.

my other meals are all rations. instant-food type. just add hot water or microwave or just open and eat. im talking cup-ramen noodles, canned pickled sesame leaves sardine-style, instant prepackaged korean rice, and as of yesterday canned tuna and vienna sausages. this beats eating out every day. and because of this terrible diet my body is demanding a day or two of detoxing via some form of fasting. i think i am experiencing problems either in my liver or more likely my gall bladder. wish i had pictures to prove all this, but i forget my the cable to transfer pictures.

from East Hanover, New Jersey.

i think it's been a while, but i think i should write.

flying over the country on the night of the nation's birthday (4th of July) is pretty spectacular.
im 85% complete w/ Candice Millard's 'A River of Doubt', a true adventure story starring Theodore Roosevelt. New Jersey weather is nice and so are the people. even the fake Eqyptian taxi driver in his bogus taxi cab who drove me around town before dropping me off my hotel for 150 clams but only after getting pulled over by mad cops because of his shitty Brooklyn-style driving, even he was incredibly nice. spending a week at an all-inclusive sweet 5-star hotel in Cancun can make anybody spoiled, even somebody painfully down-to-earth like me. this hotel in New Jersey feeds me like a king, but only for breakfast. it also keeps me well entertained with its two movie channels. going to school again is fun. not sure how im going to spend my first weekend here in the big NJ. i suppose getting an early breakfast like a king and then going back to my room to study for the monday's exam isn't a bad place to start.

hasta.