We made it to the gym yesterday. But we took it easy, stayin' off those bikes and cross-trainers and whatever the hellz you call 'em. :) We went to the gym without sleeping from our night out. Two weekends in a row for me going to the gym. That's a record. Now let's see if I can start getting myself to go during the week at school. I mean, I should since I'm paying for it anyway. We have to pay a mandatory fee to use the facilities on campus, whether we plan to use them or not.

Anyway... didn't do anything last night. Pretty much wasted the day sleeping and doing nothing really productive. Well, except for watching my favorite show when it finally came on after all that stupid sports crap. "Alias" was good last night! A lotta crazy things went down in that episode. I wonder what's gonna happen next! Jennifer Garner - she oughta be my motivation for trying to get into a gym routine. I'm gonna learn to do what she does. Hehe... And I think I wanna go see that movie she's starring in with Ben Affleck - "Daredevil." I also wanna see that movie with Queen Latifah and Steve Martin. That looks like it'll be funny.

And tomorrow - the second week of "American Idol." I hope this season will be as good as the first when one of my colleagues and I would watch it religiously. I wonder what's goin' on on the Spanish version of the show. I saw some of it during winter break. It's called "Operación Triunfo." It was quite different than "American Idol" and I didn't fully understand how it all worked.

So, I think I got my answer from the subject of last Tuesday's blog. And the answer was more or less in the affirmative. I think. I dunno... there's much to work on and work out. ¿Me oyes, papi? :-P

Okay... I've got a LOT of catching up to do with my school work. I gotta try not to sleep so much because there's just too much that needs to be done. Dammit. Why do I always procrastinate?

Bad start to the semester. I'm already slackin'. But what's new, right??

Well, part of my reason for not doing my work is that I've been getting out more than I usually do. It's probably nothing for most everyone else, but I usually don't leave the house 'cept to go to school.

Friday, I made my way back to my parents' house, then ended up going out with Jeannie and some of her friends to a club/lounge in the city. We got there hella late, so, we weren't there too long. It was a nice place. From the outside, kinda looks like a hole in the wall. But on the inside, it was rather spacious, nicely decorated - that is, modern-looking - and there were some trendy (and some not-so-trendy) people in there. Afterwards, we went to Double T Diner. I got home around 5 in the morning.

Then... I got my sleep, then Tara and Jeannie and I made it to the gym again. Oh, my abs were still burning from the last week. We were posta go to the gym again today, but I dunno if I'ma make it cuz I just may wanna sleep. Jeannie got me to go to the club with her and the guys (the same ones from the night before). I was making all kinds of excuses for not going - like that I didn't have no club gear (cuz most my stuff is at my apartment, not my parents' house). And Jeannie was like, we'll get you some clothes. And I'm like, I got no shoes. So, me, Tara, and Jeannie ended up going to the mall for bubble tea and looking and clothing. Got me some pants and a top to match the shoes I was already wearing.

We headed to the club mad late. I thought we weren't even gonna get a chance to enjoy it. But we were there for a good couple hours, I guess. I ended up seeing this dude from my undergrad there. I remember when I used to go clubbing regularly, I used to always see this cat at the club. And though we didn't really talk on campus, save for greeting each other, we would always dance with each other. So, he spots me last night and we dance and fill each other in on what we're up to these days. He tells me I've taken care of my self since the last time we seen each other... asks me if I'm single... Sometimes I wish lying came easy to me, or that I just knew how to be honest cuz, although this guy is cool, I'm not interested in him in "that way." So, I coulda lied and said I was seeing somebody. Or I coulda told him the truth that I didn't have no man (which is what I did)... But then I didn't tell him I wasn't tryna get with him or anything 'cause he was obviously feeling me. But I did end up exchanging info with him.

I also met this Indian guy from Great Britain. He's a medic. Hmm... lemme see whassup with that! LoL... Nah... He seemed nice enough. Don't think I'd be interested in "seeing" him in a romantic way or whatever. But he was okay-looking. And if I wanna go to England before the summer, I hafta let him know cuz after that, he'll be in the States. Heh... I'ma hafta think about that one! ;) We did swap e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.

Met some other guys... not particularly noteworthy. Or I'm just too lazy to re-cap. :-P My friends were jokin' about what a mack I am. Hehe... I'm not really a mack. I'm just a jerk magnet. LoL - nah. These guys weren't jerks. Oh - and on the way out... kinda rubbed shoulders with one of the doormen right quick. Italian-American. But I had thought he was Arab. That's why I had talked to him. Hehe...

Then we ended up going back to one of the guys we went with - to his house for a minute... Then back to Double T Diner... And long story short, I got back in the house at 8:30am. Tara wanted to go to the gym this morning, and earlier than we usually go. But I dunno... Jeannie and I are deliberating on the matter on IM right now. LoL. We're like, if we go, no cardio today if we go or we'll be no more good. Let's see if we even go...

And it's Super Bowl Sunday. I've never done anything for that, but I'm tryna see if something's up. If I don't do anything, ain't no thing. But I'm also down for almost whatever...

I went to the gym again on Sunday. But it was all for nothing, considering what I've eaten since then. Hehe. My fat azz needs to eat! Ha - I actually wish my ass was fat. Can someone give me some tips on how to increase my butt size and get some child-bearing hips? I don't wanna hafta resort to the butt implants. LoL... I just wish I got more of my Black side when it came to distributing the butt genes. Unfortunately, I have my mother's behind from her youth. Well, it's not so bad - she can testify how it draws "the brothers." And I could, too. hehe... But still - it's just not the same. It's not round enough!

Enough about butts... after the gym on Sunday, I went with my mom to her friend's house for a minute. Then I arranged a date with one of my best guy buds, Robert. It took some convincing to get him out, but we finally hung out. I haven't seen him in a while and we haven't talked in a long time. We had a nice time, doing a little bit of catch-up. I took him to the place where my current object of affection works. But Bert didn't know that until a little bit later in the evening.

But, argh! I think it's time I entered a convent. I'm not making or finding any more meaningful relationships with the opposite sex and it's killing me! Okay, no, not really. I'm exaggerating. But it is frustrating! I can't seem to find a guy that I like, who likes me back, AND is worth the time! It's always me liking someone who's off limits... Or someone liking me and me not feeling the same. Or just some other really stupid reason. >:-O

And my current obsession - I just don't get him. I mean, I don't know what the deal is or where we stand. I'm just ready to give up on him. That's my problem: I crush too hard. I think with my emotions, ignoring all my rational thoughts. But that can only last for so long before I snap back to reality. So, if homeboy is as pressed as I am right now, he better act like it. It would work to his advantage if the feeling is mutual for him to stop giving me mixed signals. He may not think he is, but that's how I'm seeing it.

Cuz, shiet - he's interfering with my game. LoL. Nah, it's just that I'll be shootin' down other guys' game for his sake 'cause I can only have a 'serious' crush on one guy at a freakin' time! Dammit. I'm so confused. :-S

My mom would yell at me if she knew how I was behaving for a stupid boy. She, being old-fashioned, says a guy should chase a girl - not a girl chasing after a guy. I think she's right. And I have another friend who's like that. And she's much more strong-willed than I. For this guy who wasn't giving her the same attention she would give him, she was like, "scratch that!" That's the approach I need to take.

Damn American boys! More reason for me to want to move to another country... If I keep throwin' myself at you and I don't feel that you're being responsive enough, I'll eventually learn to say "fuck it." So, you better watch out, Mister! :-P

Alright. No more of my little girl anguish. Wait - one more thing - boys suck! :-P hehe... Okay, I'm done now. :)

I really need to hit the books. I'm already slacking and it's only the beginning of the semester. Sheesh. What the f*** is my problem? Well, honestly, part of its the damn male species. Grrr! But anyway...

I'm auditing Hebrew again this semester. But I'll only be able to attend one of the two classes a week since it conflicts with my Introduction to Arabian Nights class. In that class we'll be reading a few of the stories in Arabic. I'm a little intimidated of the native speaker who's in the class. But my teacher says not to be and to go to him whenever I have a question. Kelly's also in that class. She's the non-native speaker who's married to an Arab. So, she has help at home. All these unfair advantages. It does intimidate me.

I'm also taking a class on Global Terrorism and Islam, one on Contemporary Arab Society, and an Arabic Translation Workshop. I was hoping for a light semester in terms of actual work. But I can see these courses as being time-consuming. Ugh, I hate school.

Last night I went with Justin and Tony to Border's to do some homework. I got a tiny bit of work done. We were there about two hours until it closed at 11. Then we eventually went out for some drinks and talked until that place closed at 1. Then we headed to the liquor store, bought some Malibu and pineapple juice, chilled at Justin's place for a bit. Then we headed to Denny's for some food. I got back in the house maybe around 4am. Had a teeny-weeny hangover feeling. But I feel fine now. I just need to get some homework done. But I lack motivation. *sigh*

Get me to a nunnery...

Sup sup?? Here I go, wit' the 2nd blog for the year...

Craziness - Jeannie finally got me to do what she's been trying to get me to do, and what Nadine has been trying to get me to do, for, like, the past year - go to the gym! It was me, Jeannie, and Tara. I don't know the last time I exercised. But Jeannie told me there'd be cookies along the track, so, that enticed me. LoL...

Then we all went home and showered so we could go out again. We went to this Asian restaurant. I ordered the Lemon grass chicken, but I didn't taste no lemon grass. I won't be going to that place again. It was alright, but I wasn't impressed. Oh, and the Thai iced coffee - it's not better than Vietnamese iced coffee. But they seemed to have pretty good business.

Afterwards, we headed to the movies and saw "A Guy Thing." I didn't really know what it was about since I don't watch TV that much. It was an okay movie. But I wouldn't go rushing to see it. Wait 'til it comes out on video or something.

Next, we headed to the mall for some bubble tea. Then we walked around a bit and I bought a shirt that I can't wait to wear. It has a cartoon bunny on it and it says, "You smell like butt." LMAO.

Then we came back to my house, thinkin' of something to do, but in the end, everyone ('cept me) called it a night. I was ready to do something else. But my friends are old and get tired easy. And early. Heh.

I ended up watching TV with mom dukes. I finally saw "Jumanji." It was pretty good. I was entertained for a couple hours.

So, that was my day. Quite an eventful day for me 'cause I usually never do anything. Ever.

And we're posta go to the gym again tomorrow/today. Let's see if I can make this a habit... Nah - probably not! :-P

HAPPY 2003

As we bring in the new year, I can officially say I've eaten McDonald's in 5 foreign countries (4 continents, and maybe 7 cities, hehe): Mexico, "Israel," Egypt, France, and now Spain. What have you accomplished? :-P

So I've finally come back from yet another one of my travels. The day after Christmas, I jetted the hell out of here & headed across the Atlantic. I hate spending hours in planes, butcha gotta do whatcha gotta do if you wanna see the world. And to stay sane - (at least for me). My way of keeping my sanity is escaping the ennui of my vain existence. *sigh*

When I was on my way to the airport, I saw a girl I recognized from school on the bus. I didn't talk to her until we were at the airport and I discovered we were on the same flight to Germany. She was headed to Kazakstan, which is where she is from originally. And me - final destination: paradise. Ha. Not really.

So, anyway - later, as me and this chick are walking to our gate, I spot a familiar person and shout, "Dana!" It was my old roommate from my last two years of undergrad. I hadn't seen her since right before I graduated, I suppose. (Although, once in a while we exchange a few words via messenger). But anyway, that was cool to run into her. We had someone to kill time with as we waited hours before we could actually board our own flights.

To skip all of that... I finally arrived to my final destination on December 27: the Canary Islands. I spent roughly 10 days there. Most of my time was spent in the city of Las Palmas, on the island of Gran Canaria. (For those who don't know their geography, the Canary Islands is an archipelago belonging to Spain and located right off the coast of Morocco.) I met a few of my internet buddies in Las Palmas. I met a couple other in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which is on the island of Tenerife. It was cool to meet these peeps, but I would have been much better satisfied had I a travel companion. I hate traveling alone. But - ah, well!

So, what can I say about the Islands? Well, the weather was cool - literally. When I got there, it was cloudy and it even rained in the evening. But after that, there were also days of sunshine. Definitely much warmer than home. The temperature was in the 20's (centigrade, of course) for the most part. I don't know what that converts to in Fahrenheit.

The food was decent. Didn't really try a whole lot of Spanish foods. But there's this one Canary dish - papas canarias con mojo. I liked that. I also went to a Singaporean restuaraunt, Chinese, and Korean. All I gotsta say about those places in the Islands, is that Chinese & Korean taste better in the U.S.!

Yeah, there are quite a number of immigrants there: Black Africans, North Africans, Chinese, Korean, Filipinos... I thought that was pretty interesting. It's just that being an American, I guess I kinda expect immigrants, when not speaking their native tongue, to speak English. And to hear them rattling off in Spanish - it throws me off! lol

The Canarians are nice peeps. Better than the Madrilenians (people of Madrid). I also spent about a week in Madrid. Some people who study at my university are from Madrid. When I got there, my roommate and her dad picked me up from the airport late at night. We went back to their place for a while. But then they had to bring me to my other friend's apartment because she would arrive in the morning and I needed to be there to let her in. She had given me the keys to her place when we were both in the States. So nice of her! She was only there with me part of the time. When she left for the States, I went out on my own and hung out a couple times with my roommate's sister and her boyfriend.

The weather in Madrid was colder. During the day it was above zero. It wasn't so bad. It rained a few times, but I wasn't out for that. I did some shopping there and sightseeing. Hung out with my friend and her friends. Even went to the famous Prado museum. Was not impressed. I don't know what I was expecting. Lots of bells and lights or something. Ha. Nah... I just didn't think it was all that. I like much better the National Gallery of Art in Washington. :-P And Goya - I have no clue why he's a famous painter. His works suck. Hehe... Maybe I just gotta get used to him 'cause that's how I feel/felt about Picasso when I saw his artwork. Anyway, El Greco had much better works. I remember I did I report on him for Spanish class in middle school.

Okay - this blog entry is not so chronological and not super-duper detailed cuz I don't feel like explaining and remembering everything. If I did, this entry would be just way too long. So lemme try to think of a few other highlights of my trip... Back in Las Palmas I met this one guy and hung out with him my first night and last day and somewhere in between. He was feelin' me. Haha. But he was cool. Took me to a few bars, restaurants, a club where he goes with his friends, invited me to his house, made me some food... I also met his mom and he had his brother-in-law take me to the airport when I was headed to the mainland.

Another guy I met took me to this really tranquil part of the city. Like a park by the Santa Catalina hotel. It was really pretty. And you could see this building on top of a hill and I'm like, is that a church? And he tells me it's a Korean one. Pretty weird.

I also met the man of my dreams. But like all happy endings, he's taken. D'oh! But yeah, I met him and he was cool. He hung out with me a few times. We went for beers. One night he even took me to a Lebanese restaurant. He helped me buy my boat ticket I needed to go to that other island, Tenerife, for New Year's Eve. After we bought my ticket he was like, let's look at some music. So we were checkin' out the CDs saying who we liked or what we'd heard and this and that. He purchased some CDs and then he hands a bag to me and is like, this is for you. Aww!! He had bought me a CD of one of his favorite groups! He was such a sweety. A really good catch. Too bad I didn't get to meet him in person before he hooked up with his current girlfriend. Hehe. Hey - there's always tomorrow. :) He also gave me this tape of Brazilian music he had recorded for me. Aww. I wish there were more guys like him... I tell ya - they just don't make 'em like they used to! LoL. Oh, and he did seem kinda jealous when he met the guy who had taken me to the park. The guy who had taken me to the park was waitin' with me as I was waiting for the other guy, so I ended up introducing him. When "park boy" left, my other friend made some kind of comment like he looks like a boy or something. But they're both the same age. Hehe.. Anyhoo...

So, I went to Tenerife for a New Year's party. My one internet friend, who's like head bouncer and does promotions for some clubs was at the port in Santa Cruz to pick up his friends he had invited from Las Palmas to the party. They were entertainers and what not. And then he had one of his friends take me to my hotel. I think his friend was a DJ for one of the radio stations in Spain (Los 40 Principales).

And this friend of mine, in the words of my sister and my friend, Nadine, he's "hot." Hehe. Yeah, he's a cutie, the kind you'd think would have lots of women. But he confessed to me that he's actually pretty shy. So, yeah, he got me into this club for New Year's and it was open bar. But I didn't drink much. Only had three drinks. Guess I didn't really feel like drinking much, and besides, I was sort of alone. I wouldn't wanna get drunk without a chaperone, ya know?

I met these entertainers... Some danced. Some sang and danced. Two of the groups performed. I was dancing with one of these guys that was a dancer. Then he pulled me off the floor, to a 'remote' area askin' for a kiss. Ha. I just said nope. Then there was this singing group. They performed, too and it was good. A Spanish R&B group called "3 de voz." Supposedly they've just signed with EMI and they're gonna do a tour of Latin America in the summer. We'll see.

So one of the guys in this group... we were diggin' each other. He was like a fake Jon B. LoL. You would have had to see him to know what I mean cuz he didn't actually look like Jon B. But dayum - his body was bangin'! Haha. He wasn't very tall or anything, but I found him cute. Guess it was his personality. Actually, the finest guy in the group had this skanky-lookin' girlfriend. Hehe. Lemme stop talkin' about people... Anyway - too bad I ain't kickin' out cuz I coulda got some. LoL. Coulda been a groupie. But nah, that's not my style. Had to turn down a piece of ass. lmao...

Anyway, next day I hung out for short while with the bouncer guy. He took me to a high scenic point to see the city. The next week when I spoke to him online he said he was thinking about kissing me when we were alone together. A-ha. Damn, I'm such a mack. Syke... But why can't I get any action in the US? From the cute guys, I mean? Dangit... :-P

At the stroke of midnight I was still at my hotel - this was before I had gotten to the club - in the lobby, eatin' uvas with a bunch of Argentinians, a Spaniard and a Moroccan. Haha. Craziness.

So that was my erratic recount of my 2-week vacation in Spain. I'm glad to be back home. I kind of didn't even want to leave. Dunno why. Maybe it's 'cause of this other guy I met on the 'net (and later in person) last month. He mad cool. Yet I don't know if that'll go anywhere. But, yeah... back in the US. Glad to be out of the pollution. My goodness - I hated having to be submersed in all the cigarette smoke. I just could not stand it. Every-freakin'-where! That's the one good thing about the States - smoking is forbidden in lots of places. I shouldn't have to be subjected to such a health hazard. I'd like to die on my own terms, thank you!

And there you have it. A run-down of the Adventures of Sheena. Next stop: ???. That's to be determined. But I will surely have more trips this year...