Yes, I've been MIA...

It's been quite some time since I last blogged and a "real" blog, at that. I don't think I could even re-cap anything that's happened over the past two months. Mostly I can say that I work everyday and chill on the weekends.

On May 23, Jeannie, Tara, and I went to see a Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit. Toulouse-Lautrec did some posters for the original Moulin Rouge; lithographs. The exhibit also included some other lithographs by other artists and not all were Moulin Rouge-related.

The cicadas were still out then. They're gone now. I didn't even see them when they first came out cuz apparently, areas that have had a lot of work going on, like construction, didn't really have them. I heard them before I ever saw them and didn't know what the heck they were. It was an eerie sound. I likened it to a banshee. Hehe. I don't remember the cicada song from when I first encountered them back in '87. Yeah, I remember them then. And I also remember the shells they would leave behind on trees.

This time, the first cicada that I saw of the season was one smooshed on the sidewalk on my way to work. Actually, I think the first cicadas I saw were hardly identifiable to me, as they were a delicacy at this Laos barbeque I had attended. Blecch. No thanks. They were goin' outside pickin' them out of the bushes in their backyard. I don't care how good they are. I'll stick to my processed meat! But then again, I don't know what's in that either. But at least if they tell me it's chicken, I can pretend that it really is. :-P

The last movie I went to see was "The Day After Tomorrow". I had never seen or read previews, nor heard of the movie before I saw it. But it was good; I liked it. I guess it was sort of an action-suspense kinda film. But it had it's light moments and I enjoyed a few chuckles.

I've been spending many weekends with the boyfriend. We went to Blockbuster the last couple weekends. I wanted him to see "Run Lola Run" - a German film that explores the vast differences a few seconds can make and how a person's decisions will affect the larger outcome of certain events. I saw "Hannibal" and that was good. I never saw "Silence of the Lambs" or "Red Dragon" yet. I did read Red Dragon while I was in Jerusalem. Don't remember what exactly it was about, though...

Finally watched "Casablanca" cuz I wanna check out all the classics. It was an alright film. I liked it sorta, but then began to not like it for an underlying theme, which had to do with the Holocaust. Then it reminded me of how many of the major movie studios are owned by Jews and I started to feel like this movie was sort of propaganda, even if it really wasn't intended to be that way. (Hey - can anyone tell me why there are so many freakin' Holocaust memorials in the United States when the Holocaust didn't even happen on American soil, nor by American hands, and most of the people in the US probably don't have any relatives that suffered because of it? Why don't we have a memorial for the victims of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam since American soldiers caused that one?)

Anyway, there are some classic quotes in "Casablanca". One such one that often gets misquoted is "Play it, Sam". I hear it recited as "Play it again, Sam." And the closing line of the film, I can't remember exactly how it goes, but it's something like, "This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship." And then there was one quote I swear I heard in a song. I don't know what song, but it's the soundclip of Humphrey Bogart's character saying, "Where did you come from and what were you before? What did you do and what did you think?" And finally, "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, why'd she have to come in mine?" Hmm... I think I wanna go rent "Citizen Kane" next.

I also watched "Pi". It was a bit weird, but cool, as most independent films are to me. Speaking of independent films, there are a load of 'em I wanna see. Tomorrow night, a bunch of us plan to see Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11", as it opens nationwide. It won Best Picture at the Cannes Festival and discusses all this war business and criticizes the decisions and actions of the Bush administration. A co-worker of mine is supposed to lend me another of Mr. Moore's documentaries called "Bowling for Colombine", which discusses the problem of the gun issue in this 'great' country.

I also purchased to used movies at Blockbuster: "Big Fish" and "School of Rock." I already saw the latter when it was still in theaters and the former, I watched... But don't quite have an opinion on it. I think I need to watch it again to see if I can say whether or not I truly liked it.

Tara had moved into an apartment recently and I finally got to see her place. It's set up nicely. And we then watched "Moulin Rouge." I liked it.

Last weekend, a bunch of us: Tara, Taneka, Sherelene, and Sue, went to Cafe Tryst. All of us, except Sue, were in 7th grade classes together. Jeannie, unfortunately, couldn't find parking and went back home, but I met her in 7th grade as well. And the funny thing is that we ended up seeing another one of our classmates - from 7th grade there: Shemeka. It was such a coincidence! Anyway, we were there for drinks and convo. And that was it.

Hmm... I dunno what else I can try to recall. I think I'ma stop now and play Bejeweled with Tara. :) Bye!

AMJ, CAIR, and CNI Hold Press Conference to Condemn Israeli Massacre in Rafah

AMJ, CAIR, and CNI Hold Press Conference to Condemn Israeli Massacre in Rafah
from AMJ
MAY 19, 2004

(Washington, DC) – American Muslims for Jerusalem (AMJ) joined the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Council for the National Interest (CNI) at a press conference this afternoon to offer reactions to Israel's week-long assault on the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. The press event was held at CAIR's national headquarters on Capitol Hill.

AMJ communications director Raeed N. Tayeh blasted President Bush for his failure to condemn today's military assault on peaceful protesters, which resulted in the death of nearly two dozen Palestinians, many of whom were women and children, and the maiming of scores more. "When Israelis, both soldiers and civilians, are killed, the president condemns it, offers his condolences, and expresses his sympathies, but when innocent Palestinians are killed the president is silent," said Tayeh.

CAIR executive director Nihad Awad urged the Bush administration to support a UN Security Council resolution that is being drafted to condemn Israeli war crimes. "America's image in the Muslim world will never improve until we put forward foreign
policies that apply one standard of justice for all nations, not just for those that have a powerful domestic lobby," said a statement read in part by Awad.

CNI president and retired diplomat Eugene Byrd emphasized the need for Israel to leave the occupied territories, and warned of the serious consequences of our failed policies in the region.

AMJ is urging concerned Americans to contact their members of Congress to express their outrage at the lack of our government's condemnation of Israel's crimes. To view AMJ's latest Action Alert, visit www.amjerusalem.org.

It's finally starting to get hot out

It's finally starting to get hot out. You know what that means. Yup - all you skanky girls are starting to wear much less! :) I dunno what it is about when the sun peeks out just a little bit, some females' clothes just fall off. :-P

I've got two more ethnicities to add to my list for when I wanna front. =) I was talkin' to this Salvordean worker that's been working in my building and in Spanish. Then he asks where I'm from. I know that when people ask, they usually are curious of my ethnic origins. But I just smile and say "from Maryland." So his first guess was actually Haitian. And when I said no to that, he guessed Panamanian.

And why do all these somewhat older men and workers wanna get with me? The Ethiopian parking attendant wants my number so we can go get some coffee or something to eat. He even wants to give me stuff and he let me know he was single. He was offering me material things, but I declined. But he gave me twenty bucks and I took that! :-X

And then there's the Salvadorean guy that makes my sandwiches at the deli. He asked for my number and I'm like, "Are you serious?" And he was. I dunno what it is about these men. Oh, and I've left out this detail - my supervisor (another foreigner) has crossed the line with me. Pretty much by saying inappropriate things. I'm talkin' sexual harassment. Apparently, he says I send signals. Something about my eyes. And that I may send signals and not even know it. I won't tell you some of the other things he's said or done. I'll just say that some people should know better. He's got a daughter almost my age. Anyway...

Tell me why my dog can now jump the fence? We have a six-foot or so "long fence". What is up with that? If he thinks he's been abandoned, that fool will hop right on over. My dad warned me the other day telling me that when I leave the house to let Rocco back in cuz he can jump the fence. I'm like, what? Nuh-unh. So I'm like, okay. Not too long before my dad told me this, when I was leaving with Tara, out front in the car, I look toward our backyard where you can see a part of the fence and saw Rocco's little head appear over the top. I'm like, oh, my gosh! But who knew he could actually scale it? Then yesterday, I put Rocco in the backyard and then go out to the front where Tara is in her car. We weren't even going anywhere at that very moment, but I heard some noise from the backyard. Eventually, my crazy mutt comes darting out of the depths. That's too bad. That may mean we're gonna start having to tie him up when we put him outside... He's a smart dog. Almost human. I swear he is...

The Thai/Cambodian/Laos New Year Update :-P

Hmm... Since it's been so long since I actually wrote a blog, I just can't put myself to summarize a month's worth of events in one entry. Either cuz it's too much to remember, my horrible memory won't let me recall, or simply: I'm just too damn lazy. :-P

Anyway, let's see what I can talk about... Friday, April 16, I went out clubbing. Went with the Southeast Asian crew (Laos, Cambodian, Vietnamese...). Met Jeannie up at the club and, well, you can always count on this girl to wanna get buzzed. Shoot - "buzzed" is such an understatement cuz that night was pretty crazy for me! Let's see, I was with the Cambodian guy I mentioned in previous entries. Basically, he'd been chasing me for two months. And to use his "running" metaphor, I finally stopped running. I ceased to 'cringe' whenever I heard him introduce me to his friends as his "girl" or "girlfriend." In fact, we are now "official." Imagine that - Sheena's got a boyfriend. Haha. Took me long enough, right? I'm nearly a quarter of a century old and I'm just getting my first boyfriend. LoL.

So this was the first time Jeannie got to meet him. Tara had met him before, like while I was still "running" from him. Actually, I had been resisting him and only wanted to remain friends. But Tara thought he was cool. She even said she liked him for me. Ha. But I just told him I didn't trust him. I'm not a very trusting person, I'm not. And Jeannie also thought he was cool when she met him. She even said we make a cute couple and that he seemed real attentive to me. Taneka met him as well and said the same thing - that we make a cute couple.

But anyways, I digress... back to the club. Funny, ended up seeing a guy there that my sister had met off the internet. I thought he looked familiar. Jeannie was joking with him though she didn't know him. And she wasn't even drunk yet at that point. Then after we'd already had one drink too many, I finally asked him his name and then asked him if he knew my sister. Small world.

So... I got so drunk that night. I've never drank to the point where I don't remember anything. But that night, man - I blacked out!! I don't remember too much. I know that Jeannie said, let's go get a shot. We went for a shot, then wandered off from the people we had gone up there with. Then we ended up on this one circular, chair/couch kinda thingamajig. :-P We started talking to these guys. Then eventually my date found us. He had a rose for me. I remember that much. But after that, nothing except the vague memory of when this dyke hit on me. lol. She gave Peter (my man) a Peter said that he asked her, "You lookin' at my girl?" And she supposedly looked me up and down and said "Cute", then walked off.

I don't remember the rest of the night. I don't remember leaving the club. From what Peter and others said, Peter took care of me. He said I made it outside to the front of the club, turned to him and asked, "Why'd you let me drink so much?" Then he said my eyes rolled back in my head, I passed out, and he caught me. He carried me everywhere - to the car, into someone's house to clean me up - I was throwin' up and dry-heavin'. He said I even threw up on him. How embarrassing! He told me that any other girl, he woulda been hella turned off to see her so pissy drunk like that. But with me, he said all he wanted to do was take are of me, and that he'd do it again. :) So anyhow... I have no memory of that night and woke up in a hotel. Now don't go jumpin' to conclusions now! I was well taken care of and not violated (I'm sure of it). It was me, Peter, another friend and his girlfriend. He couldn't take me to my mother's house in my drunken state.

I had a horrible hangover. That nauseous feeling where all I wanted was to sleep it off. I woke up around 10 in the morning still feeling drunk. (Well, I didn't get drunk until after midnight either). My mom was calling my phone. I was like, shoot! What do I say? I ended up not answering. Then later, in the afternoon, my sis called. I picked up and told her where I was and what not. Told her to call Mom up and let her know I was okay. Cuz shiet, I ain't feel like talking to her! Plus feelin' all sick and trying to tell your mom your hungover and all that... Didn't feel up for the task, ya know? :-P

Anyhoo... it was Thai/Cambodian/Laos New Year, so my friends were posta go to the temple. The people I was with insisted that I go with them when I was like, no, lemme stay here at the hotel and sleep! But they wouldn't allow it. I ended up laying down and sleeping in the car. When they got to the temple, I stayed in the car. I was just hurt! I didn't eat a thing that day. I just couldn't. Eventually Peter got me to drink some water but I really didn't want to. Then I threw up the water. But he said that was better than the stomach bile. :-P

So I ended up returning home after 11:30pm. I had Peter go in and tell my mom the deal. She said something to him in Khmer. And though I don't speak or understand it, just by the look on her voice I could tell what she had told him. She was basically like, still, I should've called. You know, cuz she was all worried about me. And plus it had to do with cultural things... My mom was saying how Vietnamese and Cambodian think alike. A girl doesn't go out in the streets late at night with boys. It has to do with what people think and reputation. Then she went on about how in America, it's different, girls can do that, but in her/our culture, it's unacceptable cuz a Cambodian or Vietnamese guy will think badly of you. *sigh* Peter doesn't think badly of me. But you gotta understand the elders and the culture.

So, yeah... I been spending lotsa time with Peter these past couple weeks. And things have gotten so serious in such a short amount of time. When we were sitting with my mom one night last week, he expressed to her how much he likes me. How he wants me at his side. My mom I guess pretty much gave her blessings, letting him know that I'm Catholic cuz he's of a Buddhist background. It's funny, Peter said to me, how is it that if I'm Catholic, I have a Buddhist outlook on life? But he's weird, too, cuz you could almost say he's Buddhist/Christian, hehe. Anyhoo... He even met my pops! That's a big deal. Oh, and the day after my hangover, I went up to the temple to meet him and what not. His mom and step-dad were there. So I met his mom. I thought she didn't like me, but he said it was cool cuz his mom is supposedly a real good judge of character and would tell him if she doesn't like the girl he's with. But with me it was a good sign that she asked if we were hungry and offered us something to eat of what little food she had left...

Yep... that's what's been goin' on with me. Peter told my mom that when he comes back (for he's gone out of town to take care of an obligation; that is, to fulfill a vow to a deceased relative. He'll be back after a year, but I'll see him every now and again when we visit), he's gonna have a ring for me. He told his mom he's gonna marry me within a year's time. It sounds so crazy, but, it's true. :-P His boys ask me what I done done to him cuz he walks around all lost. Hehe... He's been smitten with me from the beginning. :) But he's so good to me. And he says I make him wanna be a better man. Isn't that nice? Well, gotta run. Gonna go get some grub with Tara...

Payce!

'US is bigger threat than terror'

Globalisation and the US pose a more serious threat to the world than war and terrorism, according to a BBC poll.

Corruption came second on a list of the biggest problems facing the world, the survey of BBC viewers worldwide found.

Conflicts - war and terrorism - ranked third, with 50%, followed by hunger, 49%, and climate change with 44%.

BBC World asked 1,500 viewers of its news and international channel for the biggest problems in the world with 52% saying the US and globalisation.

Respondents from Europe, Asia, North and South America, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia, ranked the power of the US and large corporations as the biggest worry (52.3%).

BBC World's head of research and planning Jeremy Nye said: "We were a little surprised that global superpowers and corruption were ranked top but we will track whether they are gaining from topical interest or are of greater long-term significance."

Wars and terrorism were ranked as the top concerns in Europe and the Middle East despite ranking third overall.

Illiteracy was ranked sixth overall with 38% followed by nuclear proliferation, also 38%, and the persecution of minorities with 36%.

Lack of drinking water and basic sanitation was ranked 12th, with 20%, while 16% rated migration as the most important problem.

[This article was taken from the BBC online]

I've been to the movies three more times since my last blog. Friday night, Tara and I saw "Taking Lives." I had never seen the previews for it, but I'm pretty much down for whatever, so that's what we saw. It was alright. Though the ending could have been stronger, I guess.

Then on Saturday night, I agreed to meet with my one of my ;) admirers. We, along with his bro and two other friends, went to see "Dawn of the Dead." Now, I had absolutely no desire to see this movie. I saw a preview once and found a part shown to be scary and thought the rest was gonna be corny. But I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Still not the best movie I've seen, but I wasn't mad that I saw it.

Then Monday night, Tara and I went to the movies. This time we saw the only movie I was interested in seeing: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." And I like-did-did it. (That's actually how I would say it if I were speaking to you. :)) It's a movie I wouldn't mind adding to my meager movie collection.

On Saturday during the afternoon, I met up with Tara and Justin at a restaurant for lunch. Then in the evening, I went to go see Tammy. She was celebrating her birthday - same routine: the restaurant where her sister works, then out clubbing. I just stayed at the restaurant a couple hours before heading to the movies.

Hmm... what else? I drove to work a few times last week. Did I already mention the parking garage of my building? Well, one day a couple weeks ago I had my mom's car and drove in to work. I had no idea where I'd park, so I went to see how much it cost at my building. The guy told me ten dollars (although I think it's really just nine max). I was like, "Uhhh... I think I'll park on the street by a meter." I had arrived late and so wouldn't be parked there a full work day and one of my friends had told me how she once chose to park and feed the meter rather than a parking garage and that it resulted in less money. So, when I told the parking attendant that I was gonna look for a spot on the street, he asked me how much I wanted to pay. I was like, I don't know, but not that much. What I really wanted to say was, "5 bucks." But I didn't want him to say, "What? Are you crazy?" So, he continue to ask me and I gave him the same response. Then he says, "How much you wanna pay? Five dollars?" I go, "Yeah, something like that." He replies, "Okay. I give you." Then he's all like, you tell me if you have a problem or anything, you come to me... Or whatever. And then he asks when I'm coming back - tomorrow? I'm like, I don't know when I'll be back since I don't usually drive.

So the next time I do drive, I'm all set to pay whatever this man is gonna tell me the price is. But he just waves me in. Then the next time I drove, it was a different man and I had to pay 9 dollars. So I was like, oh - that's what he meant by let him know if I had a problem and to come to him or whatever. But then, the next few times I drove to work, my man gave me free parking. Woohoo! I think I paid only nine dollars for what was maybe over $50 worth of parking. Go me!

Now I don't feel much like blogging anymore or remembering stuff. But lemme write one more thing: I just discovered games.com and now I been playing Scrabble. And then there's this variation called Scrabble Blitz. And today I just played Boggle for the first time. I'm addicted now. Found me another distraction.

Oh, and one more thing. Thursday night I went to recharge my phone, but the thing wouldn't work. I didn't know if it was my phone or the adapter. So I had my phone turned off all day Friday. Today, I went to the place where I got my phone for them to check it. Basically, the couldn't tell me what was wrong nor could the fix it. So they gave me a brand new phone. I lost any pictures I had or whatever other stuff I had saved in other spots. And I guess I gotta re-download some crap. But at least they were able to transfer my numbers over. But hey - got me a new phone! Kinda cool since I once dropped my old phone and scuffed it up a bit. :-P

Hmm... Two weeks have passed since my last blog and I can't seem to remember what's happened... Umm... did I mention how I went to the movies last month? I saw "Girl with the Pearl Earring" with Tara. And I also saw "The Passion of the Christ" with my mama.

I liked both films, I guess. The latter, it was kinda cool cuz I could understand some of the Aramaic due to my having studied Arabic and Hebrew. And even the parts in Latin, thanks to my knowledge of Spanish. Of course, the subtitles aided me in my comprehension. But I bet that movie woulda had a different affect had I not needed to depend on the subtitles and could understand the actual languages being spoken. There was this one part where the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene were talking and I heard the word I knew to be "Egypt" in Hebrew. But I didn't see the word "Egypt" anywhere in the subtitles... Anyhoo, the movie was different than I "expected". I guess I thought it would be your classic biblical film - chronological and seemingly very historical. But it wasn't so linear and it was slightly artsy in some parts. Like the supernatural elements - totally wasn't expecting them and they were kinda like horror film genre-type stuff. And yes, it was a bit graphic in some parts, but I don't feel it overpowered the movie. Not in such a way that those who are saying it's a violent film are saying. I mean, HELLO!! It's called the "passion." It's about what Christ went through for us! The suffering He went through? (According to my Encyclopedia of Catholicism, the word "passion" comes from the Latin word for "suffering": passio.) That's the point! Sheesh. We seem to forget about the real nitty-gritty of things during this Easter season while people are all thinking about nice little Easter bunnies and pastel-colored eggs and what not. That's the whole purpose of this season of Lent. A time to reflect and repent. And for those who don't know - both Christians and non-Christians alike - Easter is the MOST IMPORTANT holiday in Christianity. NOT Christmas, like some are wont to believe.

Anyway, I liked Ebert's review. And here's what the US Conference of Catholic Bishops had to say.

And the other night I went to a cultural show at my undergrad with Jeannie. Tammy and Michelle were performing. Finally got my ao dai back. Haven't seen that thing in three years since the last time I performed in that show! Made a contact with this Cambodian chick there. Saw this guy Rhyne there. Funny how I first met him. Met him several years ago from the internet and when we had exchanged pics, I saw that I had recognized him. He used to attend my undergrad until he transferred. And we did hang out once. We had gone to the ESPN Zone.

Okay, I can't really concentrate cuz I'm on the phone right now. But oh - I talked to "canaryboy" on the phone today for over an hour. Does anyone remember him? :-D Alright... I'm out!

It's been a while since I last blogged. And it's been quite an eventful three weeks. I don't think I very much feel like trying to write about all of it. And I don't know how much I remember. Hmm... A summary will do:

Wednesday, the 11th: after class, my Cambodian and Laos friends scooped me up and then we went to this pan-Asian restaurant, where another of their friends was working and hooked us up (i.e., free meal). Then they brought back home and met my mom. So my mom was talking to them, getting to use her Khmer and Laos skills.

Thursday, the 12th: the main Cambodian guy, the one who is sweatin' me like hell (seriously - I'm being smothered. You should've seen him when he saw me again after not seeing me since we met at the club. Actually, I currently have a break cuz he's out of town for a family emergency. *whoo*). Anyway, we went to this Viet restaurant so that I could eat something. The restaurant had a bar atmosphere for the evening and Vietnamese karaoke. Then we went to this other bar and on this particular night, there's a large Asian clientele. Only stayed briefly. And why was I being introduced as somebody's girlfriend? WTF!

Friday, the 13th: the Laos guy and the guy that worked in the aforementioned restaurant scooped me up from a location, then we went to that Viet bar/restaurant and waited on the gang. Received some Valentine's gifts. Yikes. Then went clubbin' with them fools. Saw Shawn there. Was being introduced as a girlfriend. :-|

Saturday, the 14th: went clubbing once again with this Kampuchean homeboy. Got Claire to meet us there, though she called it a night fairly early. He was forever wanting to cling to me. Not feelin' that. He's a real cool guy; I enjoy talking to him; I want to be his friend... But anything more than that? Nah. Not at this point in time.

Sunday, the 15th: guess what I did. Yup, went out dancing for the umpteenth time! This time with Belinda and her friend Doug to a local spot. A place I'd always heard of or seen, but never been to. It was cool. It was Latin night and it was $6 for ladies, bottomless cup. Didn't dance to salsa, but did some merengue, bachata, reggaeton, and some guy attempted to show me punta. Yo, I can't do that mess. Too fast. An acquaintance of Belinda's, Tony, a Vietnamese guy she met back in the day on the salsa circuit, was there. He asked for my number so we could do lunch some time since we work in the same metro area.

Monday, the 16th: I believe that was a holiday. I think Tara and I went to Border's to read. I think.

Tuesday, the 17th: and I think Tara came to the area where I work, where we then proceeded to a Vietnamese restaurant some blocks away.

Wednesday, the 18th: after class, saw that I had a missed call. Called the number, the guy says my name, talking in Spanish. I'm like, who is this? (in Spanish, of course). I wasn't understanding the name for a minute. Then found out it waas the Latino guy mentioned in the previous blog in paragraph 2. Anyway, ended up that he picked me up at my house once I was home and then we went to the harbor to walk around cuz he'd never been there. When I saw him again I though - oh, he's really not that cute. :-P And just from talking to him, I discovered I wasn't really feelin' him. Too young or whatever. Definitely not an intellect. Nope, can't be havin' that...

Saturday, the 21st: Cambodian dude and a friend came and got me. Then we went to this Japanese restaurant where one of my friends works (also mentioned in the previous blog) and was celebrating her birthday. It was Tammy's sister, Michelle, who was havin' the birthday. It was the Viet posse. We were there for a while. People were already eating or finishing up. We had cake. Then eventually they all headed to this one Korean-owned club. It was kinda wack. Not many people and I just didn't care for it.

Tuesday, the 22nd: had lunch with that Tony guy at that very same Viet restaurant Tara and I had dined at the week before. It was Tony, as a matter of fact, who told me of the existence of this place in the first place. So that was cool. Had some food and convo.

Okay. Enough of me trying to recall all those past events. Now, this past weekend... Friday, Tara came and got me at my job and we were trying to figure out what we were gonna do, where we were gonna eat. We ended up getting in touch with Nadine who was going out to eat with a friend, so we agreed to meet. So, Tara and I went in a couple stores before heading to the restaurant. We made a purchase in the second. Bought identical items. I'll talk about them some other time... So we met up with Nadine and her friend. Then after dinner, Nadine and Izzy were gonna go bowling and invited us along. I've never bowled in my life, mind you. I think there was one time when I was, like, four, and I did one of them numbers where you push the bowl between your legs or something... Anyhoo, met up with a group of other people. Saw a couple familiar faces from school. One was this cute Iraqi guy. I pointed him out to Tara and she agreed that he was eye candy. :)

And after bowling, we ended up at the house of two of the guys and we did a bit of socializing. Had some chai and french toast. Got home around 5 in the morning. Dang.

Then Saturday, went shopping with Tara. Well, she was buying stuff, not I. But the plan was to go out to eat, too. But that never happened 'cause it started to get late and Tara had to meet with Belinda to go dancing. She tried to convince me to go, but, nope. One of the things I gave up for Lent was clubbing. (And for good reason, too! hehe). Trying to convince me that I didn't have to dance or whatever. Anyway, ended up going to a Vietnamese cultural with Justin. That was my plan in the first place cuz Tammy and Michelle were performing in it, and I just wanted to go see my peoples.

After that, Justin and I headed to the city and eventually met up with Tara and Belinda in a pool hall. At one point I left cuz I still hadn't eaten at this point, so I went to get a jumbo slice of pizza. That was fun venturing out alone to the pizza place and back. I was lovin' the attention. :-P And then when Tara was done playing a game of pool with Justin, she wanted to get a pizza and I went with her. And guess what? Got another jumbo slice. I am such a fat ass. I tell ya, I've been such the glutton this past month! I need to cut down on the marathon eating. Especially for this Lenten season...

And yesterday, Sunday, Tara and I headed once again to the city. We went in a couple shops, and were mainly looking for a place to grab a bite or a drink. So there was a point where we were crossing the street to the street corner on the other side and these guys were coming from the opposite direction headed for the same corner and headed in the same direction as us. I smiled at the one guy cuz he looked ethnic or interesting or something. Anyway, they let us go ahead in front. Then I heard them speaking: Arabic. So of course, as is expected of me, I start talking to them, asking where they're from. Found that they were Tunisian and then they invited us to have coffee with them. We went to the Middle Eastern/Pakistani joint around the corner and we had a meal together and sat and talked with them for... some hours, I suppose? They were nice enough. And we somehow kinda got paired off with these guys. We weren't feelin' 'em "like that", but we'd maintain a friendship with them. They were both decent-looking gentleman - both attractive and tall. Then they dropped us off at the bookstore, after a slight detour and mini-joy-riding and them acting silly.

So in the bookstore, Tara and I got a refreshment and a snack and indulged in a game of Scrabble. I won, of course. ;) And I bought a couple of Arabic CDs: one was Nawaal al-Zoghbi and the other, some bellydancin-titled something. :-P And we finally called it a night and then it was back to our regularly schedule programs: work in the morning. As Garfield says: I hate Mondays. I was tired at work again. Not enough sleep, as usual.

Had class this evening. My Arabic teacher is the conversation teacher for the current students in my grad program and so he talked to my old Arabic professor. He told me that my ex-prof said that I was an excellent student and very, very smart. :-D

Well, I wanna try to get ready for bed so I can try and catch up on some sleep. I actually got to work early today. Usually, since I'm such a lazy bum and slow gettin' out the house, I wouldn't get to work 'til after 10 when I mean to get there around 9. This morning, I actually got there before 9. I hadn't done that since when I first started working. I wanna try to start getting there earlier so I won't feel so obligated to stay late.

Oh, and I like Earl Grey tea now. Bye! :)

Last night, I went with Belinda, et al to this Mexican restaurant for karaoke. The place was small and a bit cramped with all the people there. All Latinos. Belinda sang a song or two. I sang a Paulina Rubio song. And Belinda and I did one of our famous :) duets: "Always" by Atlantic Starr. We did the only English song that night, heh.

When I entered the place, I saw this guy sitting at a table and I thought to myself, he looks familiar; I think I know him... And I thought back and decided he was probably this guy I met last year when I went to Tammy's birthday party at the restaurant her sister works at. It was this guy that worked there who I thought was kinda cute. Later on that night before he was about to leave, when he walked by me I touched his arm. And he looked at me and was like, "hey, wassup, girl." lol. So cute in his fob accent. :) So we spoke briefly asking how the other was doing. Then he asks if I have a cell now to get my number. I'm thinkin' - this fool ain't call me the last time I gave him my number! :-P But he goes into his phone and my name was in there, then I give him my digits. Wonder if he'll call this time. His English seemed pretty good. I don't remember if he really spoke it that well the last time I saw him. But then, I just spoke to him in Spanish that one time.

So when I first walked into the place and we're heading to a table, this guy stops me talkin' 'bout he likes hair like mine, with curls and what not. I think he gave me some line, and even touched my face. I just smiled and said thank you. And he was sweatin' me the whole evening. You should have seen him. He asked if we could get to know each other outside of the bar. I said maybe, but I suppose I'm leaning more towards "maybe not." I tell ya, I need to learn to say what I really mean and stop being too nice. He also told me I spoke Spanish very well, that I spoke it better then all the Central and South Americans and Boriquas and Dominicans and what not, that he understand everything I was saying. I think he was just referring to how I enunciate and mostly speak "proper" Spanish. Weirdo. When he asked me what I was, I told him to guess. First he guessed the Philippines... He also said Peru. Ha.

Anyway, at least Belinda didn't get arrested this time. :) haha. Got home around 2 or 3, I think. I woke up about 7 for some reason, the alarm on my phone went off. I don't remember setting it. So I let my dog out and fed him. Then I went back to sleep cuz I'm lazy like that. I was in and out of sleep during that time. And funny, I think I kinda started thinking about that Cambodian guy I met the other night and then he called. This was around 10:30 this morning and we spoke for two hours. Still don't know how I should feel about him. But he seems like cool peeps.

He's told me several times how he perceived me as a conservative person. Good observation. :) He also told me he thought I was Cambodian when he saw me. He even said that he knows this one Cambodian girl that looks just like me. And it turns out he's not full-blooded Khmer. He was born in Phnom Penh and speaks the language, but his dad is actually Chinese/Vietnamese and his mom Chinese/Khmer. He wants to learn Spanish and I wanna learn Khmer, so we got a good trade off. I'm gonna impress my mom now. :)

Hmm... I wonder what today will hold in terms of what I end up doing. There's a chance I'll go to the movies with Tara and Taneka. I should try to be studious and read some books.

This week was the worse in terms of commuting for me. Getting him between 9:30 and 10:30 every night this week and having to wait for my stupid parents to pick me up is a pain in the ASS!! Although, Tara was kind enough to get me last night and I got home "early". Like 9:15. :-P

Wednesday I went back to the deli in the building down from mine since the one in my building was closed. This time I talked to the brother of the one Palestinian guy I was chatting with last time. We were talking about Arabic and accents and stuff. He said my accent was nice - not Gulfi (the countries in the Gulf, e.g. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait), but that it was more Levantine (FYI: the Levant is the countries of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine). Heh. That's funny, cuz I didn't think I had really developed an accent yet, at this point. But I guess since my dear friend Nadine is Lebanese, perhaps some of her speech has rubbed off on me.

Yo, last night was a crazy night. I ended up going to the club with Belinda. Danced a tiny bit of salsa, a bunch of merengue, then some bachata. And then danced to reggaeton. Got tired of all that and went to look for Belinda, who hadn't come back from the bathroom like she said she was going. Found her in another room. Ended up dancing to some old school joints - eighties/early nineties jams. Met some Cambodian peeps. There was a rack of 'em. I gave my number to one cuz he was askin' if we could hang out some time. I'm cool with that. I wanna be with my Asian peeps some time. And there was this other Khmer guy. And I thought he was kinda peepin' me so I made an excuse to go over to him. Examined his necklace and either asked him if it was Buddha or if he was Buddhist - it was kinda dark in there.

So I was dancing with this dude and then I think I stopped and was talking to another one of the guys. Then the guy with the Buddha necklace later comes back for me to dance with him. He was tall and skinny. And he had cornrows! Imagine that. :) Anyways, we exchanged numbers and I've talked to him several times since. Hmm... We'll have to see wassup with that cuz I don't know what to think about him...

Okay, this is why last night was crazy - Belinda nearly got arrested! A-ha. It's kinda funny now lookin' back on it. Somehow a dude she was dating and his roommate started scrappin'. Dude was fed up with how his roommate would always try to get with the girls he was seeing. And Belinda had mentioned how the roommate had made passes at her. So, guess he couldn't take it no more and punched the guy. I didn't see it happen. I was busy talking to one of the guys that worked in the club. Then I heard a bit of a commotion behind me and saw some kind of scuffle but didn't think nothing of it, really. Later I saw the roommate and he didn't look to happy. I asked him what was the matter and he just shook his head. Then he told me my friend was outside getting arrested. I'm like, WHAT?!? Ya know?

So I go outside the club and see my girl pushed up on the hood of a police car being cuffed. I went over to her and she's all talking about her constitutional rights and how he needs to read her her rights cuz she hadn't done anything wrong. And the guy who was tryna cuff her was an asshole, naturally. Why do people think a fuckin' uniform gives them license to be jerks? Belinda told me to get her phone. I'm like, where is it? She said she dropped it on the floor inside. Luckily when I went back in and after I looked on the ground not seeing anything, I talked to a guy that worked there and told him my friend had dropped her phone when the fight broke out. So he produces from his pocket the cell phone.

I go back out to Belinda and she's just wondering if her neighbor/friend had called cuz she wants to know if she's alright (due to some other unrelated drama). So she has me listen to the voicemail. And that fake-ass cop tried to tell me to back up. I just looked at him and did not budge cuz I do not like to be talked to in any disrespectful way, especially since I wasn't doing anything wrong. Anyways, I bet if he wasn't tryna come off as some hardass, it would have been much easier to handle this whole biz.

Basically, according to Belinda, he cuffed her cuz she was trying to stop the guys from fighting. She said that when he grabbed her, she wasn't even doing anything, not touching anyone. And she said something about the cop guy saying that when a cop tells you to back up, you need to back the fuck up. Ugh. When I first saw Belinda, I was tryna tell her not to talk back so much, to chill. Of course it was futile to say it. But I was telling her, don't worry, I'm your witness, and some crap about my dad's a cop... lol. And I was telling her not to say anything and we'll take down his info and what not. She said she couldn't even see his badge and that she didn't think he was a cop.

And later the cop was saying he'd let her go if she stopped actin' up, but she was still tryna run her mouth and we're tryna hush her up still. Then another fight breaks out right by the cop car and Belinda's like - see? You're gonna arrest me and I haven't done anything and let those guys fight? Anyways, he eventually let her go so we were like, let's go. And on our way to the car, there was a police sitting in one of those police vans. Belinda wanted to ask her a question. Belinda goes, "Excuse, me officer. Sorry to bother you; I know you're really busy but..." And then she proceeds to ask the officer her opinion on if the asshole cop handled the situation correctly, or, if he was allowed to handle it the way he did. The lady was like, since she wasn't there to see it herself, she couldn't really say with certainty, but that basically the cop was allowed to do what he did. What the fuck ever.

Anyway, that dialogue with the cop was cut short when we nearly were hit by a rogue vehicle! Man, this guy crossed the street, hopped the curb and went up on the sidewalk and hit this fence. (I think a fence was there. I don't know how accurate my details of this story are cuz I did have a few drinks. :-P). Anyway, the guy quickly backed off the sidewalk and sped back onto the street, but then a cop car turned its lights on and the guy eventually stopped and got out the car and all. But we just were tryna get away. Belinda and her friend were tryna walk forward to where the car was parked. But I hesitated to move cuz I didn't wanna move forward and somehow be in the line of that crazy driver. I was ready to walk back to make sure I couldn't be in his path.

I ended up driving. Belinda couldn't drive. And I wasn't sure about the friend. So we started driving and the friend is like, we gotta go back for his roommate. Guess he cooled off a bit. We scoop him up. Drop him off at where they had parked there car. Then the original trio, we go to this diner and eat. Why does everyone ask if Belinda and I are sisters? We don't look alike? It happened at the club and diner. Anyway, I got to use my Arabic skills with this Jordanian guy that worked there. I thought he looked Arab, so I asked where he was from and then busted out an Arabic greeting to him. His eyes lit up, lol. And we began a convo. That was cool.

And, hmm... Dropped dude off at his place then Belinda and I went to my house to crash. It was after 6 in the morning when we got home. Yeah, long evening. And she and I are heading out tonight. Hope she doesn't get into too much trouble at the karaoke bar. :-P

Alright. I've written enough. Bye-bye!

I HATE COMMUTING!!

I HATE COMMUTING!!

Anyway, we've got some treacherous weather. Black ice and shit. I left work and was walking to my mass transit stop and crap - I fawkin' fell! And then when I was riding home with my dad, the car skidded a bit. Dangerous.

I went to my Arabic class last night. And Hebrew kept seeping into my head, intruding my thoughts. I was thinking of Hebrew terms for the words I wanted in Arabic. I turned to my classmate for aid since he could understand how my mind was working since he studied Hebrew as well.

I have class tomorrow night. That means I gotta leave work early. I have yet to work a full 40 hours a week. So, I should go try and get to bed now so I can maybe, just maybe, get to work early.

Man, the weekend is already more than half over. I slept a lot of it away. I hope the rest of the day goes by slowly. Yesterday, accompanied Tara to run her errands. We ate at Quizno's. Had to use my coupon since it was the last day for it. Need to get more coupons cuz $2 off a sub is a pretty good deal.

Then in the evening, Shawn scooped me up to go to his party for a little gathering. It was cool. Got my drink on a little. Kept droppin' pretzel sticks. Staggered as I walked, lol. End of the evening, ended up having a "discussion" with the guys. A stupid one where I had to defend myself where race is an issue and the arguments being thrown at me were doo-doo. But I still handled myself AND I was drunk. And what? :-P

Ken took me home. It was around 5AM. We ended up sitting in the car for a while talking about race issues and politics and what not. Heh. Oh, and though Ken kept his mouth shut during the argument, he totally knew where I was coming from and basically, agreed with me. It's cool. Sometimes it's best not to say anything. How's that one saying go? Never argue with a fool cuz you'll never win? But Ken was about "being the better person." Hey, I am, too. But sometimes I just can't help myself!

It's funny, with this blog, I reveal a lot of what's on my mind or stuff that's happened and I write in my particular dialect. But... I do censor myself quite a bit due to cultural sensitivities. I know that some of my friends or even strangers who read this blog wouldn't understand certain forms of expression or concepts dealing with race and language. So sometimes I'm vague with what I say. Like I won't go into detail as to what the aforemention argument was. Gotta avoid contraversy for the sake of those who can't handle it...

Anyway, is everybody up on their current Middle East events? Well, I wanna bring ya'll up to date. Allow me to share with you a brief article:

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38 Palestinians Killed Since Last Suicide Bombing
AMJ Calls for an End to Selective Outrage over Mideast Civilian Deaths

(Washington, DC 01/29/04) Today's bombing in Jerusalem, which claimed the lives of 10 Israelis, was the first suicide bomb attack in over four weeks. During that period, reported by the media as a "lull" or "calm" in Mideast violence, Israeli occupation troops killed over 38 Palestinians and maimed over 314 others. Many children, along with two teenaged mechanics, were among the victims.

"The killing of innocent civilians is appalling and must end, regardless of who the perpetrators are," said AMJ Executive Director Khalid Turaani. "It is also appalling that many comatose pundits who have been silent as Israel has gone on with its daily killing of Palestinian civilians, have only today awakened to the terrible deaths of Israeli civilians."

Since the last suicide bombing, Israel has killed over 38 Palestinians and injured over 314 others. Only yesterday, over ten Palestinians were gunned down by Israeli occupation troops in the Gaza Strip. The UN reports that in the last two weeks alone in one Gaza refugee camp, almost 600 Palestinian refugees were made homeless when Israel bulldozed their homes.

"Where is the outrage over the continuous plundering of Palestinian land, of Israel's daily killing of Palestinian civilians? Why does our media find discussion of Palestinian deaths beyond the pale of the permissible and the politically acceptable?" asked Turaani.

When pundits claim that today's attack broke the "relative calm," it unfortunately makes clear that Palestinian lives are considered dispensable and their deaths unworthy of outrage. "Attacks on innocent civilians can never be justified or condoned, but we have witnessed selective outrage for too long. On a very basic level, media coverage could contribute to Mideast peace by expressing equal grief and outrage at all loss of life," concluded Turaani.

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And do you know what those asshole Israelis did after the latest suicide bombing? They go into Bethlehem and destroy the house of the suicide bomber. Now, what the hell? Yeah, I'm sure that'll solve things. I guess they're tryna intimidate and show that they won't stand for no mess. But sounds like something a kid would do; something immature. Anyways, how would you feel if one of your relatives committed a crime and so the government in retaliation demolishes YOUR house. Yeah, sounds logical. *rolls eyes* Everything's so fucked up with this world...

Glad the weekend's here! I just want some R&R. Not that I've been working so hard and really need it. I'm just lazy like that. And I been eating a whole lot this past week. Dunno what's my problem.

Anyway, went to dinner tonight with my sister and one of her old friends. And I ordered a combo platter even though I wasn't hungry and the burrito I ate for lunch was still sitting heavy in my stomach. They ordered Chipotle at the office today.

I talked to the Persian chick in at my job today. Turns out she's married, though I feel like she's my age and I wouldn't have thought of her as being married. And her husband's Palestinian. That's cool. I met some Palestinians Thursday afternoon. I went into work late that day cuz I had some bidness to take care of in the morning, so I arrived at work after noon. And when I finally decided to eat, it was 4. To my dismay, the deli in my building was closed for the day. A delivery guy or whoever he was suggested I go to the next building over since there was a deli there. And that's where the Palestinian guys worked. I noticed the one guy had a necklace with Palestine on it. So I chit-chatted with him. I would like to meet more Arabs so I have more opportunity to practice Arabic.

I went to my Arabic conversation class. Got there late cuz I got a little lost. I had forgotten to bring the address of the place with me. D'oh! Anyway... figures once again I am a minority in the class. Story of my life, pretty much. I'm the only Black girl. I can't say Asian, since there's this Japanese chick in there. Another girl is of Lebanese descent, but basically, she's American. Anyhow, I hope I'll like the class. I signed up for Level I, but the teacher-guy and I both agree I should move up at least to the next level. So I need to remember to handle that on Monday before the next class. But shit - I need this class. I'm gonna be beast at Arabic once I get accustomed to speaking it more. :)

Well, my computer is gettin' on my nerves. I think I need to buy a whole new battery for it or something. So... laterz!

I didn't go into work two days in a row. I blame the snow. And my laziness. But I did some work from home. And I've lounged around quite a bit and ate more than I do during a regular week of work. I don't make sense. When sedentary, I eat a lot. When up and about just commuting to work and working all day long, I starve myself. Whatever. But I'ma eat lunch tomorrow this time. Got my Quizno's sub in the fridge...

Sunday, Tara and I went to Quizno's for dinner (it was breakfast for me, even though it was after 5pm :-P). Then we headed down to the city to Wholefoods so we could connect with Claire and Victor. And coincidentally, bumped into Rohan there. Rohan was the friend of Claire's that I just met last Thursday. He happened to stumble into the same aisle Tara and I were in. But didn't really get to politick with Claire and Victor. Unfortunately, it began snowing that evening, so our plan to chill at Border's afterwards was cancelled because we didn't wanna get stuck in any snow mess.

Talked to one of my Canary friends online the other morning. He's currently in Brazil. I'm telling him about the snow we got and he's talkin' 'bout how hot it is down there. He's gonna be down there about 6 months. That's so cool how he'll just work really hard when he's home in Spain, then just decides to go live somewhere for a few months. I would do the same had I not taken the whole college track. I think I have a nomadic spirit, sorta.

Hmm... I should try to get to sleep soon. I need attempt to wake up and get ready for work and actually make it there this time! And I still have yet to meet with the owner of the company to discuss going from contractor to permanent employee. Also, after work I have my first day of class. My Arabic conversation course was supposed to begin Monday, but due to the inclement weather, it was cancelled. I can't wait to get my Arabic up to par with my Spanish. That would be tight. Wonder how long it'll take, though...

Anyway, think I should take my dog out one more time tonight to pee. Bye! :)

Okay, so it was long before Lisa came. We're talkin' 11 when she got here. Funny cuz initially she was talkin' 'bout leavin' around 8/8:30. Anyway... We got to Catherine's place and two people were leaving as we got there. Then several other people left not long after that. We just got there too late. It ended up being me, Lisa, Catherine, her boyfriend, and one of my friends who came up. And this friend of mine. I hardly know him. I met him in person only once before. I'm sure he's mentioned in a previous blog. Belinda saw him the other night at the club and he was asking about me. Ha. Why he sweatin' me? lol. He's an attractive man, but I'm not feelin' him in that way... And oh, my gosh - his 'breaf' was kickin' last night! :-X

Anyway, we directed Lisa on how to get back home then I had this guy take me to another area of the city even though things was shuttin' down at that point. It was about 2:30 in the morning. Was tryna meet up with another friend whom I'd only met in person once. Ha. The internet's a funny thing. :-P He been tryna see me since we first met and since he's goin' away to school soon for some military stuff, so I thought I'd try to meet up with him. He's sweatin' me, too. I don't like this. Why the guys I'm only interested in on nothing more than the friendship tip wanna hook up? Not cool cuz I'm just too nice to tell 'em straight up, even though I should. So anyhow, first guy is ready to go home and asks if I got a ride cuz he'd take me home if not. And so I verify that I got a ride and hang out with the second guy and his friend. We got our jumbo slices of pizza. Good stuff.

When I walked pass certain guys and we'd make eye contact, I would put on my innocent smile. So funny, kinda flirting with these dudes I would never ever wanna pursue anything with. Oh - and it turns out the other guy we were with - I had recently corresponded with him online. So funny. He said he was thinking to himself that I was familiar. Again, small freakin' world.

Okay, so don't know what I'ma do today. Not motivated to do anything. There's a study group this evening that I don't know if I'll make the effort to attend. And even if I did decide to go, I don't gotta ride. Argh. I need to get me a car or move soon. "First dude" been tellin' me he could help me get a car at an auction since he knows what cars are good. He sells cars. Last night he said he could get me one for 500 bucks. Hehe. Hmm...

Alright, I'm out!

Gettin' ready to go out tonight. Waitin' for Lisa to come scoop me up so we can go to the apartment of this one chick we both studied abroad with in Mexico...

Thursday after work I met with Claire. Our plans to go see "Battle of Algiers" were cancelled to go meet up with one of her friends whom she hadn't seen in months to go to power yoga. But, we didn't make it on time to go to the yoga class. Instead we three went to some vegan/vegetarian place run by Black Hebrews. heh. We sat and talked. I tell ya, I'm tryna surround myself around smart, conscious people. But they can't just be smart. They gotta be "down," too. Cuz not all smart people are "cool." Anyways, I'm sittin' with these young intellects. Conversation consisting of terms such as "nerve ganglia"... "energy"... "fractals"... Talking about some good documentaries or music. I gotta get outta my dumb stage. Claire has inspired to actually make more of an effort to increase my knowledge.

After we finished our food, we went to go see a friend of the guy we were with. He wasn't home at the time, so we dipped into this chill cafe down the street for quite a bit. Then we went back to the visit the one friend and parlayed for a while. Cool peeps. But hangin' out with these people who are into yoga and are vegans/vegetarians... I don't think I'll adapt their lifestyles, but I definitely wanna engage in the mentally stimulating convo.

Well, I think I ought to get dressed. It shouldn't be long before Lisa starts heading my way...

Year o' da Monkey!!

Year o' da Monkey!! oo ee ah ah

Happy New Year, my peoples!!! It's Vietnamese lunar new year once again! After work, went with my mom, her friend, and my sis to someone's home, a Viet family. Got some grub and then my mom's friend brought me and my sis back home while my mom stayed. I gotta wake up early for work. But I really wish I could actually participate in some New Year's celebrations one of these day! Ahh... guess there's always next year. :-P

I was sure slackin' at work today. My supervisor didn't come to the office 'til 5 in the afternoon, so that left me with no one checkin' up on me. Well, the supe called a few times. But by his not physically being there, I was workin' pretty slow. I hope tomorrow will be a fruitful day. And I'm gonna try to leave early enough so Claire and I can go get dinner before we check out a flick.

Alright, I need to get some rest. Peace out!

Another one of my co-workers quit. This is the second one since I started working. Jamie quit so unexpectedly, I was told. He just put his coat on and walked out. Both Jamie and Carmen seemed to quit for the same reasons - they didn't feel they were meeting our project manager's expectations. They felt pressured. So my supervisor calls me up and let's me know that I'm meeting his expectations. LoL. That fool wouldn't wanna see me quit just like that. Yet he did want me to quit my last job without giving them the proper two-weeks notice. Anyway...

So my boss, the owner of the company, took me out to lunch on Friday to offer me a permanent position. I'm still debating it. It has some pretty good benefits, I suppose. But I just don't know what I wanna do. I need to give my answer this week, though. I think I'm mostly scared of having new or extra responsibilities. I don't know how well I'll put up with the pressure. I don't wanna crack like Carmen and Jamie did. We'll see. I'm thinking I'll take the job.

Friday night I hung out with Justin and Belinda. Went to this one spot that was overpopulated with white people. So we just had one drink each and bounced. The place we ended up in was better in that it was not so homogenous. And we stayed there the rest of the night. It was an alright place. Can't say that I'd care to go there again, though. I got back home at 2am, stumbled outta my clothes and put on my night clothes and conked out.

Saturday I did absolutely nothing. And Sunday, Tara and I went to the movies. We saw "Along Came Polly" and we liked it. Both of us could see ourselves in Ben Stiller's and Jennifer Aniston's characters. Like a combination of both. But Tara would be more like Ben and I more like Jen. Anyway, we headed to the Macaroni Grill for dinner. Then it was off to Border's to read for a while. I brought this book I had bought a few weeks ago: "I Saw Ramallah"; an account of a Palestinian man who finally goes back home to Palestine after an absence of thirty years. It's an English translation expressing all the vast array of emotions of the Palestinian in exile vis-à-vis a return to the homeland. And then since Border's closed at nine, we drove around a bit until the next movie we was to start: "House of Sand and Fog." I had never even heard of this film, but Tara wanted to see it and so I went. It was okay. Tara thought it sucked. I guess it seemed like it should have been a made-for-TV movie. And it did lack some depth. Ah, well...

Then when I got home, I watched my "Alias", which I had some VCR timer to record. And that's my weekend.

Here it is - midnight and I should be sleeping. Like last week, I'm sleep deprived. I travel to work, just wanting to sleep at every step of the way, then fight Mr. Sandman at my desk while sitting in front of the computer. This just can't go on. I've got some important stuff to do tomorrow. Hope I don't yawn at the wrong times or nod off during anything...

Anyway, after I went to check out a room in this house, I met up with Claire again and we had lunch at my favorite Viet spot. Then she brought me home and met my dog and - *gasp* - my stupid dog peed on her! That monstrosity knows not how to control his bladder. How embarrassing... Then later that night, I went with Jeannie and another friend for a basketball game at my alma mater. Damn, it was a cold night! Oh, yeah - and we won. Goooo, Retrievers! :)

Last night I met up with Claire again after work. We went to a free concert that I had heard about the very same day. It was cool. Marcel Khalife, a Lebanese oudist. An 'oud is a Middle Eastern string instrument. I guess like a lute or whatever. It was accompanied by a piano and a bass. East meets wests. Jazzy and oriental sounding. I prefer vocals over instrumentals, so when Mr. Marcel began singin' I really enjoyed it. And when the audience was singin' - sounded really pretty. Lotsa Arabs there. Saw Nadine there. And then Shireen. Oh, and met a really cute Palestinian-American guy. Man, I need to go hang out at the Arab functions. :) Oh, my supervisor told me to get him a CD. Luckily I had a single check on me cuz they weren't accepting credit cards and I had no cash. So I bought myself a CD, too. And I even got it signed. That's when I saw Shireen. She was standing in the autograph line (although she had nothing to get signed, hehe) and she let me in. She was telling me to talk to Marcel Khalife in Arabic. I did the minimum and he wrote in Arabic: "To Sheena, With Love" and then his name. Yay!

Okay, I should try to get some shut-eye since I have to wake up so freakin' early!

Whew - long day at work today. Left the house around 6:30am; didn't walk back in 'til around 10pm. The thing is, everyone pulled some extra hours cuz we gotta meet with our client tomorrow to go over the progress of the project. And figures - the day I decide to bring a lunch insteada starvin' like the other days, the boss treats us to lunch. But yeah - my paycheck's gonna be fat! And I'll be quite disillusioned by it, I'm sure, since it'll be the raw figure pre-taxes. I looked at the sum on my invoice (I'ma contractor, so I gotta bill the company for my services) for a single day of work at my new job and was like, dayum! It was about as much as I made in a week at my part-time retail job.

And I'm sleep-deprived. Haven't been getting to bed early and having to wake up early... Not cool. I was tellin' Jeannie, I need to find me a job where I can go in at, like, 1 in the afternoon. And leave at 3. PM. hehe... But it's Friday tomorrow! Yay! The weekend is here! I just may get up with that one girl I met last week. We're tryna go to my fave Viet restaurant. Turns out she likes that place, too. And we've gotta catch up on our girl talk...

Well, end of blog. Bye!

On Sunday, Belinda came and got me and we went to this 'phở' place around her way. It was a'ight, the phở gà I got. But it really wasn't all that. I've had better. And Belinda's phở bò had a fly in it. Or two. :-P Our waiter was this mixed Viet/white guy. He was diggin' Belinda. And he said she looked more Asian than I. Haha. Cuz Belinda thinks I look more Asian and that she hardly does. But I knew she was mixed like me when I first saw her. Anyway, I was askin' the Viet guy about this Vietnamese thing I'm interested in (remember how I said I had a tattoo idea). He said he has a friend who does tattoos. I dunno if he'll ever get back to me, but that'd be tight if I could get a design worked out cuz I only have a rough idea in my head. Look at me - entering the workforce and still tryna get tatted up s'more. :) Thass how I do. Gotta keep it gangsta. Sike.

Anyways, after the Viet place, we went back to Belinda's place for a bit to chill. I never did get a chance to kick her butt in Scrabble 'en español.' I'm tellin' her - she don't want none! Truth be told, I've never played Scrabble in Spanish. But I'm sure I could still beat her.

Then yesterday, had to go to the jobby-job. But afterwards, me, Tara, Belinda, and my sis went to that Mexican restaurant. We were the only ones in that place when we got there. But eventually some more peoples rolled up in there. Anyhow, 'cause of me and Belinda's knowledge of Spanish, the waiter(s) got confused. Thought we were Latina. In fact, thought we all were Latina. But Belinda told Chuy that none of us were. And I even added how all of us had Black fathers (hehe - that sounds funny, right?). And he just couldn't get over it. Kinda insisted that we were Latina. So I proceeded to point out all our 'ethnicities': Tara - Puerto Rican, Belinda - Dominican, my sis - Brazilian, and me - Cuban. And then the other waiter guy guessed that we were all Puerto Rican. LoL. Fun.

And so my sis re-enlisted in the Air Force and will be gone by the end of the month. She tryna sell her car off on me. But I dunno. I ain't been workin' but for a minute. And I am definitely not tryna pay car insurance... And plus, I'm tryna move, too? This will take some consideration. I gotta make sure my budget's right... But coincidentally, one of my friends IM'd me tonight and we were talking... He said he'd help me get a car at an auction since he would know what cars were good or not. That'd be cool. I'ma consider that.

Hmm... I should get ready for bed soon. I hate not getting my 8+ hours of sleep. Well, sometimes I've found I can handle lack of sleep. But shoot - this 9-to-5 bidness has got to go. I miss not being able to sleep in for as long as I want!! And the fact that I have to commute does not help. Well, hopefully, once I move I'll get to sleep in a little. Night-night!

Happy 2004

Happy 2004

But what's so happy about it? Nah... Just another year... Actually, it is kinda a new year for me in a few different ways. Gotta new job. 'Bout to get me a temporary new place. Think my life will be a little bit different in terms of how I'll be spending my time due to acquiring a nine-to-five, the location I'll likely end up in, and how I'll be spending my free time. I need to make out some kind of plan to help me manage my life in the short term...

I'm tryna think what has happened since my last blog that I could write about, but I really don't feel much like blogging either... Umm... Didn't really do much for New Year's. Was 'bout to be stuck just chillin' in my room that night. I was sippin' on my Vietnamese beer and apartment hunting when I got a call from Ms. Jeannie Vieve around 11. Ended up accompanying her over to Jamar's where we met up with him and his friend, then headed over to Jamar's house. We didn't really do much but sit around and talk. Drank a glass of Remy Red and watched South Park. Called people to wish them a happy new year. That was about it. Then I had to work my stupid retail job at nine in the morning (got there late as usual). I was supposed to work there Tuesday through Friday of this week. But luckily, I was able to get a co-worker to take my Tuesday and Wednesday. And then I got another co-worker to take my Friday last minute. So glad I didn't have to work there. I just wanted to be a bum.

On Tuesday, I finally had lunch with this girl I'd been corresponding with online for quite some time. Maybe several months? Anyway, very smart girl. An intellect. I need more friends like that. My mind needs stimulation and growth. And since I'm not searching for knowledge on my own, I figure I can obtain a bit of it from the company I keep. Then after work I hung out with homeboy for some grub and convo.

Oh, and that day at work, my supervisor had asked to talk to me and he wanted me to follow him somewhere else. I was like, oh, shit - I'm in trouble! I couldn't understand why he couldn't just tell me what he had to say right there. So I followed him down the hall to the conference. But thank goodness. Had nothing to worry about. He basically wanted to tell me he wants me to stay with the team, that if I was interested, he could make suggestions to the company owner to get me a permanent position (as opposed to my temporary one). He said how he really likes me, etc... That's pretty cool. I just hope I don't disappoint!

So I'm looking for places to live closer to the vicinity of where I work cuz I despise commuting. I've physically checked out two places that weren't bad. But I still wanna explore, so I'm gonna check out another place on Monday. I'm thinking that when I temporarily relocate, I'll sign up for an evening Arabic course. My Arabic is definitely rusty after barely using it and I still need to take my proficiency exam. Also, me and Nadine need to start studying for our comprehensive exams. I've gotta get my shit together!

This afternoon, Jose, Justin, and I went to a local Mexican restaurant. And then we went to an auto show, which basically seemed like a big car dealership. It was okay, I guess. Saw my old roommate there cuz she works at a car dealership. That's funny cuz last month I saw my other two roommates (separately) at the mall where I work. We all lived together my last year of undergrad. One I saw when I was standing at the entrance of my store greeting people. Turned out she also worked in the mall. Also that day, I saw my old suitemate from freshman year. Then last weekend or the one before (can't remember which), I saw one of my roommates when I was chillin' with this Persian guy whom I met in my store around Thanksgiving.

Well, that's about all I can recall from the past week's time... Nothing too spectacular or fabulous. I need to hurry up and move since I can't/won't be leavin' the country anytime soon...