i was incredibly distressed when i heard the news of the incident at the san francisco zoo. i know i wasn't there for that long, but while i was, it felt like home, and the animals felt like family. it's all just really sad...

there's a fine, fine line between love
and a waste of time.

the view from my backyard was perfect for tonight's lunar eclipse...and it was absolutely beautiful. just like the meteor shower on aug 13th of this month, there's something so completely soothing about staring up at the cosmos and feeling at peace. too bad my camera couldn't take pictures of it in that lighting and distance, but the silhouette of the palm trees framed the moon ever so nicely.

now i'm up at 350am and will be tired as heck in the morning, but some things are in life are definitely worth it.

i hate smokers - i really do. i hate them more than people who talk loudly on their cell phones, people who cut in line, and even people who have particularly strong body odors. i especially hate it when they give you attitude because you told them they weren't allowed to smoke in a particular area. guess what, lady? you stink and you're ugly! yeah, i said it. yeah...

(=

this morning as i was driving to the bart station, a gang of wild turkeys was crossing the road, just off the cameron hills drive. "why did the turkey cross the road" immediately popped into my head, but at that early hour, i was unable to come up with anything witty. too bad i didn't take a photo cause it was quite a funny sight. wild turkeys are neither plump nor pretty, and a crew of 6-8 of them just looks weird.

i generally dislike bart. i am not a fan of sitting next to strangers who may or may not smell stinky or musty, and i especially don't like it when they fall asleep and lean over to what is clearly your side of the seat. having jen there makes mornings bearable (we chat and sleep). what really got my skin crawling is that i got home monday evening to find that i had flea bites on my lower back. at first, i reasoned that they were from the animals at work, but the more i thought about it, the more i realized that i most likely got them from the seats on bart.

EW.

let me just say that i would so much rather get fleas from an animal than from...a person. that's just fucking disgusting. and even more disgusting is that bart must never clean its trains. eeeeep! if i had the choice, i'd never ride bart again, but alas, i do not have that option.

with the new ergonomic keyboard at work, i am discovering that i type many letters with the improper hand. it's slowing down my 90+ wpm pace, but i'm actually enjoying the challenge, as these days i find myself in the office more and need more things to keep me busy anyway.

note to self: switch hands for the letters y and b.

as i've been taking the bus to work every morning, i'm starting to recognize a lot of the bus drivers who have the 8:26am 23 monterey route. my favorite is this jolly black lady who is very friendly and likes to sing as she drives. she's also starting to remember me, and this morning she not only handed me a transfer that will last the whole day (she's saving me $1.25!), but she also gave me her business card and asked if she could come visit the zoo with her grandson sometime. i'm always relieved to see her pull up at the bus stop in the morning, because some of the other drivers are rather sour and it's amazing how much a friendly face will brighten your day.

i still can't fully wrap my hands around how FRUSTRATING people can be sometimes. the worst part is when they're supposed to be your closest friends and instead, you find yourself agonizing over their actions and wondering why you're friends with them in the first place. honestly, i'm getting over the fear of confrontation, but what i've learned from experience is that they still have issues with it. they either get all defensive and don't listen, or they get on the offensive themselves without stopping to think about what you've said or what they're saying. and that truly is tragic, because i know i've been trying hard to make things work, without any help from their side. i am tired of being taken advantage of and fed up with all the hypocrisy. you hear that? everyone's a hypocrite (myself included, at times), but i seem to be the only one who realizes it. get your fucking faces out of your own asses and think for a moment: the world does not revolve around you. and if you took a moment to see for yourself, you wouldn't be losing the person who cares about you the most. am i really the only person who gives a fuck?!

[END RANT]

today we got new monitors at work (mine is a 19-inch flat panel...i was using a relic from the 90's before this, so hooray!), we've started doing penguin socializing (which means i get to sit there and "supervise," which means i actually play with penguin chicks), and it's an absolutely gorgeous day at the zoo. my only regret is that i decided to wear jeans today instead of capris and my feet, i think, are most definitely angry with me for keeping them under wraps. they just want to be freeeeeeee!

in previous news, i finally saw ratatouille over the weekend and it was so freakin cute. i mean, you know me - give me a furry animal and i will squeal and aww like there's no tomorrow. it was a movie that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

i normally find it quite irritating when people write mushy stuff about their significant others and display their affection publicly, and especially when they use pet names in front of other people. it drives. me. CRAZY.

but i have to give david credit for surprising me yesterday as he picked me up from work and took me out to dinner. the ribs at luna park were tender falling-off-the-bones good, and we had pleasant conversation and good laughs throughout the evening.

in other news, i thoroughly enjoyed camping, had a relaxing 4th of july, have had lots of people visit me at the zoo, and semi getting used to my hellishly early rising schedule.

to top it off, today is an absolutely gorgeous day at the zoo, and i plan on spending as much time in the sunshine as i can. yipee!

today i groomed a donkey, fed meerkats some mealworms, and held an angry rooster named ernie.

how was your day?

the month of june has been, thus far, a crazy busy month, but in a good-crazy-busy sort of way. i'll spare you the details, but i've been up and about hanging out with old (but still good friends), throwing my money at both virtuous and selfish causes, enjoying the sun and surf in santa cruz, and working at an awesome (if only temporary) new job.

i got to see oceans 13 with ben, had drinks with alisa, and went bowling with debby. splurged on a new bathing suit while shopping with jen, who luckily found it later at a slightly cheaper (but still expensive) price. i've gone on a few dinner dates with david too, which have been nice considering we don't tend to do as many of the date-type things as we used to.

probably the coolest thing that has happened to me in quite a while was getting a job at the san francisco zoo. it's only a temporary full time position as an education and volunteer coordinator/intern, but i'm loving it and i'm having a great time. keep your fingers crossed though, it's only been the fist week. but my coworkers are amazing, the high school volunteers are (mostly) happy to be there, and the surrounding environment is definitely my cup of tea. i spend my day doing random organization/scheduling stuff, helping out other people, and wandering around the zoo, with my walkie talkie in hand, to check up on volunteers. the best part is when i get to walk around the zoo, because i always take my time to look at different exhibits and play with animals. i sometimes even purposely get myself lost so that i can find my way out - too many visitors have been asking me for directions so i figured this was the best way to really get my feet wet with zoo geography.

earlier this week, a coworker was nice enough to invite me to her first-day-of-solstice party, and it was really nice getting to know an entire group of new people, many of whom work at the zoo but a few others as well. i think i may have been the youngest one there, but it was nice sipping wine and having conversations with so many intelligent and interesting people.

the full time, six days a week schedule is quite exhausting, but if you're ever interested in going to zoo, come visit me! the weather has been gorgeous, the new grizzly exhibit is now open, and i have access to the behind the scenes secrets. ;D

yay for...me!

i was a bit ashamed, exasperated, and then discouraged. later i felt flattered, amused and practically elated. now i don't know whether i'm angry, sad, or just plain deflated.

thanks to ha and jen, my face is now radiant, dewy, and positively glowing! well, i pretend it is anyway. (= the two lovelies took me to get a facial at in-symmetry today, and as a first-time facial-er, i definitely enjoyed myself - it was so relaxing that i practically fell asleep. good stuff.

after the three-plus hours at in-symmetry (which had some very sweet resident felines, btw), we headed off to chez maman for some yummy french delights. the 14 or so seats in the tiny diner (bistro? i dunno) made it so we had to wait for a bit in the cold, but the food was well worth it. my savoyarde crepe with proscuitto, tomatoes, brie and bechamel sauce? très délicieux!

you bitch.

i actually had a pretty good weekend, catching up with people i haven't seen in way too long. on friday, i saw chris chen (who owes me a REAL meal) and mr benjamin mellblom. every time i see him i am reminded of why we used to be such good friends and it's nice to know we can still insult each other without hurting anyone's feelings. (=

mother's day involved lots of cooking, as all my mom wanted was for my brother and i to each cook a meal. my japanese-style burgers were awesome, and she got a hearty laugh out of the color-me-mine bowls i made her. they looked, let's just say, a bit like a child made them. but it's the thought that counts!

and i had a lovely time with jacquelyn...thanks for the grimace-inspiring singing and the very long lunch conversation. i enjoyed it immensely. (=

i'm anticipating trouble on friday when i have to bring both the cat and dog to the vet, possibly by myself. the last time i took them, the cat peed all over the carrier and the dog decided to poop right next to the car. whoopee.

*my confidence has been boosted just a wee bit*

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it's a bummer when you're having an absolutely gorgeous hair day, and the only people who get to see it are a bunch of kids and your boyfriend. not that the boyfriend doesn't appreciate it, mind you, but, well, it's not the same as showing off to a bunch of girls. (= i kid, i kid, but seriously, the hair? *points* blow drying at its best.

in other news, i had a pleasant elaine-on-snl-with-homeless-guy-skit moment when a guy in a passing yellow mustang honked and whistled at me. my first reaction was to call him a jackass, but then i thought, i should be so lucky that he's not: a) fobby asian, b) a mexican drive thru guy, or c) old as hell. hey, a compliment's a compliment.

all in all, it made for a fairly good day.

greetings from china! it's late and i need to go to bed, but there's free internet (and a free computer!) in the room and i just couldn't resist. (= i'm having a great time and we've been going a mile a minute - the only bad point of the trip has been the weather - it's been raining continuously since yesterday and apparently it's gonna be 6 degrees celsius tomorrow...whee! okay that's all. see y'all soon!

i am in a wonderful mood today. maybe it's because my hair and makeup are done juuust right, or maybe because the weather outside is beautiful and i've gotten plenty of fresh air. or perhaps it's because i've had a lot of quality 'me' time today, or perhaps it's the cat sitting on the desk watching me as i type. it could possibly be from the satisfaction of cleaning up [part of] my closet, which has been incredibly messy for months and months. whatever the reason, i'm thoroughly enjoying the moment and feeling good about, well, just about everything.

things that make me smile:

what floats your boat?

happy birthday to meee! here's to a wonderful 25th year. ^_^

thanks to all my wonderful friends who have already sent me their love and warm wishes. y'all make me feel very special.

it's an odd feeling to hear the birds chirping outside my window like it's the first day of summer, and to be stuck inside the house, sick and in bed. you know when i'm sick cause i haven't had a square meal since lunch on sunday, and let's face it, boys and girls, i love to eat. but i'm crossing my fingers that i'll be well enough to celebrate accordingly this weekend.

in regards to this beautiful weather we're having, i absolutely love it. aside from the winter sports i thoroughly enjoy (and am sadly missing out on this season) i'm all for summer and the spring leading into it. just the other day as i was driving down pine, the sight of lavender bushes, cherry blossoms, cotton candy clouds and our beautiful hills put me in a wonderful mood and made me feel very thankful that i could really appreciate the simple pleasures in life.

now if only my back would stop aching and let me sleep comfortably...

there have been requests for me to put up my wishlist, so here it is...happy birthday to me! ;D

1. eyelash perm (preferably someone will take me so we can enjoy the spa-ness together)
2. comfort/cruiser bike - don't have a specific one in mind but something like the ones here or here
3. pda - i know i said i'd stick to my kate spade but i'm honestly just sick of people changing their lesson times, forcing me to use the dreaded white-out that's brighter than the paper (i know, not very original, but i do like the one both cher and ha have, the palm z22)
4. gift cards for urban outfitters and sephora
5. subscriptions for martha stewart living and martha stewart weddings
6. new snow gear (but really, i'm rather picky, i'd probably have to be there for this...not high on the priority list)
7. random accessories (laptop bag and new battery, north face 7 summit jackets, snowbunny tees, cookware and cookbooks...just ask, i'll let you know, but they're not as important)

really, a gift from the heart is all that counts. ^_^

big thanks to joe and anne for the late xmas/early bday gift! and i'm really looking forward to this weekend so we can relax and celebrate.

i don't appreciate people who are hypocritical. nothing irks me more than someone who says he or she doesn't like a certain sort of behavior or action, but exhibits the same habits. example of said annoyance:

person tells me he/she doesn't like it the first time i am late, but makes me wait almost every single other time. fair? of course not. but alas, life is not fair.

on a brighter note, it was a beautiful day today and nothing makes me feel better than [what feels like] a warm, spring day.

can you believe david and i just celebrated our sixth valentine's together? holy bejeezus, i feel old...

i don't think she reads this but...thanks, mar. you made my day. (=

i have a tendency to only want to blog when something really funny has happened or when i'm really angry. and although i've encountered both, i usually write something nondescript or cryptic anyway...so i guess i'll just leave those alone.

but let me just say that there's something very soothing about the rain. it makes me feel like i want to be alone, but in a good way. it washes my frustrations away and leaves me in hope that tomorrow i'll find my rainbow. and that optimism keeps me going, even when surrounded in a sea of pessimism...oops, there goes cryptic for ya. there, i'm done. done with the whole lot of you...

edit: i don't agree with you and i think you don't like to admit you're wrong. i'd tell you why, but i don't think you'd even care to understand...