CHOKED!

I did not know what nervous was until today.

Sure, I have given public speeches before, but that was a kind of nervous I knew how to channel and control. This afternoon, I walked on to those tennis courts and it dawned on me, "holy cow, I am at sectionals." It was nervousness and anxiety at an entirely different level, a level I never knew existed, and did not know how to handle.

I could not get anything right. I played tentatively and I'd sink it into the net, then I would try to adjust but it would fly out. I tried everything. I was so tight and mechanical. I never found my rhythm. My doubles partner told me afterward that she had never seen me like that before. She did not know what to do because she did not recognize who was playing next to her. It was horrible. I was unable to focus and it was so frustrating!
That was my first appearance at sectionals. I truly can say that today was definitely an experience. I will be back at sectionals, and when that time comes, I will know what to expect.

Rent-A-Pet

I was browsing through a magazine this morning and was horrified at what I saw. Pets are now available to rent. One customer was quoted, " I love the idea that I can indulge my Labrador fix and be the person with a cute dog on the street, without the ongoing responsibility. I can have a dog for a week when I am home, and it's convenient when I travel, I don't have any pet to worry about!"

Okay, take a step back. Don't you see that this is INSANE? What is wrong with you people? Some of you may argue that this is a great way to have pets when your hectic traveling schedule would normally not allow. C'mon. Grow up and get over yourself!

First of all, pets are not like chocolate that you can indulge in from time to time. They are living creatures that cannot just be passed around from one person to another. Can't you understand how traumatic this is to an animal. To come from a caged facility and then taken home to bond for a couple of weeks and then wonder what they did wrong when they are returned? Not to mention different sets of rules these dogs have to learn every time they go into a different house. Pets are a real commitment. You can't just have a pet whenever you can or feel like it. If you were a true pet-lover, you'd see how cruel this is and won't even consider this option.

If you don't have the time or space to take care of a pet, then you should not have one. Think. Wait until you can finally have a pet that you won't have to share with anyone else. A pet that you would form a priceless bond with and become your cherished companion.

Pets are living animals with true feelings. Pets are real. Pets are precious. Pets are worth the wait.

USTA Sectionals

Because of the fires here in SoCal, Sectionals (supposed to be last week) and Nationals are both taking place this weekend. Double the matches = need to double the players.

I received a phone call Tuesday from one of the USTA captains and asked me to fill in for one of the spots!

"Of course I will do it! Uh, wait. I actually rolled my ankle two days ago..."

"Again?! Okay, I will leave it up to you. If you feel well enough to play, then play. But if not, then you find me someone to take the spot."

Are you kidding me? Pass up this opportunity and give it to someone else?! Right. My ankle was compressed, elevated, and on ice for the next two days.

It's Friday night, and I feel great! Going to practice tomorrow and head to sectionals Sunday afternoon.

TriLevel Sectionals, here I come!

The Payoff

My test results are in and...not bad. Two As and one B. Nice that this time around, I have something to show from all that studying.

Although I have to say that I am a little disappointed. Can't help but think 3 As would've been better, especially when the questions I missed that fell short of the A, could've been avoided if I had just slowed down a little bit. It was the last of the three exams and I was at the end of my sanity.

I have this week off due to Thanksgiving. THANK YOU!!!! Then there are 3 more weeks of school and back to my crazy schedule. Almost over. My goal is to end the semester with truly satisfactory grades.

More Fires

I have not seen it rain here for nearly a year! I have seen fire. Lots of fire! Huge fires just this summer, mainly in Lake Arrowhead but one close to where I work. Now fires are back and one is close to school. They are certainly making their way closer to home.

Breathing in ash. Have to take my mask out again...*SIGH* We need rain.

Sauvignon Blanc

It's been a hell of a month! I have been studying like crazy for round 2 of my exams, the last of which I finished two days ago. It's now Friday night, and you know what I really want to do? Crack open that bottle of wine I purchased while taking a break from my books a week ago - total perk when my coffee shop/study place sits next to a wine store, hehe. Alas, I cannot. Because aside from those books I've been hitting, I've also taken a few whacks at tennis balls. My USTA league team has finally reached the #1 spot, and to stay there, we have to win our final three matches in straight sets. That is a very tall order. The first of those three matches is this Sunday. No alcohol for me just yet.

Heaven In A Cup

It's that time of year when my absolute favorite drink is being served - Peppermint White Mocha.

My coffee pallate has extensively changed this past year to be more of a connoiseurs. With that said, Starbucks Coffee, with their burnt beans and pitiful, or should I say, non-existent frothing skills, is never on my list of stores to stop by anymore. What has replaced Starbucks on that list is their former trainer: Peet's Coffee - the best coffee distributor/service out there. I was more than ecstatic to find that they too have a Peppermint White Mocha on their menu, so of course, I did not hesitate to indulge myself. The result? Absolute heaven! Seriously. Instead of burnt coffee covered with peppermint syrup, Peets' version is great tasting coffee, with only a hint of peppermint. You get your espresso with a nice minty aftertaste - oh so wonderful. I don't even know how I survived without the heavenly cup; but, I do know I cannot survive any future winter seasons without it.

Peet's is the best!

Lupus Walk 2008

The 2008 2nd annual Lupus Walk was held in LA's Exposition Park. My team consisted of Linda, Ian, Kumi (unable to make it to the walk today), Java, and me. It was a nice day for a walk and we planned on walking the full 3 miles, but ended up cutting only to two miles since Java was pooped out - you would be too if you carried a big load like he did. Java was a real trooper carrying his and mommy's snacks and water, also mommy's wallet and cell phone. Of course he also got to rest when we stopped for pictures :).

Thank you team for your fund raising efforts and contributions! Thanks to all the supported us and donated to the cause for Lupus!

Happy Birthday Java

Java turns SIX years old today! He has been a great companion the past few years and since he did not get a party last year, I thought it fit to at least have a small get together at a park this year. It will be a belated celebration since his mommy has tons of homework this week ;)

Happy Birthday Java!!!!

More on the party to come.

You Want It When?

There is a comic up in the accounting office with people laughing so hard they are about to hit the ground, the caption notes: YOU WANT IT WHEN?!

I had that moment this morning when I came into work. Char mentioned an email request from one of the attorneys which she had no time to get into so, she forwarded it to me. I proceeded to settle into my desk first by opening my mail and e-mail, separating the invoices, and opening up related programs. I finally get to that request and I busted out laughing! Char and Linda instantly knew what I was reading and they started laughing too! I read it aloud and we resembled that comic - laughing until our stomachs ached. Here is what the attorney requested:

Copies of ALL invoices AND copies of the checks we paid the invoices with, on 4 different files, dating back from 2006 to present! OMG, I am still laughing! It's absurd! Oh and the clencher - he wanted it when? BY TOMORROW!!!!

NO WAY! NO WAY! THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT CAN BE DONE! On two files maybe, but on four? And back to 2006!!?? SHIT! NO WAY! I didn't even know where to start!

Char understood my pain and mentioned to the attorney how this was going to go further than tomorrow. If he could not change his deadline, then he'd have to shorten his request - and he did. He looked through the list and only really needed backup for half of them. Seriously! The other half I would have gone through would have been a waste! The stress! The time! Ugh, I have other things to do mister!

Due by tomorrow. At least this time around it's possible. Alright, I'm on it.

Embarrassed?

I fell asleep in class today! I have never been that tired before, I knew I should not have fought against it and stayed home; but, there was an exam review I had to attend earlier that day. I figured, I am already here so, just stay the rest of the day. As far as my body was concerned, that was a terrible idea. I wanted to pay attention; my body wanted to sleep - and it won. I gave up and said "okay," I will close my eyes for 15 minutes.

Indeed I did wake up 15 minutes later, but not to me watching the clock. Instead, I was out like a log and awoke to my own snoring!!!!! During class!!!!!

Horrid! I know! Funny part was that I felt so rested, I didn't care that I was snoring. I was not even embarrassed! I realized what had happened and moved on. Just got that boost I needed to stay awake for my next class: accounting. Everyone knows how I really need to pay attention in that class.

My Pick Me Up

Life is crazy hectic, this I know. But the past couple of weeks have been filled with deferred taxes, bonds, and accrued interest. Yup, my first Accounting exam was upon me. I also had an Econ exam on the same day! So, when I say the past couple of weeks have been nothing but studying, that's no exaggeration.

October 1, 2:15 PM, I just finished my Econ test, not bad. Now I have to head to Accounting. I feel pretty confident. Just yesterday, I was doing some more practice problems and was getting them right. Walk in, sit down, breathe.

October 1, 3:50PM. "What the hell was that?!!!!??" I felt like I studied the wrong chapters! Yes, they were of bonds and tax but the format threw me off so badly I did not know where to start! I really don't want to get into how difficult that exam was; but, how I felt afterward was crap. Like the past few weeks were a complete waste! And they were! That's the worst feeling when you invest so much time studying and think you understand something the material then, BAM! Nope, you were wrong.

I have a Stat exam on Monday so I knew I had to move on from this. I was really depressed and stressed out about my grade that my entire body ached. I couldn't focus at work, I couldn't do my homework. I played tennis on Thursday but sadly, even that did not help. TENNIS DID NOTHING!! Now are you getting the picture of how in terrible shape I was?

I needed help. I realized I was holding on to lots of tension and could not release them by simply shaking it off or with exercise. Come Friday evening, I was determined to relax; so, I drove to the grocery store, picked up some pasta and a bottle of wine, and headed home to watch one of the funniest sitcoms of all time.

Halfway into that bottle, I was laughing so hard and I don't think it was even at the funny parts. Later on, I danced to every alternative song in my iTunes. Worries dissipated, tension melted. I finally got to rest that night. The best part? No hangover ;) Although, I still wonder how all my stuffed animals ended up scattered on my bed that morning...from storage...

They Called Us Traitors

Here we are at Coffee Bean with our Peets Coffee mugs. Can we help it that Peets has better travel mugs? C'mon, both get our businesses after all. No need to be bitter; unless you're Starbucks.

Contamination by Infiltration

The N*Sync fan's worst nightmare: the discovery of a Backstreet Boys song in her iTunes library.

That brought me back to 8 years ago-high school, when the most important agenda was to win the debate over who was the better band: N*Sync or Backstreet Boys (BSB). Then there were others who faced every teenage girls' wrath when they claimed that neither were "real bands" - that's a whole other story, do not get me started.

Back to my iTunes. I remember my sister asked if she could download some songs to burn into a CD. "Sure," I said. That began the BSB contamination into my music library. OM Gosh! The horror! Imagine this die-hard N*Syncer's reaction when her shuffle mode turned up All I Have to Give from BSB. "WHAT THE @#$@! Where...? Is that...? NO WAY! Seriously! That's coming from MY computer!

What have I become? Am I a traitor to my fellow N*Syncers? Have I let time mellow out the feud that so consumed my teen years? No. I will not let all that time spent on covering my walls with N*Sync posters go to waste. I will not ignore all my efforts made toward constructing N*Sync scrapbooks. That stage in my life will not be pushed aside. To the memory of my N*Sync years, know that this painful example of vocal harmony and charlatan of a band, will be extinguished from my library.

Mono Vision

Today is the first day I have my mono-vision contact lenses on. Mono-vision is where one eye sees far and the other up close. I opted to try this because I despise having to pull out my reading glasses every time I read.

It's weird. It feels like I only have one contact lens on because I can see blurry spots; but, I can see up close now with out glasses. I was told it would take about 1-2 weeks for my brain to process and adjust to the new vision correction. Until then, I have to try to get used to the "one eye-contact" feeling.

*SIGH*

I am very excited about this though. I really hope it works out.

Shredding Day

I think my firm should invest in a shredding company, mainly because I do all the accounting shredding.

It's the most brainless, monotonous, time-consuming, incredibly painful job. And the firm's part-time people are its victims : Me and Michael. Though I think my version is the preferred way, cleanliness wise.

EARTHQUAKE!

This cannot wait! I just experienced my first earthquake here in CA and am a little freaked. It happened just a few minutes ago and I never jumped under my desk so quickly in my life! I don't understand why the building is not being evacuated right now - are we not concerned of an aftershock?

People around me are calm and laughing. I am not quite there yet; being the girl from Utah.

OOOHHH, the building just shook again...is that the aftershock?

Okay, I want to get out now.

================================================
12:05 PM - So apparently, there can be more than one aftershock; but, not the same size as the original quake.

News says it was a 5.8.

====================================================

12:30 PM - Just got back from a quick trip outside. I really had to get out. Funny, everyone was eating lunch outside. I wanted to take the stairs but since the fire alarm would go off so I was forced to take the elevators - that was pretty nerve racking.

12:59 - I just realized this is Java's first earthquake too. I wonder how he is doing...

=====================================================

Back at home - exciting day at work today. Came home to a seemingly unaffected Java; he was just happy to see me, as always. My room is a mess! My picture frames fell, one of them on my laptop - but it's working fine. All was restored but one frame - the one from the Strut Your Mutt event in Sugarhouse, UT 2005. The glass cracked in three places.

The Greatest Game

I LOVE tennis! And even if you are not an avid tennis fan, you would've at least appreciated what went down in London today. I was blessed to have witnessed one of the greatest tennis matches in history.

A friend hosted a Wimbledon party and I was welcomed in bearing Peet's coffee at 6 AM. The welcome wore out when I admitted to be rooting for Nadal, and she for Federer. Tough crowd, all Fed fans. No matter who won, we all agreed that it was one of the greatest matches we have ever seen. So intense. Edge of my seat riveting on every single point! This was the match of all matches - the two greats: one seeking his 6th consecutive wimbledon title, and the other hungry for his first and to also become the #1 ranked player in the world. Well deserved. It was an epic, momentus match that broke all records: longest (4 hours 48 min, not including two rain delays); latest into the night; Nadal, latest in decades to win both French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

		Federer		Nadal
Aces	25	6
Double Faults	2	3
Unforced Errors	52	27
Break Point Conversions	1 of 13 = 8 %	4 of 13 = 31 %
Net Approaches	42 of 75 = 56 %	22 of 31 = 71 %
Total Points Won	204	209
Fastest Serve	129 MPH	120 MPH
Average 1st Serve Speed	117 MPH	112 MPH
Average 2nd Serve Speed	100 MPH	93 MPH

Look at these stats! Such a close match up, Here is the match score: 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7

Awesome! They bring the best out in each other and this match was not just between physical skill but also mental toughness. That was some great tennis. And this is why I LOVE this game.

If by some bad luck, you missed this momentus occasion, don't fret, I have online access until July 21st to watch this match. If you missed it, let me know and I will set you up for the greatest tennis experience yet in this century.

It's SUMMER!!!!

Woohoo!!!!!!!

I just took my final quiz and turned in my essay - I am done with summer school!!!!! YAY!!!!!

Oh my. What possibilities lie ahead for me in the next five weeks? Let's see...

I want to knit, read a non-school related book, improve my tennis game, organize my room, CLEAN MY DISASTROUS CAR, give Java a bath, frame and hang my art collections, watch the entire season of Buffy, and RELAX!!!!!

The next five weeks will go by quickly.

Woohoo hoo!!!!

~Remembered that I also have to prepare for my accounting class in the fall. I should give myself at least one week of absolutely NO SCHOOL though. ;)

To Cut of Not to Cut

My hair has gotten to that point where I cut it off, or I put up with it and grow it long. This is where I have not decided on what to do and my co-worker Char suggested that I take a poll. So, what do you think friends and family, should I cut my hair (shoulder length)? Or grow it long?

Poll is on the right column of this blog.





































I can't get photos of me b/c my computer crashed last month. Here are some I think I may be interested in: The short haircut I got last time was based out of Catherine Zeta Jones' hair less the bangs in Oceans Twelve, also like Charlize Theron. Then it grew out to be like Ashley Judd's hair. Now, it's slightly longer than Jessica Alba's hair.

So, I can get any of these haircuts. I can get it real short above my shoulders, or basically keep it medium length like Ms. Alba's with the purpose of letting it grow.