:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 ::

Things are getting more and more frenzied at work as we prepare to cover the huge Live 8 concert this weekend to raise awareness about poverty in Africa. I've been hard at work writing stories, and I think there should be another story in tomorrow's paper. I'm on a roll!

I've signed up to work on Saturday, so that means I get to cover the Live 8 concert. It's exciting to think about being a part of one of the biggest pop culture and music events in history, both on a national and international level. I'm sure it will be all over the news this weekend.

Meanwhile, I hope I will have time to sneak out to the movie theater to see War of the Worlds this weekend. Since there's a movie theater right next to where I'm staying, this should actually be feasible. I've gotten pretty pissed at Tom Cruise and the things he's said about the field of psychiatry, but I'm always up for a good Steven Spielberg movie. I've never disliked any of the films he's directed.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm working at a union paper, so I had to join a union and pay union dues to work here... I feel so Newsies! Speaking of which... I haven't seen that movie in a while... too bad I left the DVD at home.

Quote of the Day: "Oh my god, I think there's some kid upstairs who is like permanently jacking off."

:: SL 1:13 PM [+] ::
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Neighborhood remembers Negro leagues

:: SL 10:28 PM [+] ::
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According to www.jobpredictor.com, my "ideal job" is a funeral director. Funny... I played one in a comedy during high school.

:: SL 10:27 PM [+] ::
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I was about to spill all the feelings in my heart into this post, but then I decided not too because it's getting late and I should be going to bed...

I'm sure this weekend will offer some exciting activities to talk about here.

Quote of the Day: "Dying naturally scares me."

:: SL 10:27 PM [+] ::
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The P-A-R-T-Y turned out to be a quiet get-together with friends, but it was quite enjoyable.

On Saturday, my sister and I went to Disneyland! It was a lot of fun; it was the first time my sister had seen all the new 50th anniversary stuff, and it was cool to see her reaction to all the new things. We went on so many rides and saw so many shows in one day. We also found our pictures in the “Happiest Faces on Earth” photo collages.

We saw the new Block Party Bash at the dreadful Disney’s California Adventure, and the parade/show was great… it made me want to dance in the streets because the dancers were so energetic and the music so upbeat and catchy.

Here’s the obligatory Disneyland ride photo:



Yay. The fireworks were amazing, as usual… I can’t even imagine how much it must cost to put on that 17-minute pyrotechnic display.

We didn’t get back on Sunday until the late afternoon, and I had to rush to pack and get to the airport, so I couldn’t see my friends from home one last time *sad tear*. I might be back at the end of summer

Now, I'm back in Philadelphia, and I had a story published today! Yay!

Today, I got to cover a huge protest against the big biotech convention that’s in town this week. The demonstration was peaceful, but then it got a bit violent at the very end, and the police arrested a bunch of people. One officer had a heart attack while going into the massive crowd, and I was right there in the crowd while other policemen were trying to resuscitate him on the ground, giving him CPR. He later died at the hospital. Such a surreal sight.

It was even more crowded on the streets because today there was a huge unofficial skateboarding event downtown, and the skateboarders (who had come from all around the country) were protesting to get one of the city parks open for skateboarding. The biotech protestors and the skateboarders converged, and they formed such a large crowd. The police were prepared, so there wasn’t too much trouble. They did have to use some force, though.

Well, things are going well; I managed to get some sleep on my overnight flight coming to Philly, and I actually functioned at work on Monday! I think tomorrow I will be following a reporter to the police station to see what it's like reporting cops, so that should be an adventure.

Quote of the Day: "Why do gay terms revolve around farm animals and lesbian terms around ocean animals?"

:: SL 8:15 PM [+] ::
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After staying up all night so I could get to the airport on time, I took the commuter rail out to catch my flight to California! I slept during the entire flight because I was so tired.

I got into SLO-town in the early afternoon, and I spent the afternoon hanging out at home, relaxing, enjoying my time. Later in the evening, I joined my sister and some friends to see the film Batman Begins, which is much less cartoony and more intellectual and philosophical than the previous Batman films.

Afterwards, I met up with a couple of my friends, and we chatted into the evening. We then went to Denny's and got a snack.

Today, I attended my sister's high school graduation! It was a wonderful event. My grandparents and my uncle were there, along with my parents, and we got good seats by getting to the football field early. My sister got to speak at the ceremony, and she gave a great, inspirational speech. I'm glad I came home to see this special moment in her life.

I also saw a lot of high school classmates and teachers. I'm glad I was able to see a couple of my former teachers before they retired.

Tonight, I got Chinese food! Yay. Sesame chicken is the best food everrr. Later tonight, I plan to P-A-R-T-Y with friends.

Quote of the Day: "I'm racist... but in a good way!"

:: SL 10:50 PM [+] ::
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I forgot to mention that yesterday, I passed an organic supermarket, and there was a Jamba Juice inside! I had a Mango-A-Go-Go (my fave), and it was such a cool treat on a hot and humid day!

Quote of the Day: "I have brandy in my pocket!!!" "And I just drank a bottle of wine!"

:: SL 10:51 PM [+] ::
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Well, I had to take my computer to the shop to get its hard drive replaced, so I won't be able to be online all the time anymore *sad tear*.

I was in a good mood yesterday because my story was published. I had to go a long way to the shopping center that has Best Buy, where my computer could be fixed, so I took the subway and then transferred to a bus. After leaving my computer at Best Buy, I decided to stay in the area to do some shopping. There was an Ikea there, and I had read about people buying cool things from the Swedish furniture store, so I decided to check it out. It was so amazing! It was like I had died and gone to... Sweden. Seriously, Ikea is the best thing to come from Sweden since ABBA!!!

I walked in, and there was a small three-person band playing (what I presume to be) Swedish music! It really set the mood. After you enter, you have to ride an escalator to the second floor, heightening the excitement of entering the store because it's like you're entering a new realm... the realm of furniture and home decorating. Then, you watch this short video introducing you to the store and giving advice on how to shop. You then follow this long winding path through the huge building to see various showcases and room decorating examples, and eventually, after winding through two levels and a huge warehouse, get to the checkout stand.

It was like a furniture Disneyland... There was a livingroomland, bathroomland, bedroomland (the areas weren't actually called that, but I decided to call them that)... I didn't need any furniture, but it was really cool to see all the things they sold at the store. Everything was so sleek and so modern and so... European! If I ever make enough money to buy my own house, I definitely would want to get stuff for it from Ikea.

Oh, and there was a restaurant in the store! And it served Swedish food! I tried some Swedish meatballs, a drink made from a Swedish fruit called the Lingonberry, and a dessert called the "Princess Torte." I always love trying new foods from different cultures, and it was so exciting to try these Swedish treats. The store also sold some Swedish foods, so I bought some crackers with hazelnut filling, as well as milk chocolate with hazelnuts (so European!). The chocolate is made from a company that supposedly makes candy for the King, so it should be good.

In other news, two young people called me "sir" on separate occasions yesterday... I think I'm getting old. Alas.

Today, I took a walk in the park! It's the same general park my article was about (Fairmount Park), but the park is huge... I walked along the river on the trail. It was a hot day, but there were still many people jogging, strolling, and having a picnic in the park. I'm going to have to go back soon to check out the rest of the park. I also got the latest issue of Disney Magazine (it's supposedly the last issue because the magazine is apparently no more). It's all about Disneyland's 50th anniversary and has some neat info.

I'm going home on Wednesday! I can't wait to see my friends again. It will be good times.

Well, luckily there's a computer lab here where I'm staying, so I'll still be online... occasionally. I'm hoping so.

Damn. Why am I so clingy?

Quote of the Day: "Well, you're definitely not going to be invited to the wedding."

:: SL 10:51 PM [+] ::
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Volunteers spread seeds of service at Fairmount

I didn't write this headline, but somehow it still manages to sound like something I would write...

:: SL 10:04 AM [+] ::
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On Monday, I got to go to my first professional baseball game! It was the Phillies vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. We had excellent seats with a great view, and of course I had a hot dog (no Cracker Jack, though). I also had my first Philly Cheesesteak sandwich while in Philly! It was a lot of fun, and there was quite a bit of action, on and off the field, despite the heat and humidity.

In other news, I have been drunk dialed like crazy in the last two days. People must be drinking crazily during this week!

Quote of the Day: "I just had my ass steamed by a fucking... oh, what do you call them... dishwasher!"

:: SL 6:27 PM [+] ::
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Woo, a whole week in Philadelphia! So much fun... but how quickly time passes.

Some points:

- It's been great this week meeting and hanging out with the other interns here this summer. Even though we're all working on separate desks, hopefully we'll all get together to do more some fun activities sometime.

- I am eating guava yogurt. It's actually quite tasty. Thank goodness there's a supermarket near where I'm staying... I'm sure I'll be eating a lot better than I was when I was in Miami last year.

- For the second time in a couple of weeks, someone has told me that I look JUST LIKE someone they know and that we look so similar we could be brothers. Yup... uh huh. Cause all Asians look the same. ::rolls eyes::

- Techno remix of the song "Living on a Prayer" = AMAZING.

- I'm looking forward to visiting home in a couple of weeks!

- The little plant that I transported all the way from Boston is blooming! The fact that it's still alive after all it went through on its little journey shows just how amazing nature is.

- Life doesn't suck as much as some people make it out to be.

Quote of the Day: "I'm only going to sing songs in the pentatonic scale when I'm around you."

:: SL 4:28 PM [+] ::
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A Midnight Fantasy

Last night seemed like the most ordinary of nights as I climbed into my bed to begin my slumber. I fell asleep, completely unaware of the excitement that awaited me. All of a sudden, the night became a most magical one as I had a wonderful dream that I had been visited by the drunk-dial fairy! It was such a wonderful dream; SOMEBODY had drunk dialed me, and the call was filled with crazy laughter, fun jokes, random insults, and the phrases "I love you!" and "You're the best!" mentioned many times. And it was so appropriate because I had just thought to myself the other day, "It's been a while since I've been drunk dialed, and it's been a while since I've mentioned that I want to be drunk dialed." Oh, what an amazing dream it was. I was sad when it came to an end. But what a splendid thing that happened to me!

Moral of the story: If you're drunk, call me!!!

:: SL 5:12 PM [+] ::
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