a new alarm clock

i keep waking up thinking that it's the end of the world. before that moment of recognition kicks in when you realize where you are, i seriously keep thinking that america is under attack. it's actually fleet week and the jets are just practicing for an actual attack or something. either way, ive been pretty freaked out this week when i wake up. faced with the end of the world every morning, ive decided to start looking at things a little differently. im taking some more chances and doing things that i've been wanting to do for a while, including disco dancing, opening up to my fellow students and climb to the top of the architecturally confusing student center building on campus.







ive been tempted to do this for awhile, but i always felt that it would look kind of corny to walk up there with a camera and ogle at the glimpse of the pacific ocean.



well i did it. thank you, fleet week. your terrorizing wake up calls have influenced me on a very positive level.

so much so that i am attempting to use the spices that i got in my big old care package sent from another reader (thanks again).





for now, im off to do some serious weekend enjoyment by catching a movie... by myself! ive never gone to a movie alone before, but it's time i tried it out. after all, you never know when those fighter jets are going to mean serious business.

love and loyalty

a birthday

at one point in my life, i was a bit of a rebel. perhaps we can call those the "teenage years". to this day i couldn't tell you what i was rebelling against (authority, the establishment, curfews, etc.) but i can say that i was actively rebelling for quite a few years.

my father could probably tell you the same because he had to deal with the brunt of it. he was the authority, the establishment, giver of curfews, etc.

ive now come to learn that he is without a doubt an inspiring man and my undisputed hero. working constantly to support my 3 sisters, my mother and myself, he has somehow been able to find the time to offer words of wisdom to us in hopes that we can someday be as successful as he is today.

he's also had some of the best one-liners i've heard in my lifetime:

"if you don't keep it down im gonna hug you with a pencil"

"yeah, we got a big screen tv with sound-surround speakers"

"playstation, 9-tendo, etc."

we all have our moments, but it's the moments of support and encouragement that i can always count on.





to my father, with love and loyalty, a very happy birthday

a city sized apology

living in san francisco is like having a city sized best friend that lets you live on their stomach. well, i think i live on the stomach. hayes valley is a cozy, comfortable neighborhood where all flavors of people come to coexist. twice every week, ill travel outbound to visit the brain of the city, san francisco state, to absorb new information from some of the city's smartest cells. with every friendship, of course, comes the rocky times. times when you wish you weren't living on top of one another. times when you feel like you just need space (or a plane ticket). that would be yesterday. yesterday we didn't get along very well. in fact, it's safe to say that san francisco walked all over me. literally. i went to the very tip of the downtown area just to get trampled on (you can read about our fight in the previous post). today, after my first run in my new running shoes, i found myself traveling to civic center, the heart of san francisco, to participate in LOVEFEST 2008, a street party that celebrates electronic music, dancing and well, love. how appropriate that it takes place in civic center, the heart of the city. and let me tell you, it was beating hard and fast. started in germany as a way to celebrate a changing europe back in '89, san francisco has adopted it to celebrate it's spirited community, and it's rapidly turned into the largest dance party on the planet. over a dozen dj booths, bars set up on every corner, costumes and outfits that you haven't seen since the last rave you went to in philadelphia back in 8th grade, dancing, parade floats, bubbles, etc. etc. etc.

we obviously made up. we're friends again. the party isn't stopping until 4 in the morning, but ive got some reading to do. it was a nice way to say "im sorry". below are some of the photos of our make up session. enjoy!



all of the kids packed into one muni train. i felt like a sardine, only they were all rainbow fish. this was just a preview. i still had no idea why everyone was dressed the way they were.






at this point, im making my way over and the music is getting louder, the crowds are getting more lively and im quickly getting over yesterday.





i met up with brandi (my fellow student that saved me from homelessness way back in august) and her friend jordan when out of nowhere this broad came walking through. i asked her where she was from and it sounded like someplace boring in california. i told her to move up here so we could be friends. i think she just wanted to be in the beer line.





crowds crowds crowds





find the floating disco ball!






no one can keep their clothes on in san francisco. floats, fun and lost of frolicking


















this was by far my favorite photo. city hall has never been so colorful





and this unflattering shot was how i looked the entire day.

LOVE (ha!) and loyalty