Jason's Daily Notes

Last night, after returning from my NorCal, I only got a few minutes' rest before heading out to Stephanie's. They couldn't turn on the jacuzzi.

Back to work.

I can't find my keys. They were definitely with me at Stephanie's, and they were definitely not with me when I returned from Stephanie's. They're not in my car.

I went to Stephanie's during my lunch break to search myself for the keys. No luck :(. They're gone. What will I do?!

Suddenly my streak of awesome days in 2011 comes to a screeching halt. I feel surrounded by negative energy.

Music: Snow Patrol. 

Lunch: Trimana taco salad. $6.00
...pulling news articles at work.
At work til 5:50.
Gotta get my stuff ready to move out... Matthias arrives tomorrow night!

Good times - drove north on Saturday, Jenn driving the first leg - 6:45am. It was too early when we got to Kettleman City - In-N-Out was still closed. So we got Jack in the Box for breakfast. There was lots of dense fog throught the central valley (indeed, the whole weekend had generally foggy/hazy weather). I explained several times how fog forms. My ipod was plugged in - it plugged in as a USB device, and so was controlled by the car's radio panel directly. This made it more difficult to switch between songs, since scrolling took a long time. We arrived in Mountain View before 12:00. With over an hour to kill before my meeting, I gave Jenn and Ray a tour of the Google campus. I showed them where I had my interview, and we took some of the Google bikes and rode around for a little bit. Just as we were leaving, the security guard pulled up. Heh heh. Then to downtown Mountain View. A potty break at the library, then walked briskly to the post office to buy my international stamps, then I made it to the cafe to meet Matt at precisely 1:00. My meeting went well, I think he got to see a more personable side of me. So I'm looking forward to a good rec from him. Whew. Then, met up with Ray J who had just eaten at a nearby Mexican restaurant; we hopped into a chinese bakery where I got a delicious green tea moon cake (and two cold meat pies). We drove onward to Fairfield. Cassy greeted us outside her building (well, the other side). It was chilly and foggy. Ray J napped and Cassy and I watched Despicable Me. I got about 10 minutes of sleep during the movie. It was cute, though. The evening rolled around and we went to check out Fairfield's big nightlife (NOT) - the Fairfield Mall. I bought a calendar (had to wait like 20 minutes for the coworker to return with the receipt tape. Upon asking the cashier what there is to do in Fairfield that evening, I was met with a scoff, a laugh, and a "you're in the wrong town dude." The key duplication store no longer existed. Dinner was a thai restaurant that had its sauces and flavors wrong. Then we drove to Vacaville, to get dessert at Fenton's (of course we had to go on a calorie quest). First, some browsing at the next-door Border's; Jenn didn't find a planner she liked. Stopped by Food Max on the way home (NorCal Food 4 Less?). Back at Cassy's apartment we played Asshole into the night then finally slept.

Sunday: I began my day with a jog around the nearby park - it was foggy/drizzly, the pavement was wet, and the sidewalk covered with duck poop. Not the best jogging conditions, especially considering I had my new, fresh shoes. A woman pulled up to me as I was walking back to the apartment and tried to get me to buy items from her. We got ready and headed out around 9:30 to pick up Rachel in Concord. My stomach was not agreeing with me. Rachel's cat Sebastian was sitting under the toilet. Then to SF. The fog disappeared (thanks to my magic powers) when we emerged from the tunnel. But SF was fogged in. It was later than we had anticipated arriving at Golden Gate Park. Parked just outside and walked to the DeYoung museum. Ada arrived there shortly after us. We had LOBSTER rolls. Like, full on pure lobster sandwiches on butter bread. Thanks to the ChowderMobile food truck. All the day, we took pictures with "Leslie" and "Juan" with us. There was lots of walking and laughs. And sharing of disgusting stories. The usual. Ada left early; she was learning how to ride a bike. We returned to the car, seeing a cool husky, lindy hop dancers, plenty of skaters along the way. We then drove on to Twin Peaks. There were plenty of dogs there too. The view was good but even though the sun was out, it was still hazy. We left and drove to the Mission District. It's sooooo much cooler than I remembered! Lots of cafes and bars. It's really diverse, energetic, and happening! We found Mission Pie and had our pie. Then we drove to Berkeley. Bought some Cal gear at Bancroft Clothing. Met Jason D. Walked around campus a little. Shopped at T-shirt Orgy. Drove to Zachary's. We had to wait 40 minutes for our table, so I got to play a little improv (I need to relive the Whose Line days!). Dinner was good. Then drinks at Barclay's. We played Octopus and Psychiatrist. It was hilarious. (Thanks Manuel for teaching me those games!) I was apparently talkative on the drive back. I think I was just tired, tipsy, and excited to travel.

Monday: We woke up early, for my 10am meeting in SF. Rachel had slept over too. We took two cars, Cassy and Rachel leaving theirs at the El Cerrito BART and joining us into SF. I met with Rob, which went well. He's busy as a consultant now. He was busy so had to leave a little more quickly. I feel good about it though. Camilla had already left SF so the brunch that I had scheduled was cancelled. We weren't hungry anyway so we just left for home. "Not with a bang but a whimper." Said bye to Cassy and Rachel. The drive back was good, we played 20 questions most of the way. In-N-Out was way too crowded for us in Kettleman City, so we held off and got our fix in Valencia instead. Delayed gratification. Good nonetheless.

Downtown LA artwalk last night. Traffic was insane. I left with Louise to pick up Sandra in Santa Monica; it seriously took us like half an hour just to get onto the 10 freeway. The artwalk was nice, but more chaotic than I remember, especially trying to keep our group (Fernand, Michelle, Lousie, Sandra, Brian, Josh, Adrian, Priscilla, and I) together. I drove Louise back so she'd get some sleep, then Sandra.

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Today, it's not cold. It's actually very warm (80°F).
Mom and uncle still in the Philippines.
Ryan asked me to donate blood with him. I should.
Lunch: A tamal (leftover).
Music: The Fray - How to Save a Life
...working on grad school apps. Specifically, supporting documents for Sweden.
Busy with these grad school rec forms, prepping so everything is ready for my referees. SO BUSY!
Going out with Julia (who's about to leave for the east coast) and Sandra tonight.

I went back to Glassell Park last night. Traffic was horrible (can I really start commuting again?). I hung out with Fernand and Vincent. Oinkster then home (watching some Modern Family and Conan). The Clippers beat the Heat! Stayed overnight. No one else at home, it felt weird.

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Woke up 7am. Tired, chilly, and alone. It took one hour to drive to work. Yikes.
I like the jeans I'm wearing. I forgot that I had bought them several months ago.
Lunch: 3 tamales for the price of 2! :)
Music: Journey - Lights (but the city by the Thames, not by the Bay!)
Sofia Vergara is from the same town in Colombia as Shakira.

Downtown LA artwalk tonight!!!

Stayed in last night ... for once.

I watched both Inception and Persepolis. Good movies. But I had high expectations for Inception, which naturally dampens the excitement of watching it. It's not that realistic (i.e. LAX immigration), but a good compilation of psychological, sci-fi, architecture, visual, thriller, artistic and tehnology elements. Makes you think about ideas and our relationship to the world itself. Kind of like The Matrix?

Persepolis remiinded me to always be true to myself and to focus on what is important in one's life.


I talked/skyped with mom and uncle.
My dinner was just rye bread with butter, hummus, and cheese.
Louise had her first day at "work" today. She's interning at Fox News, only a walking distance from the apartment.
I dreamt that Jack and I were both fired. But we still had to train and live with the new employees replacing us. Also, I ended up at Phil's house (?)

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The world is rational and understandable. Just not all at once. Embrace the chaos.

Lunch: 6" Turkey sandwich, subway. $4.
My Chase debit card has been put on fraud alert.
I saw Demitri Martin walking through the mall. And I also saw Jenn Ho's doppelgänger.


The internet is spazzing out this afternoon.
Went to Borders.
Going to Glassell tonight. To pick up my diploma.

I (finally) met Louise last night. Nice girl.
I drove her to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy a duvet.
... went to Mine's for dinner (and of course drinks afterwards). There was Juliana (Brazil), Ruchi, and Angela (Spain). Also I met Joe from London. The Canadians (Leanna, Darren, and Catelyn) arrived from the Kings-Maple Leafs game. I drove Angela back.

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Manuel posted his video of street magic. Awesome! (edit: I managed to rip it off fb and put it onto youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvUtbDXJLto)
Music: Cee-Lo - Fuck You (ASL version); Pink - Raise Your Glass

It's official. I'm going to the Bay Area this weekend!

Lunch: Mrs. Winstons
I was approached by a girl trying to sell me a discounted beauty/hair treatment. I'm flattered that she thought I was a successful office worker, but it's sad that the only time girls approach guys on the street is when they want to sell something. No one's genuinely nice to each other, seems like.
I'm alone this week, uncle and mom are in the Philippines.
I feel motivated now. Life is good. I am doing what I want and doing what I should.
...working on my apps - almost done with Norway's essay. Just need to get the rec letters done and my transcripts organized!

Woke up at 4:30am. Uncle Ben was noisily getting ready. It was cold, and my blanket was thin. I fell back asleep then awoke at 7:15. We were a little late. Rushed to LAX (Uncle's flight was at 11). Traffic wasn't too bad - I left LAX at 8:20 and took Sepulveda to get to work at 8:55.

Louise should have arrived last night and is at the apartment now. I can't find the other key...

I'm now alone (family gone) for the next 2 weeks.

Lunch: Day old sushi (no soy sauce). Tolerable.

Grad school apps! Sweden is due this Friday.
(... I think I just submitted the applications... no essay required?!)

Friday night: I hosted Romain and Jeremy (from France). Stephanie came over and we hung out for a bit. The guys didn't speak much English but were really cool. And they kept inviting me to join them and go hiking/river rafting in France!

Saturday: Had breakfast with Romain and Jeremey then I left. I had a couple auto-related errands to run. I got my car registration from AAA (they can do most of the DMV stuff for you with no hassle! What a great membership benefit!). I stopped by home (tita Elsie was there) for some food before heading to the Mazda dealership to get my car serviced. Uncle Ben came to pick me up, but didn't bring his phone, so I was already walking around. He ended up picking me up at Best Buy.

I want to get back into filmmaking.

I drove back to WLA in the evening, met Romain and Jeremy for dinner.

Sunday:  Romain and Jeremy left. I returned to Glassell around 12:00. Drove Tita Elsie to LAX. Stayed home. Did some shopping at Marshall's, and we had sushi (way more sushi than we need).