The End To A Great 2006!

I have a party to go to in a lil bit, but I wanted to quickly leave a blog to remember 2006. 2006 was everything I wanted and more. I never expected such a wonderful year and now I'm sad to see it ending.
My resolution for the year was to be more selfish (since I'm always putting others before me) and do the things I wanted to do...with or without my friends. I was sick and tired of hanging out with ppl who had no interests in doing what I wanted to do. It was always about what they wanted to do. So this year, I said the heck with them...I'm gonna stop hanging out with them and start doing my own thing. And boy did it favor me.
I changed my entire lifesytle in 2006. I focused on health, fitness and happiness. Actually...it's all like a domino effect. When you're fit, you're healthy. When you're healthy, you're happy. And when you're happy...the world is yours.
2006 gave me a sense of life and how great I have it compared to others who are less fortunate. It also made me realize how big my heart is. I did much more volunteering work than I've ever done. Gave to many more charities than I ever have. It just made me realize that many of the problems I face are so minor compared to others. In realizing this...it just made me more disguisted with some of the ppl I know who blows everything out of proportion and don't realize how minor their problems are. But I guess that's what I would expect from ppl who are spoiled. With that said...I've seriously made an effort to stop complaining just about anything this year.
The biggest thing for me this year was joining the cycling club and started cycling. That opened up a whole new world to me. I still don't like the dress code of cyclists cuz I think the clothes are so gay, but it really does help resist the wind factor. Cycling lead to my volunteering for the BPMS150 and it was there that I met so many wonderful ppl. It also opened my eyes to the impossible. To know that ppl are capable of biking 180 miles blows my mind. That is sheer will power. And all of this is for a good cause. That's humanity. It inspired me so much that I will be doing the ride in the new year. I am going to take my mind and body to a whole new level.
This year also brought me closer to Illenny. Thanks in part to the MS150. We got to spend the entire weekend together and I think that allowed us to bond.
Softball was another great thing in 2006. To be selected by my teammates to represent the team in the all-star game meant a lot to me. And to win that game was awesome. For me it's pretty good considering that this was only the 2nd year I've been playing this game. Then when the team made it to the championship game...that was awesome. We didn't win, but at least we have something to work for next season.
A huge accomplishment was my yearly review at work. I received an Outstanding performance rating for the previous year's work. That's a 4 out of 4. That resulted in a huge 10% raise. As of what I know...none of the other guys have ever received a 4 out of 4 rating. As a company...not many ppl get 4 out of 4, so it was really surprising when I saw my review. We all usually receive a 3 out of 4. So it seems like I'm the first in the group of UH recruits to get this honor. Somehow they all found out and there was no hiding from it. I would have rather kept a low profile, but they all totally blew it out of proportion. Now I have this huge chip on my shoulder to continue to out perform. But that's just my personality anyways. I'm not going to try any less, but it's going to be hard to outperform myself.
I think my personality changed in 2006. I don't remember ever being so happy as I am this year. I was definitely smiling a lot more whenever I was out and about. It was great cuz all the smiling I did got me a lot of looks this year. Even got a few numbers just cuz I gave a girl a smile. I didn't know it was that easy. Shoot...I wish I knew this years ago...I would have smiled a lot more...hahaha. It's amazing cuz i don't even have a nice smile. It's all crooked...hahaha.
I can't forget all the new friends that I've made this year. I think they're all going to be friends for life. Mary tops my list. She's just a world of fun and laughs. I can't say enough about the girl. Then there's Betty. She was someone I thought I'd hate and now I'm torn that she'll be leaving and perhaps never coming back to the states. ***sigh*** what could have been...hahaha.
Well, I've ran out of time. Gotta go start getting dressed for this new year's bash that I really don't want to go to. It's going to be loud and full of drunk ppl. I'd rather spend it at home where there's peace and quiet. I think it would be more fitting to the heckted year that I've had...hahaha.
See you in 2007. Let's hope it's even better!

Asian Invasion? More Like Asian Irritation!

So I was just checking out an old buddies myspace page and was checking out his friends and couldn't believe how many asian ppl exist out there. It just reminded me of how much I hate asain ppl. It seems like the more I see asian ppl, the more I hate them and the more I get irritated. I was even making an effort to like asian ppl. My mom keeps heckling me for not dating more asian girls. To her defense...she just wants to be able to communicate with my girls cuz she doesn't know english and I'm always dating latin chicks. But after seeing so many asian ppl agian...I'm back to hating them again. I don't know why I hate them so much...I just do. I guess it's cuz I grew up with asian ppl all around me and seeing how they're all so materialistic and superficial and fake and selfish...it really irritates the hell out of me. Well, whatever my excuse is...it really doesn't matter...I just get disgusted everytime I see a bunch of asian ppl.

Big Huge From The Big Guy

Lunch today was just hilarious all the way through. It actually started a lil rough, but after beating traffic and finding parking, everything went great! I actually had the day off (use it or lose it personal day) today so I met up with my work buddies for lunch at the cheesecake factory. It was a great end to a great year. We had great laughs. Chris even treated us to dessert. Nobody loved that more than Elodie...there's no stopping her from her cheesecake...hahaha. I had the strawberry shortcake that came with 3 huge scoops of vanilla ice cream. It was great at the moment, but I can't tell you what happened a few hours later...hahaha. Let's just say I don't do so well with dairy products...hahaha.
So as we were leaving, Carlos goes to get the car. I waited with Chris and Donny and just as Carlos pulls up, I put out my hand to shake Chris' hand goodbye and to wish him a merry christmas, but the big guy goes and give me a huge instead. It was the most hilarious moment. Just picture this...a small 5'4" skrony kid getting a huge by a 6'1" 300+ lb guy...hahaha. It looked like a huge black bear hugging a monkey. It was just so hilarious. Even Carlos and Elodie rolled down their windows to laugh. I even heard ppl walking by and laughing. Dude...I couldn't even get my arms to wrap around...hahaha. But you know what...it was pretty cool what he did. As funny as it was...I know that he was just showing how much he appreciates me for bringing him food everyday. He's kind of a big guy and has trouble walking cuz of his knees so everyday when I go buy my lunch, I always buy for him too. He was kind of reflecting back during today's lunch and kept bringing that up, so I think that's why he gave me the hug.
O...and forgot to mention that Carlos gave me an iPod cover for xmas.
Well, 2006 has been a great year for me and I'll be sad when it ends. Unlike 2005 when I couldn't wait for it to end, I don't want 2006 to end.

Dealing With Death

We were having a group Christmas party today and towards the end of the party, our admin passed around a card for all of us to sign cuz one of the engineers' mother just passed away. I was the first to sign the card and it took me a while to figure something to write. I don't remember what I wrote, but it was short and simple. I mean who really knows what to write after what happened. There's very little anybody can say or do. But it got me thinking... (yeah right...like I do that often...hahaha) I started to think back a few months when I lost my grandmother. For some reason...I didn't really cry. I think I'm lacking a lot of emotions. Even hearing the news today about my colleague's' mother I didn't really feel too much pain. I was more thinking..."crap...what do I write down"...more than I was thinking about his pain and suffer.
Then I started thinking..."hey...how come they didn't do anything for me?". Not to be selfish, but that then got me to start thinking how ppl deal with death so differently. I think I'm such an oddball cuz whenever things like this happens to someone close to me...I don't really deal with it. I kind of ignore it and just keep moving on with life. Everyone else seems to dwell on the lost. Again...I'm an oddball. And they all like to give cards and console each other...where as...I don't want consoling...I just want to be left alone. Plus...there's really nothing anybody can say to me that would make me feel any better. The more that ppl try to console you, the more they're just bringing up the pain. That must be my reason for wanting to be left alone. I don't need to be reminded of what just happened. When my grandmother passed away, nobody knew because I didn't say anything. I just went on with my days like it was any other day. I didn't even make it to her funeral. I guess I didn't feel like I needed to be there cuz I had just visited her a month before she passed.
But not to get off track...
Like today...we signed the card for him...like that's really gonna do anything for him. It doesn't change the fact that his mother has passed. An old buddy of mine lost his lil 9yr old cousin earlier this year due to cancer and I didn't even make any efforts to console him. And when my other friend lost her grandfather last year, I did really lil to console her. I just didn't know that ppl want to be consoled. Now I feel terrible that ppl want to make a big deal out of death and that I didn't do enough as a friend to console my friends. I just thought that they would rather be left alone like I would. I know...the world does not cycle around me, but that's my point...ppl deal with death so differently. I know it's a painful thing to go through, but I only know how to deal with it my way.
I like to take the opportunities at funerals to celebrate the person's life...not to be all sad about it. Especially if the person died of old age...it's a good thing as long as they go quickly and peacefully. I just don't want to have to see anybody suffer from pain. It's a lil different when someone so young passes away though cuz they really haven't lived life. But still...I would not cry...I would celebrate all that the person has done. We all eventually have to go (hopefully later than sooner)...why not make it a big celebration to show the person how much you care. The last thing I want to see at my funeral is a bunch of sad faces. Everyone better be happy or drunk...hahaha. No tears...just laughter. Remind me of how wonderful my life was.

Goodbye Betty

In my opinion, this year our recruiting team did it's best job since I've been with the company with the interns that they brought in. There were so many female interns this year compared to the last 3 years combined. Of course the reason I say that is because they brought in a girl name Betty this semester.
Betty is an intern from Bogata, Colombia. I think she's 22. She's a sweet lil thing. 5'1", wavy brown haired, brown eyed cutie. But that's not what I said a couple months ago when I first met her. Carlos had just met her and invited her to join us for our regular Friday lunches. I couldn't stand the girl cuz I thought she was so stuck up. She kept rolling her eyes every time she talks and it annoyed the crap out of me. That and also she probably thought that she was just the best thing in the company. Granted...the girl had a body of an angel so she could talk all she wants, but I don't like girls who are so into themselves. Well, it wasn't until I invited her out for Dim Sum on a Saturday morning that I realized that she wasn't such a bad girl. The eye rolling thing is something she does all the time...almost like a habit of hers...so I can't hate her for that. Although she knows she's hot...she didn't really act like a conceited girl that I thought she would have. So one thing after another, I come to find that she is actually a very sweet girl who have really good ethics and morals. I have a lot of respect for the girl and what she believes in. It's too bad that she already has a bf. I think we would be so good together. We certainly look so good with each other. At least that's what everyone at work is saying after they saw some of the pix from the holiday party.
Well...all that will only be a fantasy cuz her internship is up and she'll soon be going back to her country. And life will go on. But what a shame of what could have been. I think this is the first girl that I've ever met that believes in the same things I believe in. The only thing that turns me off about her is that she's quite high maintenance. But I guess it's not all that bad cuz I've always liked my girls to be a lil high maintenance cuz I believe that girls should keeps themselves properly groomed. And she certainly keeps herself well-kept. I'll certainly miss her! :(

Holiday Party 06

Yesterday was our annual company holiday party. I had a blast! I usually have a great time but always hate the process of makng it to these parties. I hate having to decide on what to wear and actually having to wear it. I'm not a fan of dressing up. It's just so uncomfortable to me. But I always make it look good...hahaha. Nevertheless...it never matters what I'm wearing. It only matters what the girls are wearing...hahaha. And man...did it ever matter this year. Then there's the part of worrying about who to bring as my date. I seem to have had a different date for each of the 4 years I've gone to the party.
But going back to the girls. This year was just a lil different because, in our group, we have some new girls who this was their first time coming to the party. That was really only the reason I went this year. Otherwise, I think I would have just stayed home and done something else. I think the best dressed of the night...hands down...went to Betty. Holy crap was she hot! Too bad her bf was there with her...hehehe. But then there's Elodie...wow...did she clean up nicely. We're so used to seeing her in jeans and pants that to see her in a dress was so different. She was definitely worth going just to see...hahaha. Then there's Lorena. She's very new to our group so I don't know what she's like outside of work, but she didn't disappoint. She has an amazing body and wore her dress well. She was quite a party girl too. She didn't want to drink cuz she was driving, but I got her to have a drink with me and then after that...she just broke loose...hahaha...j/k.
We all had such a good time together. We had s lot of ppl in our group. We had to save 2 tables in the ballroom just so we could all be together. In my table, there was me, Illenny, Carlos, Lorena, Elodie, Betty and her bf, Maurice, Tunde and his wife. In the second table there was Chris, Henry and Brandi, Donny and Song, Scott and Kim. I'm glad Maurice came to join us at the table. I saw him sitting all by himself so I came over and inviting him to sit with us. I didn't want to do him any favors, but that's no way to celebrate a holiday party. Plus...I promised him that my table had plenty of eye candies...hahaha...that got him to reconsider sititng by himself.
I also had a blast talking to Brandi. She's quite a chatter box. I guess I'm a lil too cuz we talked it up like crazy. Something else that was interesting was when we were at the blackjack table. Betty leans over to me and says to me, "I want to feel your lips on my lips kissing your lips". There was no way for me to play it smooth cuz her bf was right behind her, so I was like..."What?!". She repeats and then I had the same reply. She laughs and then says that it was the title of the song that the band was playing. That was so funny. We had a great laugh out of it.
Then later on in the night they got me to do a lil salsa dancing. According to Illenny and Lorena...I didn't do to badly for a beginner...hahaha. I was just missing the hip action...hahaha. Yeah...NO! That's not happening. I'm a man's man...not a sissy man. I play contact sports...not dancing. I'll leave that for the guys who are more in touch with their feminine side.
But the night went good. I think we all got a kick from taking so many photos. I can't wait to see them all.