Happy Birthday John Halog!


The weekend was pretty chill. I went home to visit the folks since they just got back from the Philippines. I also visited my old roommate and good friend's grave since it was his birthday on Saturday. Kinda crazy that its already been 6 years since his passing. Probably one of the most difficult times to deal with, but I'm at peace with it. It was pretty cool, I haven't visited him in awhile and his parents pulled up just after Karen and I did. So it was nice to see them again. I was hoping that he'd make some magic in hopes the Lakers would win game 7, especially since it was his birthday. But.....yeah it didn't turn out that way! =( Here are some more pics.

After that, I had to visit my grandma who was in the hospital. She got sick in the Philippines and had to be admitted because of low sodium and low potassium (I think). Hopefully, she'll get discharged in the next couple of days.

After dinner, I met up with some friends at Jay and Jovan's and unfortunately most people were already sleeping or just chilling by the time we got there. I think I said hi to Belle and didn't talk to her for the rest of the night since she crashed. One minute, we were playing Dirty Minds, the next minute, I see Cicely crashed faced down on the floor. It was still fun, just watching Entourage and chillin. Today, I tried to take advantage of the Macy's discount I had, but couldn't find the Kenneth Cole Reaction pants I've been searching for. The hunt continues...

As stated in a previous blog, a lot going on in the next month; stuff that's been officially booked and a lot of money that will be spent.

First, I was able to score some free tickets to Boyz II Men this coming Wednesday at the House of Blues in Anaheim. I saw them live twice when I was in high school, and once in college. And since I met Nathan Morris in Reno, I thought it'd be a good idea to check em out and see how they are live nowadays. I'm kinda looking forward to it, I haven't been to a concert since I saw Incubus in Vegas and at the Pond in a matter of days 2 years ago. So it'll be a good experience. Thanks to my co-worker for hooking it up with the free tix!

This week is also Karen's birthday so we're going to San Diego for the weekend. Got hooked up with a free room at the Westin Horton Plaza (thanks Kelly!), just gotta pay $20 or so for taxes. I haven't really been sight-seeing in San Diego before, so it will be an adventure. Our hotel is located in Downtown, next to Horton Plaza, a few blocks from the Gaslamp Quarter, and about a mile or so from Balboa Park. So we'll be close to the places we want to check out. Oh yeah, and we're going to Sea World too, which I haven't been since I was in high school also. Can't wait!

The week after that, we're watching Stomp at the Pantages Theater. I honestly think I've seen the show either 5 or 6 times. I have to count my Ticketmaster stubs to check. The last I've seen it was probably back in 1998 or so. I'm kinda curious if its the same show that I've seen, or if they added some new performances to it. We shall see.

That same weekend, I'll be hitting up Mammoth one last time for the season. I think I owe it to myself and to my ankle for one last run. Plus, I love my new boots so I wanna make use of them one last time for the season. Suprisingly, the conditions are still good...14-16 foot base, although they've closed most of the mountain already, and the temps are warming up. Still, it beats the crap ass snow we have here in our local mountains. I'm glad I didn't waste my time and money at Big Bear or Mountain High.

As stated before, I'm going to Vegas at the end of the month to watch Avenue Q at the Wynn Hotel. Not to mention, we booked our tickets for another stop at the Pantages to watch the final Los Angeles showing of Les Miserables.

How the hell am I going to afford all of this, I have no idea. But hopefully I'll have so much fun that I wont worry about being broke too much.

Mmmmm....Korean BBQ. Haven't had it in awhile until Friday night, when I went out with some co-workers for dinner and drank a grip of soju. Took a grip of shots, but it never really got to me. But we all had fun. Good Times.

Saturday, went out to Mai Tai to kick it with Belle, the roommies, and friends. It wasn't as crowded as usual which was good since we had an area for ourselves and our own waitress. Congrats, Belle for finishing up on your test. I don't think I could ever study as hard as you did. You should've seen this girl at Mammoth...just focusing while all of us were freakin playing games and laughing while we watched Dave Chapelle and the Family Guy.

See, this is Belle studying....


and...




So while we were...



and



and

'

and

'

and

'

and still thinking about,



Belle was



And now Belle is...


finally done, relieved, with a new haircut!! Congrats Belle!

After Mai Tai, went broomballing with some co-workers and some other people. Our team won, although some people on both teams actually had hockey sticks. I was playing with one for awhile, but it wasn't as challenging as the regular 'broom,' so I gave mine to Karen to use for a bit. Sorry for scoring on you babe! Blame Son for putting us on opposite teams AGAIN.

Sunday, went to Cerritos for lunch, shop, and just relax with Karen.

Okay, got a lot planned in the next month or so. Might go take a trip to San Diego, maybe one last snowboarding trip to Mammoth, and going to Vego (all you Kevin & Bean listeners out there know what I'm talking about) to watch Avenue Q at the Wynn. Our hotel and tickets are booked already...whoo hoo! Can't wait! Not to mention, Stomp, Hairspray, and Les Miz are on the horizon. Its going to be a month of traveling and a lot of shows to watch. Too bad my wallet is going to be empty soon.

Cheers!

Alrighty...just got back from Tahoe a couple of hours ago, and it was freakin fun!!

Flew out Thursday night and got in at Harvey's Casino around midnight. We went snowboarding at Sierra-at-Tahoe on Friday and that place is actually really cool. I didn't wanna do Heavenly, cuz even tho the view is awesome, the place just blows for snowboarding. So we took the time to drive south for 20 miles and to try out Sierra. It kinda sucked cuz when we got there, it was raining. But I just wanted to board really bad. My ankle felt fine, and my new boots were really comfy. They had this dope beer called Sierra-at-Tahoe pale ale, which at first I thought was the normal Sierra Nevada. But this dude at the bar said it was really good, and after trying it, I couldn't agree more. I felt a lil tipsy cuz I didn't really eat anything that morning. So boarding with a lil fade actually felt pretty dope!

But yeah Sierra was really worth it. They had a special college student rate for the week for only $41. The runs were nice and long. Even the bunny slope for the beginners was pretty wide, so no one was crashing into each other. We didn't go to the top cuz it seemed really foggy up there, but we stayed on the west side of the mountain where no one was at, and those runs were longer than the ones up top.

But my final run was probably the best I've ever done. It was close to closing time, and once I got off the lift, I noticed every one was heading the opposite direction, towards the main entrance. But for me, I wanted to conquer the mountain one last time. And boarding down by myself, with absolutely no one around me, felt so great. It was almost relaxing and soothing, just hearing the snow carving around my board and running my fingerse through the snow. (yeah it sounds perverted) . I can't really explain it. I guess its sorta how Lou felt when we did our final run at Squaw earlier this year.

Well, we wanted to go boarding on Saturday again at Sierra, but the weather forecast predicted winds and a lot of rain. But that didn't even happen on Saturday! All it was were partly cloudy skies, and some wind. And what sucked was that Sierra's location blocks a lot of wind, which of course I found out Saturday night reading this brochure I brought. Damn it!! Oh well! All we did was walk around the Heavenly Gondola Village and ate a cheap $9 prime rib deal at the Lakeside Inn. Not too bad for $9.

Anyhow, this crazy thing happened to me also. After we landed at Reno Thursday night, I saw a poster at the airport in which Boyz II Men was having a concert Friday and Saturday night. I was all, 'hey pretty cool! Too bad we can't watch em though, but that would've been nice.'

So today, as we were checking in our luggage at the airport. Guess who I spotted....



Yup, das right...that's NATHAN MORRIS of BOYZ II MEN!! And he flew with us on the same flight!!!

Dude, it was freakin weird. I saw him walking up to check in at the first class. And I'm all pulling on Karen's shoulder, 'Dude...that's Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men.' And she was all, 'Go talk to him!' So after debating what to do, I finally went up to him. And our conversation sorta went like this...

Me: Mr. Morris?
Nate: Yeah?
Me: Hey, I heard you had a concert last night here, how did it go?
Nate: It went pretty well, we had a good turnout.

So me keeping it short cuz I didn't wanna cause a scene...

Me: That's good. Well just wanted to say I'm a fan of your guy's music and its nice to see you back again.
Nate: Thanks man. I appreciate that.

Okay, so why didn't I take a picture of him (yet)? Well, I remembered watching this documentary of the Boyz. And he mentioned something like, 'yeah it's nice that people come up, ask for autographs, take pictures, or whatever, but sometimes we might be busy like having an important conversation or having dinner for example, and sometimes the timing isn't right. There are times when people get really aggressive and want it done right there, so I'd have to tell them, hey let me finish my dinner and I'll get to it then.'

So remembering that, I had to pick my timing. Once I got to our gate, I noticed him sitting down against the wall cuz all the seats were filled. I sat next to him wanting to ask for a photo, but he was on the phone. Then the crew at the gate told us to move, so we got up, moved to this empty corner, and he finally got off the phone. So then, our second conversation went...

Me: Hey, Nate do you mind if I take a picture with you?
Nate: Naw man, not at all

(Karen takes the picture above)

Me: Thank you Nate.
Nate: No problem
Me: So you got more concerts coming up?
Nate: Yeah, we got four performances in Las Vegas at the Orleans, so that's why I'm flying out.
Me: Oh nice, are you coming to Southern California anytime soon?
Nate: Yeah, we got some shows in May at the Anaheim House of Blues, and I know we'll be in L.A. and San Diego.
Me: Cool, I'll try to check you guys out then.
Nate: Cool man.
Me: So how are the other two doing? (FYI, Mike is no longer with the group)
Nate: They're doing good.
Me: Are they still in town or did they fly out already?
Nate: Oh, they both has some stuff to attend to first so I'm flying out now and just gonna meet them up there.
Me: Oh, cool. Aight man, you take care. It was good seeing you.
Nate: Yeah, man thanks!

And that was it! I just basically stood next to him until he boarded. I didn't really wanna bug him too much or anything. Hejust seemed really mellow, almost exhausted if anything. So, the picture is slightly blurry cuz I didn't wanna cause a scene and have him more embarrassed or anything. Hence, I told Karen not to use the flash cuz I didn't want anyone else to see. But it was pretty crazy. No one really recognized him cuz I guess no one's really into Boyz II Men anymore, which kinda sucks. Hehe, I guess no one really paid attention to his Boyz II Men knecklace either. But dude, pretty freakin crazy!

And yeah, maybe I'm overreacting a lil. But man, out of all places (Reno) to run into someone famous. In a way it was a good thing no one recognized him cuz it gave me my opportunity to talk to him. But yeah, it was just weird seeing their poster for their concert, then running into Nate.

Okay, I'm tired now. Sorry for the long post. Happy Easter again!

Off to Lake Tahoe!!!

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

I'm in some kind of weird funk today. I don't know exactly why. Work wasn't strenuous or anything. It actually went by pretty fast. I guess, for some reason, yesterday's physical therapy session was a lil more difficult and painful than anticipated. And I guess, just dwelling on it today, kinda made me feel like a failure. I know its just one session, and I did some excercises that were impossible for my ankle to do, but I dunno, I guess I just expected my ankle to do what was expected.

And then comes the dwelling part that kicked in....yunno, the stuff I had to go through, and all the stuff I missed out on. Yeah I know, its bad to dwell on stuff, particularly in this case, but I guess this whole thing gets a little frustrating now and then, even though I am improving. I think not even being able to tip toe on left foot because of my ankle, just got me feeling down. Something, simple as that, I couldn't do. Like my entire foot was being magnetically stuck to the ground.

Yeah, I know, I'm overreacting a bit. I kinda have that feeling of being a replacement. Yunno, like since I couldn't walk and wasn't really mobile, others had to replace me with their plans. I wont get specific. But just sorta sucks to have that type of feeling, and then later on you hear about it and sucks because you could've been part of it, but didn't. And then, you get that feeling where they just forget about you completely.

I'm honestly not looking towards to Tahoe just yet. I thought I would be at this point...I get to break in my new boots and attempt to snowboard again. I know I'll probably do better than at Mammoth. But it just hasn't hit me just yet. Of course that'll change come Thursday. But I just wish I was a little more excited.

Ehhh....I'm not expecting readers to feel sorry for me. That's the least I want. I aint no attention whore like other people who thrive on it. It just gets frustrating at times and I need to vent. Yeah I know, some people have it worse...a lot worse. Just sux, yunno? Oh well, that's life.

I need a beer. A nice Newcastle or Hef will do. Hmmm...Happy Hour starts again in 3 1/2 hours.

Had a pretty chill weekend. Went over to Brewbakers in HB for Jon's birthday. It was pretty cool. Although I didn't really help out making the beer (I don't know the process of making beer, I just drink it), it was pretty cool witnessing how the whole deal works. And the bread...mmm mmm good! Check out the pics. In a few weeks, we'll be heading back to bottle up the beer we made and put our own labels on em. Our apartment is gonna be a freakin' brewery since Joe, Tommy, and I split an order. We already have the root beer Karen, Flori, and Cici made. We actually tried a bottle and its pretty good. Karen's getting their labels on Wednesday. Nice call Jon! Happy Birthday again.

Had another physical therapy session today and man, did she work me. It was probably the toughest one I've been through. Still have some pain, especially in my inner ankle. She made me stand on my bad ankle on a small circular platform with a ball at the bottom of it. And she wanted me to have all edges of the platform touch the ground using my ankle muscles. It was so difficult I thought I was going to collapse. So I really gotta get going on my ankle. I can walk okay, just have a lil pimp walk action to it. Hopefully next week I'll have a lil more muscle, especially in my inner part of my ankle. Each week, its get better and better.

But I swear, this thing is taking forever to heal!! Freakin' Chris Mihm of the Lakers is going to be 100% healed before I will. And dude, he got injured like 2 weeks after I did. This week is would be my 8th week. Yup two full months with a bad ankle! Granted, they have their own team trainers and shit, but damn it! This sucks!

Ahhh...Dodger season has started, and they're playing pretty decent. It's something to cheer about, especially since the Kings are gonna be ousted from making the playoffs. They fired their coach, and possibly their General Manager will be out soon. What's sad is Luc Robitaille will be announcing his retirement tomorrow. He is the King of Kings in Los Angeles, and is the most popular player in Kings history, even more than Wayne Gretzky. (sidenote: after Hurricane Katrina hit, he helped out 2 familes move in to his Utah home, and they live there now for free. How fuckin awesome is that??) It's been a frustrating year for the Kings, from division leaders, to tanking to 10th in the conference. Pretty sad that Luc has to go out on a such a bad note. I hope the Kings get new management that will step up and make a difference. Spend more money for better players damn it!

Man, what a fuckin bad year for hockey for me. The Kings tank, Robitaille is retiring, both the men and womens' Olympic team fail, and I fuck up my ankle. Oh yeah, and the Ducks are in the playoffs, too! Bad, bad year!

This year's Mammoth trip was sooooo fun. Although, it sucked waking up Sunday to daylight savings time. Booo to losing one hour of sleep. However it was very fun.

During the week, I was deciding whether to try snowboarding or not. My ankle was feeling a lil better, and it was the first time I was able to walk without any crutches. I tried on my boots and strapped on to my snowboard and tested it how it felt and it felt fine. So just in case, I bought two new Oakley lenses for my goggles and a new Under Armour hood. So I brought my board and gear with me, just in case.

Turns out, I was actually able to snowboard, however I was only able to do one run. It felt uncomfortable wearing a brace and having it dig into the top of my foot. And plus, I couldn't carve heel side since it was difficult with the brace on. I did okay overall, but towards the bottom it got really bumpy and made my ankle feel uncomfortable. So to be safe, I just decided to call it a day and just kick it in the patio and kick it with whoever came down from the mountain for a breather. Sucked that I wasted $70 and could've probably gotten the begginer lift access for $30 instead. Oh well. Thanks Joe and Cesar for the beers!!

As always, the trip was full of non stop laughs, from Glenn spilling the entire toothpick dispenser to Friday night's Catch Phrase battle, it was a weekend of good old laughs. Too bad it was too short. Maybe we can do it again but with more people.

Well, I got another trip set next week for Tahoe during Easter weekend. I should be able to board with more comfort then. Hehe, got new Burton Hail boots, thanks to Flori and Jon in telling me that Active was having a 50% off all snowboarding gear sale. Now I'm broke till Tahoe.

A couple of sports news....Kings suck and are tanking. Lost to Anaheim again. Its sucked cuz I could've gone to the game with my co-worker cuz they had a OC Register pre-dinner at the Pond for their clients. But I wasn't sure if I'd be able to walk, so I decided not to go. Its cool though, I got two autographed pucks from J.S. Giguere and Scott Niedermeyer. Although I'm not a Ducks fan, its cool that my manager got em for me.

Oh and too bad for UCLA. They had a great run in the NCAA Tourney, but came up short. Florida was too good for them, though they seemed like cocky lil sons a bitches. Sorry, I'm not a huge Gator fan. Though, lately I've been hooked on to the drink your school created (Gatorade).

Here's the pics from Mammoth. Enjoy! And thanks to Jay for organizing the trip and to everyone for coming out.

If there's one good thing about having a messed up ankle, is going to physical therapy. Yeah, it sounds a lil dumb, but for some reason, its such a morale booster for me. I'll be honest, I get really moody about being a gimp: Not being able simple things like walking, standing in the shower, being able to get up and get seconds for dinner, doing the laundry yourself, stuff like that. And then I think about the stuff that I've missed out or going to miss out on (snowboarding at Mammoth, Ducks/Redwings game in a suite, meeting up with old friends at a restaurant or club, etc.) So it bums me out, but then again I try to make some good out of it. But just attending P.T. just makes me feel better, I guess because the therapist knows what I'm going through and is actually trying to make to fix me up. And plus, the ankle massage she gives me feels sooo freakin good. Then end the session laying down, icing the ankle and you just chill there listeing to music from KBIG (hehe they actually played B.B.D's "Poison" on the air, which was a lil odd, but I liked it.)

But yeah, its been bumming me out this week. The sports doc said it'd take 4-6 weeks to heal. And this week, is now my 6th week and I'm still on stupid crutches. I've already booked my flight to Tahoe this Easter and it looked like I wasn't gonna be able to snowboard then either. First Mammoth, now Tahoe. And it just blows how it keeps snowing on the mountains, with more to come.

Well, the therapist wants me to be walking by Monday, which I found out I can sorta do. It's still difficult putting weight on my ankle, but I'll work on it throughout this week. So while everyone is snowboarding, I'll be doing my excercises and trying to walk around the cabin. So things are starting to look promising. Even though it sucks that I can't snowboard, I think it will just be worth it being around good company, and that's one thing not to be bummed about.

Anyhow, here's to remember one of the greatest NCAA Basketball games ever...


GO BRUINS!!!

I started my first session of physical therapy today, which I admit was a lil scary but yet a little exciting. I guess just knowing the fact that the worse of my ankle is behind, I can move on and build strength on it so I can walk again. It was cool, the therapist actually was massaging my ankle just to get it relaxed and to get the fluids going. It felt pretty good, especially at the top where it almost felt like she was massaging out a knot. She showed me some excercises and some methods of putting weight on it. I guess a lot of it is mental, because I'm so guarded and cautious with my ankle. So she just told me to relax more so I can gain more confidence with it. She told me I should be walking in two weeks, which is perfect timing for Mammoth.

However, that means I wont be boarding at Mammoth which freakin blows. But at least I'll be able to walk around and not be hobbling in crutches like in San Francisco. So Tommy, you can officially use my snowboard for the weekend. I'll just chill at the cabin and probably hide Sherwin's luggage so he can freak out a little bit. (I doubt Sherwin knows my blog so keep it on the DL, please! hehe j/k!)

But Karen and I booked our flight to Reno/Tahoe for Easter weekend, so I'll probably be able to snowboard then. I don't see why not. The therapist said that it would take at least 2 months to get it healed, but I should be well enough to board then. I would be totally bummed if I didn't.

So for now, I'll do all I can to get this ankle well. Next physical therapy session is next Monday and I hope to have a lot of progress by then.

Congrats to Cicely, Jay, and Jovan for completing the L.A. Marathon this past weekend. I don't even remember the last time I've even ran a mile. It kinda makes me a lil intimidated to run the Disney Marathon in September, even though its half the distance at 13 miles. Hmmm...maybe I should run it and also schedule an appointment at a spa and just get a freakin massage the day after. Yeah, that sounds good. And then if I get all sore and ache too much, I can punch Sherwin in the face cuz he told me to sign up. Yeah...even better!! hehe, just kiddin Sherwin! (or "Sher-winnie" like Belle says!) Again, congrats!

Happy Birthday to my dad and grandfather!!

A couple of quick posts about the weekend before I forget...(which I originally did, but whatever...)

Thanks to Lou, Belle, Ryan, Sherwin, Jeff, and Karen for this past weekend, and helping me hobble around with my crutches, pushing me in a wheelchair, helping me get up and walk, etc. It got really depressing at times just sitting there and not being able to do what you guys were doing, but I'm just really happy and grateful that you guys helped me out this weekend.

When you're in a wheelchair and see a little bump coming up, don't let your girlfriend or boyfriend try to gain speed and momentum hoping it would carry over. Nope...that doesn't work, since I almost flew off the wheelchair right after we got off the plane in that tunnel thingamajig that leads to the terminal. Sheesh!! hehe, love you Karen!

When you're shopping at H&M, you MUST shop and buy what you can. Since its a store you rarely see visit, you must buy all you can. NO REGRETS. Unfortunately, I wish I bought more stuff, no matter how broke I'd be. Instead of only spending $50, I wish I spent at least $100. So that is the rule!!

Had a pretty great weekend up in the bay. It was the first time I've been in the San Francisco area in about 10 years. Everytime I go, its always to see family, not a trip to sight see or anything like that. So it was a fun time with friends again. My ankle's been bumming me out, but on a good note, I was one of the first one's to board since I was in a wheelchair at the airport, hehe!

Man, I knew it was cold, but geez it was really cold!! Below 40 degrees Friday night!! Man, it was crazy cuz during our descent, our plane got struck by lighting, and it happened in front of me. I was looking at the clouds out the window then saw a flash and a loud pop! It scared the living shit out of me...I thought I was going to experience something on Lost! But the flight crew just played it off, as if nothing major happened. WTF?? Well, supposedly the plane is designed somehow to protect it from lighting, even if it strkes. Good god it was crazy!!

Got to San Jose and met up for lunch with Jenn, Sherwin, and Jeff at the local mall. Then we went to Romeo's graduation which was pretty cool. Although, some of the speeches were boring in which only the faculty and students could only relate. That's when I started to doze off. Later that night, we met up with Romeo at his house for dinner then went to downtown San Jose to party it up. Unfortunately, the place double booked themselves the same night the Girls Gone Wild crew were filming. So we never got into the club. I was pretty uncomfortable with my crutches and standing in the cold rain, so Karen and I decided to head by while the others went off with Romeo and his classmates at a bar. Apparently, Romeo got really faded, but I didn't see him unfortunately. It kinda bummed me out that night back at the hotel cuz I couldn't party it up with my bro. I was proud of him graduating from school and I just felt sad I couldn't be there.

Well Saturday turned out a lil better. Fed our stomach's with some prime rib at Outback. Then we all headed up to San Francisco at night. Did some shopping at H&M which was cool. I wish I bought more stuff, but its hard shopping with crutches having to hold your shirts. Oh well. After that, we ate some Thai food and partied it up at some club Jen got us in for free. Lots a fun...everyone was pretty much faded and having a blast. Yes, everyone, including you Belle!! I couldn't dance or anything, so I just enjoyed my drinks at the booth and played photographer.

Sunday, met up with Janice and Romeo again for lunch and headed to his house for him to examine my knee and back. My knee has been stiff and I wasn't sure if I tore ligaments when I got injured. He did some tests and said that my knee is fine but saw how tense my back was. He sorta got my back a lil loose and just told me treat it with a hot pack. But I just felt relieved that my knee is okay and my back will get better soon. And plus, my knowing one of my best friends is now a doctor and getting answers from him just made me felt better.

Welp, that's that...headed to the airport and flew back home. No lighting this time, though.

I had a great time. We didn't spend a lot of time in the city, soI'd like to come back again and do more sight-seeing and exploring....hmmm maybe in the summer. Even though I was hobbling around in my crutches, there was no way I'd miss Romeo's graduation. We've come along way from him cutting my hair in high school, being roommates at UCI, then going through John's death, his mom's death, relationships, and now to his graduation.

Congratulations Dr. Romeo Dimaano!

Enjoy the pictures!

Okay quick post on a few things...

Saw the Sports Doctor today and he examined my foot. Pretty good news, as the swelling is slowly going down and i'll start on physical therapy soon. He said that it usually takes about 4-6 weeks to heal but I should be able to walk at least with one crutch soon. So that's gonna help. Gotta go back in a month for a check up to see if its fully healed. I'm hoping that with the help of physical therapy that it'll get better fast and maybe I might be able to snowboard at Mammoth. But we'll see.

Got the wheelchair for San Jose. That'll help out a lot. And its not one of them wheelchair's you'll see at a hospital...yunno the typical green looking ones with the wired spokes. This one's more black and actual modern looking. Thank you Auntie Nita for the help!

Oh...totally forgot to blog about this....but believe it or not...I actually watched Rent on DVD a couple of weekends ago, and actually sorta liked it. I guess I got a better understanding on what the hell was going on. There's still some stupid parts, but its a musical, of course its going to be stupid.

But what made me appreciate it more was actually the special features, and the whole making of Rent. I didn't know that Jonathan Larson (the creator, writer, etc.) past away of some heart condition the night before the show opened in New York. And he was just a typical person...he was a waiter at a New York diner and quit because he wanted to concentrate in producing Rent. So he never saw an actual run of the show he created. And basically, the story of Rent is his life and what he was living before he passed away. And to know, that the show opened up in such a small theater, maybe a 100 seat theater if anything, and to become so successful that it had to move to Broadway, I thought was a big accomplishment, especially to an artist like him. To start from scratch, yunno, no money, struggling, and making it big with something you've created is just fuckin awesome.

So in the end, I did like the movie, and now have a huge appreciation for it. Although I don't swear by it, how those fuckin' Rent-heads think its the best musical ever, it's an okay musical. I have some friends that are close to being Rent-heads (some that try to deny it), which kinda bugs, but whatever. Would I pay to watch it?...I've never had and probably never will.

Okay gotta take a shower...prolly wont blog till we get back from San Jose where we will see Mr. Romeo Dimaano turn into Dr. Romeo Dimaano before our very own eyes. Very exciting!

Lay-ers! (in that cute Keira Knightly/Parminder Nagra/Bend It Like Beckham British kind of way.

Haven't updated in almost two weeks. Most of the reason is because my ankle has been bumming me, especially this week. For the first time, I felt like I was really on a low.

Went to the doc's on Monday hoping to find some answers, but didn't get much. He flexed my ankle to which I felt no pain, but when asked to walk, I couldn't. He feared I might've suffered a hairline fracture, esp since my toes couldn't touch the ground while standing up. So he told me to get x-rays (finally!) the following day, and sorta got good news. X-rays didn't reveal any fracture, dislocation, just high tissues swelling. So that was good. Then another set back...

Wednesday, while watching Lost, I had trouble breathing. Everytime I'd inhale, my chest and back started to hurt. It got really painful after I took a shower, so bad that it got me to tears. Karen wanted me to take me to the ER, but I wanted to see if I could sleep it off instead. The next morning, I still had trouble breathing, so I went to Irvine Med and they diagnosed me with back spasms. Good god, taking x-rays of my back couldn't have been more painful. The entire time, I was screaming, because my back was so tense that when he'd lay me down I'd be in pain. The nurse gave me this shot of something which pretty much made me drowsy and I knocked out the entire day. The doc also gave me some Vicodin and a drug to relax my muscles. Friday, I had another spasm attack, to which Joe walked in when he came home from lunch. Dude, it was freakin painful I was literally crying. Image a bad leg cramp, probably 10 times worse in your back. And whenever you inhale to breathe, it gets worse. That's what it felt like. But right now, my back is still tense, however I haven't gotten any spasm attacks. The doc at the ER said its probably from using the crutches and using other muscles to compensate for my ankle.

So hopefully, I'll be getting a wheelchair this week so I wont have to risk any more back spasms. My ankle is feeling better, I can put a lil more weight on it when I stand up. But I'll find out more answers on Wednesday when I see a different doc again. I'm just frustrated that I didn't get an x-ray in the first place. Because of all this mess, Karen and I are gonna be changing doctors. Cuz this is freakin ridiculous.

And I know it sounds selfish, but I just hate hearing what other people have been doing lately (snowboarding, going out, etc.) I guess like what Belle said, to a certain extent, why must people showcase every single thing they do? I guess I'm just jealous that I can't do simple things that other people can do. I apologize if I'm sounding like a selfish prick, but it just sucks in my case. And its just frustrating that the doctor says, "you should be fine in a week or two," when its almost been a month, and I still can't walk. But seriously, for you all reading this, I still love you and I'm not directly mad at you! =) Just sucks being a gimp. I'm praying in two weeks, I'll be completely healed! And I know a lot of people have it worse, but its just been frustrating on my part.

Well, I'm looking forward to next weekend going up to San Jose. It'll give me a chance just to get away for once and clear my mind a lil, hanging out with some friends.

Having a sprained ankle blows!!

Here's how my crippled life is going....

Going up and down the stairs, I either have to climb up on my fours, or slide on my ass going down.

Getting in and out of the shower, Karen has to carry me in where for the next 10 minutes, I have to stand on my right foot and clense myself.

I have to stay in bed all day since I have limited mobility.

Ice on my ankle 2-3 times a day for 20 minutes.

I have to pee like a girl cuz I can't stand straight and pee normal.

I have a hard time wiping my ass when I shit because I can only put pressure on one foot.

It tires me out easily walking from the parking structure to my desk on crutches.

I have to keep my foot up which can be really uncomfortable.

While getting a drink of water today, I had to keep the styrofoam cup in my mouth, walk on crutches to the drinking fountain, then drink as much water as I can till I have to make the trek back to my desk.

Laying in bed all weekend while it rained/snowed up in the mountains knowing I'd probably call in sick and snowboard this week.

Thank you to Karen for being my 'slave' the past week. I'm very grateful for all the help you've given me!

Gross, I can actually see the bruise around my wrapped ankle. Ankle, please get better soon!

So what's worse than losing at a competitive sport?

Getting injured.

Yes, I injured myself during my game on Wednesday. I thought at first I sprained my knee, but no, I srained my ankle pretty bad. I was skating in on a breakaway until some defender caught up to me and at the last minute, sorta knocked me off balance. As that happened, the puck rolled off my stick in which the goalie tried to cover the puck as it was rolling towards him. Instead, he sorta caught my skate which forced me leg in a weird position which sent some weird feeling up to my knee. I was down for a few minutes and helped off the rink to the bench. And we lost the game 6-3.

Got home, and iced the knee, but I woke up in the morning with my ankle hurting like a bitch. I went to the doctor, fearing that I tore ligaments, but she said it was just a bad sprain. My ankle is really swollen and I can barely walk. I've had my roommates and Karen help me around the house and finally got some crutches from my coworker. Thanks everyone for all the help. Hopefully this weekend, the swelling will go down and I'll be able to somewhat walk better.

Well the doctor said it'd take a week for the swelling to go down. If its still hurting after 2 weeks, I'd have to get x-rays. That's what's making me scared. I just hope I don't need surgery or anything. Doctor's nowadays, sometimes you can't trust them.

I think this is the most damage I've done to myself since elementary when I was in the 5th grade. I got in a skateboard accident where I cracked a rib, sprained my wrist, and lost a tooth. Plus, I've had the normal jammed fingers, slightly sprained ankles in basketball. But surgery, no way. So I hope my ankle heals fast enough to go snowboarding again! Its gonna be snowing here soon and plus I got a Mammoth trip and another trip to Tahoe in the next couple of months.

Karen brought up a good point about how stupid the sport curling was. And funny enough, I woke up today and drove to work listening to Kevin & Bean just making fun of the sport. It was freakin hilarious!! Its true though, they have the event in a 3,000 seat arena, and only like 50 show up, which most are probably family and relatives.

"Here we go USA, HERE WE GO!" (you can hear like 3 people cheering)

But the best part was...

"HARD!! HARD!! HAAAAARRRDDD!!"

Which led to a, "SSSSHHHHHUUUUT UUUUUUPPPPP!!!"

Sorry, you had to listen to understand! I was cracking up!!

A thought I brought up to Ryan...

In pairs figure skating, what would happen if the woman was the one to throw the man up in the air while he would do the triple axles, triple lutzes, etc. Like what if the roles were reversed?? Wouldn't that lead to an automatic gold medal?? It does have creativity and no one has done it yet. Hmmmm....Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver perhaps?

Didn't do much for Valentine's Day. Just had a nice lunch with my bubba at Bluewater Grill. Yummy!! Thanks for the PSP movies, Karen! Lob Yu!

Whoo hoo! Watching Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater next Thursday in L.A. with Jay and Cicely. Thank God for Goldstar!!

I'm Jean Valjean!
(No, really.) Some people may see me as a little sanctimonious, but though I care deeply about doing right, I'm not above a little skulduggery in a good cause. Being in touch with my spiritual side doesn't make me an easy target... on the contrary, in fact. Which Les Miserables Character Are You?

Had another chill weekend. Friday, watched a little bit of the opening ceremonies (which turned out to be a big disappointment...more later). Later, went ice skating in Anaheim with Karen, Cicely, and Jay. It was actually pretty fun and a lot less crowded than at Artesia. Not a lot of ice chocolates (huh, ryan?) this time. But it was pretty empty, which gave me an opportunity to practice my hockey stops. I sorta have it down, but still have a lot to practice. But then again, I'm not sure if my skates were dull that it made it easier this time. I didn't wanna overdue it because my wrist has been hurting every since broomballing/ice skating for Jay's birthday. I ate it a couple of times and I think I sprained it. Oh well. It was also empty enough for me to try to teach Cicely how to do crossovers while skating backwards. She almost has it down, just trying to break some habits with her legs and feet (that sounds a lil gross huh?) I'm actually considering getting some ice skates just to learn how to skate better with. What you all think of these bad boys?

These are the Nike V-10's which are closeout models I can get for $140 (originally $350) Yeah, I'm a label whore when it comes to Nike products, but the Nike Roller Hockey skates I own are soooooo comfortable. So why go to another brand? But we'll see if I actually do fork out the cash for them. I'll get my money's worth once I go ice skating say...50 times or so since it costs like $3 to normally rent. But Karen is right, it can get pretty gross renting skates and putting your foot into skates where countless amount of people have done the same thing also.

Anyhow, the rest of the weekend, just chilled and watched the Olympics. I watched the Opening Ceremonies on Tivo and I was disappointed especially during the lighting of the torch. It wasn't dramatic like past lighting ceremonies like the archer during the Barcelona games, Muhammed Ali during the Atlanta games, or the 1980 US hockey team during the Salt Lake City games. Instead, it was some chick that lit something on the ground, then this pyro show around the stadium, which led to the cauldron being lit from up above. I dunno, I guess I was expecting something that seemed more 'natural' than something electronic or computerized lighting the cauldron. But that's just being me.

So far, I'm not too impressed with the results. I guess it was all the hype that the American media is giving...'the best American team assembled.' Maybe I expected major dominance, but so far not a lot going on. It's still early, so hopefully it'll pick up. I just want USA hockey to do win the gold, which they probably wont. boo hoo. Oh well, just think Lake Placid 1980.

Hmmm...maybe I should watch Miracle on DVD for good luck.

I finally got my new Canon SD450, after my SD300 broke broomballing during Belle and Cicely's birthday. Yeah, the LCD screen cracked after I fell to the ice. I can still take pictures thru the viewfinder (is that what you call it), but I can't change any of the settings. Oh well, bigger screen this time and a spare battery from my SD300. Just in time for Valentine's Day and my trip to the bay!

Last night's hockey game was horrible!! We were winning 3-0 and ended up losing 5-4. I think our defense fell apart and we just got tired at the end. I also blame myself, I got stopped on two breakaways and hit the post when I had an open net with about 3 minutes left in the game. That would at least tied the game. But it's just frustrating that after going up 3-0 you'd expect to win the rest of the way. And plus, our team was a lot better than the other team. Well hopefully next time we play them, we know what to expect. They did have two defensemen that were playing a little rough, but that's something you can't fall for and get upset about.

But damn it! It really frustrates me because usually on breakways I'd bury those goals. I'm not saying I'm a dope ass hockey player cuz I'm not. But I have enough skill to score those type of goals. I know on the second breakaway, I shot high to the right side, but the freakin handle of the goalie's stick got in the way. THE FREAKIN HANDLE...which is like an inch thick if anything. Yeah, it must've been luck, but on my part it was just too frustrating.

The highlight of the evening was our new jerseys...



Pretty freakin' sweet huh? Yeah our team is called the Fatties. I guess cuz all of us are a lot older, fatter, and more out of shape than we were when we first started playing back at UCI. We've gotten some pretty dope comments. But still...we lost the damn game.

Well, the Olympics are starting in just one more day. I'm really excited for Team USA. I expect Gold in most of the Alpine events. I'm not too sure about the rink...speaking on the ice. A lot of debate is going whether Michelle Kwan should be going to the Olympics. Is she gonna finally win her elusive Olympic Gold medal? I really doubt it, but I hope I'm proven wrong. As for hockey, well I don't even expect for the men's team to medal. Even though they are sending the dream team from the NHL, their defense and goaltending wont be good enough against Russia and Canada. Canada is so deep, they can probably put four different Canadian teams, and still win the Gold. But we'll see what happens. I think the women's hockey team has a chance to beat Canada, even though Canada is favored. Its pretty cool they have an Asian on their team, named Julie Chu. She's been on the team in 2002. And also, their goalie Chanda Gunn is from Huntington Beach of all places.

I dunno what it is about the Olympics I get so hyped up about. Most people don't really care, but its pretty cool to watch countries compete against each other. And I guess I sorta remember how the summer games were here in Los Angeles in 1984. I think that's when I started getting into sports and the Lakers. I even get hyped up listening to the theme by John Williams. Yeah, I'm a dork. Even when we were at Squaw and just being in a place where the Olympics took place gave me some chills.

Which reminds me, gotta Tivo the Opening Ceremonies.