BLoGGeR PaNDa

So lately people have been moving in and out of my life. I wonder if it’s just that stage we’re in, ya know, being a twenty-something professional, always changing jobs and living spaces. Or maybe it’s just how things work in California. Five out of 8 members of my small group are in transitions (job-wise), me being one of them, unluckily.
It’s extra sad when they need to leave. Like this guy:

But it’s supposed to be exciting, as he is moving to the heart of San Fransisco, following his dream career. Congrats, Rex, all of America’s hopes for the future of legal practices are in your hands!

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I friggin hate those smiley ads that scream "OMG!!!!!" in that ugly voice, scaring the wits out of me at 2am as I browse through spoilers of Desperate Housewives.

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Sigalert.com rules my driving world. I’ve been using their traffic reports (follow freeway on map with mouse pointer and it tells you the current traffic MPH on that area) but recently what’s more amazing is their new Route Retriever. It’s Mapquest with steroids. They give you several possible freeway routes plus travel times based on current traffic. They don’t do Walmart searches or specific addresses like Mapquest/Google Map though, just freeways. And it’s only for So-Cal, Nor-Cal, and Phoenix, AR.

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Starting Monday, I am retiring my ancient Ericsson T610 (one you see on my "ponder" picture). That thing is like 2 years old. I hung on to it until it started crackling just the other day. So, rest in peace (or pieces). And my new bestfriend will be this beauty:

I still can’t believe it’s got GPS navigation!
Speaking of technology, I almost passed out when I found out that the Lexus LS 2007 parallel parks itself! That tells me that flying cars are not too distant in the future. Maybe someday my 3-year-old grandson will drive me around in one. Or fly me, for that matter.

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Help! I’m losing my first language! I recently typed "seperty" instead of "seperti", "pension" instead of "pensiun", and had trouble translating "mass recruitment" to my mom.

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Attention PCC Indos

You know what’s really bumpin’ nowadays? The PCCindo Forum is what’s bumpin, yo!

Farid and his minions Timot and Nceq are making sure the codes work, or whatever it is nerds do, so that I can do my part, which is critiquing other people’s comments and bright ideas, in addition to giving general insults.
The board has a ranking system that allows members to advance from being a dull, undistinguished Russ Smith to the status of Joel Mullenix. If that’s not an incentive, I don’t know what is.

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::  Guys and gals, I can’t even begin to describe how much your calls, emails, messages, sms’s, comments, etc. have meant to me. Never woulda thought that when I lost a considerably huge part of my life, I would in turn "regain" you all back. (I realize that you guys were never "gone" anyhow.) I underestimated you guys. I thought I was alone, but you proved me wrong. Y’all are strewn across the globe and yet you still care. Wow. A big thanks… And I feel much, much happier today. =)

::  I’ve always been lousy at making people feel better. You can ask my friends, they’ll testify to it. It’s not that I make them feel worse (at least I hope I don’t). It’s that words just don’t come to me. But, I’ve learned that being there for them is all it takes, really. Don’t set that bar too high. You can’t heal them. Time heals. Or other things. And in the meantime, the seemingly minuscule action of just listening or sending encouraging sms’s or jayus emails (An-Chan. Who else.) will be the next best thing you can do for the disheartened one, if you can’t physically be there.

::  Somewhere down the path of healing I also did some self-rediscovery… Who I am as me, not who I am in terms of what I’m supposed to be, specifically in a significant other’s eyes. Sometimes,  subconsciously, my people-pleaser self takes over and may deceive myself into thinking that the by-product of conforming to some image is, actually, who I honestly am. So I’ve rediscovered things that I personally enjoy, not what I "like" to do when with person A or person B. Just for the record though, it’s not like I had become a complete fake. I did grow to like things I never would’ve considered trying if not because of a previous relationship.

::  Anyways, on a totally random subject, looks like Yahoo!Mail has evolved! I really dig their new Beta. I’m also in love with Gmail’s group conversations method. Now if Yahoo incorporates that same  grouping method, I believe they’ll take over the universe.

::  Now that I’m single, I can put stuff up that I wasn’t able to when I was in a relationship. Like tips. Because back then the singles would be all cynical: "She thinks she knows more than I do just ‘cos she has a boyfriend." Well, now we’re on the same turf, my friend. But uh, maybe let’s NOT do "healthy break-up tips" anytime soon. Scandalous.

::  Top 10 Ways Couples Meet (Source: Pew Research Center)
    38% — At work/school
    34% — Through family/friends
    13% — At a nightclub, bar, cafe, or party
    3% — On the internet
    2% — At church
    1% — By chance, like on the street
    1% — They’re neighbors
    1% — At the gym
    1% — Through a dating service
    6% — Other ways: They grew up together, etc.

The lesson here is: if we wanna meet someone, we gotta cover all grounds. Go to work, school, clubs, bars, cafes, parties, church, gym, meet up with families/friends/long-lost friends (tell them to bring their friends), walk everywhere (see list: "By chance"), get to know your neighbors, get on the internet and dating websites/agencies… Ya know, ALL grounds.

::  By the way, CuteOverload.com has been posting seriously ugly pics lately. I didn’t mind back then when I sent in 123,456,789 pics of Jaka and none got posted, cos the pics that did make it were pretty cute. But recently? Things like this get me mad.
The following should’ve been posted, if this world has any justice:

Introducing Simba, the palm-sized chi. He’s much smaller than my cow slippers, unimaginable.

Simba and Dora, beautifully posed by their master Peeter (extra "E" was intentional).

::  My online portfolio is getting a taste of Flash! Wheee. Fine, prolly not as exciting to you as it is to me. Coming to screens near you… StephanieSalim.com: The Rebirth.

::  All I want is to feel safe and stable. I guess that is too much to ask.

::  Never think you got your future all mapped out. Something may jump out and surprise you.

::  You’re never in control of anything. God likes to make sure you remember that.

::  I wish I weren’t this vulnerable little girl everyone thinks I am.

::  However, I wish my heart were made of granite.

::  It’s funny how transparent we’ve become in this day and age. In my defense: I prefer people who care about me to have an idea rather than not.

Dalam memperingati hari kemerdekaan Indonesia, saya mempersembahkan catatan saya satu-satunya dalam Bahasa Indonesia yang baik dan benar. Ga deh, gerah banget resmi2 gitu! Tapi beneran, sasaran gw adalah supaya ga pake satupun bahasa Inggris di "karya tulis" gw ini. Kalo lo ngaku diri lo teliti, boleh deh simak secermat anda bisa. Kalo ternyata ada, hadiahnya sekaleng Regal yang di rumahnya anak2 Sunnyvale. Ama es krim mochi di eskis mereka.

Oh ya, nama tempat boleh lah Inggris, abis masa mo diterjemahin juga? (Sunnyvale = Lembah Kena Matahari)

Kalo lo2 pada sekolah di PCC, pasti kaget pas baca buku sejarah: Hari kemerdekaan Indonesia dibilang tahun 1949! Apaan tuh! Demo!!!
Untung pas ujian kaga kuar, kalo iya kan kita bingung antara jawab yang sesuai didikan bangsa kita (dan nilai kita berkurang sehingga rata2 kelas jatoh berhubung banyak anak Indo di kelas tersebut) ato yang ditulis di buku, yang bagi kita merupakan angka ganjil jelek aneh.
Jadi, apakah negara kita yang kreatip itu ngaku diri merdeka tahun 1945 tapi gak diakui dunia internasional? Apakah selama ini kita manjat pinang untuk ngerayain sesuatu yg sebenernya nggak sah? Sedih amat!? Ternyata setelah gw selidiki, jawabannya tentu aja ada di artikel di Wikipedia, bagian buntut. Intinya, sejak taon lalu baru diakui tuh bahwa kita beneran merdeka pada tanggal 17 Agustus 1945. Horeeee…

Eh aneh bgt neh masa gw perlu buka kamus Inggris-Indo buat nyari beberapa kata2 Indo. Gila kan, gw udah kayak pisang neh, luarnya kuning tapi dalemnya putih (bule). Hohoho, ngaku2 dikit boleh kan.

Gak nyesel neh ke Cali, makanan Indo dan dimsum dimana2, termasuk Sugus. Toko paling lengkap barang Indo nya: HK Plaza di West Covina. Percis sebelahnya: kedai2 Indo yang jual mie mirip bakmi GM. Kalo soal komunitas, gw paling demen ke OC, orang Asianya nyampur dan kebanyakan lahir sini, jadi gw ga berasa tampang gw aneh sendiri, tapi tetep bisa mempercantik keahlian Inggris gw. Kalo lo ke tempat gw, jgn nolak kalo gw bawa ke NewSong, gereja gw dimana jemaatnya eksmud2 cakep dari berbagai bangsa di Asia (mayoritas: Korea, Taiwan). Bahasanya Inggris, nyanyinya pake band, en khotbahnya dalem.

Kemaren seminggu-an gw en ade gw ke San Jose, tinggal di tempat anak2 Lembah Kena Matahari. Mereka nyambut dengan hangat, kecuali Oi, berhubung ga kita bawain upeti buat ultahnya.
Ada yang bolos kerja demi nganter kita jalan2, walopun di salah satu perjalanan kita ke SF, dia ditilang karna ngebut.
Ada yang temenin gw liat2 Berkeley, meskipun dia agak kecewa karena tujuan aslinya adalah ngecengin cewek2 sono tapi pas kita pergi lagi sepi.
Ada yang miara semut2 raksasa di akuarium kecil.
Ada yang bantuin ade gw minum 22 syot tekila buat ultahnya, sehingga sukarelawan & sukarelawati tersebut berlaku sedikit kocak setelahnya. (syot apaan sih Indo nya?) Sukarelawan bahkan bisa koprol belakang walo dalam keadaan pusing. Hueheueh
Pokoknya puas deh tinggal disono. Jalan2nya masih belon kenyang, gw pasti balik lagi. Wong ke Golden Gate aje udah malem gitu, fotonya gelap gak bisa diselamatkan bahkan oleh Photoshop.

Beberapa hasil jepretan kamera hp-nya Reza, pake teknik panorama:

::  As a surprise on our one year dating anniversary, David took me to Aquaterra Spa in Laguna Beach. I’ve never gotten spa treatments that top-notch before. So thanks to David, now I’m too stuck up to try anything less. That session added 10 years to my life. Everything was so calming: the soft, zen-like music… the aromatic oils… Even our masseuses ("therapists" is what they call themselves) spoke in really soothing voices, only whenever they absolutely MUST say anything (like asking me to flip over). Mostly they’re silent, which I totally enjoy.

The place itself, which btw is really beautiful, is like a world separated from the evilness of the outside. After the massage, we hung out at the spa, sitting by the fireplace in our robes munching on 3-4 helpings of peanuts and dried fruits (I was hungry). Speaking of robes, mine was the size of a yeti and went down to my ankles. The sandals were Godzilla’s. I pretty much felt like a kid.

This was us, after reluctantly leaving the spa, at the hotel adjacent to the spa. It’s right by the water!

I recommend this kind of gesture as an anniversary thing. It’s quite original (to me, at least) and definitely holds more intrinsic value than, let’s say, a Prada purse. I gave David a booklet that I designed. What’s in it, of course, is nothing that would be your business. =p  I hope he sees more value in the booklet, rather than the wireless mouse (the other present).
Note: The mouse was a back-up, in case the booklet fails to please. (Because guys appreciate things they can actually use, like electronics.) Just kidding… It wasn’t a back-up — he needed a new mouse.

::  I love the fair! There’s so many fun things to do!
Went to OC Fair. Rides were great, food was wickedly awesome, and there were farm animals plus their cute babies!
I discovered that sheep like to be petted — they’re soooo lovable! Now I understand why shepherds in Biblical times would go find a lost sheep to the most dangerous places, or face bears to save them. I also saw piglets, still pink, sleeping and having little spasms like they’re having a bad dream. Very cute.

Went on a rollercoaster, the ferris wheel, ski-lift, and a murderous device that swung us back and forth, up and up, until we were suspended upside down for 4 seconds that felt like 4 hours. That was the worst feeling in the world (used to think it’s loneliness, but not anymore). I was screaming the whole ride and had my eyes closed 99% of the time. I found out afterwards that I also cried: my eyeliner ran everywhere and I probably looked like a raccoon.

Anyway, admission was FREE because their computers were down! That kind of luck NEVER happens to me!

This was my dinner — turkey leg and a half-eaten mound of curly fries. Pic is disappointing because the turkey leg’s supposedly the size of my head.

::  Is everyone excited for another MVB section? Ladies, have pens or pencils ready!
I’ve been asked to be not too specific in describing the coveted MVBs, to avoid giving away their identities. I shall do that.
This one profile is very special and I’m not just talking about his pharaoh-esque features. (heh heh)

- This Bachelor’s purpose in life is to make sure the people he cares about are well taken care of.
- He commits to help anyone, not just those he likes. And he helps whole-heartedly, never giving half-efforts.
- He loves animals (cue ladies: "Awwwwwwwww").
- If you’re with him and you two are about to get mugged in dark alleys, don’t you worry, because he will protect you with biceps (or triceps or whatever) that are toned from working out at least twice a week and lifting weights as heavy as.. hmm, trucks.
- If you’re not picky about the appearance of food, you will be perfectly happy with his cooking. Even though a dish may look like it dropped out of a Pennsylvanian cow’s behind, do not judge it by that — it will taste delicious.

- He’s a hard worker, very likable, and always cheerful. I don’t think he has enemies.
- The only downside to him is.. *sigh* *shake head* …..he plays WarCraft. But don’t let that discourage you, because you CAN save him from that dreadful black-hole-of-time. He’s not a heavyweight fanatic. Yet.

So how ’bout that? If you like what you’re reading, hurry — applications are still available.

::  Do you ever use Yahoo!Answers?
You should. I ask them very important questions of life and get, like, 16 answers in 5 minutes. I asked things like, if those mystery shopper things are for real. (Combined answer was: "Yes but it’s not really worth the effort and gas money if you’re not a hard-core shopper.")
I also asked for opinions on what to give boyfriend on anniversary and got pretty diverse responses from girls, while guys were basically saying MP3 or PS2.  -_-;

::  Has anyone else besides me tried the Chipotle pizza at California Pizza Kitchen? My mouth is watering just by thinking about it! I checked and found out that you Jakartans can also get a taste because CPK has two locations in Jakarta! I thought that was pretty interesting.

::  Mac users are such patient people. We get error messages all the time, like "We regret that Yahoo! Music videos are not currently supported for Macintosh" or Zwinky’s "We’re sorry - this feature is not compatible with Macs."  And let’s not forget the "winks" we can’t receive even on our most recent version of MSN Messenger.
I guess PC people do that to us on purpose because they hate the fact that our computers look 10,000,000 times nicer than theirs.

::  Watch this video of a friendship of a rooster and a cat — so adorable.

::  I used to think those photos on magazines were authentic and therefore the subjects of the photographs were actually better-looking than us regular humans. No cellulites, wrinkles, blemishes, oil shine…
But as it turns out, nobody on this earth is perfect! Really! And there’s no such thing as perfect cover-up cosmetics or perfect photography technique either! Those sneaky magazine people use PHOTOSHOP! Check out this website, go to "portfolio > before/after"… you’ll be shocked. And somewhat happy. Because we’re not uglier than them afterall.

::  Domestic life has driven me to a severe designer’s block, so I ran away from civilization and isolated myself in my getaway cabin in the desserts (a.k.a Bakersfield, CA, my uncle’s house, where Jaka lives). Here, there’s always warm food on the table without my having to cook or reheat leftovers. We’ll see if any decent artwork comes out of this seclusion. At this rate, I think the only creative project I’ll get done is this blog entry.

::  Dunno if anybody noticed that my profile pic is getting thousands of incoherent comments. I’m just a little bothered because that particular pic doesn’t represent my face. See, it’s a bit distorted, a little stretched. In real life, my cheeks weren’t and aren’t that chubby. But I also realize that celebrities have to put up with the downside of fame, such as when people constantly criticize how I look. Even if it’s just a distorted picture.

::  Did anybody get to see the premiere of Superman Returns on IMAX 3-D theatre? Well, heh heh, I did.
I stood in line with a bunch of Superman fanatics outside the theatre. They were of all ages, mostly from my age up to 40-year-olds, wearing Superman t-shirts and even some red capes (I think they stole their kids’ bedsheets). I wasn’t a fan — I’d never even seen the old Superman movies. But my friend Cameron was an extremist, to put it softly. So David and I tagged along Cameron and his friends from work. It was so much fun, I was infected by everybody’s excitement, and the movie was soooo absolutely awesome seen on the IMAX screen, even without the 3-D glasses! (There were only several scenes that utilized the glasses, plus the trailers.)
But what made the movie even more interesting to us was that we were looking for "signs" that say Superman symbolizes our Super Man.. Jesus Christ. Yeah, didn’t that get your attention? The Superman story can be such an evangelistic tool in the form of a modern-day parable. Jor-El (Superman’s real father) sends Kal-El (Superman’s real name) to earth to save mankind. "El" in Hebrew means "God." (The guys who created Superman were Jewish.) God the Father sends God the Son to earth to save mankind.
Also, did you know that, originally, Clark Kent’s earthly parents were named Joseph and Mary? Hmmmmmmm.
When you go see the movie, be on the look out, especially for loaded words like "Savior"… and connect the dots yourself. I don’t wanna spoil it for you. Also, I hope you don’t think me heretical by trying to compare Christ with a comic book superhero, because that’s not what I’m doing. Jesus is incomparable. It’s just interesting to see an evangelism opportunity in there, to get across the gospel message through a story everybody is so familiar with.

::  On a lighter note, this is a sequel to my dillema of wanting pet pandas (from last blog post). Links sent by my cousin "Ray" in Aussie, who is btw a very eligible MVB.

Should I get one?
Hmm, I’m having serious doubts. Let’s take another look.

Decision: Sadly, I wouldn’t wanna wake up in the middle of the night and find this panda robot pet staring at me. Juuust a bit too freaky for my taste. *shudder*

::  How cool is bathing in colored water that’s not Kool-Aid!
Temperature sensitive LEDs line the walls of the spout, which illuminate the water in different colors depending on the temperature of the water (red=hot, pink=warm, blue=cold). Full info.

::  This USB stick is literally a cute little stick! Full info.

::  The green one is my new favorite summer scent. The Daily Body Mist - Verbena Mint - at Victoria’s Secret. I’ve always loved citrusy scents cos they’re so fresh.

::  Breathe Body Lotion Serenity - Desert Lily - at Bath and Body Works has such a reminiscent quality to it. Ahh. Keeps reminding me of happier times. Even though I have no idea when that was.

:: Lastly, I would like to dedicate cyber flowers to the mothers in our lives… especially one who has just passed, whose loving hands had nurtured an amazing son who is a  great friend to me. It’s a tremendous comfort to know that she is now part of the heavenly host.

I finally moved to LA county, renting a room in a house on a quiet neighborhood in the hills. Got a new sleek ride that I adore. The only other thing I need is a job. Other than that, it’s a dream come true!!! Don’t wanna be too excited though, who knows I wake up tomorrow on a bunk bed in PCC.

Real World Walnut didn’t start out as well as you might think, though. I had to go through a period of house-hunting, car-hunting, moving, and a bad case of allergy in between. It’s like this: I wasn’t a pretty sight with my face all runny.. I was moved in to my new place, but still no car.. And there was NO INTERNET!!!! It was literally house arrest. No earthquakes, though, so I should be grateful. It’s also helpful to have my mom organize my new closet for me. She’s got my clothes color-coded like at Express or something. Awesome.

I’m totally fed up with negotiating with used cars salesmen. My least fave part is when they turn from overwhelmingly nice to downright ugly so quickly, the minute you throw your numbers at them. There’s this dude in Westminster who was all "Hey I’m Christian, too!" with me before negotiation began, but was slamming my intellects by the time it got rough. The dude better be thankful I didn’t pick fun of his BeeGees hairdo. Needless to say, I did NOT buy the car he was selling. And I’m glad I didn’t, cos I got a way sweeter deal!
Also, I think high schools should have mandatory courses on useful life skills such as negotiations. I mean, if Speech was required, pretty much everything else needs to be taught.

Yay now I’m only living 40 minutes away from David! Good bye, long distance relationship! Hello high gas mileage.

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On a blog long time ago I mentioned how much I wanted a pet panda. Up to this day, pandas still aren’t lawful household pets, of course, cos they die and don’t reproduce and stuff. What do I do, then?
My problem solved:

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2006/01/pandog.html
http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2006/06/i_really_really.html

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I wanna draw like Alphonse Mucha! But I want to do it digitally. That’s right, the dude hand painted that whole thing — no Illustrator or Photoshop whatsoever. (Living in the 1800s is tough luck.)  Also, I have a feeling that Japanese cartoonists drew (no pun intended) inspiration from Mucha. Look at all those detail work: hands, draperies… Aren’t they SO manga?

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Brian Littrell, my favorite Backstreet Boy, finally released his solo Christian album! Lovin’ it!

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I’m an amateur architect in my spare time. This is what came out of messing around with a SketchUp program. It’s my future bath house.

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THE FIRST OFFICIAL MVB EDITION!!
*MVB: Most Valuable Bachelor. Explanations can be found in the previous blog entry for those of you slow people.

Ladies, read closely. This might be your husband one day. If you’re lucky.

This Bachelor almost didn’t make it to the MVB gallery because he threatened to hurt me if I do put him in this section! Aside from this particular unthankfulness, he is otherwise very gentle and kind to all creatures, especially goats or better known as kambings. (*because of this sentence, now he’ll definitely kill me)
Seriously though, his qualities overshadow his threat-making habits.
- He can cook.
- He knows a good handbag when he sees one.
- Takes care of family and friends.
- Loves God.
- Doesn’t like people worrying about him.
- Has awesome music taste (becos it’s similar to mine, heheh).
- Can serenade a girl with love songs on a guitar (I heard it on tape one time, with guys in the background cracking jokes the whole time — didn’t deter him. Btw he was NOT serenading me. He was merely showing off.)
- Graduated with high honors.
- Worked hard in college in a field related to moving stuff/warehousing/etc, which results in the ability to carry really heavy boxes. (Ladies, this trait will come in handy when you have to move!)
- Currently is in an occupation which requires brains, not muscles, and makes lots of money. Maybe. One day.
- Had to copyright his famous quotes because people were using them all the time, mostly in the wrong contexts. (This one may give his identity away to those of you who know him and STILL abuse his quotes.)

That wraps up our MVB section in this edition. Girls, contact me for further info.

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If anybody dare ask, "Why isn’t your boyfriend featured on a MVB?"
Um, no, my boyfriend cannot be featured as an MVB, because obviously he is taken! IF he were available, even though his awesomeness surpasses anything humankind has ever seen, I still wouldn’t put him here because I would’ve snatched him up myself. Besides, the mission of this MVB section is.. well, read previous blog.

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This was a street name somewhere in Nevada. You frequent Vegas goers pass by this sign a lot.

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I miss all of you!!! Yes, you!! My friends!! If there’s one thing that everyone in this world understands, it’s loneliness. And I feel it when I think of you all being far, far away…
PCC people as well as pre-PCC… I love you guys.

These are the "last-everything" days: Last design/illustration project, Last presentation, Last student body meeting, Last pop quiz, Last paper… It’d be pretty soon the Last final exams, Last fine arts series, and Last white glove… Wow. These "Lasts" started back in December before winter break: my Last pre-registration. It hasn’t been quick since then, trust me, I’ve counted down the days. Don’t listen to those weirdos saying, "It went by so fast!"

I’m actually getting pretty excited. "Commencement" means "beginning" …and life will really commence for me on the 10th of May! Somebody please pinch me cos I don’t believe it’s finally here. All other seniors have "Senioritis"… Mine is the same, only a couple levels more deadly. For I have been here for decades, no, eons, my dear ladies and gentlemen… a total of 6 years at PCC. The only individual who has beaten that record is probably PCC’s founder himself.
So, wish me well as I’m starting out on my life’s journey. A generous contribution will be gladly accepted too. *wink wink*

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David FAQs

Even though the Marietta gang and December trip crew got to know him real well, he is still mysterious to some and I’ve had several cases of misconception about him (mostly the outcome of stereotyping and pure guessing). So this is my attempt at introducing him to those who might never cross paths with this wonderful man. The questions here have actually been frequently asked.

What’s his last name?
Cha

Where’s he from?
Was born in South Korea, grew up in California.

Is he a U.S. citizen? (This question is common among international people, for obvious reasons which I don’t necessarily condone)
Yes

Where does he live now?
California, specifically the famous Orange County.

What was his major in college?
English Lit

ENGLISH LIT?!
Precisely. But he’s not the geeky professor type at all. However, I wouldn’t mind if he were. He’d still be a cute nerd.

Is he Christian?
Yes, and I love how we get to grow together. He teaches me a lot, even though I’ve gone to Christian schools my whole life and he’s never even gone to one.

What’s he like?
Laid back but always responsibled.. Likes to have fun (a chronic hedonist!  j/k).. A morning person.. Wants to help everyone in the world.. The most patient person I know.. Very relational with people.. Sincere.. Likes cultural/formal events.. Sweet and polite. In short, people may fall in love with him within 5 minutes of meeting him, which can be testified by hmm let’s see, everybody who’s met him.

Then what in the world attracted him to you, Steph? (This was asked openly only by Anton)
He saw my golden personality too, of course.  : p

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THE USUAL GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Mie Sedaap.
It’s the best-tasting ramen noodle ever made! I especially love the fabulous round fried onions.

Orchids.
Elegance and beauty. Fine arts tip: orchids provide an alternative or add-on to the popular roses. You can choose from so many beautiful colors too.
(Interesting tid-bit: David got me farting orchids! Can’t say I’ve gotten those before. This kind isn’t common, people — don’t threat to sue the florist if he says he’s got none.)

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MY FOURS
(I haven’t done quizzes like this in a long time.)

Four jobs I’ve had:

    * Residence hall interior department (a classy term for "dorm housekeeping") - PCC
    * Mailroom data entry & mail run - PCC
    * Assistant to Alumni Director - PCC
    * Graphic design & illustration intern - various companies

Four movies I can watch over and over:

    * Ever After
    * Disney’s Aladdin
    * Fools Rush In
    * Madagascar

Four places I have lived:

    * Jakarta
    * Plains, Montana
    * Pensacola, Florida
    * Bakersfield, California

Four television shows I love to watch:

    * Lost
    * Friends
    * Iron Chef
    * The Apprentice

Four places I have been on vacation:

    * Bali
    * Europe
    * Key West
    * NYC

Four of my favorite dishes:

    * Sushi
    * Baso (Indo meatball)
    * Shrimp alfredo
    * Breakfast foods

Four websites I visit daily:

    * CuteOverload.com
    * beachpanda.tripod.com
    * zefrank.com
    * wordplays.com (I’m a Boggle dork)

Four places I would rather be right now:

    * California
    * a beach house
    * David’s kitchen as he makes me Korean cuisine
    * Narnia (Can you tell what I’ve been reading?)

Four bloggers I am tagging:

    * Eda
    * Farid
    * Irsan
    * Clarissa

–

Last blog (Re:Engagements) got so many responses! What a hot subject! Anyhoo, I apologize for saying Upil and Fanny hadn’t gone engaged.. they actually have a long time ago. I didn’t forget on purpose. I’m sorry if I misled anyone.

–

Coming up on the next blog:

*drumroll*

The first edition of the "Most Valuable Bachelor"!
It’s a column about my bachelor friends.

Who are these Bachelors?
These awesome dudes are unmarried, unattached, available, and most valuable. They’re my good friends, so I know them well. If I could matchmake people as well as my aunt Sarah can, I would totally hook these guys up with girls worthy of such blessing. But I don’t have such talent. Therefore, this MVB column is designated to highlight these dudes’ awesomeness, and wish them success in the love department.
The Bachelors’ real names won’t be revealed to hinder paparazzi or other unwanted attention. Girls will have to contact me to get to the Bachelors.
Each edition will feature one Bachelor.

Heh heh heh.. get ready, y’all.

The Story of My Life:

^ Get up at 8, or 9, or 10 (on Saturdays).

^Eat lunch.
Skip dinner (because it’s the most unimportant meal of the day).
Late night snack (the outcome of skipping dinner).

^Prayer group or Hall meeting.
Then sleep for some 8-9 hours.

Projected end-of-semester condition:

—-

Has anyone seen how chic the upcoming Nokia 7380 is?!?! By reading this, you guys are by default not allowed to buy it when it comes out! IT’S MINE!

—-

This semester’s pet peeve: the annoying guy who sits by me in Life of David class. Raises his hand at least once every class time, right in the middle of every intriguing, suspenseful lecture. [Btw, my instructor Mr Barnes really gives the course a lotta Life, no pun intended.] Back to the annoying guy who sits by me. This gangsta-wannabe thinks he’s so insightful and smart that he wants to comment all the frickin time to get attention (from the girls, not the teacher).
So it’s like this.
Mr Barnes gets to a suspenseful part of a story.
Hand goes up. (Story’s interrupted and the suspense is gone.)
Annoying Gangsta asks, "Why is so-and-so doing this-and-that?"
…to which Mr Barnes answers, "We are getting there, the story’s not done yet."

Do you see why I’m extremely bothered? It’s as if you’re in the middle of watching a really good action movie at the theatre and some wise guy yells out "Why are they doing that?!?!"  Nothing kills the mood faster.
Next class, when he does that again, I’m thinking of giving him a really mean look. And maybe a bullet hole.

—-

Spring is here… we all know what that means. Engagements!
Congrats to all the engaged couples of the world. Most importantly to Andrew-Jolynn and Johnson-Mursian who both have been together 6-7 years. I await the bridal shower invitations (who’s managing Winny’s, btw?) which by far I’ve gotten 2 [Lizeth, Naomi] and am waiting for some more pretty soon [Roxy, and the rest of my graduating senior girls]. Which means I’ll be buying stock shares from Victoria’s Secret.
Half of my senior art class is engaged, and most of the people I know who are still around [Gustavo, Yan-Gina, Tina Kay, Emily] are married! I’m trying to ignore these statistics to no avail. Anyways, some couples ought to hurry up and get engaged, though. [Lala, Comel-Danil, Fanny-Upil, Ronjing-Adel]
Me? I’m a 23 year old who’s just about to start life of her own, finally done with school and getting a real job. I think that’s enough excitement for now.

David recently visited Florida for the very first time. PCC didn’t really surprise him, as I have prepared his mental by relaying to him almost all the written and unwritten rules of the school. Nevertheless, he still enjoyed his stay. It was a chilly weekend and there were rain threats on friday (fine arts) and saturday (Destin)… but our Awesome God beat up the Greek rain god and saved our fine arts and Destin plans. So our activities went smoothly, and I played tour guide, because Mr. Californian was finally on my turf! But he had surprises up his sleeves that threw me off completely. In short, I end up with 19 fabulous red roses. <3

Pictures are available on beachpanda.shutterfly.com. (I apologize for the typo link last time. I don’t suggest lowerclassmen to come to me for spelling check anymore.)

My "Reviews" on Friendster really helped Anton Lioe in terms of Jack Johnson’s music. Anton vigorously thanked me for sharing my wisdom via reviews. Therefore, feeling very encouraged, I have here another set of miscellaneous reviews of things that might entertain or help you:

youtube.com

Some people with too-strong will power (me and Grace) may spend hours viewing videos on here, sometimes sacrificing sleep.

Do a search for "Most annoying thing" video. Denis suggested this to me and I laughed so hard.

I also watched Russell Peters’ comedy show on this site. The guy’s hilarious!
If you’re Asian, you might like comedian Dat Phan too. His mom is the stereotype Asian Mom.

And the popular "Asian Backstreet Boys"… Yeah, I must say they may be bigger BSB fans than I am.

cuteoverload.com

This is strictly for people who can tolerate an EXTREME AMOUNT OF CUTENESS. I thought my head was gonna blow the first time I checked it out.

comstock.com

Graphic designers, feel the love. This is, according to my vast knowledge (bwahah), by far the awesomest idea of an image bank. The search goes over other banks like Thinkstock, Brand X, Creatas, etc at the same time, and the qualities are usually pretty nice. I especially dig the little "Ask Angela" feature.

Nutella.

Mmmmmmmh… heavenly hazelnut-chocolate spread….. My brother just admitted that he tried consuming Nutella without bread. (He used a spoon as an attempt to not look that barbaric.)  The Nutella gets really sticky in the mouth though, so he doesn’t recommend eating it that way. What I do recommend, though, is having some Nutella Crepes at the Life Plaza in Cali! Mmmmmmmmm….

Colgate Luminous, the purple one.

It tastes good but not in a way that you can eat it. Although if you’re a guy, I’m sure you’d end up swallowing those too. Guys swallow everything.

Best Siblings Contest.
Who are the awesomest siblings of them all? These pics were taken during last winter vacation, when brothers/sisters/cousins piled up like never before.

This is a cocktail drink at Blue Pacific called Mr. Hu. I love his "hair" pieces.

And, to pay a much needed tribute to Farid, here’s a pic of the Papih and Mamih of Marietta house:

HAPPY VALENTINE’S, EVERYBODY!