Random Ramblings...

Done Playing Hooky

2009-06-02T04:25:00.000-07:00

So...it's been quite a while since I ventured on to this blog. I've been distracted by the likes of facebook and twitter - where's it's much easier to send a one-line message than write out a substantial post.

While I'm still going to be facebooking/tweeting/twittering (whatever monikers you prefer)...I will also chronicle more events going on in my life. I have a good feeling about some potential collaborations coming down the pike...and I have some trips set up for the remainder of 2009.

Let's hope this will be as exciting for you as it is for me. ;)

Just Call Me Jack...

2009-03-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

You know the phrase...jack of all trades, master of none.

Well...I hope the latter is not the case, but lately...I find myself picking up new hobbies.

This past Fall, I decided to take a jewelry class at the local community college. I've managed to make 2 pair of earrings, 1 copper bracelet (which I can't really wear, unless I wanted a green wrist), a silver ring and a pendant. I'm now in my second semester of the course...stuck on a filed ring that doesn't seem to want to take shape. I have class later tonight...so let's hope the continued filing doesn't drive me mad for another session. ;)

In addition to the jewelry...it seems I've picked up crocheting. Last month, I went to a friend's baby shower...and at one point, crochet hooks and balls of yarn were passed about. I learned how to crochet a single stitch...and there's been no going back ever since.

I'll try to post some pictures of my "crafty" escapades later this week. For now...I need to get back to writing some lyrics...

Yay Troy!

2009-02-02T04:29:00.000-08:00

For the second time in the past four years, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy. Soon...USC football alum, Troy Polamalu, will be sporting a new championship ring. But win or lose...he still pulled off one of the better commercials of the super bowl:

For those of you who aren't aware of what makes this commercial so great...here is the 1979 commercial it was based on:

Congrats, Troy. You rock! =)

Gift It Forward

2009-01-27T02:47:00.000-08:00

I saw a post on one of my friend's blogs. I'm not sure if I made her cut, but I thought I'd extend the offer to any blog readers that I have left. Here's the same post verbatim:

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year.
- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be wood. Possibly metal. Perhaps a picture. Or I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to put this in your journal as well. We all can make stuff.

Let me know if you're interested! =)

The Awesomeness That Is "LOST"

2009-01-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaBarring a few episodes from season 3, Lost continues to be a riveting show. I forgot how frustrating it gets to have to wait a whole week for a new episode though.

I'm so excited that the new season FINALLY started and can't wait until next week. Yay!

Here, There and Everywhere (Well...Mostly California)

2009-01-14T06:34:00.000-08:00

After much deliberation (again), I finally settled on 10 Places To Visit. Of course...half of this list is different from what I originally had, before my computer decided to reboot itself. Ah well...

Channel Islands
The Cloisters
Descanso Gardens
Joshua Tree
Long Beach Museum of Art
MOCA
Museum of Tolerance
Redwood National and State Parks
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary

List? What List?

2009-01-07T23:41:00.000-08:00

So it's now seven days into the new year...and still no 101 in 1001 list. What happened?

I fell victim to the generic problem with computers. My computer decided to reboot without provocation...and I hadn't saved what I was working on. In this case...it was the remainder of my 101 list. Shame on me for filling out my list in a text pad application instead on something with an auto-save or auto-restore feature.

While I try to remember most of my entries, here's what I think I had for my 10 cities to visit:

Birmingham, Alabama
Charleston, South Carolina
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
London, England
New Orleans, Louisiana
Paris, France
Sydney, Australia
Taos, New Mexico
Temecula, California
Yuba City, California

Mmm...

2008-12-30T23:47:00.000-08:00

Well...I had hoped to fill out even more items on my list by now. But, I guess I'll have to come up with the other 51 things by tomorrow. At least I have the list of foods and restaurants squared away:

10 Foods/Restaurants To Try

Where I Stand...

2008-12-28T22:46:00.000-08:00

Okay...I really do want to get started on my 101 (tasks) in 1001 (days) list...and I'm really making January 1 the hard deadline to start this thing. But, not including today...that leaves 3 days to fill out my list. This is what I have from my previous posts...

10 Things To Organize

CDs - catalog, import them to an external hard drive and store them in one place
DVDs - catalog and store in one place
VHS Tapes - throw out the warped tapes and digitize any personal videos
Budget - go through old receipts and figure out my spending habits
Closet - toss or donate old clothes
Digital Photos - find them all and store them in one place
Printed Photos and Negatives - digitize and store in one place
Theatre Window Cards - find them, store them in one place and start hanging them up
Magnets - find all the magnets I've collected in my travels and trips to the theatre and display them in one place
Garage - clean out the garage

10 Things To Photograph

100 strangers
hummingbird
rainbow
meteor shower
lady bug
a pretty good self portrait
a cool underwater shot
a nifty looking tattoo
autumn landscape/tree scape
puppy

10 Movies To Watch

Citizen Kane
Lawrence Of Arabia
Vertigo
A Star Is Born
All That Jazz
Moulin Rouge
2001: A Space Odyssey
Ben-Hur
Grey Gardens
Our Town

10 Books To Read

The Bible (in chronological order)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
North and South by John Jakes
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Silas Marner by George Eliot
The Sound of Their Music: The Story of Rodgers and Hammerstein by Frederick Nolan
Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur

So that means I have 3 days to come up with 61 more things. No problem! ;) But...if you happen to read this blog in the next 3 days...I could sure use some help filling out the list. Here's what I anticipate the rest of the categories to be:

10 Cities To Visit
10 Foods/Restaurants To Try
10 Festivals/Events To Attend
10 Places To Visit (museums, botanical gardens, etc.)
10 Things To Make
10 Things To Try - I haven't thought this last one through...so I may change it to something like "10 Miscellaneous Things" that don't fit in a previous category.

Wish me luck! =)

Mele Kalikimaka

2008-12-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone had a great day celebrating Christ's birth and spending time with family! =)

Home Sweet Home

2008-12-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

After a week and a half in Hawaii...I finally made it back home. I know there's no snow storms or anything of the like to complain about, but it is much cooler here in SoCal than when I departed. When the shuttle driver drove us home from the airport, he even pointed out the frost on the roofs of the houses in our neighborhood. Brrr...

And now begins the task of catching up on mail, emails, lyrics, posting pictures and running random errands...especially before Christmas. I'm tired just thinking about it. ;) Ah well...better get cracking...

North, South, East, West

2008-12-14T01:26:00.000-08:00

Well...I headed East for a weekend in November and promptly neglected my blog. Now, I'm West of home (in Hawaii) and trying to start it back up again. Aside from lack of internet the next few days, I'm trying to keep up with writing. I'm also trying to fill up my 101 tasks before the end of the year, so that I can start on the list by January 1st. Let's see if all these things come to fruition. ;)

As far as Oahu goes...it's been pretty fun the past day and a half...despite the torrential rains and flash flood warnings. =P I just hope it lets up soon so that I can actually tour the island before we leave...at the very least...I need to visit one of those shrimp trucks I've heard so much about. Oh...and the Honolulu marathon starts in about 5 hours...so I hope the rains let up for the poor souls trying to run over 26 miles.

Alright...I must bid you all adieu before my internet connection runs out...maybe I'll buy more internet time tomorrow. Until next time...aloha. =)

Pretending To Be A Bookworm

2008-11-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Alright...so I'm not doing to well on the daily blogging thing. Can I blame it on being preoccupied with the election?

Next up in my attempt to come up with 101 tasks to do in 1001 days is my list of books to read...

10 Books To Read
The Bible (in chronological order)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
North and South by John Jakes
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Silas Marner by George Eliot
The Sound of Their Music: The Story of Rodgers and Hammerstein by Frederick Nolan
Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur

Again...nothing is set in stone until the list is complete...so if you think there's another book I should crack open and read...let me know.

Tomorrow (I hope)...10 things to make. =)

Time To Butter The Popcorn

2008-11-02T23:27:00.000-08:00

Alright...it's been a few days. But, for the record, I wasn't feeling well on Wednesday and Thursday...and spent Thursday through today going to homecoming-related activities. Oh...and in the process I watched USC shut out a third team this season (56-0). This time it was poor Washington University. Hopefully they'll win at least one game before the year it out.

Anyway...after looking at several AFI lists...and my Netflix queue...here is what I came up with for the 10 movies I need to see within a span of 1001 days:

Citizen Kane
Lawrence Of Arabia
Vertigo
A Star Is Born
All That Jazz
Moulin Rouge
2001: A Space Odyssey
Ben-Hur
Grey Gardens
Our Town

Next list of 10...books to read...

Point and Shoot

2008-10-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

Since it's nearing midnight, I don't have much time to chit-chat...but here's my next list of 10:

10 Things To Photograph

100 strangers
hummingbird
rainbow
meteor shower
lady bug
a pretty good self portrait
a cool underwater shot
a nifty looking tattoo
autumn landscape/tree scape
puppy

These things aren't set in stone until I have the complete 101 list...so let me know if you think of something better. ;)

Tomorrow...10 movies to watch...

C'est La Vie

2008-10-27T01:32:00.000-07:00

Well...Sunday, I was suppose to post 10 things to photograph...but a couple of things happened...

At the last minute, I needed to pick up a friend at the airport. Since she was famished, we went to dinner after I got her at LAX...and I didn't get home until about a half hour ago...and Sunday is long gone. =P

The other thing that happened was a friend and I went to the South Coast Botanic Garden. The two things that I was planning to adding to the photograph list were a picture of a hummingbird and one of a butterfly. The hummingbirds at the garden still proved elusive to me, but I did manage a few shots of some butterflies...including the two included in this post.

While I did take pictures of some butterflies, I'm not completely happy with them...so I'm debating on whether or not to keep them on the list. I'll revisit this later in the week...but here's my paltry list of things to photograph thus far:

10 Things To Photograph

100 strangers
hummingbird
rainbow
meteor shower
butterfly?
?
?
?
?
?

Any helping filling out the list would be much appreciated. ;)

Killing Two Birds

2008-10-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I lament over not having cable...and usually it relates to me not being able to watch a USC football game. Currently, I'm sitting in front of my computer, listening to the 4th quarter of the USC vs. Arizona game, while being entertained by the CBS Sports game tracker.

Since I'm already here...I decided that it was probably a good time to blog for the day as well. ;) So, without further adieu...here's my first set of 10 tasks for my 101 in 1001 list:

10 Things To Organize

CDs - catalog, import them to an external hard drive and store them in one place
DVDs - catalog and store in one place
VHS Tapes - throw out the warped tapes and digitize any personal videos
Budget - go through old receipts and figure out my spending habits
Closet - toss or donate old clothes
Digital Photos - find them all and store them in one place
Printed Photos and Negatives - digitize and store in one place
Theatre Window Cards - find them, store them in one place and start hanging them up
Magnets - find all the magnets I've collected in my travels and trips to the theatre and display them in one place
Garage - clean out the garage

Geez...those first 10 tasks alone will take a while. ;) Tomorrow I'll go through 10 things to photograph. See you then! =)

Not That List Again!

2008-10-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

I know...I know...I periodically mention getting through a 101 (tasks) in 1001 (days) list, but I've never actually completed a task list to start out with.

I've decided to tackle the list-making in chunks...and if I still have anyone reading this blog...feel free to help. My plan is to break it down into 10 categories and come up with a list of 10 things in each category for the next 10 days. We'll see how well that goes. ;)

So...these are some of the categories that I have thus far:

10 Things To Organize
10 Books To Read
10 Movies To Watch
10 Cities To Visit
10 Foods/Restaurants To Try
10 Things To Photograph
10 Things To Make

Alright...that's 7 of my 10 categories. That gives me a week to figure out the other 3 categories as well. =P

So...now is the time to weigh in...any books, movies, cities, categories you think I should consider? =)

Blending Together

2008-10-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Alas...an attempt to start blogging on a a daily basis again has fallen prey to time...or should I say...my inability to keep my days straight.

Now that I don't have to report to an office on a daily basis...everything is kind of blending together. I should really come up with a more regular schedule.

Perhaps I just need to find a comfortable enough place to write...away from home. I'm thinking a coffee shop...or a bookstore...or maybe the library...

I headed off to an Orange County library today to get a new card. I don't think I've been to an OC library for about ten years now. They still had my information on file, so they charged me two dollars for a replacement card. I'm pretty sure it's free to sign up for a new card...so I'm thinking ten years away should constitute me being a new member once again. But...I'll try not to split hairs over two dollars. =P

Getting Back In The Habit

2008-10-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

I realize that although this blog is called "Random Ramblings...", it's still probably not a good idea to abandon it for weeks (let alone months) on end. So...while my topics remain fairly random, I shall endeavor to post on a more regular basis.

For now I'll commit to blogging daily until I decide I'm boring my readers too much. ;)

I hope there are still people subscribed to this thing...and if you're out there...I'll have a bright, shiny post ready for you to read tomorrow. =)

Rebuffing The Status Quo

2008-08-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, whenever I would catch up with friends, they'd ask me what I was up to. Inevitably, I would give the same answer...

Still working at the same place...

Still doing the same thing...

Nothing new...

I know...I live and fun and exciting life, don't I? ;)

Well...for those of you who I haven't talked to in a while...behold the bombshell...

I quit my job...

And I've decided to become a full-time writer!

I quit earlier this month and then high-tailed it out of the country to go see the Olympics in China and then visit Hong Kong. I finally made it back home on Monday...and after Labor Day, I'm going to settle down and do some serious writing.

I know computer engineer to musical theatre writer is a bit of a jump, but I'm really excited and can't wait to see what the future holds! =)

Another One?

2008-07-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks...it's true...it's another quiz within three posts. Not only am I trying to blog on a more frequent basis, but I'm trying to catch up on reading all my friends' posts as well. So, I suggest you blame all of them...since a lot of my friends have been quiz crazy in the past month or two.

You Are a Comma

You are open minded and extremely optimistic.

You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything.

You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests.

You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time.

Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to.

(But with so many competing interests, your friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.)

You excel in: Inspiring people

You get along best with: The Question Mark

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Regarding the part about, "your friends do feel like you hardly have time for them"...if you feel that way...let me know. I'd love to hang out with you! =)

It Only Takes A Moment

2008-06-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

I've just gotten through a jam-packed weekend. I spent most of the time at a musical theatre conference, but after it was over earlier this evening, I managed to catch a later showing of the new Pixar movie, Wall-E. Luckily, this movie-going experience proved to be much more successful than the last time I tried to watch a Pixar movie.

Strangely enough, the movie ended up being relevant to musical theatre as well. I'm pretty sure millions of people headed to the movie theater, unwittingly subjected to Jerry Herman's Hello Dolly. It's always very cool to catch show tune references in movies...but I'm still waiting for the next great animated movie musical a la The Little Mermaid. In theory, Disney's Christmas 2009 release of The Princess and the Frog promises to return to that format. Here's hoping!

But...back to our new lovable Disney character, Wall-E...

The CGI flick proved to be another top-notch release from Pixar, but I was surprised with all of the social messages attached. It shows what can happen when you don't take care of the planet...and what happens when you choose to live in the virtual world versus the real world. I try my best to recycle and telecommute...but it seems like we're being overly bombarded with talk of "being green" lately. I'm surprised they didn't just go ahead and release this movie on Earth Day. ;)

But I digress...go out see Wall-E...as well as every other Pixar movie you have yet to see. =)

Ah Morning...The Best Time To Sleep In

2008-06-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

Well...it's been some time since a posted a random quiz...so I guess I'm due.

I saw this quiz on another blog that I frequent and thought it was cute that the blogger was classified as "breakfasty". I wanted to know if it would set me as 2:00 AM...but instead, it resulted in an ideal time for me:
Ah yes...to stay up late and be able to sleep in...hey...at least it still constitutes waking up in the morning! ;)

Assessing AFI

2008-06-26T04:11:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine blogged
about AFI's newest list...
the 10 Top 10.

He also posted percentages of the movies he's watched. I thought it was a pretty spiffy idea and so here I am following suit...

Animation: (Percentage Seen: 80%)
I say 80% because I don't recall ever sitting down and watching Pinocchio or Bambi...but I did have read-along record books (that's right...records) for both of these movies.

Romantic Comedies: (Percentage Seen: 40%)
I really like romantic comedies, so it surprised me that my percentage was so low. Maybe I just don't see the "good" romantic comedies.

Westerns: (Percentage Seen: 10%)
Yep...I've only seen one of the top ten westerns...and my memory of watching Shane is pretty vague. I just remember the little kid yelling after Shane and having to watch the movie in 7th grade. I can't even remember the curriculum that caused me to watch the movie in the first place. Is there a book to Shane that has fallen out of my memory as well? =P

Sports: (Percentage Seen: 30%)
I don't know if I'd really call Jerry Maguire a sports movie, but that was one of the three that I've seen in this genre...and I didn't even like the movie...so why did it make it onto a top ten list? I'm sure Rudy feels shafted.

Mystery: (Percentage Seen: 0%)
There's no reason this percentage should be so low...I guess I just haven't had a chance to see too many movies in this genre. I'm not exactly what you call a movie buff...but I'll try to watch some of these films eventually.

Fantasy: (Percentage Seen: 80%)
I don't know if I consider half of these movies "fantasies"...the whole AFI classification of genres just seemed off for a lot of these 10 lists. I do have to say...even though I adore musicals, I would still have bumped Lord of the Rings up to #1 over The Wizard of Oz.

Sci-Fi: (Percentage Seen: 50%)
I'd say any list over 50% is still pretty good for me...and the only reason I have such a high score here is because I watched T2 when I had nothing else to do on a family trip to Alaska. I didn't even see Star Wars Episode IV until after watching Episode I in the theatres. I was planning to see the movies in order, but some woman blabbed the ending of Episode IV in the ladies restroom after my viewing of Episode I. I figured I should watch the older movies before they were spoiled for me.

Gangster: (Percentage Seen: 20%)
I'm not the gangster movie watching type. I don't remember why I saw Pulp Fiction, but I do remember watching Goodfellas because it was the only thing on television one weekend afternoon. =P

Courtroom Drama: (Percentage Seen: 30%)
At least two of the three movies I've seen in this genre top the list. I do have to say, 12 Angry Men is probably on my own top ten list of non-musical movies. A Few Good Men? Not so much...

Epic: (Percentage Seen: 60%)
I think "epic" is just the nice way of saying it was an over-budget, over-the-top movie that appeals to the masses...so it not surprising for me that I've seen a majority of these films. Half of the films I didn't think lived up to the hype...but they managed to take my money anyway. ;)