Welcome to LA Nikki!

Whenever possible, I always try to get people to move to LA.  I know it's not for everyone, but it's for me and I'm all that really matters, so...

An old college friend and housemate of mine settled into LA two weeks ago.  About a month and a half ago when she mentioned that she had an interview with a big toy company, I told her I would do whatever possible to sell her LA and then also settle when she got here.  I didn't really have to do much of either, the geography alone did it I'm sure.  Then again, she was coming from Atlanta, so I'm sure it wasn't as hard of a sale as someone moving from New York or San Francisco per say.  Not to knock on Atlanta, I'm sure it has its charm (those Real Housewives), but come on, which would be more desirable in your mind?!?

During her interview here, I took her to probably the most LA place I could think of; Sur.  Yes, as in Lisa Vanderpump from the really really RICH housewives (not to be confused with ATL).  All was going well until her rental got towed.  LA was not beginning to look too good!  I did my best to make it up by taking her to the W where we had fancy drinks and peoplewatched scores of high class call girls werk it for the night.  What could possibly be better than that?  I mean, I know ATL has the video hoes, but isn't that phase long gone now that we don't have videos like "Back That A$$ Up" anymore?

Her arrival to LA for good got me to hit up the beach cities in the south bay for the first time ever in my almost five years of living in LA.  What can I say, LA is big and it can take an hour to get to Hermosa Beach or any of those beaches for a matter of fact.  It was almost like living in constant vacation.  Kind of reminded me of the Hamptons.  How I miss that.  People just bike and roller blade around, drink bud lights, play beach volleyball, and well...bar hop.  I went at a crazy time called Fiesta Hermosa.  I made Nikki promise me two things: 1) don't let me buy art and 2) don't let me get a tattoo.  She did a good job with both.  I introduced her to a departing co-worker of mine because I figured it would be good for her to start making friends.  After all, it's almost impossible to find people to trust in LA.  I'm sure the boys loved her though.  She's fresh meat in a new town where all the guys have already slept with whatever single girl there was.  I guess it helped that she also wore a dress that was making her cleavage pop.

So I guess my welcome wagon duties with Nikki went great, who's next to move out here?!?

Oh and let's talk about how I'm such a great multi-tasker and killed two goals with one long ass drive by going to the beach as well!

You've graduated, what now?!?

Such a great read!

Ahh yes, the month of May.  A month of spring showers, prospects of summer, Memorial Day weekend, and of course, a month where thousands of newly graduated seniors and graduate/professional students go into the unknown know as this nation's economy. 

Luckily for the students I work with, this isn't much of a problem for them.  In fact, for them, they seem to just make more money when they're done.  I guess that's the difference between attending an executive program and everyone else. 

The reason for the goal of smiling the entire time during graduation is because I have a tendency to just scowl.  I have what most people would call "bitch" face.  It's this look that cannot really be described, but when you see it on me, you will definitely notice it.  It's my way of saying "I'm just not that interested" or "Just don't give a shit."  Sometimes, I don't even know I'm doing it.  That's the best, it's call "at rest bitch face."  This is just a natural state.  What?  I can't help the way my face rests! 

I started the day good though.  I slept in and decided that if I wanted to feel good, I needed to look good.  So I broke out my best suit.  My Theory suit (Go ahead, check out the site, they have great stuff).  I walked into work and my co-workers asked if I was graduating.  I even had a tie on.  Well, I had other reasons for the tie.  I had to cover up not one, but two hickeys that were given to me the night before without my knowledge.  Let's just say I woke up in a panic and I don't own any type of cover-up.  You would think that with how sensitive my skin is that I would have something like that around in case of emergencies. 

Graduation officially began with a luncheon at a very nice steakhouse in which we rented out an entire section.  I smiled as I waited in the front the greet the graduates and their families.  I even smiled at the small children.  We all know how I can feel about children at times.  I think they are the sweetest things in the world, but when you don't want them around, they can totally be an abomination.  You know what I'm talking about (i.e. restaurants, movie theatres, airplanes!).  One of the small children kept hugging his father's left leg while the poor guy had to walk across the restaurant.  You know Tiger Mom would not have let that shit fly.  If that was an Chinese kid, shit would have gone down.  I know because I was in a table with Asian parents and their Asian children who I'm guessing will grow up to be something super Asian one day. 

The actual graduation was where I probably had the most potential to lose it and "bitch face" may have made an appearance.  I don't think it did though, I was making sure of it.  I was working the special and dual degree line when some individuals from the single degree line can an acknowledged the fact that they are dual degrees.  That's all fine and dandy, so I asked them to choose a line and they went on for about five minutes in front of me debating which line to stand on.  The breaking point was whether or not they want to sit with their single degree friends.  C'mon people, I got other students to deal with, at least get out of my way when you're debating.  I thought sitting with your friends was only something you worried about in high school and maybe undergrad.  These people are at least all over 23.  As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure why they attend graduation.  Those things are so boring, it may be worse than watching paint dry.  At least there's a science to it and you can make the paint dry quicker depending on the elements. 

But alas, graduation is always a happy time and I should be smiling during those happy moments. 

Mom, your check is in the mail...

Mother's Day is a Hallmark holiday.  There, I said it.  You should be recognizing your mom every day and showering her with gifts and flowers.  Even crazy moms deserves that.  I have not been able to celebrate Mother's Day in New York the past five years since I always chose to go home on July 4th weekend instead, so I make effort in sending a card with either flowers or a check.  Us Asians find it easier just to buy the love of loved ones. 

My mom has three children to rely on when it comes to the celebration of this holiday.  What's even better is having three fully-employed children.  She likes a combined gift.  The bigger the better.  Usually we're not told that we have to give her anything, but we do anyways.  An LV purse here and there, a nice fat check, face cream, and I think one year a coat was involved.  However, something changed this year, she got greedy, but in a funny way. 

When I was home two weeks ago, she asked me what I was going to give her for Mother's Day.  I was shocked.  More so because of that fact that I was caught with my pants down.  I really haven't thought too much about what I was going to give her.  It didn't even cross my mind to think about it really until probably the week of.  So I just told her it was a work in progress.

On Wednesday the 9th, I went out and bought a card and just decided to write a check.  I put down a value that I thought was good enough to keep her thinking I gave what I can, but not too much to have her think I have all this extra money laying around (aka: my drinking fund).  I called her that evening as I was waiting to meet my friend Sabrina for dinner just to say "hi."  Went went to Flying Pig Cafe before heading to the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival to watch a documentary titled Hafu.  Once again, she brought up Mother's Day.  This time, it was more blunt than usual.  She literally asked me if I remembered this Sunday was Mother's Day and asked if her check was in the mail yet.  Of course, lucky for me, I dropped it into the mailbox about 2 hours before I called her and it arrived on Saturday.  Talk about cutting it close.  She thanked me on Saturday night when I called. 

So to recap what mom got this year.  She received a check from all three of us, some Clarion products, and then a dinner as well.  Made out like a bandit.  I think I need to start considering popping some children out so I can get the same rewards.  Although, it kind of like a life time investment that I'm not really too sure about...

I'm so over GEM!

I finally submitted my write-up for "Defining Graduate Enrollment Management" (GEM).  It was probably the lamest thing I have ever written.  A part of me thinks that I have writing and reading phobia when it comes to anything that's remotely academic.  I spent so many years in school that the idea of putting together a summary of GEM scared me.  I sat on it until the last possible moment.  I think the saddest part of this was when I hit writer's block.  How could I have had writer's block for something that is my job.  GEM is my freaking profession.  I live it for 40 hours a week and spent six years studying it in an academic capacity.

At this point, reading anything beyond my monthly issue of Details or Mindy Kaling's autobiography would be too traumatizing for me.  Writing anything beyond a blog where I don't have to worry about penning anything intelligent or searching for grammatical errors would be traumatizing as well. 

It was pretty much a year ago today that I received my doctorate.  As you can tell, I really haven't put it in good use...

May Goals

April Recap

Interesting, my success percentage this month was the same as one of Obama's win percentages!

April has been a wicked month!  Traveling the last week and a half of the month really made things hard for me to accomplish much of anything.  I also didn't get to watch a lot of tv as well, so as I'm sitting here on a sunny Saturday afternoon while watching Grey's Anatomy (I know, I still watch that shit show), I am here recapping the last month.  I also learned how I felt about children when I was on a flight from Orland to Newark, NJ.  The flight was like 70% children full of Disney crap.  Mickey Mouse is a hustler.  There were probably tens of thousands of dollars of mouse and princess wear. 

Goal #1: Exercising 15 times out of the month was so ambitious.  That was like an average of working out every other day.  That and I would also need to work out at the resort and hotel gym in Orlando and New York.  Let's just say that didn't happen.  Twice, I laid by the pool, but swimming was really not in the cards.  So during the month of April, I visited the gym six times, hiked Runyon Canyon three times, and went to yoga once.  So that was 10 out of 15, not too bad.  Not quite a full point, but .67.

Goal #2: Car was washed an looks amazing! (1)

Goal #3: Striking up an interesting conversation is subjective.  I was able to strike up conversations while dog-sitting, but nothing interesting came about from it.  I'll just give myself an "A" for effort.  I'm still going to give myself full credit for it. (1)

Goal #4: Shoes bought for the wedding!  Now I need to just break them in. (1)

Goal #5: I know I packed on more than three pounds based on the fact that I had trouble fitting into my skinny jeans.  That's what happens when you eat out three meals a day for 10 days straight and do not work out for half of a month.  Awful!  I couldn't even think to stand on a scale because I was so scared of what the results would be.  I also went to a tux fitting after they took my measurements back in February.  A little tight! (1)

Goal #6: $500 accomplished! (1)

Goal #7: Wardrobe is now revamped.  I bought so many new pants and shoes in the month of April, I'm not sure how I even managed to save $500. (1)

Goal #8: Done! (1)

Goal #9: Nala is still attacking me, but she gets squirted with a water bottle every time she does so.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  I long for the day that my cat stops abusing me.  I get full credit for this because the goal was to start training her for the rest of the month and not have her stop forever! (1)

Goal #10: I basically finished "Walking Dead" in one weekend.  (1)

What a great month!  With the exception of the gym issue, it was almost perfect this month.  9.67 points out of 10!  That is totally an "A!"