...And to All A Good Night!

Hey there, it's Fernando again with some time to kill. Christmas means a lot to many, but it has more of a significance to me. Why? Well, if you know me very well, you would know that it's my birthday. A get a great reaction from people when they find out, which I find quite amusing. But anyway, this Christmas is marks my 19th birthday (damn I'm getting on in years) and what makes this birthday different is my position in life and how I make sense of it.

Right now I'm a freshman at UCI and I'm going through some mental horrors at the moment. And to my surprise, school is not one of them. What's really grinding my gears are some the actions of my friends, my inability to help my family with certain problems, my inability to work with tools, my developing social skills still developing, an infatuation I cannot overcome, the lack of a means of transportation, and the fact that I'm 19 and have loads to experience in this life while many of my peers are enjoying life's fruits. And on Christmas... not a good time to feel down in the dumps. But I had a good talk with my man Jonathan Cruz and he reminded me that everything takes time and all the things that bother me know will just be another trouble of my youth. There's still time for me in this world, God willing, and I hope my time to shine comes sooner rather than later. I guess I just needed to hear that from a fellow peer of mine. That's why I have nothing but (platonic) love for my friend Jonathan. Good guy!

But my birthday also helps me reflect on my 19th year of existence, i.e. 2007. After all the new year is coming up!!!

• First I would like to say that my family is blessed that we were able to go through another year strong and healthy. Although we did lose an old car of ours, as well as a tree to a damn fire during the summer, I'm glad that my family still holds down a good place in life. My sister Janet is finishing graduate school, I graduated high school and now a UCI anteater, while the rest of the fam is doing there thing. I hope we can finish 2008 just as strong, if not better than before. Better, stronger, faster, aloofer!!! =P
• Another great part of my year was the Academic Decathlon. It was such a great experience for me, as I've met lots of great people and created some great bonds. There was some trouble at times, but in the end I developed some great skills and earned a middle for a speech I created myself, as well as one I came up with off the dome! I even got to go to prom with a girl that I got to know through decathlon. Not bad if I do say so myself.
• I also got to do a lot more things than previous years. I played volleyball, I went out more, won a scholarship, and can drive a whole lot better than before now. But it's been a while, so I need a little practice.

So that was some of my 2007 summed up nice a neat in a lil' package. A lot of bad happened, such as losin' a car, my sister in another car accident, the fire, my UCLA rejection, Chris Benoit's sad ending, etc. But a lot of bad is outweighed by the good I've have, and I hope it has been the same for those that I love most. And as this silent night 'comes to a close, as well as 2007, I look back and say it's been a hell of a year and hope 2008 has more in store for me. MUCH MORE!!! And I'm sure everyone, including myself, will have their own share of problems. But if you have the right mindset and attitude, all that shit will be behind you just as this past year will be. So and that note, Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good night!!!

P.S. Have a damn fine New Year as well!

Arbitrary Observations #2

Welcome to another edition of "Arbitrary Observations." This is Fernando aka Emit Sam X here to give you, the reader, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Being that I'm now on my winter break from UCI, I have some free time to kill, as well as a bunch of ideas/topics on my mind. And away I go!!!


Fall Quarter Reflection
I have survived the first third of my freshmen year in college, all the while meeting lots of new people and doing plenty of work. I feel that it's a great accomplishment, as there are a lot of people out there who cannot withstand the bulk of work given at this level of education. I was smart taking just 12 units in do-able classes. I thought it would ease my transition into college from a very lethargic summer. However, I'm kickin' it up a notch with 16 credits this upcoming quarter, as I'm up for the challenge. I will not underestimate these classes as I did with some this quarter, because this is college, not high school; it's a different level.

And as this quarter draws to a close, I look at what I've done besides academics. First off, I'm happy with being involved in UCI's M.E.Ch.A. (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan). It was a great help in my transition into college life, as I kinda felt alone the first few weeks. This group filled with great people with a great attitude and spirit, as well as being part of my raza, is also changing my outlook on life, as it reminds that I have the potential to help change the world for the better, something that can be forgotten in the rat race called life. No doubt I'll continue being a MEChista in the upcoming quarter.

Another thing, while many around me were drinking, smoking weed, doing huka, etc. I myself did not partake in such activities and stayed sober. Why? Well, I just find it not necessary to have fun. Don't get me wrong, drinking and getting high might be great, I have no problem if ya like it. It's just that I don't do it just for the sake of doing it, or just 'cause there's nothing better to do. I would like to drink when the occasion calls for it (i.e. a CELEBRATION BITCH!!!), as I would like to try weed once (no harm in just a lil' experimentation). What I find more crazy is the subtle yet powerful peer pressure in doin' such things. Just watching it and seeing all the fun that comes along with it is pretty convincing. However, something inside me is saying to watch out for such vices. Call me what you wish, but I always listen to my gut, and for the majority of the time it has led me down the right path.

Family Guy > The Boondocks?
I was surfing through Youtube.com the other day and I ran into a clip of The Boondocks. It was a clip of the latest episode that features rap star Lil' Wayne. Basically, there were numerous comments that expressed offense to the clip, where Lil' Wayne's character, as well as Riley, says the word "nigga" several times in the span of one minute and 23 seconds. There was this one comment that tried to explain that one must look past the foul language of the show and try to see that it sometimes gives a valuable lesson in the world today. One douche bag by the screen name "cocainetheband" argued that the show was crap and that shows like South Park, The Simpsons, and Family Guy were better shows with clever insight.

I agreed with the first three, but I just laughed at the notion that Family Guy is more insightful than The Boondocks. So I chimed in with my two cents and tried to explain that, although Family Guy is funny, it is not even near the echelon of worldly and clever as The Boondocks. Then the dude responded with several comments questioning my intelligence and talking about how Family Guy is more popular. But after a while I grew tired of him and ignored him. Didn't want to be a loser and spend all my free time online.

All that I have to say is this: The Boondocks, albeit racy with its use of the "N" word, satirizes the world that we live in, whether it be black culture, politics, race, etc. You know, shit that matters in this day and age. Family Guy just satirizes pop-culture in general, nothing more than one interchangeable joke after another (jokes that don't even tie back to original plot). I am a fan of both shows, and I have no problem with people not liking The Boondocks, to each his/her own. However, to say that Family Guy is worlds more insightful is a joke itself. A joke so simple that a manatee can make (a shot at Family Guy by the guys of South Park).

15 Years of Raw
I'm keeping this one short and sweet, as I had no problem or insight to this. I caught WWE Raw's 15th Anniversary Special, and I'll I have to say is that it was awesome!!! It was great to see all the great moments of Raw, from the beginning, to the Attitude Era, to more recent memories. Nice to see the likes of Ted DiBiase, Trish Stratus, Lita, Rob Van Dam, the list goes on and on. The fans even got a sweet ladder match between Jeff Hardy and Carlito! Props to the WWE on keeping on their roll of keeping me interested in wrestling, 'cause TNA sure ain't doing it.

The Thesis
Yesterday was my last Final. Although it was hard, I was relieved that it was over and done with. When I got back to the dorm, I went out to eat with some of my hall mates, like Eric, Chris, Morgan, etc. The dinner was all right, as it served its purpose of replenishing my exhausted body. After said dinner, I got an aim message from my friend Sarah, who asked for some assistance in her writing essay. Being that she's really nice and I was feeling great after the final, I decided to help. Little did I know that it was gonna take 4 hours to edit said essay!!! I've never done that before, even with my own essays. The main problem was trying to come up with a thesis that conveys Sarah's main argument. We also did a lot of goofing off in between, either crackin' jokes or just conversing. It was a lot of fun, wouldn't mind doing it again. I was able to help a fellow student, as well as kill a few hours with very funny and nice person. Not to mention that she's pretty cute too... ;)


On that note, I think that'll do it for this edition of "Arbitrary Observations." Tune in next time as I either have something interesting to talk about, or just something to put on blast with one of my rants. Until next time, this is Fernando "Emit Sam X" Garcia wishing you a happy holidays and a fine New Year!!! Later...

Damn Naps

Today was a pretty unpleasant and exhausting day, one the many I've had since I came into existence. Why? Well, it started this morning around 6:30am when me and Morgan were going to turn in our housing applications for Vista del Campo Norte next year. 6:30 was the planned time for me to wake up, and meet up with Morgan at 7. However, I did what everyone has done once or twice and that is close their tired eyes after a lackluster sleep. Woke up about half an hour later with Morgan at my door, so I had to dress quickly and, basically, skip my morning routine of combing, brushing, and sitting on my "thinking chair." One a humorous note, it took forever to start the car we were taking to VDCN, as it took a while to realize the steering wheel was locked. But all was well in the end, as we got our applications in on time. Now we wait 'till we get our leases.

But the naps keep on coming. We got back at around ten to 8am. since I didn't have class 'till 10am, I thought I'd go back to sleep. Even set up the alarm to wake me up at the usual time. Well, I did get up and sat around for about 5 minutes. Then I closed my eyes again. I wake up to the sound of Andy's voice asking me if I was going to class. It was 10:10, and we were both late. It sort of became a habit for me to wake his damn ass up for class. And with me not waking up in time, he failed to do so on time as well. It took about 15 minutes to get to class, so it was around 10:30. Being that it was Social Science 1A, I knew we basically missed half the class and had about ten minutes of lecture left. As soon as we both walked into the room, class was dismissed. DAMMIT!!! Fortunately, we didn't miss much on this last day for this class. Christopherson wanted to show a movie at the beginning of the class, but it failed to start. So basically get a freebie on any question pertaining to the the video.

After the lil' fiasco, me and Andy went out to check out the little shops around ring road, stop by Zot 'n' Go to buy Cup 'o' Noodles, and went to Commons for lunch. He was then off to his next class as I went back to the dorm to chill until my 4pm class. At about 2:30, I dozed off while reading some Sociology. Then I woke up at... 4:05!!! DAMMIT!!! Once again a damn nap caused me to be late. Took me about 20 minutes to get to the other side of campus. I also had a sharp pain between my thigh and crotch that stung like a bitch! Not sure where this pain came from. I walked into the middle class as a was problem being solved, as well as other problems already been solved. This left me at an awkward position to start taking notes, as I didn't know where to start. Lame...

Well, that will about do it for now. Moral of the story, get your ass up when the alarm goes off, 'cause it will throw you off (for possibly the rest of the day). Also, go to sleep early. That's what I should be doing. Especially with finals comin' up. Wish me luck on those! This is Fernando "Emit Sam X" (Xmas Time) Garcia signing off. Peace, ladies and gents (and bitches)!!!