Arbitrary Observations: Spring Break Edition

Welcome to another edition of Arbitrary Observations. This time, the focus shall be on my spring break, so if you don't really are that interested in hearing it, then fuck you! I mean, what are you doin' on this blog anyway, if you're not the least bit interested in what I have to say. Damn, I guess saying such things doesn't come across as amusing online, as computers lack emotion. Haha... But anyways I had a nice break that was more satisfying than winter break...


Monday
First day back, I finally got a hold of my CMAA scholarship!!! AND THE PEOPLE REJOICED!!! $2,000!!! Took a walk down Lincoln Heights to cash in that bad boy. What did not amuse me, however, was Steven Xiao trying to get me to come to Lincoln High School to do my lil' bro's college panel for Asian Club, which he was postponing 'til he can organize it well (give him a break; it was the week of his birthday). But I didn't, not like I was going to attend anyway. I do feel sorry for those that were invited to the thing but couldn't make it. Damn Steven... hasn't changed a bit...

Well, I also celebrated my $2,000 monetary increase with some left-over carne asada from Carlos' birthday party. Yum! And to top off the day, Francis and John came over with Carlos, with a Wii in hand. And of course, we got in a few hours of Super Smash Bros. Brawl!!! Pretty chill start to a pretty chill break!

Tuesday
This was the only day I planned on goin' to Lincoln, mostly cause J.Lew was goin' to be there. Kinda sucked that I couldn't arrive earlier, I was only able to enter until school let out (damn security). Anyways, I got in a few hi's, talkes a bit with Ms. Kwan, and had lunch with Jennifer at Carl's Jr. What took me be surprise was running into my friend Oscar (as old as Carlos) doin' pretty well for himself, on the football AND track team!!! Impressive.

Then after walking with Jen to her house, I went on a lil' walk around Lincoln Park, which always put my mind at ease. The funny thing, though, was that these dudes offered to sell me some marijuana, which I don't do. I told them I was okay, then they asked me for some of my left-over Carl's Jr. Well, since I wasn't gonna finish it, I gave it to them and they gave me some props. Then, as I was a few houses down from my house, my dumb friend Joel and his friend Adrian offered me a toke, which I declinedas well. And when Moses and Alex came to hang at my house, I asked Moses why the hell they would even ask me. Moses just told me that Joel is just dumb like tha. And I don't need any convincing on that. Haha...

Good to see some of my ol' friends and homies, and I do hope Alex gets his damn high school diploma. I wish I could help, but I'm not exactly great with encouragement, and even I could, I can do only so much. It's up him.

Wed. & Thur.
Well, not much to say here. Didn't do much other than play Call of Duty 4 with Moses on PS3, and rest up as I got a bit sick. I was gonna go to Elias' with Andy and play some Brawl, but he had a job interview at this law firm. Can't hate on him for that. And he go the job!!! Kudos to him!

Friday
Earlier in the week, Alex Hoang called me up to see if we could hang out on Friday. And we did. Met up with Alex and Darren, and we chilled at Bong's workplace, waiting for Danny, Nestor, and Dilbert... for TWO HOURS. It took two hours for Dilbert to make up his mind of whether he wanted to come or not, which he eventually decided not to. So Me, Nestor, his girlfriend, Alex, Danny, and Darren went to go see Semi-Pro, since many of us hadn't seen it, and there weren't that many interesting movies out that weekend. And I must say, it was a pretty funny movie. Love Will Ferrel! Then we all squeezed into Nestor's car and went to go bowling at ABC Bowling. Too bad we didn't get to, as we first ate some Wendy's, and it was getting pretty late for Danny, who was headin' for Las Vegas that weekend. So that wraps up my Friday. It was nice to hang with these guys.

Saturday
This had to be the best event of my break. I finally got to hang out with my homies Jonathan, Luis, Alfred, and Elias at Universal Studios Hollywood! Too bad Sifredo was in Louisiana for the break (WTF?!) and Daniel was nowhere to be found... again. Anyway, us guys, along with Wendy and Bessie, had a pretty damn good time. We got on all the rides, and saw most of the attractions, sans Waterworld. That sucked, but the girls needed to get home early, so we had to cut the evening short.

Did anyone know that the Simpsons Ride is replacing the Back to the Future Ride? That some ol' bullshit! I loved that ride! The Simpsons better deliver, cause if they don't... (shaking fists)

What I've come to realize is that many of the rides and attractions at Universal Studios come with wetness. Shrek 4D, Terminator 2: 3D, Jurassic Park, Waterworld, the Studio Tour, all can get you wet!!! The only thing missing is for someone to drentch you with a bucket of water at the end of Backdraft! Well, that was my Saturday; I got a few pics, and got a chance to hang with my homies.


...And Sunday, of course, I returned to UCI for the spring quarter. I'm re-energized, focused, and motivated, especially with the 3.5 I got last quarter. I hope all my readers had a great spring break, and if they'd like, they may share them with me in the comments, AIM chats, etc. Now, I must return to reality... haha. This is Fernando signing off! Peace.

The Week Before the Break

Wow! It's Spring Break time and I finally got a good night's sleep last night. It's been a while since I've done so, and where better else than my own comfy bed in Los Angeles. I feel great being back in my hometown, seeing as last week was a trip...

It started Monday with first final, for Math 2B (aka Calculus). And I must say that it was pretty damn hard. Even my friends Cynthia, Alex, and Kristen thought it was challenging. But I think I did well enough not to fail (fingers crossed). Next was my Social Problems final, which I did a decent amount of studying with my friend Andy. What sucked, though, was that all the terms for the short response came from one book, when we were told that it could encompass terms from all the readings. Damn you, Meyer! Anyway, most of the terms had to do with terrorism, so I'm sure I got some points there. And I think I did well on the essay portion. By the way, I also got my term paper back and I got an A-. Holla at cha boy!!!

The next few days were a bit more relaxed, even with one more final to go. Wednesday, I turned in my Rhetoric in Practice paper for my writing class, sold my Social Problems books (I only a measly $14), and played Super Smash Bros. Brawl for many hours (which left me with fewer hours to study). Thursday was my Chicano Studies final, which was okay. I wish I was able to squeezed out a bit more information on my essay, though. by 3:30pm, I was officially done with the Winter quarter!!! And all I did afterwards was relax, eat, and play Super Smash Bros. Brawl 'til 5am.

The next day, I headed out to Sacramento with my fellow MEChistA's to Nationals. And boy, it is one hell of a drive. And although I lapsed into sleep several times that weekend, I still enjoyed myself. I never knew how big MEChA was from beyond the school. I met with high School MEChistAs, and many from colleges around the United States. What also amazed me was the closed-mindedness of some of the Arizona people, who don't feel that strongly about feminine equality within MEChA, specifically with the main issue being dealt with at Nationals: changing the name.

The problem was that the "Ch" (which stands for Chicano) doesn't encompass women of the group, as many women associate with the word "Chicana" instead. Then to take progressivism even further, some felt that the name should also encompass those that either don't associate with either gender name or haven't "come out". So the term "Chican@" was thrown out to solve that problem. Variations like "Chicana/o" were also thrown out, but all the SoCal MEChA chapters decided to go with "Chicano y Chicana" for the "Ch". Since MEChA de UCI doesn't have voting rights, we didn't stick around for the proceedings, seeing as we had a long drive back home. So I don't know how it turned out. I guess I'll have to see when I get back to school.

Overall, MEChA Nationals was a fun experience. Especially the dancing on Saturday night. Whoo!!!

After Nationals, we decided to go to San Francisco. I really didn't want to go; I was really homesick and wanted to get back to LA. But many have not been to San Fran, including myself, so to San Fran we were off! And I must say, that it is a very beautiful city. The hills, the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, were all a sight to behold. Since we did have a LONG drive back to SoCal, we only stuck around for lunch at Fisherman's Wharf. After that, we headed back home from the Bay Bridge (which is a fine piece of construction, to say the least). I would really like to return to the Bay one day, but on my own terms. All in all, it was a great trip for my first time in Northern California.

I got back at 11pm, to the welcome of my Family. Funny thing was that Francis brought a Wii for my bro's birthday party, and I arrived at the time he was leaving. Hilarity ensued. Anyway, I'm goin' to enjoy my spring break. If I get to see my friends, let the people rejoice. If not, it's not going to bring me down like it did during the Winter Break. I'm going to take advantage of all the extra sleep, free food, and time with my family. And with that, I hope my one or two readers have a great Spring Break as well!!! Peace...

Game is Tight

It's been a while that I've written an entry. But here I am now doing so. Let's see, what is there to discuss?

...

Oh, I know! School! I am now entering the final week of instruction here at UCI. With that in mind, it's wise to keep in mind that finals week is around the corner as well. And it kinda discomforts me. My writing class has been all right, but I still have Rhetoric In Practice project to complete. I'm basically critiquing Pan's Labyrinth, as well as a group collaboration on the movie. On a sour note, I didn't get an awesome grade on my Rhetorical Analysis paper, solely on the fact that I could not make the 6 page requirement. Fortunately, my professor will allow me to make up some credit with a small extra credit assignment due the week of finals... Too bad I've yet to hear from him about my assignment's prompt.

Then there's Chicano Studies, which I'm kinda falling behind in the e-reserve reading. Come to think about, I'm also behind on some of the reading of Sociology. Damn books. Although the book Strapped is quite interesting; the author looks in the troubles of the young adult and how it will be harder for us to get out of debt. Education is expensive. But I digress. It will be a hectic two weeks to get all this done, as well as study for Calculus and finals. And it could have been much easier to handle if only...

SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL WASN'T SUCH A KICK ASS GAME!!! IT FUCKIN' ROCKS!!!

The graphics are nice, the character roster is pretty good, and the final smashes are damn scary. Whether I'm playing as Mario, Luigi, Ike, Wolf, or my main man Link, it's one hell of a game to play with friends. As Yared would say, "My game is tight, son!!"

However, the game I'm referring to in the title is a bigger game. It's a game called life. And 'tis a very tight game it is. Very. The winter quarter is drawing to an end, and finals week will make or break people. If all goes well, I'll be made and I will break said finals to edible bits! And if not, and drop out of college, I'll have SSBB and myself to blame. Well, that'll do for now. This is Fernando signing off. Peace and love.


P.S. Fuck you daylight savings!!! Give me my hour back!!!