car business

The inspection guy woke me up around 8:30. I have to say I am quite amazed at my ability to immediately jump up whenever I hear my phone ringing....(no matter how sleepy I am at that given time.) The whole thing took about 30 min and he only found that one scratch on my door to be excessive. I am starting to think maybe I should of just got that fixed before he came so I don't have to be waken up early again next week.

Anyway...for that one scratch on my door (Which I don't know which jerk did...) I will have to pay something like 210 if I have the car company take care of it. I think I am just gonna go see Leo and see if he can cut me a better deal. One 5 cm scratch for 210 is a lot I think.

I called Leo and left him a message on his cell phone...(yeah it's amazing I have my bodyshop manager's cell phone...kinda weird...) Leo actually remembers who I am....(must be the CD I gave him I guess...hahaha....or maybe just as he said, he doesn't have that many Asian customers to begin with.) I hope he will be able to take care of this fast since I already made another appt for inspection next Fri.

Man life is kinda unpredictable. I would not lease a car if I knew I would stay in the states after all. I hate wasting money on things I will not eventually own. On the other hand, if I didn't lease the car but bought one, then the low pay at HI would probably kill me with my rent, bills and car payments all together. So I guess everything did happen for a reason....and everything would eventually work out fine if I don't annoy God to death. (I don't think God can die...just an expression...)

Last night Billy asked me what were the most exciting time in my life with 5 year increments. I noticed I really lost a lot of passion in life throughout the years. I hardly find anything exciting now. I remember I used to be a quite excitable kid and had a lot of emotional swings to the extreme. Now I still get irritated and all, but I can kinda suppress that quickly as well. I am not really sure if suppression is that good for mental health though.

Perhaps people are right about how humans are not meant to live alone. Kids should have a lot of interactions with their parents (that is if their parents are responsible to be around and take care of them...), and be sociable with friends. People need to get in touch with the outside world early in age to know how dark the world can get at times. I think by early training a kid can grow up to be stronger and care less about disappointments in life. Oh well....maybe it's just personality...who knows...

Why did I jump that far in my topic? well...cuz of the questions last night I didn't sleep all that well. I don't think I should ever use my brain after 10 at night cuz once I start I cannot shut it down. The car guy didn't exactly help by waking me up early...and now I am all dizzy. On top of that I will have to eat with Hui-Ling jie, go to bodyshop, teach my student in the afternoon...oh and I already finished laundry while I type up this blog....I am indeed multi-functional...

Influences.....and being dumb....

I was putting few childhood pictures on my MSN for the past few weeks....and I noticed I have about 6 people on my msn list displaying their childhood pictures now. I told Nancy I may really be influential in weird ways cuz people tend to learn my ways of doing things without knowing it. I also told her I would just put my wedding pictures on MSN and see if everyone gets married. I am sure most of my friends would be excited if they are the next in line getting married. (I wonder what is wrong with them really...:p)

I woke up early today and went out to work the same time as Billy...ok...not exactly working....but trying to get my shoes for the wedding somewhere. I was going to Glendale to check out Nordstrom Rack, and decided to 1st go to Hollywood Bowl for tix since the time was still early.

I got to the box office around 9:50 and waited while drinking my morning latte. I was so patient that I waited till 10:05 to go down and check if the office was open...and then....I saw the note saying "starting from the 15th of May box office will be open from noon to 6".....yeah...great...I was not gonna wait there for 2 hours...so I drove back to Glendale.

I had no luck finding anything at Nordstrom Rack...even the clothes were not all that interesting. I might just be too determined to get a pair of shoes today I did not have much interest on other stuff. After my failure at Glendale I decided to quickly check that shoe store in Pasadena which Claire recommended.

DSW at Pasadena indeed has a lot of shoes, but nothing was all that impressive. I ended up picking something that I saw two weeks ago at Marshall, but with a more appropriate color. I guess this is what happens when I am tired of doing something. I am just not gonna think about shoes any more cuz I am tired of looking. I also passed that one store Joelle told me about with cheap jeans and cool stuff....maybe I should just go check that out on Fri or something...:p

So...I was being dumb driving so much to only get a pair of shoes, but at least I got one thing out of the way. My mood is still ok despite of all the stupid effort I made. (perhaps because I am only having one student per day for the rest of the week. :)

Oh...forgot to mention I started dreaming weird again....In my dream this morning Billy and I were taking a trip on a ship...not sure if it was a cruise vacation or not, but some friends of mine were also on the ship with us. In the dream Billy got annoyed at me because I was having too much fun with my friends.

1st day of the trip he started playing basketball by himself. The game requires certain pitches to be in tune to play. It's all weird I don't remember how that game worked. (Just a musical basketball game I guess? hehehehe...)2nd day of trip I was hanging out with a diff. crowd and he got more annoyed he went down to the basement of the ship and hid. I had to walk around the ship to find him...and then I woke up...I wonder what would happen if I continued to neglect him for the 3rd day...? I wonder what is the lesson behind this particular weird dream...hum...

Funny difference....

I know I know...I am writing blog twice a day again...just thought I would note this since I just read Billy's blog. If someone just reads his blog then the person would think our long weekend was packed. If that same person reads mine then he/she would feel confused....hehehe...

I also didn't know Ashley Judd's husband is a race car driver. I used to think she was kinda hot when I 1st saw her in movies. I don't even remember which movie it was...something with Tommy Lee Jones I think? or maybe earlier than that....Man....race car winner and movie star...they probably have too much money to spend. :p

Ok I got side tracked.... Just wanted to make a note how Billy and I are just so diff. even when we live the same life. It's very amusing eh?

I don't like Tuesdays....

Today is Tuesday, and I really don't like Tuesdays. I guess I just don't like teaching 4 students a day. I still can't really feel that uplifted about teaching James and he is usually the last student I have on Tue...sighs....

Tiffany asked me to take her violin and play on it so her violin would not sound bad after the violin man fixed it. I guess she didn't know by asking me to do that I will actually have to practice a little. I was kinda entertained cuz she was so serious about it and kept on complaining about the sound throughout the lesson...so I just said yes at the end.

So I was playing on her violin a little last night with Sibelius concerto. I guess Mr. Lipsett did get stuff rooted in me so after so many years I can still fake it even though it's not perfect. I was also wondering how I used to be able to play same stuff over and over everyday just to get those tiny details fixed. I guess being a performer sucks cuz you waste your life on details 99 % of people would not be able to tell. Interesting kinda life eh? hahahaha....now you realize why musicians are lonely people. They just live in their own world.

Anyway....long weekend was kinda boring. We went to see Shrek III on Sun and the whole theater was packed with people who went to see Pirates III. It's amazing how many people go to the movies during long weekend. I guess people don't know where to go with the gas price being so high. We should all be glad there is Hollywood to entertain everyone.

We did go to Yamashiro to have a drink with Ming on Sat. It was kinda weird putting people who he knew from LA together, since the rest of us don't really stay in touch much now. It's amazing how I was not able to concentrate much throughout the conversation. I guess I really don't have the ability to stay interested with same things or same people for a long time. I would be fine if the "same people" do have "diff. things" happening in their lives cuz then they would have diff. things to talk about...oh well...

Ok...enough complaints... I guess I thought long weekend was boring because I didn't get anything I wanted to get, and I had to teach when people are having day off. Teaching is really annoying on holidays...oh well...I am just being grouchy cuz it's Tue. I really don't like Tuesdays neh....

just some photos...

Don't feel like writing much....so I am just gonna put some pics on...


This is 蛋包飯 and Oyster 煎....not exactly the same looking as TW.


Something we ordered in Hollywood...Billy ordered this thing called S.O.S...and it looks like....you know what....I got "French toast bread pudding"...and it's not very French toasty...


Billy says bye to Hades every morning before he goes to work. Hades takes Billy's spot on the bed once Billy goes to the restroom and continues to sleep every morning...and one morning Billy just took my camera and took pictures of me and Hades sleeping...


Billy put Hade's collar inside out and said Hades now looks like catholic priest.


Tried make up with the make up person on Sat. Just took a pic to show how big my eyes can get even though they were not too small to start with...

One day ahead of time....

Thurs felt like Fri cuz I was so looking forward to only teaching one student a day. Today felt like Sat even though it's only Fri. Fri is usually quite relaxing for me, but then today was a bit packed so it felt like Sat. I forced myself to get up so I can carefully think about Joelle's song even though I did work on it a little last night. I was right that once I started it I would not be able to stop thinking about it for a while. I guess that is why I kinda didn't sleep too well last night.

I forced Joelle to wait for Fedex with me at home cuz I needed to get this shipment from Apple. It's the photo guest book I ordered last week, and if I don't get it from the fedex guy when they deliver I would have to go all the way to Whitter to get it. I was stupid and didn't put another address for delivering, clearly knowing there is no way for any package to get into our gated apartment....dumb...

I went downstairs three times around noon, and amazingly each time I went down I always bump into a fedex truck. 1st time it was Fedex express, 2nd Fedex Home, and then finally the third one was Fedex ground. I was lucky enough to get my package, and the guest book actually turned out quite nice. I think it's a little over priced, but at least it's unique enough for people to write on. Now I just have to find the appropriate pens for them to write.

Song fixing was easy with Joelle after I thought about what I didn't really think would work. It's this back and forth kinda process that will eventually drive everyone nuts. She will probably be going to China in Aug, and I will have no way of recording her. I think I am more concerned about that than getting the lyrics at this point...since lyrics can always be adjusted no matter how long it takes.....on top of that Cindy will also leave around the same time...sighs...

Sometimes I wonder what this world will become that everyone is trying to get to China nowadays....quite interesting how everyone wants to go even though most of us know how dangerous and stressful it can get over there. Louie was just telling me about his plan investing in China too. I guess it's where the money is nowadays.

I guess it's good for me to be stuck here at this point or else I may be thinking about doing music in China as well....since they are still a bit behind in the entertainment industry....things should be cheaper there....oh well...not exactly a place I am interested of going...I think I am brainwashed way too much by my family. I don't think any of us want to visit China any time soon...maybe someday..

Have to try out for make up tomorrow. I hope it turns out to be ok cuz I don't have time to find another person to do it anyway. I wonder how many brides actually book a make up person last month before the wedding. Oh well....Billy's ring is probably not even gonna be ready by the wedding since it takes 4-6 weeks to get as they just told him on the phone today. Very interesting wedding it looks like...oh...and...I just heard we have more than 250 guests now. I wonder how many will show up at the end...

A lot of things to do tomorrow...I wonder if tomorrow will feel like Sun. Time is all messed up...maybe I am living in TW time or something.....

This must be a miracle....

I know I know...I already wrote my blog this morning....but I just have to note this cuz it's very unusual. I finished my bible reading and chatted with Louie as I said I would....and before I touched Joelle's song, I felt this urge to check up my violin. I know it's all weird...but I went to the closet and got my violin out. I even got out some pieces, opened the case, took out and tuned the violin....and....I...practiced....!!!!!!!!

Okok...I only practiced 30 min before I went back to IM with Ming. but...I don't even remember when was the last time I really practiced. What was amazing is that I am so much more patient now when I play. I know exactly how I should practice and I know slow work does me some good. I wonder if I got all of that from teaching.

My muscles are a little bit out of shape cuz I can feel that I need to work on my stretches with the fingers....but I don't think I would sound any worse than before if I just pick it up for a month or so. This is really an interesting experience I thought. Maybe I should just kick in one hour of practice a day to release my stress and make myself feel good....hahahaha.....

Maybe...just maybe...maybe I just don't want to start working on the song so I found all possible ways to delay it....even by playing my violin...hahahahaha.....I am such a slacker...Sorry Joelle....I will get to it....wahahahaha.....