Renting a textbook

The experience of renting a textbook and not having a burden of trying to sell it was what intrigued me. So I decided to rent through BarnesandNoble.com because I was already a member. I have to admit, it was a good decision, but not after I received an email earlier this morning mentioning that I was charged $10.11 for a book that was already returned. Why is my fault that the website suggested that I return the book on December 1st so that it would arrive in time by the 5th? And then charge me that amount after it has already been received? It boggles my mind that they couldn't give me a break and just waive the fee. Guess that's just the money hungry company they are. There to be a bully and take your lunch money. Never again will I do that, and I would not suggest for anyone else to rent from them either.

Just thought I would express how i felt at the heat of the moment. That is all.

But if you do choose to rent from bn.com, good luck.

The End is Near

The time is approaching where students are taking their finals.

The time is approaching where the climate of the weather gets colder and snows in some places.

The time is approaching where family gets together for the holidays.

The time is approaching where one year ends and a new one begins.

The end is near, but to start a new cycle of life.

Happy holidays everyone!

The Year is Approaching the End and Beginning A New

my oh my, how time elapses. The day is Sunday, November 28, 2010. Thanksgiving in my books was filled with work instead of time with the family. I felt like making money is a big priority of mine this year as I'm trying to end the year with money in my pocket, for the first time in my life. Having butterflies come out of your pockets in the beginning of the year is not a pleasant way to start off. My plans are to purchase a new car, or a used new car, and possibly get my own spot. Times are changing, and time isn't slowing down anytime soon. So why not evolve and grow into an independent human being? And why should I still be staying at my parents house? I mean, it's good to save up money, and to have a place to stay and eat for the price of $free.99, but with my grandma, my cousin and her baby, my brother and his wife and their baby all here in this home, I feel like it's my time to move out and into the world. To have a sense of freedom to do what I please, anytime I would like without someone calling me and checking up on me on where I am. I mean, i don't mind the calls from time to time, but every so often is getting out of hand.

Work is taking over my life, but work is also helping me establish better credit, to keep up with debts, to pay off debts. All my credit cards are paid off, next thing on my list is my student loan, which I will be paying off hopefully by the end of January. Then, all of my debts will be completely paid off and I will establish a better balance on my banks accounts as I will be constantly saving money instead of using the money to pay of debts.

I also managed to juggle school while working two jobs. On paper, two jobs and going to school may seem quite difficult. To be honest, it is, but at the same time, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love school, and I love learning. There's so much to learn everyday. And when people say everyday you learn something new, you really do learn something new. Since returning back to school, I have joined the Filipino American Student Association hoping to help me with school and my studies. By being involved in this group, I have learned to manage my time wisely, be more involved in school, and especially be more involved in the community.

There's not a thing that I would change prior to this years end, as good and bad things happen for a reason. My top priority is ME. I have been neglecting myself and paying attention to the betterment of others rather than myself. It's time for a change, and I'm glad that change is happening now.

You know what's interesting? I haven't been out since Vegas back in August. And that's definitely a good thing because I spent at most $1500 out there. But to have a chance to go to Vegas is a memorable thing, especially going with a group of friends that you've been friends with since high school, and known since junior high. Memories is where you make them, and I had a great time out there. Although, we didn't pull any girls, I still managed to have a good time. By not going out, I've refrained myself from drinking (spending money), eating out afterwards (spending more money), and the other amenities that go along with spending money. And come to think, that I use to be a person that would always go out clubbing, drinking, having a good time. But times are hard and money is hard to come by. I'm lucky to even have two jobs.

I've got the partying out of me, at least for now because a bigger priority is in my range. But as soon as I get my money right, my obligations in check, then I can relax and party every now and then, but until then, au'revoir.

As The Days Go By...

As the days go by, I begin to wonder how time has moved so quickly. I remember like it was yesterday when I was a kid running around with my neighbors. Those were the days, but now we have to think about the future. What I can do to better myself, but more importantly, the future for the up incoming kids. We were once kids where our parents believed and still believe that we are the future. So from one generation to the next, the torch is passed on. To believe in the kids and their future.

I never would have imagined that I would have such a fascination with books. As a child, I would always skim through, and just read the synopsis and ending of the book. Now, I have to start from the beginning and finish till the end. Oh, how much time has evolved.

We live to breathe, we breathe to live. God put me on this earth for a reason. I may not be an accomplished individual yet, but I will be. It's taking some time, but I'll get there.

Sometimes, it takes time to figure out what you really want to do with your life. I figured it out and that I want to become a Biomedical Technician like my mom. She works hard, makes great money, and I want to do something for her. To follow in her footsteps because I can see it in her eyes that she has high hopes for me. And because I want her to be able to retire, and not have to worry about providing for the family because I feel like it's my turn to return the favor. For everything that she has done from the day my parents got divorced. She expressed genuine love and provided me with everything I can imagine. Call me a momma's boy, and honestly, I don't care. I love my mom to death because she was the one that created me; brought me into this earth.

I work hard because that is in my nature. I deserve the best. I deserve to be surrounded with friends and family. And I am thankful for every opportunity I get in this life.

As the days go by...I think about more than just this.

Easier Said Than Done

There's a lot of things I've said in the past that I was hoping to do right now, but there have been a few set backs. First things first, graduating needs to be a number 1 priority, then from there, I can continue to pursue goals of mine. Time is wasting and everything needs to mobilize quicker. Life is short...such a true statement.

It's Decided

After much decision and long time discussions with myself, I have decided to get a tattoo. a half sleeve. It's been a long time coming and the art work is gonna be done by none other than my boy Kristian. We've been good friends for some time now and I've always had an admiration for his work. I requested that he incorporate something Filipino in there, along with something SD related. I embrace my heritage and the city I grew up in. There will never be an SD and another person like me. Less than two months and counting.

6.9 Magnified Earthquake

Wow, according to the Associated Press, no feeling this has been felt in 18 or so years. That was the first real quake I have really felt. At first, I thought my little daschund was moving my bed. Then I saw my tv shake and the mirror on my dresser shake, and I knew it was an earthquake. That's something I'll remember for a lifetime.

The Evolution

It's always good to reminisce with good friends that you've known all of your life. But when they talk about the past tense, the things you don't care to hear for, you ponder on a way to get out of it, but you listen anyways. My closest friend, Kristian was talking about my former girlfriend and putting her on a pedestal. And knowing my ex best, she's feeds off of that. And as much as I respect her hustle, I can't feed into her Narcissistic ego. The power of inflation can ruin a person, and the lack of being humble for the opportunities that arise. I've always put myself before others because that's the type of individual I am. Anyways, back on the subject, I never really enjoyed it when my good friend talks about my ex. I've mentioned to him that I've moved out, and yet he still wants to bring it up. My heart misses the old days with her, but the right thing to do is move on.

So when I was speaking with Allan, he seemed to be really well off, although he does to seem to always talking about money, but that's his motivation. To his their own and I can't hate on an individual that's after the paper. And he is another one of my good friends. He told me, and I take this to heart, "6.6 million dollars is where you can live comfortable". And if that's his hustle, his goal, then that shall be mine also. Also had a respect for his hustle.

To be continued...

Good & Bad of Being Sick..

I hate the feeling of being sick: having symptoms of runny nose, congested throat, nasty coughs containing flem.

But the good thing about being sick: you get to miss work or leave work early, and enjoy a beautiful Sunday!

Happy Easter by the way y'all!!

So What's Going On??

Work has been one of my top priorities as of late. There's no way I can make enough time for a girl, and I feel really bad because I feel like there's one waiting for me in the back seat. But I have to let her go for the benefit of the both of us. I can't let her hold me back, and I can't let her just sit there and wait for me.

Anyways, there has been a lot of news about earthquakes all over the globe. The first a devastating one in Haiti, the next in Chile, one that happened here in Julian, another in Turkey, and then another one in Santiago, Chile. When an earthquake happens, there's nothing we can do to prevent it. So we should be prepared for the worst. 2010 is a year of preparation, and the year of the earthquakes.

Off the subject, I've been searching high and low for these shoes and I've finally got them in my arsenal. Breakin necks on the court with my Nike Kobe V Bruce Lee's and gonna be breakin necks with the Jordan True Blue III's. Now, after acquiring these purchases, I will continue to stack paper as high as I can.

Also got a few games for my Playstation 3. Fight Night Round 4 and NBA 2K10. And also got a new controller..finally! So now, everything I wanted is now complete. I don't play my Playstation much, but now I have a reason to with these new games.

But, I'm still going to make time for reading, as it's been one of my passions lately. I know, I know, I'm a book nerd. But reading books help exercise my mind, and I feel that it hasn't been exercised enough. Too much surfing the web could strain your eyes because your eyes are fixated at the computer screen for so long.

"Just do you, and I'll do me."

I never understood it until all the hardships.

Game.. Blouses.

Another great game for Blouses tonight. It was a team contribution and everyone produced great numbers. The highlight of the night was the last play where Coop dunked it. That's right, Coop dunked it! Two hand slam coming off a fast break. I knew when the ball got into his hands that he was going to do something amazing with it. Player of the game tonight was Jose! Doing work out there and even got an and 1. We opened up the game very close, but the fire power was too much for them to handle and pulled away and never looked back. We blew them out by like 20-30 points, somewhere around that area. When I'm on the court, I'm a new person. My aggression, my persona, all changed. When I'm on the court, I'm competitive, scrappy, serious, and free.

We've been playing with 5 players: Myself, Kargas, Coop, Jose & Soyra. The thing about our squad is that we know our positions, and we can play multiple positions if we wanted to. Our strengths overpower our weaknesses, and we don't have too many of those. Playing with only 5 people is kind of tiring, but I'd rather have that knowing that everyone will get the same amount of playing time and not fighting for minutes.

A break down of all the players: Jonathan Kargas is our C. Also he can play SG/SF/PF. He'll play down low, and on the peremiter. Very versatile player. Adam Cooper is our SF/PF, but mainly our PF. Coop is our scrapper, doing the dirty work and grabbing the boards. He's what every team needs. A vital part of our team. Jose Gonzales is our SF/PF. He holds his own. Sharp shooter with the deep ball. Big body down low. The sleeper. And Soyra Hailemariam is our PG/SG, but mainly our PG. He can handle the ball, create for himself, create for others, pretty much anything. His basketball IQ is perfect for our team. Everyone on our team has a pretty advanced basketball IQ. We work hard and more importantly, we work together.

Game.. Blouses

The Beginnning of A New

So if I were your boyfriend, and I helped you get the things you wanted, wouldn't you be doing the same things for me? Money doesn't buy you love, and I should have realized the whole thing years ago. But I didn't care about the money. I cared about her. I made some stupid mistakes, but if you truly loved me, you'd help me instead of leaving me to fend for myself. But I want to thank you for doing that to me because you opened up my eyes to the whole world. I thought of you as my whole world, that's why I did all of those things for you. Buying the things you wanted, supporting all of your decisions to make you happy, surprising you with a painted and full furnished room, a laptop given to you from me that was a birthday present given to me from my mom.

I'm glad that you broke the relationship off because I grew stronger. I know that I shouldn't have been flirting with her, but you didn't help me when you decided to sleep with not 1, but 2 guys. And to see you kissing on another person's neck other than mine, you should be ashamed of what you did to me. You're not the only person that knows how to flirt. But the funny thing was, I was the one that took all of the criticism, and not you. I guess I was afraid of your feisty personality, but this time I had to make a stand for myself. I have been up with too much in my life to be taking this from an ex-girlfriend, and it all started on Christmas Day.

As I woke up on a beautiful sunny Christmas Day, she had the nerve to ask for the Wii back. After everything that I provided for her, she wanted it back. Wouldn't you think that the laptop was more than enough? I guess not. And to add to that, she has a boyfriend. So why not get your boyfriend to buy you a new Wii? And why have you been contacting me? for a few days, I didn't want anything to do with her, so I ignored her texts. Till one day, enough was enough. I told her the truth that I sold the Wii because I didn't want anything to do with her, and honestly, I don't want anything to do with her. And why should I want anything to do with her after she broke up with me, then she found a boyfriend within a month.

Some things like that don't happen regularly. And sorry if I'm still a bit bitter about it, but that made me a stronger person. Gave me a thicker skin, a stronger heart. After I told her that I sold the Wii, she said that she would take me to court and sue me, and that's how I knew that after all of these years, she's still the same snobby, selfish, high maintenance individual. A relationship is supposed to change you, but I guess in her case, it didn't. Anyways, when she texted me that, I simply replied with, "Do what you gotta do." I didn't care, like how I no longer cared for her the way I did before.

She later replied saying that she would sell the laptop I gave to her that was a birthday present given to me from my mother and all the tiffany jewelry I gave to her. That just showed me that she never cared about me, just about the gifts and the money. And she also said, "I hope that I never have to talk to you again." And I agreed with her. I replied simply by saying "likewise". That never felt so damn good to do.

I saw the light out of the darkness I was in, and it's leading me into the right direction.

A new direction of life...The Beginning of A New.