Gaming has been going fairly well as of late. A couple of bumps here and there, but still out on top. I just finished 20 out of 5318. I celebrated by purchasing all of the books written by Nicholas Sparks. I will be doing plenty of reading this summer. I watched Kung Fu Dunk (功夫灌籃), starring Jay Chou (周杰倫) and Charlene Choi (蔡卓妍). There were numerous co-stars, as Hong Kong cinematics love the cameo appearances. This movie was rather horrendous, but as the sucker that I am for Charlene Choi (蔡卓妍), I could not help myself but to enjoy it just a little bit.

See for yourself. Tell me you wouldn't be intrigued to watch just a little bit.

Latest Movie:
Kung Fu Dunk (2008)

Not Too Proud

I am not too proud to say this, but... I went to get the mail today, and found the results of my third and final Praxis tests. I did not pass. I failed rather miserably; although, in the final count, I only missed by 2 points. I guess the evaluators did not find it amusing that I made an argument that the yearning for efficiency and productivity have been the causes of every event in history throughout the history of the United States. I purchased a testing spot for Saturday, June 14th. I am not quite sure how I will review, but I have the US History textbooks out. I will cram in the final two weeks.

[sigh]... I am embarrassed. How does a teacher candidate face interviews when asked, "I see you have failed the pedagogy section of the Praxis. How do you address this?"

How do I answer, "I did not study. I found the question to be rather entertaining. I answered to the best of my abilities, recollecting and falling back on what I know best - economics."

Anyways, in light of my poor mood at the end of this day, I do have this today. I purchased 5 pairs of Jordans to add to the collection:

• Jordan Men's Collezione Countdown Pack 21/2
• Air Jordan Men's Retro IX/XIV Countdown Package
• Air Jordan Men's XV SE Basketball Shoe

Nothing like spoiling myself. Life goes on.

Home Early

Mark and I came back to the states yesterday. Our vacation turned essentially turned out to be a bust. However, I am not complaining. I am sure I will be back to visit Costa Rica sometime soon. Anyhoo, my phone was stolen sometime during the travels from Dulles to El Salvador to Nicaragua to Costa Rica... So, I will be getting a new one today. Plenty of things to do today, so let us get to it. Time to get to work.

Tuesday, May 27^th, 2008

It has been a very Tuesday up to this point. Moreover, the Internet has not been working at all either. Talk about a trip of making realizations. I have come to see just how much I depend on technology in my life. I have been and am rather irritated that I have not been able to use the Internet at all today. For some reason, this lady sitting next to me in the restaurant has suddenly been able to use the Internet. She has a MacBook, and I do not. Could this be a coincidence? Who knows? All I know is that I am out of the loop, and am rather frustrated by this. I have read many trip reports where people say that it is great to get away from the cell phones and emails. Is it because I have been so fortunate, in that my life is one big getaway that I do not feel like I need such a retreat?

I am rather bummed. Being at the beach, and having this super rainy day, there really is not much to do in Playa Tamarindo. Needless to say, I am bored. I feel so idle, I feel the need to go out and do something. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah.

Earlier today, when the rain was not as hard, IPayForPleasure and I walked the muddy main street of Tamarindo and came across this small café. I had a fruit smoothie and a chicken salad sandwich. We chilled there for a while, where I got my hands on the only source of media I have had all day – US Weekly magazine. Actually, I take it back; we do have a television with satellite in the room. But, with no remote control and not being a fan of television, again I find myself just bored. Complain, Complain, Complain. I know, I know, it is not right of me, considering there are those out there being drowned by overflowing lakes, crazy tornados, and tumultuous aftershocks.

Amidst the complaining and unfortunate occurrences of late, I am still on my vacation, a vacation that I feel like I have deserved after an intense 1-year of nothing but studying. Oh wait, once again, that is a lie as I took a vacation when I went to Taiwan and Thailand. Spoiled? Yes, but of course. Anyways, back to my point… I am on vacation, and I would love for things to just go as when people go on vacation – Do What We Want. I have found that I am rather restricted in being able to do so because of several reasons. I am just blabbering right now; as there is just not much more I can do at the moment. I could take a nap. In fact, I may just do so. It would be nice to have Internet right now. HA.

I can safely say that nothing intelligent has come out of my writing in this entry. Not that there ever has been, of course. I understand that I am not the most sociable of cats. I do not feel comfortable to just talk to strangers, as the locals seemingly are capable of doing. That just is not me. But, I can see how this would be a skill that I desperately need to work on. I shall keep that in mind and try to take baby steps in making this happen.

Okay, so what do I think of Costa Rica thus far? Well, for the capital, San Jose, there really is not that much to say. Sure, the people are friendly, and Costa Ricans are beautiful, in general. But, the downtown area itself is just so run down. There is no historic area; nothing much connects the modern day to its old European roots. While there are some street signs, there really are no road names, so to speak. Infrastructure could easily be improved.

Sidenote: For those who are planning on traveling to Costa Rica, do not exchange funds in the airport. You can easily pay for many things in USD. You will lose at least 10% in purchasing value, should you choose to panic and exchange money at the airport kiosks.

The infrastructure problem is also prevalent in Playa Tamarindo. Flying into Tamarindo, we landed on a gravel runway in a 2-propeller airplane. Remember those old CIA/Special Forces movies where the druglords land on a strip of airfield (if you could call it that)? Well, that is Tamarindo. The restaurant we ate at last night, DragonFly, was fantastic. The service was great and the food was rather amazing. The waitresses spoke impeccable English and were super friendly. However, the remainder of the town and its people seem to be average at best. Mark made a comment yesterday of how Tamarindo is just a touristy Costa Mesa. For those that do not know where Costa Mesa is, they are a “wannabe” Orange County town. While they are officially in the O.C., it does not compare to our former residence of Newport Beach. [Elitism at its best in the tone of my writing there]

I am a bit irritated. This trip did not get on its best footing as my cell phone was stolen, somewhere between Dulles, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The only positive was that I was smart enough to switch to the scrub phone. However, I was an idiot for putting it in that one particular pocket. I would rate Costa Rica as just a C, and I would not spend more than a weekend trip here. One week is too long for my tastes in this town. Do not get me wrong though, the beaches at Tamarindo, while the waves are still small, they are more beautiful than those of Puerto Rico. People here, in general, have been more welcoming than those of Puerto Rico, as well.

Looking back at all of my travels thus far, not including the motherland, I can safely say that I would rank Bangkok, Thailand as one of the top spots to get away. The combination of historical value and the warmth of all of the people permit me to hold this town with such high esteem. For those looking to go to Asia, make sure to add the old town of Siam to your travel plans. Of course, many will stress to going to the large metropolitan towns of Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei. But, do not overlook Bangkok. I would love to go back to Thailand; I have yet to go to the beach town of Pattaya yet. I think I will add that town to my list, as well as Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Singapore. I think I can make these happen either later this summer or during winter break, we shall see. We are all trying to plan a brofest to go to Buenos Aires later this summer as well. We shall see how all of those things go. I need to get a job in the school system first, buy a house second, and then go from there. Lots of things to get done, and I do not have the time or the “effort” to sit here idle without technology. Moan and groan, I will always take cheese with the wine.

Costa Rica Trip Report

Saturday, May 24^th, 2008

Last night, I placed 23^rd out of 480+ in the 35k guarantee. Once again, I lost focus and donked off a crucial hand, which left me crippled. I did not get to bed until late, and woke up at 5ish to take a shower, in preparations for our flight to Costa Rica. After 12 hours of traveling, and several stops (Dulles, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica), we finally arrived in the rainy capital of San Jose. Mark (aka IpayForPleasure) and I checked in at Hotel Alta, an exquisite lodging on the hills, overlooking the downtown area. We did not do much, as it was already late when we got into town, and with a full day’s worth of traveling, we could only muster enough energy to eat at La Luz (hotel dining) and one drink.

Sunday, May 25^th, 2008

With the two-hour time difference, I woke up several times in the early morning; the sun was not even out. After having our complimentary breakfast downstairs at La Luz, we began our quest in slaying downtown San Jose on the holy day. There are not many street signs in Costa Rica; locals use reference points in gauging their directions – i.e. 3 blocks east of the KFC, etc. It took us about 30 minutes to get from our hotel to downtown San Jose. The drive, in of itself, was very interesting because Costa Ricans take aggression to another level. Mind you, they are nowhere near the aggressiveness of the cabbies back in the motherland, but nonetheless, the manner in which they maneuver is unseen back in the States. IpayForPleasure and I had lunch at Tin Jo, supposedly ranked the top Asian restaurants in San Jose. I know what you are all thinking: “O2, you have got to be crazy for flying to another continent to eat Chinese food.”

To that, I reply, “I do what I want to feel comfortable, SON.”

I tilted a bit today, and did not perform well at all. The tournies and the C-games crushed me a bit, as I ended the evening down 4-buys. Doh well, I am on vacation, I am not too worried. I am unsure if we will have Internet access starting tomorrow, when we head to Playa Tamarindo.

Monday, May 26^th, 2008

Last night, following the negative tilt session and a SKYPE call to my cousin, I began to read a book that I had brought with me on this trip. Several weeks ago, probably the second to last week of my internship in the high school rotation, one of my students was reading a book in class. As I was not teaching anymore at that junction, I started to ask her about the book she was reading. My stationed desk was right next to hers in the back of the room, so she was able to tell me all about the book without disrupting the entire class. Immediately, at the very instant, I turned on the Verizon Wireless card, and purchased the book off of Half.com.

What was the book?
Dear John is written by Nicholas Sparks.

I am not one that takes particular interest in the stereotypical “chick-flick” or romantic novels of any kind. I have learned from a Chinese upbringing (specifically, entertainment influence), that all things must come to an end; consequently, there is no such thing as a happy ending (i.e. The movie, Tears from Heaven starring Andy Lau comes to mind – where he gets popped in the face with a gasoline canister, and his bride runs barefoot in her wedding gown in search of him, while he gets rocked even more).

Anyways, I wanted to share this book with all of you, as it was an exceptional read. I essentially finished the book in one sitting. There were its UPs, there were its DOWNs, but in the end, it was a very well written story. During my entire 1-year Masters of Arts in Teaching program this past year, it was stressed that teachers must find someway to connect the curriculum to the students – in order to effectively/efficiently learn/teach, students need to be able to personalize the material. To some degree, I agree with some of this – if people needed to be coddled all of the time to learn, my parents’ generation and the entire Asian population would be illiterate and unable to do so, which of course, they are not. But, back to my point… I was able to personalize this book: As I was reading, I reflected and recalled the very last time that I felt the way the main character felt, and I began to realize some things. While I respect females (family, friends, elders, etc), I have complete lost respect for the ideal of a relationship. I can pinpoint the exact spot in which my heart turned cold and frozen, where I turned the tide in not believing in Cinderella stories and fully immersed the mongering ways of undeniable capitalism. This realization saddened my a bit: Have I truly turned into a faithless monster? Has the disbelief in relationships caused me to become a hopeless, chauvinistic bigot?

Looking back to those last years of high school, while I am sure that individual is a great person now, it was not as much her that I was infatuated with, but I delved deep into the concept of the bond. It was great times, and I could not let go. I have never been with GoodByes. Needless to say, it could have ended better, and it should have. I guess my lack of maturity made me turn to the complete opposite, where I have completely lost all confidence in fairytale beginnings, process, and endings. I have become a cold-hearted tyrant. Is it time for me to transition out of this stage of my life, into another phase? We shall see, as one as once told me, only time will tell.

Again, this was a very good book. I was listening to Jay throughout the entire read, and another thought came to mind – Nicholas Sparks was not the first to come up with the storyline. While I will not spoil the book for anyone, I will just say that several of Jay’s music videos depict this particular plot. Good times.

Okay, around noontime today, IpayForPleasure and I flew in a 2-propeller plane from San Jose to Tamarindo. We made a stop in between – there were a total of 7 people on the plane (including the pilots). This was the first time I was on such a small plane, and the ride itself was an incredible adventure. Costa Rica is currently experiencing its rainy season right now. During the day, there are times when dark clouds blanket the entire horizon. I had no idea how the pilots flew through with any visibility whatsoever, but I am here safely in Playa Tamarindo.

We checked into Hotel PasaTiempo, got settled, and went straight to the beach. We did not bring any towels, so I did not hop into the water. However, we did lie on the beach for a while; I am trying to tan up the farmer’s blank spot left from the wristband. Afterwards, we came back to the room, cleaned up and got ready for dinner. IpayForPleasure and I did a little research, and decided on a quaint Mom and Pops place called DragonFly, which is probably 150 meters from our place. The food and atmosphere here is absolutely amazing. I got Tuna/Sashimi appetizer and raw Tuna for main entrée as well. Apparently, the food is super fresh, as I am still feeling sharp.

We are staying in Tamarindo until Friday. The Internet access here is weaker than that when we were in San Jose, I do not know how that is possible, but I will try to do my best to make these posts. I will be spending plenty of time at the beaches, so that I can work on this tanning nonsense.

Here is to raking in huge pots and wishing wonderful success to all! Congratulations and Good Luck to all of the seniors that I had the chance to teach at Hammond.

Flashback

I did not game yesterday. In fact, yesterday was truly a couch potato day. I did not do anything. In fact, I fell asleep on the couch yesterday in the third inning of the Orioles/Yankees game. I woke up in the eighth inning, turned off the system, and went upstairs to go to bed. I think I can enjoy days like this. Oh wait, I already did that when I lived in Newport Beach. Anyhoo... I am just making sure I get well-rested for my upcoming vacation to Costa Rica. Funny how vacations work - you have to rest before you go, supposedly rest during the vacation, and definitely need a vacation after a vacation to recuperate.

I had a weird nightmare last night. This makes for a second weird dream in a row. Anyways, I woke up to an even weirder flashback this morning. When I first started my high school internship rotation, one of the first questions some of the female students asked me was, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

This question definitely caught me off-guard in that one class period. I did not know how to answer them, so I answered them with something like, "If I said 'no', then you guys would think I am a cowardly prude. If I said I had many, then you would think I am a sleazy degenerate. Therefore, let's not worry about it."

Looking back, I have no idea why I answered in that fashion. In fact, that may have made things super murky. Out of the three sections of that class, I do not think I was able to fully grab a-hold of that particular section. Whatever it may be, that flashback got me thinking about something... A couple of years ago, I made an entry about my preferences for a potential wife, as I was joking around about my annual summer trips to the motherland. I made references to young, mature, and more than 1. Well, let's fast-forward to today... Have my views on women, in terms of how I admire them, changed at all? Let's have a look-see:

First, we have the "kyutie" (cute) girls. These are girls that abuse their portrayal of naive innocence. Celebrity examples of this could include Cyndi Wang, Rainie Yang, and Jang Nara:

Second, we have the so-called "Swirlies". I do not remember how long ago I came up with this term, but this slang refers to those that are mixed. Personally, girls that are mixed, we need to tack on some additional brownie points, relative to everybody else. Picture below are Anya Wu and Maggie Q, both are of the infamous Naked Weapon fame.

Third, let us take a look at the models. This type of girl has unimaginable physical features. Just based on looks, there are not many that can compare: no swirlies or kyuties are able to match. Petra Nemcova and Charlize Theron are healthy representatives of this category:

Next, we all have seen the type of girls that may not be the "looker", in the physical sense. However, their talents are out of this world. They may play the piano, they may be able to sing, they may be able to create life-changing art. Penny Dai and Stefanie Sun are classics of this:

Fifth, we've got those that are just classy. Their sweet elegance illuminates a dark, pessimistic room like no other. These are the girls that people just go, "WOW". Sammi Cheng, Kelly Chen, Gigi Leung, and Kim Hee Sun exemplify such characteristic.

We cannot forget about the girls from the motherland. As women in the Far East have become more westernized, there is a special synergy between the two cultures. Vivian Hsu and Hebe are two examples of this:

Lastly, let's talk about Twins. There are two meanings to this category. First, let us use the literal sense - twins (lower-case) are cool. I do not think anybody can refute that. Second, let us use the word in its celebrity connotation. Twins (Charlene and Gillian) are not the best of actors or singers; yet, I enjoy their work. I do not know them, but I love to listen to their songs and watch their B movies. The realization strikes us when we are able to see that our best fit may not be a celebrity, she may not be a 5-star swirlie, or be extremely talented. She is our best fit - at times, she serves as the crutch to help us up from our fallacies and makes us stronger, she may have ditches that we need to fill, etc... Whatever it may be, she is our "it".

Needless to say, females are a-plenty, and I am here to sow my royal oats. Until I am finished, I will not cheat my 'twin' out of my wholeheartedness of purity. Let me stop here, before we all yack together. Good day, mates.

Hot Streak

I have been in the middle of a very productive vegetative state (oxymoron) as of late. I definitely miss the students, I miss the high school rotation tons. I wish nothing but the best for the graduating seniors.

I have been running extremely hot as of late. Today, I cashed in two tournies:
In the 40 guarantee, I placed 17th out of 335 for 376.88 and finished 3rd out of 285 in the 15 guarantee for 1800. I should have played better in the 40, but donked off two important hands that left me crippled in the later stages. The cash games have been going extremely well for me, as I have just been slammed by the deck. Since last Friday, I am up over 2k, putting in roughly 15k hands at 0.5/1 NL 6max. Things have been looking good in this department; hopefully, all continues to go well.

Mark and I are headed to Costa Rica to continue our quest in hitting up all of the Baskin Robbins in the world. Well, at least I am... We leave on Saturday, 5/24, and do not return until Saturday, 5/31. If you want a postcard, email me your home addy. Until then, I hope decks "David Copperfield" all of you in the face.

Latest Views:
Hairspray (2007)
Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005)
Borat (2006)
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj (2006)

officially finished.

Yesterday was the official last day of my 1-year Masters of Arts in Teaching. I have not slept much this past week because my final portfolio review was on Thursday afternoon. On Tuesday night, I slept four hours and on Wednesday night, I slept for 45 minutes. Needless to say, not only is my sleeping flow all messed up, but I have been super tired as of late. But, most importantly, I passed my portfolio review, I passed with flying colors.

Looking at the statcounter, I have come to notice that several of my students have obtained access to my blog. So, hello students. As you see below, and previous entries, I was straightforward when I said that I loved the high school transition. In fact, everybody can look below and see just how great my students are... Those cookies were fantastic.

So here it is, after dragging my feet across the finish line this past semester, I have finally obtained my graduate degree. Now, it is time to obtain that job with this degree.

What are my options?
1. I would love to teach and coach. As far as I know, I will continue to coach, so we just need to pick up the teaching part.
2. Take a year off. Apply for substitute teaching positions in Howard County. Study for GREs and/or GMATs.
3. Take a year off. Chill.

I am sure there are many more options. But those are the three that I am strongly considering at this moment.

Latest Views:
The Unit: Season 3 (2007)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)

GAME IT

I haven't gamed like this in a long while, today felt good to sit down and focus. I played in the 9:30 50-50 on Tilt. Out of 980 heads, I finished 17 for 350. The 10s ran into some royal kingship. Brutal on me.

last game of the season

These are pictures from last Friday, after we defeated Wilde Lake, 16-6. Look at the faces:

Balla.

Latest Movie:
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (2007)

13-5

The season ended this past Friday. We bounced back from the 3-game skid by winning our last two games in convincing fashion. On Thursday, we defeated Glenelg, 8-2, and we beat Wilde Lake 16-6 in 5 innings on Friday. The season sure passes by quickly. Now, I've got two more weeks until graduation.

I am looking at houses this weekend. We shall see if I come away with anything good.

5/24 - 5/31: Costa Rica.

"Loneliness is much better when you have got someone to share it with"
~ The Station Agent

Latest Movies:
The Station Agent (2003)
Hairspray (2007)
Sex and the Beauties (2004)