All the Matrix thinking hit me again today. It's so trippy to see random people at random times in random places. You wonder, "Man, if I didn't pass by that one place and get held up over there, then I wouldn't have seen this other person, who was also out of their way." It's not just the small world phenomenon. I'm starting to wonder if certain people pop up in random times during my life for a reason. It makes a little sense doesn't it? Like when you see people you never expect to see again... once... twice... three times?!?!? I dunno. I believe God puts certain people around you for a reason. So why these random people? Mind boggling...

Man, I'm getting lazy again. No class today or yesterday. It's like the summertime! Except I still have to worry about midterms and papers... I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to watch the Matrix Reloaded last night. When my roommate went to go get tickets, she asked specificially for Thursday 11 pm, instead of asking for the first available showing. So instead, I cooked lasagna and watched the first Matrix with my roommates at home. Reloaded is going to rock... I can't say the same about my history grade though. I got a C on the midterm. Boooo. Or my math grade. I just bombed another quiz. I don't think staying up till the sun comes up is having a good effect on my school work, but that just could be a random correlation. No "significant" proof.

After watching the Matrix, I got to thinking about the reality around us, and how much is true. There's a lot of BS out there, but the red pills are hard to swallow. There is some truth to the whole concept of the matrix, if you believe in God. How often do we realize that many of the things people enjoy in this life are just diversions and distractions. If you wake up from that dream, you're in a cold cold world. It's a little unsettling. Unsettling, but necessary. Wake up.

Rage Against the Machine - Wake Up

PUSO elections were today, and though I didn't have a clue of what to run for today, I finally settled on outreach for some reason, despite Cristina's horror stories about the stress and all... maybe not horror stories, but mad stress. I really think outreach is important enough to require three people to manage it. Without it, where the heck would I be? Probably not where I am now. Sometimes you have to show people the opportunities they have before they can realize their potential. I'm excited that I can do things towards that end next year, not exclusive to HSO. Somebody nominated me for director, and although I think I would have brought a lot to the table, there are more deserving people than me in PUSO. After the meeting a bunch of us tried to learn a dance for PUSO beat. Next came the Liwanag meeting. We talked about service and motivation, but some of what the handouts described sounded pretty discouraging, like about how you shouldn't try to minister somewhere if you don't have a certain "gift," but I think the right motivation can be more of a blessing than doing the easiest things that comes to you. It's like Jackie Robinson. Baseball was his 4th best sport, yet that's what he stuck with because that's what he felt best doing. You learn so much in failure that you shouldn't try to avoid it all the time.

I left early again for volleyball IMs against Kaba. We had to win this game to have any chance at the playoffs. Plus, I felt we could beat them, since our team was really coming together. The first game was close, but we took it 25-20. They came back to win the second game, but it was close too. The third game we fell behind early, but we stuck it out and won 15-11. GO PUSO! Man, we rocked out there, at least when we didn't screw up. We played with heart though, because PUSO got heart. Man, I wish more people could have watched. It was a good game.

After working out a little, I met up with those Loggers in the parking lot near Interfaith and we drove each others cars around. Reg stood up in my car through the sunroof and waved like a dork while Beej drove around. After maybe 20 minutes of stick-driving antics, I left them to help my roommate make some food. They left for San Deigo to get some fries. If only I found out an hour earlier... but then again I had some free food at home... ravioli, a roast, corn, and potatoes. Lasagna is coming tomorrow. Unfortunately, my roommate bought tickets for The Matrix Reloaded for us and asked for a Thursday night showing, not thinking to ask for the earliest possible showing. So instead of being one of the lucky people to watch it opening night, we'll be number 11 million or so. Man, I've been waiting forever for the sequel. It's been about 4 years now. I'm sure this year is going to have some dope movies though. I can't wait. So I'll sleep.

It was a slow day today. Class, eat, class, go home, play games, be lazy, miss stuff, vegetate... I was supposed to cut my hair, wash the dishes, do laundry, work out, do physics hw, go to YFC praisefest prep stuff, and cook. What did I do? Not all that...

I watched a documentary on the Bataan Death March with my roommate... it's so sad to know the things that happened so long ago that we don't even acknowledge really... hardly a mention in the textbooks when more than 20,000 died as prisoners of war. War is such an evil thing. Pray for an end to the war. Who do we really need to kill anyway? Why can't we stop trading blood for oil?

Yikes... it's been a long weekend

friday
Early morning math midterm... which nobody seemed to finish. I should have studied more, and sooner, but I seem to have lost my knack for math since high school. After class I won some free stuff from the Ford people promoting the Californopia tour. I actually waited in line to shoot bean bags into a car's sunroof, only to win some cheap plastic glasses. I'm always up for the challenge though... I made my first two shots...
I left the house early to wait in line for the Jurassic 5 concert, but was kind of surprised to see so few people waiting there, only 45 minutes before the thing was supposed to start. People didn't really start showing up in numbers till a few minutes before 6. The tickets didn't even sell out until that day... and they were free! That's some school spirit. We finally got in and when the opening band started up, everyone rushed up on the floor and there were bodies everywhere... like Angie said I felt a little violated. Some guy wanted to pick a fight right next to our little group so Leo and I helped keep them apart. I didn't feel like missing the show because a riot broke out. Some other doods thought it would be hilarious to crawl under everybody and wedge their way to the front. I kind of put my knee into the first guy's ribs... just to let him know I was there. They were all tall too, so when they stood up they just blocked our view. Why were these people at the J5 concert? Why was there some drunk ass girl with her elbow all up in my grill for a good 5 minutes? Why were there so many people in the seats and not on the floor? Why were people moshing? Why was that guy backing me up so closely? Why all the hoochie outfits? Damn, it's a hip-hop show! Whatever though, J5 rocked it. It was tight... tight enough so I had trouble putting my arms down... tight enough so it got humid as a rainforest... it was tight. Everybody groovin to the same beat...
After the concert, I went with my roommate to watch Identity, because my other roommates watched it without us. I thought it was really good, hella creepy and suspenseful. On the way back, we got a little freaked because somehow we ended up missing the 55 south and ended up deep in Irvine down the 5, and when we exited, everything looked a little eerie...

saturday
It was PUSO Hella Fun Day, and somehow I woke up 3 1/2 hours late. The first time I woke up I looked in the mirror and saw red... red eyes... so I went back to bed. I finally got to San Marco park around 2, sad that I missed so much of it. I saw George there... he let me drive around his new 350Z for a little bit. It was great. I joined the Dodger Dogs team with George and Vincent's bro, with some girls. We were getting spanked like 7-3 (playing by 1s and 2s), but then all of a sudden I blew up for 8 points (3 2-pts, 2 1-pts) and we pulled out a victory. I even hit a nice fadeaway... man it was beautiful. Unfortunately, the next game we got worked, and I couldn't hit anything. It was all George. I threw the football around for a bit and kicked the crap out of the soccer ball with Vince, Solomon, and some other guy.
After the 3-pt contest (which I couldn't be a part of... sad...) there was a nice waterfight. The kids there really got into it, so we got them back. And then some. Hey, that's what PUSO does. Reaching out the community... it's all about the kids. We cornered them in the bathroom while they were filling up balloons and hit them with everything. I got some of it on film... one kids tried to fight us off by grabbing a plunger and running at us out of the stall and he almost nailed me with it, but I got away. Crazy kids. I stayed a little while longer to shoot around and left when everything was cleaned up. I worked out afterwards because I've been feeling a little rubbery lately.
I came home, cooked some chicken divan for me and the roomies, then watched The Usual Suspects. Even though I was hella tired, I ended up sleeping really late into...

sunday
So I woke up past noon again, watched San Antonio choke (sucks), then Orange County the movie. It was a lot better than I thought it would be. It reminded me that whatever your situation, it isn't all that different elsewhere... people are going to have similar agendas. I got to church late because I felt like eehhh... I was going to sing for choir and everything too. I worked out again afterwards, wished my mom happy mother's day, played gran turismo, and checked out some new ringtones before I went to bed... too late of course.

It's a new week...