I feel out of place here in So Cal. Geographically. For most people, So Cal has some nice weather. Here I am complaining about the heat... and I live about 5-10 minutes from the ocean. I was watching the weather report and the weather guy said the high in santa ana was in the mid 80s. Man, it felt like 95 to me. Out near Chino Hills, it was pretty much in the hundreds. I don't know how I survived for 9 years in that kind of heat. I'm the type to blast the AC in the car in the winter. In the rain. In a T-shirt and shorts. Now, I just drive with the windows down though... it feels better. I wonder what it would be like out in Chicago or on the east coast. If it weren't for the hot summers there without that wonderful coastal breeze, I think I'd love to live there. After enjoying the coastal weather for 4 years now, I don't think I can stay away for too long. I like the weather up in the bay though. It always seems a lot cooler up there. Sun Jego's not bad, but things are so spread out there. It seem like you have to drive 10 miles just to get out of the neighborhoods.

Yesterday was too hot for me. I just lounged around the house half-comatose until about 6, when I finally decided to eat something and then head out to CDM for Gerald and Chris's bonfire thing. I wanted to be there around 6 so we could get some volleyball games going, but I lagged... and lagged... and got there around 7:30. Traffic wasn't bad, but somehow all the cars seemed to converge down in the parking lot. I drove around for 10 minutes looking for a decent spot and saw Gerald and Jacki so I walked down with them. I was ready with the volleyball, so I grabbed the first open court I saw and held it until we could round some people up. Ten minutes later, a Korean family and a Vietnamese family came over and I found myself playing pickup volleyball with the Vietnamese family... or was it the Korean family? I actually thought they were all Chinese until they said otherwise... I think I'm getting a lot better overall. It was fun playing with those guys. The dad who looked like Jackie Chan with no shirt, a pot belly, and the backwards hat... the kid on the other team that was kinda ghetto, kinda fob... the baby playing with the other volleyball in the middle of our side... I played for maybe an hour plus, until we couldn't see the ball anymore. I got lots of serve practice. I think I served 15 straight times until the other team got a side out. I don't know what position I play best, because I love to dig, but I love to play up to the net too. They were pretty decent too, so we had a couple of good rally where people were diving all over the place... my foot got stepped on by some guy on the other team... laughing it up with the Jackie Chan-looking dad...

I joined up with everyone at the bonfire after sunset and we chilled and played games, even though half of them didn't want to play. Suckas. Whatever. You have to stop worrying about being embarassed to have a good time in certain situations. The fireworks started around 9 and we had a decent view from behind the big rock and way down in Laguna. Then we karate kicked and hacked apart a pallet to throw on the fire. If they had more pallets and some sodas, we could have made some nice fireworks. If the police weren't watching, of course. Four of us crammed into Gerald's Integ for a ride up to our cars, and I met up with them at their pad to chill for a bit and play some Halo. It was fun, though it didn't really feel like July 4th. Oh well.

I guess you could call this the summer of CDM. Corona Del Mar.

Lauren had a co-worker get together (Benson, Zeeba, Phil, and Jake)planned today for Newport Beach, but somehow we ended up at CDM. That makes 5 trips there in 3 weeks. Plus maybe one tomorrow and more after that... after grabbing some food (although I actually brought some of the chicken divan I cooked last night) we rolled over the ocean around 1 pm. The sand was scorching hot and there were mobs of people everywhere. From the top you had to look carefully to see any open sand. We started out with some volleyball in the water and rattled off a string of 11 hits. It only took 30 minutes. Actually, anyone watching must have thought we were pretty pitiful. We got out of the water only to go back in again a few minutes later and try our luck with the volleyball. No such luck.

Next we borrowed some people's volleyball net and "played" some volleyball. What ensued was a serving competition, because every 3 out of 4 serves didn't even end up as a rally. At one point each team had more than 8 straight points on serve. Sad. I think my IM volleyball experience helped us pull through in three games. Haha suckas! Jk.

Back to the water for a cooldown. And then back to the hot sand. The waves started to look very enticing, so Benson and I grabbed the boards from back in the car and we went crazy in the 3-5 foot breakers. You could never really get a rythym going though because there might be one nice wave every 5 minutes or 4 in a row. I actually learned how to steer too. That's pretty basic too. I guess it's alright since I'm a non-swimmer anyway. We rested for a while then went back in for some more action. Nice waves and lots of people in the water. The water kept getting colder though, and we started to get torn up by the waves. I did a little sommersault half in the air and half in the water on one wave. We went and chilled for a while on the slightly cooler (but still hot) sand when Lauren's coworkers left.

Our roommate Debbie met up with us and Lauren and I went back again for some more waves. Man, the water was hella cold that time. It was great being in the water for so long. The colder it got though, the less I felt like being pounded by thousands of gallons of seawater (and whale semen... gross haha). We finished off our tans and I saw Charlene's birthday gathering starting up, so I helped them make iced tea. That girl came prepared. We threw around the football for a while (Charlene's got an arm) and some guys wanted a game. Turns out they were old UCI grads. Somehow I ended up QB. We actually did pretty well and I threw 2 touchdown passes. Not bad for never being QB.

We grabbed some burgers and I went around saying what's up to everyone. That girl knows a lot of people... I finally stopped by the UV crowd and we played some weird games. The first game consisted of calling people over, having them do a truth or dare, and then adding them to the circle. We actually got quite a few people to listen to us. It was great. Then we played five fingers, but with dares instead of truths. Thankfully, I never got out. They thought up some crazy dares... ice down the pants... flashing Charlene... spanking Charlene... crazy kids.

The police started kicking us off the beach soon afterward and we headed over to Kaywan's house (man, what a dope house) for the afterparty. I got there first because I felt like gunning it a little through Irvine. At first everything was chill and I played some chess with Ryan. Things started getting a little crazy past midnight and people kept coming in. People started getting pretty wasted, so I chilled on the couch, watched some chess, and talked to people. At one point I was talking to my brother (not on his phone, and wasn't even on my own phone). I played some more chess and took over a losing game and actually won. Of course, it took plenty of mistakes from Charlene's sister. Once people started getting really loud, I said my peace outs. Crazy long day.

Randomness:
I've been awake since 9 am. Wow. I'm still not that tired.
My adidas slippers (actually my dad's, but I took them) are finally falling apart after six years. Sucks.
There's a big difference between a miscommunication and a lack of communication.
If you're not going to regret not doing something, why do it?
It can be really weird how you're introduced to someone who you see all the time around school, but never really meet.
You don't need much to have a good time... and certain things will not necessarily mean you'll have a better time.
I love to drive. Once in a while, I end up driving by myself when I don't want to. I hate that.
I believe happiness is a side-effect of doing the things you feel are appropriate at the time. I don't think you can find happiness. You experience it.
Blogging is not for everyone. It offers a chance for introspection and reflection. If it's mainly written for other people to read, it's far more difficult to keep up.
Cold showers can be just as relaxing as hot showers. Afterwards at least.
Knowing the streets in your area and how they connect makes driving much easier.
There are few things better than a good conversation.
Underinflated volleyball hurt.
Drifting in the middle of the water on a bodyboard is a nice place to chill and talk.
Give props where props are due.
Peace.

I hate moving. I really hate moving. I wish it wasn't so much of a hassle to find a cheap place to live with cool roommates and in the area you like. Damn Orange County and IAC for it's price gouging. As of now, I have no idea what I'm going to do for next year. All I know is that it's probably going to be expensive. I could have paid off off my credit card debt and had some money saved up if I worked last summer. Damn this economy. It feels like the sky is falling around me. I don't know if I'm going to double major or not, whether or not I can afford to live where I want to, or even if I can find a decent paying job. I believe things are for the best though. I'm really being tested right now. Be patient Jay. Things are good right now. You can eat, you can be with your friends, you have so much freedom with your time right now. Take advantage of that. There is far more to life than survival. You can't reach any higher if you don't go out on a limb once in a while. Doors do not close without others opening.

Somebody need a roommate?

I started digging into my download folder. Man, I've been missing out. I found some good stuff. Good hip hop. Real hip hop. The kind that gets in your veins. I think people need to turn off the radio for a while and start digging... they don't even have to dig far. It's too bad I can't just download forever, because I'd never be able to listen to all the songs I get. Finding good music is just like opening a door into a long hallway... you just want to open all the other doors, even though you might feel like stopping to listen for a while. Rock rock rock on.

Pharcyde - Soul Flower (and the Soul Flower remix)

I just realized it's July 1st. That means half the calendar year has passed already. I remember when my dad would take our (my sisters', brother's and my) height and weight and record it somewhere. I don't remember when we stopped doing it... possibly when my eldest sister left for college. I think I stopped growing around then, but I'm still getting heavier. I don't think I can gain much more weight now. Maybe 170 at the most. My driver's license still lists me as 5' 3" and 115 lbs. even though I told the freakin DMV lady that I was about 5' 8". That makes me feel old. At least my friends still make me feel young. I'm ready for another road trip. For as long as I don't have a job, I need to do something. Something to remind me I'm not so old. Something that helps me grow.

The moment you stop growing is the exact point at which you start dying. At least on the inside.

I wish I had someone to talk to on the phone right now. I remember being up north this past weekend with some of PUSO board and everyone had somebody to talk to at one point or another. I used to sit in the dark in my kitchen at home (so my parents wouldn't wake up and see lights on downstairs) on the counter talking about whatever. Damn I miss those random conversations, the ones when you don't really have much to talk about but you're never short on things to say. You could open up a window to feel the breeze and listen to the crickets. I remember somebody said something to the extent of people would call each other for no reason a lot more often before cell phones, but now people expect you to have something to talk about if you call them on their cell phones. I think there's a lot of truth to this, especially when you have to think about how many minutes you have left. Whatever. It could be I'm just being nostalgic.

I was just thinking about how music can such a unifying thing. It's almost as if liking the same song or same music can identify you as a person, not just that you share the same interests, but sometimes to the extent that your on the same wavelength... that you have an understanding. I'm feelin that. You're feelin that. Moving to the same beat... feeling the same vocals... thinking about the same words.

This is crazy stuff: sword guy

The world can be a scuurry place. Rattlesnakes, blown tires, psycho guys with swords... I wonder what things would be like if I didn't believe in a loving God. Mad scary.

At the end of every journey is........

an end.

Through all the interesting things that went on this weekend, 7 am Saturday to 4 am Monday, I know that in any journey, how you get to your destination can be more important than your destination itself. This is especially true for a roadtrip.

1 house break-in
1 bucket and 1 laundry basket too many
1 "balky" bag
4 alerto's breakfast burritos
1 ripped blue tarp
20 minutes in the "no minorities" section at McDonalds
1 blown tire
too many rattlesnakes
1 jug of water
5 cameras
3 oranges
3 new tires
21 questions
1 missed freeway
2 offroad u-turns
3 pickup lines
too many questions
1 door left ajar
not enough sleep
2 BART trains
5 hats, 1 visor, and 1 pair of shoes
1 missed trolley
1 MUNI ride
1 bus ride
1 expensive lunch (avoided)
5 bread bowls
too many quarters jammed in the self-cleaning restrooms
2 apple pies purchased from McDonalds for one restroom token
15 minutes spent waiting for some kid using the restroom
4 more BART trains
1 last picture taking session
1 missed In-And-Out exit
1 "missed turn-around"
1 refillable medium drink
1 Philly cheesesteak without cheese combo
1000 miles
45 hours

Now home. I'm already bored.