Dreaming in color and Living in black & white

I think that at some point (or several points) in everyone's lives, we all wish we could be someone else. The grass is greener on the other side, right? But I'm sure everyone finds that once they get to the other side, it's not all it's cracked out to be. There may be pros to living a different life but there are cons as well. But no one ever thinks about that, I think... myself included. Instead of thinking that it's always chocolates and roses for someone else, we should focus on what chocolates and roses we have in our own lives.

Oftentimes, I think about what my life would be like if I made different decisions. Would it be for the better or for the worse? There are a lot of positives in my life right now but there are also a lot of negatives. It all boils down to which one I think one outweighs the other.

It's a unique concept to consider - dreaming in color and living in black and white. When we dream about our lives, the future, and what we can accomplish, we feel empowered and we're ready to forge ahead full speed. But as soon as we stumble across an obstacle, like a rippling brook with no stepping stones, we stop still in our tracks, plop down on the side of the riverbank and whine about how it's impossible to get across.

Figuratively, when I daydream about my life's potential, I dream about clouds in shapes of ice cream castles and of rainbows with colors that don't exist. I dream about the impossible and for a split second, I feel that it IS possible.

It's really up to ourselves to stop thinking about what our lives would be like if we were someone else or if we took a different path. Our lives is what it is. We cannot change the past but we still have a chance at the future. I know - easier said than done, right?

One of the things in life that really bothers me is when someone wishes he was someone else, preferably a famous person. Sometimes, if I'm in the mood, I'd ask them why. Most often, I hear these reasons: money, fame, fun. Life's easier for them. They don't have to struggle with money, they seem to always have friends around them and there's always something to do. That may be very well true on the surface but inside their private lives, how happy are they? If you watch E! and other interview-type shows, you'll see that they expose just how unhappy the rich & famous were. Many of them struggled with loneliness, even when they were standing in the middle of a crowded room. Many of them suffered from drug and alcohol addictions along with many other unthinkable horrors.

Do you really want to be like them? I sure hope not. Accept your life for what it is and if you're not happy - do your damnest to change it.

MY Bucket List...

Here's another movie I watched recently - The Bucket List. I watched this a couple weeks ago with a male friend and even HE shed a tear or two at the end. This is an amazing movie. It's not a gushingly fantastic movie that's just awesome in every way possible... and maybe it's not a blockbuster like Iron Man or the upcoming Batman, and it definitely doesn't have any out-of-this-world stunts and special effects but this movie is amazing in a really quiet way. It really makes you think.

Summarily, it's about two old guys who basically get the death sentence. They have months to live so they decide to do everything they ever wanted to accomplish before they "kicked the bucket." I've thought about this for a couple weeks and am ready to post my own Bucket List. Of course, this list would probably need to be updated a million times because I'm not planning on croaking anytime soon. Knock on wood.

The items on this list aren't listed in the order of importance. It's just all random and everything that I can think of so far. You might find some of these things silly and laugh or think I won't be able to accomplish it but hey, at least I made an honest list.

1. See real reindeers
2. Visit Egypt and see a real mummy
3. Learn to snow ski
4. Visit Antarctica
5. Recognize all the constellations in the sky
6. See another planet with my own eyes
7. Make someone's life worth living
8. Laugh until I pee (I'd say laugh until I cry but I've already done that)
9. Find complete happiness
10. Live my life to the fullest
11. Skydive at least a couple more times
12. Watch a sunrise over a lake/mountain
13. See a shooting star (I ALWAYS miss it!)
14. Learn to water ski
15. See Ireland
16. Write a book
17. Contribute to the Deaf society somehow
18. Go on a cruise
19. See the world (which is redundant since I've already listed Egypt, Antarctica and Ireland)
20. See all the classic movies recognized as the best in Hollywood
21. Try everything, anything at least once (this should be my mantra)
22. Be adventurous and spontaneous
23. Go to law school
24. Put someone's needs before my own
25. Find my purpose in life
26. Own a husky
27. Swim with the dolphins
28. Bungee jump
29. Go scuba diving
30. Swim with the sharks (not in a cage and no, not with the huge dangerous ones)
31. Learn to surf

That's it so far... but like I said, I'd probably have to go back and revise it often as I come up with new things. Here's a challenge for you: Write your own bucket list and keep it around. Maybe it's just the little encouragement that you and I need to live our lives to the fullest.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift." - Kung Fu Panda

Weekend Fun

I didn't make it back the next day like I thought but oh well. What am I going to do about it? I had a pretty interesting 4th. I spent the day swimming in luxury. Let's just say I could have sworn I was in Florida. Details not important here - just that I had a nice time. My friends and I headed back over to that house the very next day for some more fun in the sun....until UFC came on. Sure, that was fun for the guys at the party but how lame is watching two guys beat each other to a pulp? If they're that sadistic/masochistic on pay-per-view, I wonder what they're like in bed. Scary.

To top it all off, I watched another movie: Sweeney Todd. I really liked that movie! Maybe I'm just weird but I was just so fascinated by the whole concept, the wardrobe, and the cinematography. The movie's really sad too. I would recommend anybody who hasn't seen it to go out and rent it.

Earlier today, something occurred to me. As much fun as I'm having this summer so far, I think I can literally feel my brain cells disappearing. If it's possible at all, I feel like I'm dumber (save your wisecracks, J). There's just something about summer that makes everybody's brains turn into mush. Yeah - I think it's the sun, it's too close to our heads.

I don't think I've had a decent fulfilling conversation with anybody about anything lately. We've all just been talking about nothing. Mindless, carefree conversations that really don't mean anything but just to bond and pass the time. God knows I went through enough of that the past weekend. I can only remember 3 different sets of conversations (in different variations) throughout the entire weekend: sex (when you put together a lot of tipsy males around a couple of females, that's all you'll ever hear. I think I've heard enough comments to last me a lifetime), sports and gossiping about others.

How is it possible to go through an entire weekend talking to people but not really coming away from it with anything at all? Fun and games is alright for a while, but eventually - there's just gotta be some substance in the conversations if you want to stay sane and feel intellectually stimulated. I know I'm craving for it.

Intellectually stimulate me... please!

Confessions of a summer addict

Confession #1:
Please forgive me for I have cyber-sinned. It has been 29 days since my last blog. What can I say? I've been busy. I've been enjoying my summer, it's actually turning out to be a very entertaining one. My days have been nicely balanced to the point where I'm absolutely lazy on some days and fairly active on other days. Of course, my definition of "active" is getting out of the apartment for a couple hours a day. I have to admit - I think I've been a lot more lazy than I have been active. What have I been doing? Mostly, I've been sleeping in, watching movies and seeing friends. I work and do homework on the side. Obviously, it's not a huge priority for me. In the summer, I don't think it's anyone's priority.

There's just something about summer that makes me feel different. Maybe it's the trickle of sweat dripping down my neck. Gotta love Texas in the summer. If you can't make it in the heat in the south, you can't make it anywhere else - that's for sure. Whenever summer rolls around, I get itchy. There's places to go, people to see, things to do. I've done my share of seeing and doing this summer mixed in with a whole lot of nothing - the best kind of nothing.

I have another confession to make. I'm a fun-loving addict. If I had the money and no responsibility to work and school, I'd be out of here exploring the world right now. I'd be trekking in the Andes, swimming with the sharks and sleeping in the Amazon. Well, maybe not. But you get the idea. Summertime just brings out the best in me, I guess. I get adventurous. I want to do this and that. I guess it's up to me to make it happen.

Let's play a little word association game here. When I think summer - I think beaches. I think swimming. I think of beautiful paradise islands with the water so clear, you'd see yellow puddles whenever you peed. Yes - the water's THAT clear. I've fallen in love with these two pictures that you see here. In a nutshell, they describe what I think summer should be.

Ready for a 3rd confession? I've become addicted to the TV and the Bachelorette. Yes - sad, isn't it? I've been following the series closely, which is surprising. I've come to learn that summertime also means a multitude of reality shows. There's so many that have come out just recently that I've been prone to watch.

Wipeout, Bachelorette, America's Got Talent, The Mole, I Survived a Japanese Game Show (and later, Last Comic Standing). This summer's reality show line-up is pretty interesting. I've been entertained by them so far.

Well, I'm going to cut this blog short. Like I said, there's places to go and people to see. I'm off to a friend's house for dinner and some movies tonight. But I'll be back - hopefully tomorrow.

Yesterday's News

I check Yahoo news daily if I can help it. I don't necessarily read everything but I read whatever seems interesting. I regularly check the Featured, Entertainment and Local news. Yesterday, I found out that Obama won the Democratic nomination. Maybe that's old news by now (or so I was told), but it was the first I heard about it. I haven't watched the news or read Yahoo news in a couple days - so that explains why I wasn't up to date. But yesterday, I finally got around to reading the news and I came across something very interesting. OK - maybe not so interesting but it fascinated me for some reason. I was highly amused as well.

Yesterday, I read that Sarah Jessica Parker (the star of Sex in the City) was upset over a dress. Apparently, the dress she wore to her movie's premiere has already been worn twice before. She expressed disappointment in the people that mislead her, never correcting her assumption that the dress has never been worn before.

OK - I have to complain here. I realize that the A-Listers in Hollywood are "all that." They have tons of money and throw it around like it's nothing - buying $5k purses and $1k strollers for their babies. Everyone envies them in a way, whether it's fame, money or something else. But their lives definitely aren't easier.

I have to sit here and wonder, can people really be that materialistic and lame? I can't, for the life of me, figure out why people actually think it's OK to be upset over having worn a dress that was worn before. I don't know procedure or proper etiquette in Hollywood but I bet the makers/owners of the dress probably will be blacklisted by the celebrities for a while. It's all sad.

It just seems lately that I've been griping about this and that. I guess there's always something to complain about because there's just too many stupid people out there. But on the bright side, there are a lot of good people too. I guess that's what makes life bearable.

Life & Chocolates

"Life is like a box of chocolates.... you never know what you're gonna get." That's one of the most famous quote and probably most widely used - but I have to say it hasn't gotten boring yet... at least to me. I've always liked that quote. Why? Because well, it's actually true. None of those boring, stupid lame lines like "The grass is greener on the other side." DUH! Everyone thinks the grass is greener on the other side but no one ever thinks about how it's NOT greener to the person that's actually LIVING that life.

I wasn't planning to write a blog tonight but I figured - why not? I'm feeling wide awake among other things. I figured I wanted to see if my writing changed at all. Maybe it will. Maybe it wont. You be the judge of that and let me know.

Hmm, what to say? Life in general sucks, doesn't it? But right now - I don't really have any complaints. Yeah, I'm going through some tough times but who isn't? With the gas right now at ridiculous stupid $5.00 a gallon in Cali and almost $4.00 a gallon in Texas - who isn't miserable? Food prices are on the rise too. Economy sucks right now. It's ok - blame the war. Everyone does. It's better to have something to blame other than yourself. And you know what people? Your stimulus check isn't actually FREE money. It's "borrowed" money from your next year's tax refund. Did you know that? If you didn't check yahoo news frequently and are clueless, you probably didn't know that. I feel sorry for the suckers out there that spent all their $600-$1800 on clothing and stuff thinking it's all free money. They'll find out next year that their tax refunds are reduced and they'll be stuck knee-deep in credit card debt. Ha-ha. Who's laughing now?

Ok - enough about life. That's depressing. Let's talk about chocolates - that's much much better! I personally prefer dark chocolates. Yummy. Milk chocolate = ok but dark chocolate = orgasm. It's the best. I keep seeing advertisements for dark chocolates that it's also a natural antioxidant. It prevents cancer (supposedly)! All the more reason to eat tons of dark chocolates a day! Yummy. But - it'll cause pimples, some people believe. Yeah right. It'll also cure headaches too, but that's my personal belief.

And you know what's also bugging me? Stupid spam forwards from people who keep sending me info that's totally false. Here's news to you people - ever check out Snopes.com? PLEASE, please, for the sake of mankind, check your information there first before you send me the stupid forward! It's pretty annoying when I get false info. You'd be surprised just how many people agree with me.

Since I'm talking very randomly about random stuff that random people randomly think about (seeing the pattern here?), one last random topic of the night - sleeping. Did you know that on average, we sleep away basically 1/2 of our life away? If we were alive for 100 years, we slept approximately 50 years of it. That's a bummer! Since I'm 26, I have already slept approximately 13 years of my life away! That really really sucks! I want to see things, explore the world, travel, see whatever exciting fun things there are to see. But I LOVE to sleep. I could sleep up to 12-14 hours a day if I didn't have responsibilities to attend to. That also meant sleeping my life away. Talk about double-standards. Oh well. I hope that in this life, I get to sleep all I want AND travel the world, see everything there is to see. We'll see if I get to accomplish that. Let's see if ANYBODY gets to accomplish that.

If there's anyone out there that was capable of sleeping all they wanted AND still saw the entire world (the important, amazing, fun, beautiful parts of it), let me know your secret. I want in on it.

The Most Awesomest Show (and the lamest blog title) Ever!

It's no wonder that Lost was the most viewed show on Thursday night. It pulled in over 12 million viewers for its finale. If you watched it like I did, you'd understand why. The special 2-hour finale was action-packed, seriously. It moved at a fairly faster pace than usual and I have no complaints about that. A fast-paced episode meant more content.

For weeks, I had been looking forward to this major finale. TV review articles on Yahoo and other websites kept promising that many questions would be answered and that we'd finally have some kind of solution to long-standing issues that we had been wondering about for more than 1 season - like, how did the Oceanic 6 make it off the island? Why was it just the 6 of them when more of them wanted to get off?

I particularly liked this season. They didn't kill off too many characters and introduced a bunch of new people. The new people aren't my favorite but I guess they add some kind of spice to the plot. Knowing "Lost," these new characters aren't just fillers - I'm positive that there's something a lot deeper. Maybe I'm wrong. But if I'm right, who knows when we'll find out?

If there has ever been a show that has been exceptionally talented at keeping secrets, it's this one. Spoilers are far and few in between. It's impossible to get any real information or spoilers for the season or for upcoming episodes. If you wanna know what happens, you just have to watch. In a way, I really like that - but the way that "Lost" is going, we'll probably have to wait another 2 seasons to finally get answers to questions that arose during THIS season.

As I mentioned above, for weeks I had seen articles talking about how this season's finale would give us some insight and clear answers to several things that we've been wondering about for weeks. So I sat down on the couch, flipped on ABC and watched eagerly with anticipation to what would have been one of the best episodes ever. Don't get me wrong - I loved the episode. I was captivated. But I was disappointed as well.

The finale brought on MORE questions than answers and I still didn't get the answers I wanted. What happened to Claire? Did she die? In a previous episode, we saw her following her father (who's dead) into the forest. Was he collecting Claire's soul? Or was he a figment of her imagination?

One thing that I absolutely loved finding out this season was that Jack and Claire are in fact, half-brother and sister. That explains everything now. It explains why Jack has a hard time getting close to Aaron. It explains why he was struggling with the fact that Kate was raising him as her son.

I do have to applaud one thing. I was shocked by the ending - but disappointed as well. It was creative (and expected) the way that they kept us on the edge of our seats in the very last scene with Ben and Jack. They stood by the coffin and spoke for a while without giving us any clues who it was. It was one of the longest few minutes I've ever experienced while watching TV. Finally, we saw who was dead. My first question is - why? Why him? Why did he commit suicide? I was expecting to see someone else. I was pretty sad because I liked him. But his death raises a lot more questions. What happened on the island after the Oceanic 6 left? What happened that made it so bad that he couldn't live anymore?

This brings me to my last few questions. Where's the island now? It disappeared - which explains why the Oceanic 6 headed back to civilization. Why was Ben crying when he moved the island? He said that once he moved it, he couldn't go back. Why? I'm noticing a pattern here.... "why?" I'm always asking "why?" when I watch the show.

Sadly, this is the end of Lost, for now - until January 2009. People - if you're ever gonna start watching Lost, do it now. Go out and rent all the season DVDs and catch yourself up. You won't regret it.

Friday's Feast

Another Friday has arrived... I haven't written as much this week because I've been occupied with other things. And frankly, I guess I'm running out of intelligent things to say. I haven't exactly done much this past week. All I've done is work and watch movies - tons of movies. I'm getting a bit sick of movies for now. I'm itching to get out of the apartment and do stuff. Not errand stuff but fun stuff.

Tonight, I have two things I could do - go out to someone's surprise b-day party or head out to a Ladies' Nite Out thing. I haven't found a babysitter (I haven't exactly looked either) so I guess it's Ladies' Nite Out for me - with kids in tow. The surprise bash isn't exactly kid-friendly. I have no idea what I'm doing tomorrow or in the next few days, actually. Probably a whole bunch of nothing again.

School's out! As much as I love them, I'm itching to get rid of my kids. They'll be gone in a few days to spend time with family in Dallas so it'll be a few weeks of fun for me, hopefully. Or at least I'd have the flexibility to just up and leave if friends ever wanna get together or travel (hint hint)...


Appetizer
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?
I didn't really have a "favorite" because I watched so many and loved them all. Among the cartoons I watched are: Tom & Jerry, Chip N' Dale, Duck Tales, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, My Little Pony (yes, I watched that), Care Bears, and Looney Tunes (Bugs Bunny, Tweety, etc).

Soup
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?
This is a hard question. First, I love dogs and I love so many different kinds so I wouldn't be able to narrow down what I'd want. Another daschund, a golden retriever, husky, or chocolate labrador are among my top choices. But honestly, just take me to the nearest pound. I'd just be as happy to adopt a lonely mutt and save it from death than to get a "name brand" puppy. I think I will probably be doing that for the rest of my life if I keep getting new pets. As for names - I have no clue. I have a hard enough time coming up with names for my characters in games. But I promise you, I wouldn't ever give my animals any generic names such as Spot or Sparky. No human names either - that's just weird.

I don't have anything against cats. I have two of my own. Look at my blog - it's filled with pictures of kittens. I LOVE dogs but strangely enough, I think pictures of kittens are way cuter than pictures of puppies.

I'm open to getting new cats but I haven't had the best of luck with cats so far so I think I'd just settle for puppies. They're more fun anyways, but a lot more work - which sucks.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?
Honestly, I'd say a 3 or 4. Dressing up is a hassle. I envy guys. Slip into a nice shirt, slacks, shoes, run a brush through their hair a couple times and they're done. What can go wrong? I consider myself very low maintenance. I'm comfortable enough with myself to slip into a dress or something nice, brush my hair until it's smooth and then head out the door. None of that girly hassle. Maybe I'll look even cuter and maybe guys like it better but I think it's a waste of time and money. I'm not looking to impress anybody so why bother? I never had any problems getting attention anyway so obviously, I don't look too horrible. Maybe if I was looking to impress a certain guy, I might take the extra step and fix my hair up and slip into something a little sexier than usual. But that's pretty much it.

Main Course
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?
I don't listen to music much but when I do, it's usually country.

Dessert
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?
A clock? With my computer, microwave and sidekick, I don't need a clock. These things tell time. But, I guess the last clock I bought was an alarm clock for my bedroom.

That's it, folks. I'm a little disappointed that the questions aren't a bit more intellectual or thought-provoking. Hopefully, I'll return in a few days with something real to talk about. I blame my brain shut-down on too much movies and TV. It's almost as if I could feel my brain cells withering away each hour I'm watching the electrical box. I need a remedy.

Want to hear my thoughts on something? Drop me a line - then I'll have something to talk (and think) about!