My Old Man

I feel like hosting brunch.

HAHA

Hope you had a great day yesterday. I love you!

The most stressed city?

The City of Angels

hello again

Since I'm home sick, I figure I update my blog that I have abandoned for quite some time. And I have nothing else to do.

Life is great, just work and rest. Since work takes up so much of my time, I really try to make an effort to squeeze in time to go on new adventures on the weekends. Sadly, my laziness gets the best of me and I spend my weekends on a bed or couch rather than the beach. But spending my weekends with D is all I can really ask for. Especially when it's football season! Sundays are wholly devoted to the greatest sport in the history of the universe. True that.

Work is fun, it's just the hour commute that kills me! I blame my post-work haze on the ~10 hours I spend in my car on any given week. But I really can't complain. Great benefits, great boss, and I get to do/see really cool stuff. Really cool=getting to see all of the behind-the-scenes work at a major network, and being a part of it. Granted, there are times when I want to pull a Zack Morris TO: make a T with my hands and freeze time. But I consider myself a lucky son of a gun, and I count my blessings.

On another note, I've come to realize that I am never fully healthy for more than a week. There is always something wrong with me, whether it be TMJ, my eyes rejecting my contacts, this damn cold, my kidney. My first year living in California has certainly been a challenge physically and financially. But I'm finally starting to feel I am getting on my feet. Before I know it, it's going to be 2011. Crazy!

That's my update for now. What a boring, generalized summary of my life so far (compared to the epic posting of last summer!) Until next time, my faithful readers (all 4 of you), I leave ya'll with this:

Is this not the greatest picture you've ever seen?!!?!

1) I hate it when the Atlantic Ocean is referred to as "the pond."
2) I have an awesome job, but I can't help but wait to be a housewife sometimes.
3) Living in LA has made me completely unaffected by the sound of sirens, sighting of celebrities and rudeness. I pine for the naivete that only breeds in the South.
4) I still can't parallel park.
5) I like arranging my thoughts in lists.

he is the sweetest

and i'm not talking about the bear...heh heh

new life

Yesterday marked my last day at NBC. I began my career in entertainment publicity as an intern, then a page. I had gotten so used to the layout of the Universal lot, becoming familiar with the names and faces of its employees, executives... yet I still had so much to learn about the company. As I returned my polyester suit and guest relations key, as well as said my goodbyes, I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. I'm still getting used to the fact that I will no longer be working alongside my colleagues who I now consider my good friends. I'm going to miss them so much.

But this does not change the fact that I am extremely excited for the next chapter in my career. Starting Monday, I will be working at Fox as an assistant to the vice president of publicity. This is my first official (salaried) job, and I cannot be more grateful that I have been given this opportunity. My assignment as NBC was a challenge, but it prepared me for this new job, and more importantly, led me to land the job.

I ended my NBC stint with press tour, and now I begin my Fox gig with press tour. It's a chaotic whirlwind working at these events but I am not one to complain. In fact, I kind of love it.

Farewell, NBC. Despite all of the ups and downs, I will only carry fond memories of you. You gave me my first taste of what I hope will be the rest of my life: entertainment publicity. I'll be in touch.

me likey.

san francisco

As a (belated) birthday present, D whisked us off to San Francisco! It was so nice to enjoy a long weekend from a stressful week at work. Even though I had to stay late on Thursday night to finish up some tasks due Monday morning, it was worth the extra hours to not worry about what didn't get done.

The weather was absolutely perfect. The gusts of wind were pretty intense for the most part, but the deep blue sky and crisp air was a refreshing change to the muggy, brown mush that is Los Angeles.

I had so much fun traveling with D, which I was extremely thankful for. Having a partner makes a traveling experience so much more rich and enjoyable (if you like your partner, that is. I happen to like mine very much).

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge to Napa

On the way to Napa

First meal: Gott's! Delish.

First winery stop: Peju

So. many. grapes.

 M. Sattui winery

View from our hotel room

French toast w. strawberries and walnuts @ Slow Club

R & G Lounge. He eats duck. I say yuck.

Just because I am an Asian tourist.

Hot, fresh clam chowder. Mmmm.

San Francisco is for lovers.

de Young museum/Japanese tea garden

Little girl was ALL up in my picture.

Walking across the Bridge. I was pretty terrified, hence me leaning awkwardly into D.

Driving all around SF. The roads are crazy! It was like being on a rollercoaster.

Bliss.

yummy loves.

don't worry baby

Falling undesirably ill was nature's way of telling me to take it down a notch. Take deep breaths, laugh hard, and even though it may seem like the end of the world... it's not. Bless my family for putting up with my cranky self and pulling me out of my downward spiral of feeling sorry for myself.

Today was my first day back after a week-long hiatus from work. I had to constantly remind myself to take it easy, stop fretting thirty minutes later, just concentrate on the now. That's all I can really do, I have no control over what transpires from others' actions.

I'm quickly gaining back the weight I lost from not eating for a week. It's a shame that the easiest way for me to lose weight is to get sick. But food is just too delicious, especially when it's shared <3

Take care of yourself, my babies. Love your body, feed it well, and put your mind at ease.

near and dear

The 2010 Cannes Film Festival poster. It's funky, tech-y, fun. I want to be at the festival so badly, it hurts. Physically hurts.

Lately I've been seeing multiple new articles about how difficult it is to truly delete a Facebook account. It all ties in with privacy, or lack thereof I should say. Our generation is diving right into a digital age where anything you ever wanted to know about everything can be found on the Internet. Pictures, personal information, birthdays, hook-ups, break-ups, can all be discovered by a click of a button. Deleting these tidbits require a few more clicks of several buttons, and people are starting to realize that they have a problem with this. Obviously the social networking giant wants to retain as many users as possible, so making the deletion process a journey will deter (lazy) people from going through with purging their once public persona into oblivion and distant memories. I see that my life has been on interactive display for the past few years (ever since Facebook entered my life) and it never really hit me until now if I REALLY feel okay about this. But then I realize that I have been writing in a blog for some time now, so I guess I really have no say in what the public should or should not read; I have voluntarily given up this information by posting what I see appropriate for my "friends" to see. I say friends with quotation marks because honestly, how often do I talk to all of my Facebook friends? Now that I think about it, I should really de-friend people who I've only met once. But who wants to see their friend count go down? No one. Who really wants to go through the trouble of de-friending someone? Now that's just rude!

Side note: How in the world is David Sedaris so brilliant? Just pure, raw belly-aching humor rolled into one man. Reading his essays literally make me guffaw. Yes, I said guffaw.

Isn't it terrifying how fast time flies?? I've been out in LA for 5 months now. I feel like graduation was yesterday. Now my friends are graduating, moving to new places, and getting married?! Insane.

I've been in the Page Program for over a month now, and that's even blowing my mind. I've been fortunate enough to be placed on an assignment so early on in my page career, right in Entertainment Publicity. Right where I wanna be. This week I train to fill in for a coordinator who will be leaving this Friday. I will be replacing her for the next 3 months, answering phone calls and keeping the lives of two publicists and the vice president of entertainment programming in check. Intimidating? Yes. I'm mentally preparing myself for the overload of work and stress headed my way. But there is no where else I'd rather be setting the groundwork for my career and (hopefully bright) future ahead.

Enough of this distant future crap. It's scaring me to pieces. Right now I'm focused on the near future, which includes San Francisco! Booked the hotel today. I'm looking forward to our mini-vacation next month!

This is still my favorite.
Crazy Kobe Fan
"Wanna make you smile, wanna be your SUNSHINE!"

Some people chase after their dreams, and are successful; some are not. Some people don't even try.

I tackle my dreams, pin them down and make them my bitch.

The past two weeks

Life has been a whirlwind these past two weeks, to say the least. Separating events into neat bullet points makes my life much easier:

-I started my training as an NBC page. April 5 was a cold, rainy Monday, but I couldn't help but wake up that dreary morning with bright eyes full of hope. At 9:30am on the dot, I stood in the main lobby with the six other pages in my class. It was a bit awkward, but after a round of personal introductions the idea that we were meant to be together in this journey started to settle in my brain. Our first hour on the job consisted of rules, regulations, procedures. But as we were handed our weekly schedule (which changes every week) and saw that we would be shadowing older pages at "The Tonight Show" every day, excitement turned my stomach. They wasted no time getting us newbies out in the open and learning the ropes of NBC Guest Relations. After helping to corral audience members into their seats every night for the past two weeks, it seems as if we got it down. But this week starts our first official week on our own, and suddenly all of the skills I learned are leaking out of my memory. 

Giving studio tours on the Burbank lot is another task for us pages, and you would think that two weeks of seeing the same exact routine with the same exact corny jokes would be engrained in my soul forever. But, of course, I manage to stumble my lines that I practiced so carefully when I gave tours that were being evaluated. I'm hoping tomorrow will mark the start of my rock star tours... or not.

Everyone is excited, everyone is determined, and everyone is so supportive of each other. Sometimes I feel like I'm in college again because I am surrounded by peers who are just as passionate and driven as they were in their undergrad years. We are all struggling to be adults in the real world; finding our niche while living on a part time salary isn't exactly winning the lottery. But in terms of achieving lifelong dreams and doing what you love everyday, I'd say that being in the Page Program is hitting the jackpot to open doors and opportunities (my I am corny tonight).

-I spent a tiring, but wonderful 22nd birthday in Sin City, getting my mind blown at the Muse concert. This show is in my Top 3 of best concerts I've ever attended, hands down. I have a ginormous crush on Chris Wolstenholme. D doesn't mind. In fact, I'm pretty sure D has a crush on him too.

After Vegas, D cooked homemade dinner and allowed me to choose a city to buy plane tickets for our next vacation. Can't wait for San Francisco in June!

-My mother visited for a week (she's still here) for my birthday, but also to cook mountains of food for her children. We spent this past weekend in San Diego to see more family, mainly my adorable nieces and nephew. I really don't know what happened on this trip to cause this thawing of my icy heart toward children; it probably has to do with the fact that I share DNA with these children, but I truly had a blast being with them.

-On Friday, I found out that a friend of mine died in a car accident. I'm ashamed to admit that we had not kept in touch since I've moved out here, considering the fact that I grew up with him and attended the same college as him. Obviously his death has shaken those who knew him because it's just not fair that he was taken away in the prime of his life. Matthew was one of the brightest people I've ever known, with a heart and soul to match. He had been accepted into dental school, he had graduated from college, he was going to begin a new adventure. And it has all been stripped away by a split second decision on the highway going home. Death is a natural part of the human cycle, but how can we ever comprehend the logic in the untimely death of a young man? It has not hit me yet that he is truly gone. When I see his pictures posted on Facebook, it doesn't seem real that he is no longer here. As much as it pains me to say this, we must take his tragic death to re-evaluate our lives to become better people. It's never fair to have it come down to this, but a rude wake-up call such as this is something that we all may need as stagnant, complacent individuals. He lived a too-short, fulfilling life doing what he loved: serving his community and living by example with his unshakable faith. His modest actions may have gone unnoticed some of the time, but his generous spirit continues to influence me, and it will never leave me. I want to remember Matthew not by his death, but by his life. And I'm sure he would want it that way as well.

My new favesies

I don't understand how I've never seen this before... but now that I have, my life has been changed for the better. I hate to admit it, but the best youtube videos are the ones where someone gets hurt. Or falls. Or gets hit in the cojones. Or, in this case, almost dies.


All in good fun, my loves. All in good fun.

Back to the Peacock

Jack: This year I'll be a page for a day, and you'll be my boss.

Kenneth: Thank you, sir.

Jack: That's how the "Bottom's Up" program works. I'm going to be your bottom, Kenneth, and I want you to ride me as hard as you can.

This week I found out I was accepted into the NBC Page Program. After seven months of email screenings, countless correspondence, and one face-to-face interview, I finally got the call: I got it! I am one of seven hopefuls who made it to the Promised Land.

The Page Program is a one-year program that allows recent college graduates to dabble in various departments at NBC. From programming to producing, pages are able to apply to positions that they are interested in, and if they are lucky, they will be hired to work as a page for a certain department for three months. If you are not placed on assignment, you work at Guest Relations, giving Universal lot tours and working as an audience usher for "The Tonight Show." I am most looking forward to wearing the thick polyester suit provided to each page during the summer (complementary dry cleaning for the win!)

Ever since my summer internship at NBC Publicity, I had been dreaming about returning as an actual employee for the company. I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed my internship every single day, and I cannot really explain why I was so happy. I'm not sure if I have necessarily found my calling in publicity, but I loved the corporate culture of NBC Universal, and I just had a blast every day I was there. Plus, I had free parking to Universal City Walk, which came in handy A LOT (kidding...not). The day I graduated from UGA, I had no guarantee that I would be accepted into the program. But I knew I would have had a better shot if I lived closer to NBCU... so I moved out to LA. I'm pretty relieved that everything has worked out, but I was going through a serious state of doubt and insecurity prior to this week. Did I really pick up and move when I don't even have the job secured? I took a huge risk, and it actually paid off. I can stop being so scared now.

Orientation is April 5. For a week, we train to become the best pages we can be. I'm looking forward to meeting my "classmates." We all come from different backgrounds and walks of life, but one thing is for sure, we have all come a long way in this arduous application process. The NBC Page Program selection process is no joke, and we can all say that we are survivors.

Tonight I celebrate with my boo. He has every reason to celebrate, too; he's emerged from the dark depths of dental school finals week. Quite excited :) Cheers to following your dreams! Or as my personal hero would say:

Earthquake

Too bad there was a 4.4 magnitude earthquake yesterday morning at 4am and I slept through it. That's probably for the best since I would have a) freaked out and b) lost more sleep than I already had that night.

SUCCESS

Monkey off my friggin' back.

I'd like to take this time to thank all those who allowed this to happen. Officer Huynh, what a great eye you had while I inadvertently ran that red light! And you had the honor of giving me my first ticket ever!  Kudos to you, sir. Kudos to you.

battle of the bulge

There comes a time in a romantic relationship where it's not just the two of you anymore. More often than not, two new friends (or as I'd like to call them "frenemies") rudely pop into the picture, uninvited and unpleasant. But they stay put and stick out like sore thumbs.

Or in this case, sore bellies.

I'm talking about the love pooches. Yes, the love pooch, the inevitable result of wanting to spend time together by going out to nice restaurants, breakfast in bed, snacks while watching movies. Basically just eating (and eating, and eating, and eating). Of course, I am not immune to this phenomena, and neither is he. After seeing how much my stomach has expanded over the past month, I decided that I needed to do something about it. But I wasn't going to suffer alone, so I persuaded him to suffer with me. D and I have decided to lose weight in a competitive manner, a "Biggest Loser," if you will. Whoever loses the most weight (percentage-wise according to our height and the fact that he's a guy) over the span of 3 months wins $100, cash or a gift worth the said sum. But if either of us achieves a 6-pack, he/she is the automatic winner. I'm a little nervous since I am pretty competitive when it comes to things that I can control (ie, my weight) but I've never been competitive with my boyfriend before. But I am looking forward to Mr. Benjamin in my wallet on June 22... muaha.

For now I am eating everything that I can before the official weigh-in next week. In-N-Out, Mexican food, ice cream, chocolate covered pretzels, and basically everything delicious before my body goes into full healthy mode. I am now kicking myself in the ass for leaving a nearly full pint of Haagen Dazs Coffee ice cream in his freezer. I won't have access to that treasure until AFTER the bet begins. Bah.

Aside from the hoopla, I am looking forward to really taking care of my body, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life... with a booty and abs to match. When I think of body inspirations, I always think of one person, and one person only:

OG Britney. Doesn't get any better than this.

Let the games begin!

Are you there, Inspiration? It's me, Angela.

I know the Oscars were nearly a week ago, but I still cannot get over Demi Moore's gown.

Stun.ning.

Suddenly I'm turned on by pastels and light, flowy fabrics. Maybe it's because spring is just around the corner, but I cannot get enough lilacs, peaches and dewy goodness in my life. 

I wish I had more substance in what I had to say. My life has been lacking some serious inspiration, which is dumping a horrendous damper on the quality of my (mental) life. I never realized how much I was surrounded by new concepts and walks of life at my time in undergrad, until now of course. With a student population counting well over 30,000, I would say that every day on campus brought on a sensory overload of anything and everything imaginable. Politics, art, travel, music, diversity, you name it, there was always a promotional flier neatly printed on fluorescent paper, enticing a curious bystander to attend an introductory meeting (free food and t-shirts!) There was always room to explore, room to expand your mind. And I'm really starting to miss that. In fact, I'm starting to yearn for it.

It's not that I'm yearning for the past. You would think that moving cross country and starting a brand new life would bring new adventures, fresh ideas to the table. But I have been bogged down by adult responsibilities (eww) and other annoying little details that need to be ironed out... that I'm starting to lose my zeal, my passion for life. Isn't that terrifying? There is nothing scarier to me than no longer seeking adventures and all of the beautiful experiences life has to offer. I have no reason to doubt my abilities as a working professional, I have no reason to be unhappy. Yet there is just something missing, and I have a hunch that a great, big new adventure needs to happen before I burst into flames (thank you, Incubus). 

When I really think about it, I have my birthday to look forward to, which is always exciting. I love birthdays, especially when they're mine :P I try to play it off as if I'm too "old" to be excited about celebrating my birthday, but hell, who am I kidding. If there's gonna be food, dancin' and friends (and maybe a mojito or two) then I'm all for it. 

I don't want to seem like I'm complaining about my life, or that something is wrong. I'm just craving adventure, a creative explosion. Where do I find such things is the question. 

spring fever

I love spring. Plants blooming, floral prints, pastel colors. Everything is fresh. Spring is all about pretty. And I like pretty things. It's also the time of my birthday, but this year I have decided that I do not want to turn 22. Being 21 is just too much fun. Sorry 22. It's just not your year.

Natural model. 

 downtown la.

My life in bullets

• I relocated to Pasadena, CA to pursue my dreams. What I got was a bitch-slap from reality. I'm a grown-up??
• Currently working as an accounts payable manager at Fleur't, Inc. Gimme your monies.
• Did an internship stint in celebrity PR. Realized the Hollywood world is not for me. In fact, it's a tad revolting, and I can't live with a clear conscience knowing that I am feeding into the cycle.
• Living in California is expensive. Really, really expensive. Getting cut off from your parents is a sobering fact of life.
• But it's so worth it when all of the best musicians are usually guaranteed to stop in LA for tours.
• Life=work work work. play play play. Squeeze in some sleep, and you're set.
• My body can no longer handle weather lower than 70 degrees.
• LA radio stations play the same 5 songs. More often than not, simultaneously.
• Bad Romance- Lady Gaga
• Tik Tok- Ke$ha
• Nothin' on You- B.O.B.
• Carryout- Timberland/Timberlake
• Bedrock- Young Money
• If I hear any of those songs again, I will put my head through my windshield.
• I still can't believe the Saints won the Superbowl.
• I went to the golf range for the first time. Needless to say, I was awesomely bad. But I never thought playing golf could be fun!
• Got pulled over for the first time in my life. Received a traffic violation for the very first time in my life. Grand total= $496. You rock, Orange County Police Department!
• I'm getting used to sportin' shorter hair. But I'll probably grow it out. I'm a long hair kinda gal.
• Family is the greatest. If they love you, that is.
• When the universe gives you a second chance that you have been waiting for, take it.

Everyone needs to watch "The Cove." Go. Watch it now.

"The Cove" trailer

my nephew

Livin' in the Golden State. Busy as a bee. Buzz buzz.
I miss the regular season. Wah. Falcons Super Bowl Champs in 2011!

2009: The Best Year of My Life (thus far)

12.31.09 11:59PM
One minute to go until the world ushers in 2010 (well, at least the US Eastern Time Zone). As we prepared to ring in the new year, I keep hearing people say how much they hated 2009. How much 2009 sucked. Well, I would have to say I wholeheartedly disagree. Sure, the economy collapsed and Jon and Kate Gosselin got divorced, but personally, 2009 was the best year of my life.
I flew to Maryland for the weekend to spend time with my sister before she left for Uganda (I ended up staying for an additional day due to snow delays).
I went to California for spring break with my roommates and met Mr. Cooper at the Atlanta airport.
I got my heart broken. Picked myself up, told myself to get my shit together, and soldiered on.
I turned 21 (LEGAL WHAT), had my very first surprise party thrown in my honor, and battled depression by going skydiving alone (needless to say, it worked).
I tried casual dating for the first time.
I studied abroad in Cannes, France, where I spent a month frolicking on the beaches of the French Riviera and red carpet premieres of films in official competition. I consumed dangerous amounts of wine, cheese and chocolate cookies. I had a layover in Dusseldorf, Germany, where I encountered the nicest people in the history of this universe. I sipped morning coffee in France, gobbled a spaghetti lunch in Italy, and licked a luxurious gelato cone in Monaco (all in one day... it is possible). Cannes was a beautiful whirlwind.
I hopped on a plane back to Atlanta, spotted Linda Hogan at the Atlanta airport (wanna see D-list celebs? Go to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport). Attended a friend's birthday party, then hopped on a plane to California for my NBC Universal internship.
I spent 2 months in Los Angeles with the most incredible internship and an unquenchable thirst for more adventures. I was clearly on a high from my adventures in Cannes. I attended a taping of the "Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," visited the set "The Office," and worked at the NBCU Press Tour. I was at my intern desk when I found out about Michael Jackson's death. I had weekly dates with one of my favorite people in the entire world. I went to Vegas for the most epic 4th of July weekend with some pretty epic party people.
I returned to Georgia to finish up my last semester at the fine institution of the University of Georgia. I fell hard for the love of football. Still trying to learn everything that I can about the sport. I baked homemade red velvet cupcakes for the first time. I dressed up as Darth Vader for Halloween. Grace and I got into a verbal altercation with two douchebags while defending women all over the world. I conducted my first PR campaign with a pretty awesome team of 12 people.
My sister got married, bought a house, and started talking about babies. Producing them, that is.
I went to the Falcons/Panthers game, where the Falcons dominated. It's always nice to have a Falcons win in the Georgia Dome.
I attended the U2/Muse concert, fulfilling my life dream of seeing Muse in live concert.
I attended my very first Hawks game, where the Hawks won in OT.
I graduated from the University of Georgia.
I realized how much I'm going to miss my family, friends and 2009.

Now I'm packing to move across the country. I've already shipped my car, and now I'm scrambling to squeeze in quality time with my lovely friends+family before I leave on Saturday morning. I have no doubt that 2010 will be great, but it will be tough to top everything that happened in 2009.
Do I have any resolutions for 2010? Well, there are the usuals: hitting the gym, stop eating so much damn cheesecake. But, there is something that I would like to accomplish. It's not really much of a year-long resolution; it is a lifetime commitment.

I want to be fearless. I want to be original. I want to be fierce. I want to be the best. And who else to look up to than Uncle Karl?

Happy New Year.