First, let me apologize for letting a whole year go by without an update. I can give you the whole slew of excuses, but I just want to get back into the groove of updating on a more regular basis again.

Moving on…

So the last post was actually the 2011 new year post. Let’s check off my 2011 resolutions list:

• Learn guitar.
• Learn to swim.
• Get a tv for the apartment.
• Finish my portfolio website.
• Launch a startup.
• Put more into my savings account.
• Get a pet!
• Exercise more (well, duh)
• Build a new computer.
• Read more books.
• Go to Harry Potter World!
• Get a tattoo…
• Get a motorcycle license.
• Learn more recipes to try out.
• Have a vacation in a state I’ve never been in before.
• I’d love to visit Japan…
• Learn how to shoot a gun (for the zombies, of course)

Sigh…

Pretty dismal showing. I am ashamed. But now it’s 2012! Let’s keep the same list and see how many more I can knock it this year.

So many things happened, good and bad. Mostly good. Chicago has been really good to me, and I’m so grateful for all the opportunities and fortunes it has given me. The apartment has been slowly but surely becoming my own. The job has actually become even more rewarding with more responsibilities and satisfying activities. The social life also improved as I resolved to be more active in meeting new people, experiencing different things, and making plenty of wonderful memories. I’m actually pretty happy with the goals I was able to accomplish within the past twelve months.

And now it’s time for another new year, full of possibilities. It’s also time to set new goals! I admit, I’ve been setting the same ones the past few years, but I gotta keep setting them. Hopefully I’ll be able to knock some more out this time around:

• Learn guitar.
• Learn to swim.
• Get a tv for the apartment.
• Finish my portfolio website.
• Launch a startup.
• Put more into my savings account.
• Get a pet!
• Exercise more (well, duh)
• Build a new computer.
• Read more books.
• Go to Harry Potter World!
• Get a tattoo…
• Get a motorcycle license.
• Learn more recipes to try out.
• Have a vacation in a state I’ve never been in before.
• I’d love to visit Japan…
• Learn how to shoot a gun (for the zombies, of course)

I’m ready for you, 2011!

I’m thankful for…

• my family that love and support me.
• my friends that make me happy.
• my best friend who I enjoy talking and listening to almost everyday.
• my independence for the last 2 years.
• my job that I absolutely love and enjoy doing.
• my apartment that I have slowly but steadily furnished.
• the CTA for providing me with transportation everyday.
• my laptop for without it, I’d be lost!
• CSS3, jQuery, Ubuntu, Chrome, VLC, and Eclipse (to satisfy my inner computer nerd).
• Tumblr for providing me with hours and hours of enjoyment and distractions.
• Netflix and its instant streaming for providing me with hours of television to watch.
• Joss Whedon for Buffy, Firefly, Dr. Horrible, and Dollhouse.
• my newfound love for free movie screenings.
• J.K. Rowling for HARRY FREAKIN’ POTTER.
• the finale of Lost.
• Schubas and Lincoln Hall for having lots of awesome shows.
• Chicago Comics for being my local comic book shop.
• Fables and The Walking Dead for being consistently entertaining comics.
• relationships; even though they can be turbulent, they still provide lots of good memories.
• the city of Chicago for being a wonderful place and giving me a home.

What are you thankful for?

Sorry about that.

You know the usual excuses: work, life, laziness, etc… I’ve been more dedicated to microblogging; posting on my tumblr and twitter. Also, my readership has increased by like 2… and they’re from work. And that makes me a bit more wary about the personal stuff I post online, even though they’re pretty cool about most things.

So updates: work has been awesome, joined a softball team in the spring, had a fun summer, had an AWESOME birthday, and most recently been starting to go to movie screenings. I also met a girl… but I don’t think it’d be appropriate to blog about that right now.

I decided to finally update the site theme as well as make this post. I’ve been really lazy about updating this site, and my friend really berates me for it. So here you go: one new blog entry!

I have some draft posts actually with only one or two really interesting ones. I’ll try to post and write more, especially with what’s going on in my life. Until then, thanks for sticking around!

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So I guess I should probably check in with how life is going! Pretty exciting, I should say for the most part.

First and foremost: I got my own apartment! This was back in the beginning of October actually. Such a momentous occasion should have merited a blog post almost immediately, but again, I was just so damn busy with settling in and work. It’s a one-bedroom apartment in a building that was previously a brewery. The layout of the building is a bit awkward because of the conversion, but the place isn’t too shabby. I don’t have much furniture: a mattress and a chair. The living room is a very barren place. -_- I’m still saving up for a trip to IKEA or something. Maybe I should just check craigslist. That’s actually how I found both my job and apartment… so why not?

Also, a couple days ago, I was finally offered a full time position at work! YESSSssss!!!!! I’m very happy there, and the new position will be giving me more development experience that I’ve been wanting for a while now. AND I’ll be getting a nicer salary! AND BENEFITS! Oh, how I missed you, health, dental, and vision coverage… So yeah, looks like things are starting to take off!

I’m quite proud of myself for getting this far on my own. Independence is awesome. Also knowing that I accomplished this on my own merits and abilities makes it all the sweeter. But again, a HUGE BIG GIGANTIC thank you to my cousin and her boyfriend for letting me stay at their place while I looked for a job and my own apartment. I seriously wouldn’t have had this awesome opportunity without their generosity and support. I took a risk leaving my last job and coming here to Chicago, but I’m very glad I made it. There were many reasons for wanting to leave, and perhaps I’ll share them here one day, but let’s not dwell on the past, hm?

And just because I got a sweet job and my own apartment doesn’t mean I can slack off! My New Year’s resolution: Go to the gym and get back in shape! Yeah, that’s such a typical resolution, but now I actually do have time and money go, so no more excuses! And I also saw a friend over the holiday break who’s been hitting the gym like crazy—and she is looking GREAT. I’m quite motivated by that actually, so I have a LOT of catching up to do. So come next week, I’ll stop by the gym around my neighborhood and check it out. I got one more resolution, but I’ll post about that later…

Have a safe and happy new year! Hope you had a great 2009, and that the next year will bring you more happiness than the last!

And in the other one, I’m on one of those moving carts that ferry people from the parking lots to the entrance of theme parks. And my colleague and I are having a debate with this man and his son seated behind us. They’re from Russia, apparently because they have Russian accents, and the father is a racist against Asians. I can’t remember the details of his arguments, but it was obvious he did not like Asians and thought badly of them. But here’s the really strange part: This guy was totally Asian. Now this might come racist itself, but they had the black hair and asian-like eyes… trust me, they were obviously Asian… with Russian accents. And now I’m trying to convince this dude he is the ultimate hypocrite because he’s Asian himself; but he is in total complete denial and says he is 100% Russian. I kind of feel like I’m racist for calling this racist an Asian since he looks Asian even though he sounds Russian. Yeah, it left me quite bewildered and confused this morning.

I did my usual thing, filling out a deposit slip and signing my paycheck. It was lunch time, so there was a small line in front of me. While waiting, I could overhear one of the customers at the teller window.

Obviously he sounded agitated, because he was saying out loud something like, “Don’t tell me you can’t do it. Just do it.” The teller, very cute and pretty, I might add, seemed a bit meek in saying that she couldn’t perform whatever task the rude client had demanded of her.

Fortunately, it didn’t escalate to the point where a manger had to get involved. Still, I felt a little bad for the teller, having been in her position before. I’m not sure if she was new to this, but I wanted to cheer her up with a horror customer story of my own—and mostly flirt with her… she not only had really cute highlights in her dark hair, but she had this teeny, sexy piercing in her nose. And she had glasses, totally hot .

Unfortunately, there was more than one teller working the line, and I just ended up with someone else.

On the ride down, I share a conversation with a fellow from the support team. Small talk ensued:

“Are you from Chicago?”

I respond, “Nah, I’m from Maryland.”

“Isn’t it really cold out there?”

“Yeah, sometimes, but it’s not as cold as it gets here.”

We were about to discuss the current weather (it already feels like winter, where the heck did fall go?!) when we reach the bottom floor and go our separate ways.

I exit the building, walk west on Jackson until I reach the Jimmy John’s. I enter the small vestibule and then attempt to push open the door to the food place actual. It doesn’t budge. I see two young girls ahead of me through the glass pane. They look at me, but to my luck, don’t seem to laugh at my inability to operate a door. I push slightly harder and it finally snaps open. I step forward and give a slight nod, raised eyebrows, and light smirk to flaunt my triumph. One of the girls smiles and I proceed to the line to get my meal.

In line, I look back at the girl, she looks to be in her early to mid 20′s, blonde, and cute. It might be my imagination, but I think she is eyeballing my book, Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. I start to imagine myself approaching her, saying some witty line about my struggles with doors that seem to have vendettas against me. Instead, I am snapped out of my musing by the cashier who takes my order.

After I pay for and receive my sandwich, I look back and see that the two girls have left. I walk back to the entrance to return to the office and see that one of the girls had forgotten her scarf nearly fallen on the floor, dangling off the lower footholds of the highchair. I exit outside and try to find them walking away, thinking I could catch up to them and bring them their scarf. It takes only a minute and I see them rounding the corner of Jackson and Franklin. I could try to run after them, but I had failed to grab the scarf myself since my hands were full with my book and food.

I stood there outside for a minute thinking I could valiantly rush in, grab the woolen scarf, run after the girls, and return it to them safe and sound. I contemplate the chivalrous nature of going out of the way to return something lost to a beautiful lady. I always wanted to do something impulsive, quixotic even.

I turn in the opposite direction to go back to the office, where I eat my lunch, uneventfully.

Then I think to myself, “Damn.”

I woke up a bit late this morning.

I skip the shower.

I brush my teeth and wash my face.

I change and head outside.

It’s cold outside. It feels like winter is upon us.

I go to Potbelly’s for my morning bagel. They are out of bagels. I leave and go upstairs to work.

In my cubicle, I work on completing my project.

I chat with some friends in between. I miss them.

I almost miss lunch again. I get Potbelly’s. I eat my sandwich and read my book. I go back to work.

My project is finished. I work on the next one. It involves Ruby. It was a bit of a brain buster. I figure out a vital function. I leave the rest for tomorrow.

I leave and head out to the bus stop on Dearborn and Jackson.

I take the bus north to the Newberry Library. The author of The Time Traveler’s Wife is doing a reading from her new book, Her Fearful Symmetry.

I get in line with my copy of her new book. The lady in front of me has one copy. She wants to get another copy. She asks me to save her spot. I do. She leaves and gets another copy. She comes back.

She soon changes her mind and wants a third copy. She asks me to save her spot. She leaves and gets another copy. She comes back.

I pay for the book. I find a seat in the room. I’m early, so I read The Time Traveler’s Wife some more.

Audrey Niffenegger soon comes. She reads the first chapter. SPOILER: The main character dies in the first chapter.

She does a Q & A. One question is if she follows a writing regiment like Stephen King. Her answer, “Stephen King is a real writer.” LOL. I want to ask her a question, “Was there anything you cut out or rewrote in Time Traveler’s Wife?” I’m not sure if it’s polite to ask such a question, so I don’t ask it.

Another question is what’s her favorite book. She makes a ‘book club recommendation:’ Was by Geoff Ryman. I like anything Oz related, so I wrote it down to add to my list.

Afterwards, I get my copy of Time Traveler’s Wife and Her Tearful Symmetry signed by Ms. Niffenegger. I’m all giddy cuz I get easily starstruck.

I take the bus back home.

I make pizza on naan bread. It is yummy.

Then I write a new blog post. It goes like this…