"Everybody Poops." Do you ever walk into a public restroom with the intention of taking a dump, see someone else already at it, and walk back out? I know it's one of those irrational fears/anxieties, but I just really DON'T like pooping at the same time as someone else- it throws me off my game, so to speak. (I mean, I'll make an exception if it's an emergency, but by and large, I try to avoid that situation.) I described this fear to Saujan once, and he was like "yea, I understand, man- you gotta make your own music."

And thinking about it, I guess it really all boils down to an issue of anonymity & privacy. In the world of bathroom ballads, I definitely prefer playing solos. Trios & quartets are ok too just cuz you can sneak in relatively unnoticed among all the "voices." But omg, duets... I just feel like I never know when to hop in. I get this [performance anxiety] and I find myself unable to make a sound. I'm not bold enough to play like the Family Guy.

*On a related note, do you ever like intentionally prolong your stay on the pot so you don't have to walk out at the same time as the guy next to you- so they won't see your face when you'd both (presumably) be washing your hands?

"...Like They Do on the Discovery Channel." If you're Asian, whenever you're with relatives for any extended period of time, the question will inevitably arise: "so are you dating anyone?", "when are you gonna get married?", or a variation on that theme. And I think my relatives thought for the longest time that I was gay, just cuz I never tell them anything, and apparently I don't hang out with females enough, hah. Well, my parents recently joined in- expressing concern that I never seem to have a gf. I think I responded with just a *hmph*, but inside it was like omg, I don't NEED that kind of PRESSURE. I just don't like forcing these things- I'll worry about it when I'm 30 and the biological clock is ticking, hah. But yea, I used to go through these spurts where I'd be real miserable and mopey over singledom. But it's been years now, and I guess I eventually got used to being single, and it just stopped bothering me- one less thing to worry about.

And on a day to day basis, I don't really consider myself to be "on the prowl." I've never been a really outgoing guy, and I don't like the whole idea of "the chase" in general- it feels so forced and unnatural for me. I'm just not a very adept predator and don't like the hunt at all, but I'll do it when I'm starving I suppose. I think I'd describe myself as more like a venus flytrap- only getting to eat when the prey wanders to me as opposed to the other way around. But I dunno, I mean, opportunities just don't seem to arise very often (, or maybe I just don't know how to create opportunities from everyday situations).

On the flip side of that though, any time I feel the least bit of chemistry with a girl, I get these like one-week crushes, and I despise that about myself. I feel like I form attachments way too easily sometimes- I hate being so pliable and vulnerable; I hate thinking I'm that easy to win over. You know it's just a temporary whimsical crush, but for awhile you just can't stop yourself from pining over the girl. Reason returns quickly enough (the state of mind usually fades when I don't talk to her for a week), but for that brief while, infatuation causes you to take leave of your senses like kryptonite on your IQ. And yea, nothing ever comes of it, but I'm guessing the only thing that keeps me from being a player is my lack of natural "game." Which is just as well, cuz I promised myself way back when (in middle school, hah) that I would never ever be a player. But still, the ups & downs of infatuation surely can't be healthy.

And why is it that I always choke up in the clutch? The prettier the girl, the more nervous I get, and my mind goes blank of all witty conversation, and I can't come up with anything to say. (Well, unless my lips have been loosened with alcohol- "beer balls," if you will.) Yea, I dunno, I think that's as sure a sign as any that I wouldn't make it in the "wild." I lack the proper hunters' instincts; I'm doomed to be a victim of natural selection. =/ Yea, my parents have my brother to carry on the family name- I'm a lost cause.

Additional notes on hunting: They say that when lions are hunting, they single out one member of a herd to focus on and take out. And the way that zebras protect themselves is by using their stripes, running past each other, and confusing the lions so that they can't keep track of which one was their target. If the lion doesn't keep its eye on the ball, after awhile, it gets tired and has to go home hungry. Likewise, I'm an easily confused lion; when there's more than one potential target, I get confused and don't know where to focus my attention. I suppose that's why it's best to hunt in packs, hah. You suppose other animals use wingmen as well? =P

LA. So I went to LA this past weekend and met up with a lot of the old high school/college crew. Somehow it was decided that we should all meet up on one of my SHORT weekends, but whatever, it was still a blast. Man, it's so nice to be around ppl who understand your jokes and that you don't have to worry about judging you. Like, I think I'm SERIOUSLY developing a reputation for being the weirdo among my coworkers- no one gets me here. =(

Anyways, so on Saturday we went and had a Korean BBQ buffet at Mu Dung San that was pretty good- got totally stuffed. Later on, we went over to Allen's place in Alhambra and played cards. Had a semi-dinner at Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights, where we met up with some of Daisy's posse. Then we went clubbing at Dream Lounge, which was seriously like in the middle of nowhere (City of Industry). Some ppl's nights were ended disappointingly early by excessive pre-party, but I still had a lot of fun anyways. Man, I'd nearly forgotten how nice it is to hang out with females in even ratios. (Through my poor choice of hobbies & interests, poor choice of major, taking unfortunate sides in arguments... I found most of college to be a perpetual "sausage fest," as Allen would describe it.)

On Sunday, we went over to Jeff's (parents') place in Irvine and played Magic: the Gathering. (HAH! And I used to wonder why I never seemed to hang out with females, ahaha.) Later on, we went to a Japanese BBQ with members of Tony and Paul's WoW guild. They were all older- like married with children; and I couldn't help but imagine that that's what my life would be like I I hadn't gotten out of the game. I mean, they were nice enough ppl and all, but... that's just not for me. Anyways, we finished up dinner late, and I drove back to Vegas in the dead of night.

I had a doctor's appointment the next morning, where the doc broke me the horrid (semi-)news that my blood pressure is too high (150/90). (I mean, it' ALWAYS run a bit on the high side, but this was the 1st doctor to actually put me on blood pressure meds. =/ I dunno, I filled the prescription but haven't started popping the pills- I bought myself a blood pressure monitor and have been keeping tabs on it, and I think I'm ok (140/70 average), but I guess we'll see what the doc says about it next time. *le sigh*

*So one of my coworkers invited me to a "get-together" at her place a week before, and (since she's reasonably young,) I assumed she meant it'd be a house party, like a kegger. So I show up at the door carrying this big case of liquor, only to find out that it was actually a dinner party! omg, it was pretty embarassing. Yea, I dunno, I guess you just pass a certain age, and the terms "party" and "get-together" start taking on different meanings, huh? Ah well, lesson learned, I suppose.

I attended UNLVino the week before as well (4/14). It's this huge 3 day wine tasting event that's a fundraiser for the UNLV school of hotel management. Anyways, so me & a coworker went, and it was a pretty nice scene and there were some tasty wines. But the big drawback was that tickets were 75 bucks a pop. And yea, it was good, and I probably drank way more than $75 worth of booze, but it didn't FEEL like a $75 buzz. Like for THAT much, I was expecting to get thoroughly plastered, but nope. I guess that's what I get for showing up "fashionably late" and then pacing myself for what I anticipated to be the long haul.

I was in Taiwan & Bali this past week for my cousin's wedding. The wedding was in Bali, but I met up with the whole extended family in Taiwan and chilled there a couple days before heading over to Indonesia together.

Taiwan was ok I guess. Went out a couple times in Taipei with my brother's friends who are working there now. My brother's gotten in the habit of getting a table at clubs and doing bottle service, and I guess if you're gonna be drinking a lot, that IS a pretty good way to go. But yea, we went to Brown Sugar, Kama Lounge, and some other place I don't remember the name of near Warner Village. Also met some of my "cousins" for the 1st time as well; though I guess if you wanna get technical, I'm like their 2nd or 3rd uncle or something- but they're like the same age, so it's less complicated to think of them as cousins, hah.

Bali was pretty cool. We went to the beach and went rafting and did some pretty cool outdoorsy stuff while we were there. But yea, other than that, not a whole lot particularly worth mentioning. It's basically exactly what you'd expect. The wedding ceremony took place just before sunset on like this cliff overlooking the shore, and it was totally picturesque, like totally out of a tourism brochure... but what the pictures wouldn't tell you is that it was freaking hot and HUMID as hell. Everyone was sweating their butts off (especially in our suits).

Oh, one funny story though, the day after the wedding, I went with my parents' tour group, and they took us to a temple that they SAID was the famous "water temple of Bali," but I looked online a couple days later, and it turns out they took us to ANOTHER temple surrounded by water that wasn't the really famous one, hahaha. I guess they figured the stupid tourists wouldn't know the difference, hahah- and it's true, they had me completely fooled until I looked online, heh.

But yea, so I didn't take very many pictures on the trip, since I figured I'd just get pictures later from other people, but now I can't remember who took what pictures, and then I end up with like NO pictures, hah. Man, seriously, like I have a camera and all, but it still doesn't come natural for me to haul it around and actually use it, bleh.

But yea, so I left Bali Saturday afternoon and was flying or in airports for around 24 hours straight before I got back to Las Vegas. And while stopping over in LA, I get a call from a coworker telling me to go clubbing that night. I debated it pretty hard but eventually ended up going straight to Studio 54 (inside MGM) from the Las Vegas airport. It was pretty fun, but man, I was sooooo jetlagged at work like all week, it was awful, hahah. I felt like I needed another vacation to recover from this vacation, heh.