Love, Go, YES!

those who love.

2010-08-29T18:10:00.001-05:00

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong
(reposting Mitchell Sturges)

1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

you know... that work thing?

2010-08-19T09:19:00.005-05:00

Hello! I promise I'm alive!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II has finally given me some breathing room and I'm once again thrown back into society. That's right! I'm finally getting off when there's still daylight, being re-introduced to traffic, no longer leaving when there are only drunken people staggering down the streets, and stores are still open! I'm working like a normal person (well... just a fraction longer) and not enduring 14-16 hour days and 8 hour weekends! Huzzah!

In fact, I was called out by a co-worker from our neighboring game company, "Excuse me? Kat leaving at this hour? This is crazy!" and have received countless texts, messages, and phone calls noting that people have seen me posting and replying Facebook, concern about whether I still exist, and contemplations as to when I would have my life back again :). Yes, it's true. In fact, this past weekend was my 2nd weekend I've had off in quite a long time.

It's rather pleasant, I must say.

Hello, society! I've missed you!

the local thing.

2010-06-01T08:08:00.002-05:00

After a brief hunt,I recently bought a GoLocal card from Toy Joy.

I really enjoy the idea of supporting local stores, and I love that Austin is sprinkled with a plethora of businesses to visit. From salons, restaurants, boutiques, sno cone stands, chiropractors, and even physical therapy, there's quite a selection to choose from. Thus far, I've only used the card once for 10% off of our fun, way better than the Studio Movie Grill, movie theatre, The Alamo Drafhouse.

A few places I'd like my GoLocal card to visit:

Kerbey Lane Cafe- 10% off (their breakfast is ridiculously better than Denny's or Ihop)
Terra Burger- 10% off combo
Hey, Cupcake!- 10% off
Toy Joy- 10% off and free vegan softserve (so good!)
Portabla- 10% off
Austin Children's Museum- 2 for 1 admission
Austin Symphony Orchestra- 10% off
The Steeping Room- 15% breakfast or 1 free iced tea.
Torchy's Tacos- 10% off
Viva Chocolato- 10% off and free truffle with purchase.
The Holy Cacao- 10% off
Muck-n-Dave's Texas BBQ- 10% off
Zhi Tea- 10% off
Austin Lyric Opera- 10% off tickets (La Traviata would be nice to watch!).

time lines.

2010-05-29T09:12:00.004-05:00

Can you believe? It's been/or will be:

1. 10 months since I moved to Austin.
2. 1 year since I graduated.
3. 2 weeks since I saw Joanne and Karen <3.
4. Almost X years that we've been together?
5. Nearly 10 months since I've become lactose intolerant.
6. 1 day since I wore deodorant... (I forgot, really)
7. 2 weeks until Kim graduates high school.
8. 2 months until Kim moves to Austin (UT!).
9. 1+ months since I've been to Momoko :'(.
10. 6 days until Akon21 (and I have so much to do!).
11. 6 months since I've been employed!?
12. 1 year since I successfully jogged a mile.
13. 3 years since I've played an FF game.
14. 1 year and 5 months since I had my nose pierced.
15. 2 months since I've had an inflammation-free nose piercing...
16. 3 weeks (or more?) since I've rode my bicycle.
17. 3-4 days since Meow has had fleas.
18. MONTHS (years?!) since I've actually played piano.

trash.

2010-04-25T00:01:00.002-05:00

Everyone has trash. I've never seen trash as cute as this. :)

in the job description.

2010-03-11T01:36:00.001-06:00

Purple highlights, nose piercing, comfy shoes, and silly shirts, the game industry is a playful, but long houred choice of employment. I love seeing (and hearing!) the behind the scenes action, poking at multiple projects, and slowly learning new tid bits, but one thing I miss the most is having female comrades to share war stories and indulge in random cravings.

I dreadfully miss random outings, dressing up (because it truly is important to look and feel beautiful once in a while), discussions, and silly pictures (particularly from H-Mart!).

On a broader scale, I miss having friends to hang out with.

the color purple.

2010-03-01T23:28:00.011-06:00

Over the weekend, I had my hair highlighted purple. Yes, purple- my first "exciting" color. :)

You see, I have terrible, terrible luck with haircuts and the like. Somehow, "just a trim" becomes 2-3 inches, and sometimes (last time), bangs that are vertically only on one half of my face (literally). So, after 4 months of non-haircutting, I tried my luck at Supercuts... only to be fantastically surprised. Not only did she trim my hair without lopping of inches, we actually carried a good conversation. I pleasantly surprised with the cut and was equally pleased to hear that she also can do highlights... bright highlights... that won't eat my wallet.

So on Saturday, I fell into the Twighlight Zone.

Turns out, the hairstylist not only moved 7 months ago too, but she also LOVES Katamari (!), corgis are her dream dogs (YES!), she plays the keyboard, has the same model of laptop I'm considering buying, majoring in Psychology, people confuse her for being either Filipino or Hispanic, and the list goes on... It even got to the point where she randomly mentioned liking this one cute sweater with bear ears, and I mentioned I was actually ordering one...

Somewhere along the line I figured I was probably in good hands. :)

That night, Eric and I walked around downtown (after having a fantastic Momoko bubble tea!)... and a bird pooped on my head... on my hair... on my new, purple highlights. I've never been pooped on by a bird... especially at night... especially after getting highlights. Luckily, we went home shortly after and I was able to wash that part of my hair... only to find a lovely discolored patch.

Alas! This is why you wash your car after birds poo!

Interesting weekend comments:

Mr. Wenske: "I thought it was going to look gross!"
Mrs. Wenske: "I wasn't sure how I'd like it. It's not so bad."
Mom: "What the heck is this? Purple?... this looks... nice. Why does this look nice?"
Kim: "This is surprisingly nice."

things to hold.

2010-02-09T09:10:00.000-06:00

It's quite a romantic idea, but I like the idea of having a keepsake to cherish. Like a necklace from a grandmother or bracelet from an old friend, there's just something about an intimate and meaningful gift that makes me all girlish.

I think I like the idea of keeping something that endearing close to you. Sort of like those funny "best friend" necklaces we got as kids. Yet no matter how cheap, silly, or ugly it looked, it felt like such a loving gift to exchange/receive.

Sometimes I consider buying something and giving it some meaning. In the end, it's just not the same. :)

sometimes exercise.

2010-02-09T00:21:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I think, "boy! I'm going to start exercising- this will be great!"

Last night I set my alarm early so that I could actually start exercising(since I get home kind of late). Needless to say, my alarm went off, and after waking up and not recalling the purpose of getting up early... I went back to sleep.

Nice try, me!

what January brought.

2010-02-08T23:00:00.002-06:00

1. A new job for Eric (at the company I practically work for).
2. Eric is now an uncle (and I will clothe this child in the cutest things!).
3. Kim is 17!
4. Out with the old, Oldsmobile- Eric bought a Prius.

(it's official!...and dark)
5. Work, work, and more work.
6. I went to my first wedding for a friend (I went to high school with both of them (they were dating at that time, too)).
7. A wonderfully cute puppy for Aimee and Josh.
8. Mmmm.... ribs and pecan pie!

9. Lots and lots of laundry...
10. Bubble tea and a tea from Momoko that Eric likes!

11. And of course, terrible, non-blogging habits. :)

human barometers.

2010-01-06T21:23:00.003-06:00

Weather is rather silly, particularly in Texas.

I distinctly remember a few weeks ago when the weather was in the 70s and the next day fell to the 40s, only to rocket back up a day later. And then of course there are those fantastic days where it's clear and littered with crazy sunshine, only to pour a few hours later. Oh weather, how silly you are!

Today it came to my attention that I befriended a fellow human barometer. Standing by the elevators on our way for coffee, she knowingly shared her secret reading of either rain or drastic weather change... all because of her uncommon headache. Now laugh all you might, but I quickly agreed- my good old left knee was saying the same thing.

Oh joints... oh weather!

reindeers.

2010-01-02T10:42:00.000-06:00

My sister posted this up on Facebook. It's a bit endearing.

"I opened my door this morning to find one of our front lawn reindeer at my bedroom door and my dad eagerly watching from his study room. 'I didn't move it. It walked over to your door hoping you would help it take down the Christmas decorations.'"

the month of December.

2010-01-02T10:01:00.001-06:00

Birthday nachos, work, Christmas plans, new years... December has been busy, busy! I've realized that I haven't posted in quite a while. Hopefully adding pictures will help make it up? Maybe my new year's resolution should be to keep up with posting? ;)

I celebrated a quiet 23rd birthday a few weeks ago at Hula Hut with my family, and this year was the first Christmas spent with Eric and his family!

My mom had plans of spending Christmas in the Philippines, and my dad and sister were thinking about visiting her boyfriend before he leaves for Qatar, so we figured we would celebrate Christmas a little early. My mom was particularly thoughtful with certain gifts. :)

On the 24th, we left to head out for Moulton, Texas to visit the Wenske clan at his Grandma's house. Christmas however, was spent in Victoria, Texas at Eric's home with his relatives.

This year, Eric and I also went to Zilker park to see the tree lighting and spent New Year's Eve eating funnel cake (!), bearing the cold, cold wind downtown, and watched a performance of The Blue Hit (whom you should check out!). A successful end of a hectic and stressful year. I'm looking forward to what adventures 2010 will bring!

Wishlist 2009

2009-12-13T13:41:00.005-06:00

Recently, Karen and Jo have posted their 100 tangible, intangible, and heartfelt wishes for 2009 (that lasts till next Christmas), and I thought it'd be neat to create my own (in no particular order). As Karen words it, "Of course, some are practical, some are materialistic (I'm human), and some are more like far off dreams that I will probably always wish for."

Wishlist 2009
1. A fantastic puppy!
2. For Eric to find a job that he will enjoy, be respected, and can learn from.
3. Confidence.
4. For my knees to be stronger and not crap out because of my arthritis, tendonitis, chondromalacia, and etc. (I must be an old lady...)
5. To continue to enjoy and learn from my job.
6. For Jo and Nico to get into grad school and continue to pursue their dreams.
7. For Jo and Karen to heal and find caring, funny, reliable, trustworthy, and talented boyfriends (it's good to be talented and have a passion for something!).
8. A waffle maker!
9. Great insurance coverage... that's not too expensive.
10. To be in shape and more comfortable in my skin.
11. For Kim to get into the college of her choice.
12. A great, cute bag to carry my lunches.
13. A job that Karen will love come graduation.
14. Cheap, reliable studio monitors.
15. A sound library.
16. For Eric to be successful in the games he creates.
17. A promising game artist opportunity in Austin for Stevo.
18. To make friends in Austin.
19. To develop more skills to grow stronger in my field.
20. A decrease in public transportation fare.
21. A job for Aimee and Josh so we can all celebrate employment!
22. For Fable 2 to magically be ported to PC. :)
23. No diabetes for Raison.
24. Non-forgetful leasing office.
25. Great hair!
26. A train ride cross country.
27. A trip to a hot springs.
28. A healthy and happy baby for the Adlers and Johnsons!
29. For my mom and dad to continue appreciating their professions and helping others.
30. For my lactose intolerance to tone down a bit so I can better enjoy food adventures!
31. For Kris to gain more confidence and land a spectacular job... in Austin :).
32. Initiative and motivation.
33. For Momoko to be closer to work!
34. For Julia to not get injured again.
35. To continue to be happy and healthy.
36. A better economy and job security for all.
37. Amazing piano skills like Patsu.
38. To not sing so out of tune!
39. That Josh will graduate soon and become a great teacher.
40. Awesome microphones that I can record foley and voice with!
41. More creativity.
42. For people to be less judgmental.
43. Whiter teeth.
44. For Lemon, Jenny, and I to be successful at our new jobs.
45. For my blackheads to disappear.
46. More great times with Dallas friends.
47. That Meow, our stray, would trust us more and play with us <3
48. For my parents to be proud of my career.
49. That Eric would wear shirts that fit. :)
50. For my roommate to always be loving (and always be loved). <3
51. To have a clean kitchen at all times.
52. For Benny to do well on his DAT.
53. To learn to play the accordion!
54. Chrono Trigger for the DS.
55. A Boy and His Blob for the Wii.
56. Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind by Ramachandran.
57. Fantastic cooking abilities.
58. A beautiful and happy wedding for Chris and Haley.
59. To take a salsa class or a belly dancing class (wanna take on with me, Jo?).
60. Knowledge.
61. To help people.
62. To learn how to sew properly.
63. To make great bubble tea... like Momoko.
64. Have more food adventures!
65. To open a little shop on Etsy.
66. For Kim not to grow up too fast... I feel like such a parent!
67. For Sobrina and Alan to continue to be strong and recover.
68. To refine my ears.
70. For my Tita Remy and Tito Henry to have the support and love they need during these tough times.
71. To make people proud.
72. To continue appreciating the beauty of Austin.
73. Guidance for those unsure of their futures.
74. Good health and happiness for my parents.
75. More laughter.
76. For close friends to live closer.
77. To celebrate Christmas with Eric next year.
78. Sephora gift card... mmm, I love Sephora!
79. That people would take my Google Wave invites... and know what Google Wave is. :)
80. Flowers. <3
81. To get fun pictures at Hmart with all of the Bananas.
82. To watch a play, musical, opera, or symphony.
83. To eat Asian food with Eric.
84. Have a great voice that could be used for VOs!
85. To have lots of books and a bookcase ladder.
86. Mascara that doesn't clump.
87. That politics wouldn't be so frustrating.
88. That Gabe is doing well and is happy and healthy.
89. That she would treat you better, you deserve much more...
90. For more of Aimee's pictures to be published.
91. For someone to swim with Lemon.
92. To always smell nice.
93. To bake with Karen.
94. For Errol to have better knees so bboying won't be so painful!
95. For John to have better knees, too.
96. Better knees for everyone!!!
97. Strength, happiness, and love for those who endure long distance relationships.
98. To become better at communication.
99. To travel more.
100. To be more musical.

busy times!

2009-12-09T23:19:00.001-06:00

So the working world keeps me a bit busy (and my slight laziness keeps me from blogging).

I'm enjoying my new job. I'm so excited knowing that I can learn a lot from my co-workers and more about the field. It's also neat that we get to work on a nice variety of projects(in different genres)simultaneously.

And what a wonderful location, too! Being downtown is such a change from my previous jobs. It's fantastic being able to head out for lunch and walk and see the the Texas Capitol right down the street. Much nicer than breaks in Dallas where you literally only see parking lots.

I hope that I'll continue to appreciate the location and will become more useful to my co-workers... sounds almost like a new year's plan, huh? :)

this weekend.

2009-11-29T13:51:00.005-06:00

this weekend i had the flu.

i also gave it to eric.

we are now tamiflu buddies.

it must be love.

successful days.

2009-11-19T23:52:00.003-06:00

Today, I got a fancy new Austin public library card. Last week, I was turned down. Kinda sad, huh? I didn't have a proof of residence. Today, I also became employed.

Yes, I now have a job!

I am now a proud member of the workforce! Well... the gaming workforce. Today, I was officially hired at a company that does audio/music for video games. I'm very excited to sink my teeth in and learn sound design and etc. etc. from professionals. I'm very excited. You may not be able to tell... but I'm rather excited.

Eric and I celebrated today by ordering a dozen fantastic cookies from Tiff's Treats. I had never tried Tiff's before, and had an awful time narrowing down my cookie choices... so we left with a lovely assortment of oatmeal raisin, M&M chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, and peanut butter cookies. YUM! Eric says they're a bit too sweet for him, but I think they're grand, nicely squishy, and an appropriately perfect size. I say... 9/10.

We also had a fun time (or at least I did) finding the Chinese fastfood place, Panda Express. Not really Chinese cuisine... but oddly amusing. I happen to like their silly rendition of orange chicken.

At home we had a grand feast and watched an episode of Leverage.

I'd say today was rather successful.

10/10

the politics of cute.

2009-11-14T13:24:00.004-06:00

Apparently this is from a children's anime in Japan, Yatterman.

I came across the video on YouTube the other day, and though I can't quite tell what they're saying, Obama and Hilary have never looked better.

Happy 4 Months!

2009-11-10T12:57:00.008-06:00

A few days ago, I received a hearty "congratulations!" from a few friends. Although it was pleasant, I couldn't help but panic to find something congratulatory worthy.

Did I get engaged? ...no
Married? ...no
Am I pregnant? ...no

I was really drawing a blank.

I was kindly filled in that some old classmates recently saw my name in the Borderlands credits (as an audio intern!) and were rather stoked. Wasn't that nice? Unemployment has been a bit stressful on me, so it's always wonderful to hear fun news like that :).

Now into month 4 of unemployment, I've recently been trying to ready my online portfolio a bit. Since Borderlands is on people's minds, I figure it's a great time to send a new wave of intern/assistant/etc. applications. So with that, I've been cleaning my portfolio, adding a few new things, and changing my profile picture, which Aimee was so kind enough to let me kidnap. Eric also pointed out some helpful tidbits (like my awful resizing of my picture), and quickly made me a couple icons. Helpful, helpful people!

Eventually, I'd like to redo my website, but it'll take me a while to figure out how to do all of that mumbo jumbo again. Plus, it's always nice to know that mine is brighter and more whimsy compared to some of the guys I'm up against!

Take a peek at my website, and be sure to download my new demo reel (I'm quite fond of the album art)! Let me know what you think, I'm not afraid of criticism (well... kind of)!

gross toast.

2009-11-04T15:21:00.006-06:00

When I was young, I used to think my stomach was indestructible. From cow tongue, to shark fin, corn ice cream, and ridiculously sweet leche flan- yeah, I could stomach it all. Lactose intolerance wasn't even in my vocabulary. In fact, I most certainly thought people were saying "So and so cannot eat that. It's like toast and tolerant." It made sense too at the time. I thought "oh... maybe it's a comparison of putting something gross onto toast."

Gross indeed.

Stomach churning, sometimes nausea, gross, gross. And it makes me kind of sad when I realize I can't gobble down post-Halloween chocolate like I used to.

So I've been cutting down things considerably in my diet. Replacing milk with soy milk, eliminating pizza, cutting down on cheese, slowly slowing down on desserts and sweets (alas!), avoiding dairy in drinks, curries, soups... it's almost as if I cut off a section of my stomach. Now my adventurous tastes of trying new foods has been replaced with a little caution.

At the very least, I had the opportunity to sample real Chicago pizza before my stomach ran off. And although it's sort of fun thinking I'm willingly trying to eat "healthier," my stomach likes to remind me of all the good times we've shared.

Oh stomach, how I miss thee!

post-Halloween post.

2009-11-02T14:04:00.002-06:00

Happy belated Halloween!

Eric and I decided we wanted to dress a little steampunk-ish for Halloween this year. I even prettied up this hat by assembling and attaching gears and also attached some fancy metal keys onto my dress.

It's actually kinda crazy. The gears, clock hands, and keys all came from the scrapbooking section at Michaels. What a great find!

Halloween night, Eric and I got all dolled up for 6th street to met up with Aimee and her boyfriend, Josh.

That's right, a lovely blonde wig! I'm so glad I didn't purchase a super blonde wig! :)

6th street was fun! Lots of costumers and people watching! There were even families checking out costumes from the side lines. Josh's costume was a big hit- lots of people asked for pictures or declared their love!

Aside from the 11 Waldos we spotted (...or decoy Waldos?), Lady Gaga costumes, and popular Mario and Luigi characters, there were lots of sexy pirates, sexy fairy tale characters, and sexy [fill in the blank]. To be honest, I think most of my friends growing up never went that route. I think most of them settled for quirky outfits, clever characters, or something just plain comfy. And my friends are rather pretty, too! Did we somehow miss this awkward trend?

At least there wasn't a sexy Waldo costume...

But you know what's one of the best things? Post-Halloween candy sales!

really, who shoots pumpkins?

2009-10-27T01:07:00.004-05:00

Recently, Eric and I played a fun Team Fortress 2 mod:

In this particular mod, you're playing a game of hide and seek pitting pyros against random props. Odd combination you say? Well... I guess it makes sense. Pyros like to burn things.

It's kind of nifty. As pyros, you try to discover/destroy the opposing team, but each time you fire/hit, you lose life. At one point, I had fantastically discovered someone disguised as a barrel (yes, a barrel!), but died chasing and firing at them. And then of course, there was the time that I accidentally fell off the cliff...

More notably, it's fun when you're hiding and you see the opposing team pass you by. Actually, it's rather scary, and I've seen a few buckets cower under the pressure and run smack into the opposing team!

(hiding as brush)

(a crate thing... only to be discovered soon after!)

(tires! surprisingly, this guy didn't find me... but the 4th person later did.)

(really, now! who shoots pumpkins? alas!)

Check it out!: IP server(USA)#: 74.63.81.76:27015

Borderlands Extravasplosion!

2009-10-21T20:55:00.001-05:00

Eric and I attended the Gearbox release party for Borderlands last Saturday at the Granada Theater. I was kind of expecting... I don't know... maybe more of a meet and greet kind of event, but instead, entered this crazy, video game showing, club-like scene!

Mix Master Mike (of the Beastie Boys) was there DJing, there were dance routines, a Borderlands bad guy running around, free drinks, random folks and Gearboxers.

After finding out that somehow I wasn't on the RSVP list (despite being invited via Gearbox and sending my RSVP), I got in as a team member (though more appropriately, former-team member). I saw a lot of familiar faces, was greeted by name, hugs, smiles, and on an occasion, "INTERNNNN!!!!"

I'm glad we took a trip to join everyone!

Borderlands came out yesterday, and thus-far, I'm reading some pretty good reviews.

84/100 from Metacritic
92.5 from Game Informer
B+ from 1up
8/10 from Games Radar

There are other reviews, too, but Kotaku has a nice collection.

I really hope it does well. Like any game, it's not perfect, but I think there are some great qualities to the game. Not to mention, I know how hard people worked to drastically change this game from what it was just a year ago.

Now I know the new art style isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I think it has much more character now. I guess just check out Youtube and compare the 2008 version vs 2009.

Anyway, check out the cool stuff we left with:

(Borderlands shirt, mouse pad, fancy pic with CL4P-TP, and my lovely badge)

(isn't this picture kinda snazzy?)

all aboard!

2009-10-21T17:45:00.000-05:00

Our weekend train ride was quite lovely!

Although it was double the time it would take us to drive, thankfully, we were able to walk around the train cars.

The coach seats were much roomier than I expected (unlike domestic flights). Much roomier, in fact, Eric could extend his legs to a pretty comfortable distance. Unfortunately, the distance wasn't enough to guard my poor nose from the non-deodorant wearing man who also smelled of smoke. My sense of smell is pretty strong; I promptly stuck my nose into a bag of cookies.

Thankfully, we escaped into the lounge car for the rest of the ride. We munched on the homemade cookies and sandwiches we brought, read, and played games. Much more relaxing when you weren't concentrating on breathing!

Later that evening, we even had dinner in the dining car, and watched the scenery with a nice, soon-to-be retired couple. Surprisingly, train food isn't too bad! I ordered a bbq sandwich which was easy to eat without feeling outrageously full.

The train ride back from Dallas was even nicer.

The train was larger and even had an observatory lounge with tall windows extending to part of the ceiling.

We never even sat in our regular seat; the observatory was much more scenic, relaxing, and fun.

I'd say trains have my approval! We each paid $48 round trip- not bad, huh? Granted, the trip is much longer, but if you've got time to spare, favor mass transit, and would rather see a bit of non-highway, trains are a fantastic alternative. And dare I say it's a bit romantic reading and watching the scenery go by?

Wouldn't it be nice to take a long train ride? I'd love to see the scenery transform and watch hills become mountains.

by land, air, and sea.

2009-10-16T13:12:00.003-05:00

Last week I carpooled to Dallas and flew back.

While I've flown many times before, it was the first time I had flown by myself. And then it dawned on me- I'd have to be sandwiched between two strangers. As I sat waiting to board the plane, I found myself watching my prospective flight buddies. "Please don't be the smelly man... Please not the lady with the crying baby... Please not the woman who's been giving me weird stares..." And then I laughed- I wonder how many of them were doing the exact same thing.

Tomorrow, Eric and I will be taking the Amtrak to Dallas. I love having a travel buddy! The train ride, however, is rather long... as in, 6-7 hours long (as opposed to 3-3.5), but we figure it'll beat hitting UT/OU traffic and we get to waltz around. I'm rather excited. So excited, I'd really like to throw on some old-timey clothes and a lovely parasol, too.

the truth about deserts.

2009-10-12T14:05:00.001-05:00

I lived half my life in a desert, and I love desserts.

The dessert is pretty.

Would you like a desert?

No.

Since forever, I have a tendency to stumble a bit when I read/type dessert or desert. While both are quite lovely, I think I prefer the edible kind. Lucky for me, a friend recently confided a clever trick- "you want more than one dessert."

Recently, I've started making my own fabulous desserts! And though they're not quite the edible kind, I'm still very amused.

Working with felt is a bit difficult as it tends to rip, which makes stuffing dangerous, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

They're still a little messier than I'd like, but practice makes perfect, right?
I've even taken to prettying them up in boxes!

It's really nice to have a hobby, now. Unfortunately, it only makes me crave more and more deserts... to eat desserts.

F5.

2009-10-09T10:36:00.004-05:00

I hate online auctions.

Why? Because suddenly it's like, rush rush!, refresh (F5), bid again, fret!, oh, I missed it... Same goes for online offers.

On a similar note, Austin City Limits Festival will be selling tickets for next year's events. I haven't been, but I hear it's great! In fact, when my family came to visit, my dad called to ask if I could find tickets for him. Little did he know the tickets had been sold out since May... (well, unless you find a scalper).

Anyways, Eric and I found out last night that tickets for next year's 3-day event will start selling on Tuesday. Not only did we learn that, but we also found out that they will be selling a limited quantity of $50 (vs. $145-$185) 3-day tickets at an undisclosed time. Well, you know what that means... F5, F5, F5!

Well, come 3 a.m., no tickets yet... So when we woke up, we continued our new routine of checking till Eric left for work. Anticipation!

Anyway, time passes, and suddenly I see this:

I must have clicked so tremendously fast (or they just put it up), that when I clicked, it said nothing was available. So of course I clicked again, got through (!), and ordered. :)

Soon after, I clicked again and saw this:

And shortly after, this:

This all happened within a matter of 5 minutes.

Crazy.

weekends of food.

2009-10-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, my family came to visit.

You know what that means, lots of food!

Their visit went well, and they actually stayed an extra day despite the weather. My dad in fact, told me that he didn't want to go home yet. I think they really enjoyed the food, shopping, trees, and trails. Speaking of food, we finally got to take them to Iron Works, a fantastic bbq place that not only Obama has visited, but was also featured on Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. Kim and I shared some beef spare ribs. It was wonderful.

Another note worthy food place we visited was Juan in a Million, where my family scarfed down on their famous breakfast tacos (though I ordered something else... too much potatoes!). There was a bit of a line to get in, but I think Eric had them pretty pumped by showing them the episode of Man Versus Food where Juan in a Million's tacos were featured. Good call!

After all of the festivities, instead of driving back to Dallas separately (I was scheduled to record dialogue and etc.), my parents insisted that I travel with them and fly back. It actually worked out rather well. It was raining hard on the way back, and it's been over a year since I've changed my windshield wipers.

our protector.

2009-10-06T10:33:00.000-05:00

etsy

and your name?

2009-10-04T23:32:00.007-05:00

"Here's my business card," he says casually. I stuff it into my homemade felt card holder. I like that it reeks arts and crafts. Glancing up, there's that moment of hesitation- the transaction is not complete.

"I don't have any made," I try to respond casually. I'm really rather embarrassed.

"You should work on that."

Well... TADA!

Eric designed a simple, game alluding business card. I can proudly say, I've placed an order at this fantastic site and found a promo code as well!

Simple, clean, and fantastic, don't you think? :)

another world.

2009-10-02T09:23:00.011-05:00

Weekends are pretty busy. It's like all the hustle and bustle that you wanted to do during the week somehow gets crammed into two days. I think Eric and I always have plenty to do during the weekend.

Last weekend, there was a festival down 6th street filled with art vendors, a petting zoo, and live musicians. We also spotted the mime from the IGDA event during GDC week, and stealthily followed him... while he stealthily lost us. Mimes are like that, I guess.

Although we came during the last couple hours, we managed to see a few performances. I think I'll always be in awe. One moment, they're one of us, walking in the heat, contemplating turkey legs and cotton candy, and the next thing you know, they're another creature on stage, belting out, playing and dancing.

Later that night, we dropped by Central Market where another band was playing. They were fantastic- very contemporary jazz (with hints of folk/country/soul) and even reached out with a few jive and jitterbug songs. But they had it too, that look the festival performers had. It was as if they were encapsulated with music and enthralled in the aura of their instruments. And from my picnic table I wondered if I got up, how close could I walk before I too would be enshrouded.

Have you seen it? That look of captivation and ecstasy musicians have etched on their faces? It's as if their instrument was all that mattered, and the rushing sounds complete their being.

oh, stomach! oh, thighs!

2009-09-28T14:34:00.002-05:00

Isn't this awful?

fantastic silver things.

2009-09-22T11:33:00.005-05:00

Every now and then, I continue my quest of finding a fantastic sterling silver necklace that I can wear everyday. Sometimes, I even branch out to search for an equally fantastic sterling silver ring.

Occasionally, I come across a fantastic find, but usually price is what prevents me from purchasing. That, or I find out it's a bit larger than I expected.

Anyway, isn't this fabulous?

It's actually not as large as it looks, and for you nerds out there, doesn't this "happy" hormone just make you... happy? Ah, I love serotonin! And... unfortunately, this $80 necklace.

Does anyone have skills and can make me this necklace? :)

Austin Chocolate Festival

2009-09-22T10:10:00.004-05:00

True to my post, and despite a busy week, Saturday, I ventured out to the land of chocolate!

The event itself was a bit smaller than I anticipated, though they did have a live band and ample amount of treats! With a two hour time slot and a sheet of tickets, I perused and sampled a great assortment of treats. I voted for a competition, sampled the 1st place truffle winners (yum!), had a few sea salt chocolates, cookies, ice cream, giant pastries, fudge, and lots of chocolate bits!

My favorite of the day however, was a fantastic honey, jalapeno, dark chocolate truffle. The chocolate had a wonderful balance of richness and creaminess, and the spiciness slowly builds in your month. Hands down my favorite of the event! I've never had spicy chocolate before, so that was a pleasant treat! But too bad the actual chocolate is so expensive!!!

Blissed Out's Spicy Mexican is probably 2nd on my list. Organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, raw chocolate with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper, I happily went back for another sample, and inevitably, a small (on sale!) package of chocolate. Mmmmm!

The Chocolate Festival had a plethora of different things, too. From the double chocolate stout (yes, a dark beer with chocolate!), to an all chocolate Warhol "painting," I really enjoyed the event, eating, and the fun box I filled with extra samples.

GDC

2009-09-20T11:07:00.003-05:00

This week was the Game Developers Conference in Austin! Not too epic this year, but also too pricey for me to attend. I did however, apply to be a volunteer (but I think applied too late...).

Some of the Gearbox folk were in town, so that's pretty exciting! I had dinner on Monday with my previous boss, and also got dropped an invite to an audio shindig and to a private Valve party. Both were great! With an ample amount of people and free drinks (om nom nom!), I met a few new faces and got to hang out with a few familiar ones as well.

Networking is awfully scary, though! Unfortunately, I don't have business cards made yet, but I did make a little business card holder before the festivities!

Thursday, Eric and I also attended an Austin Game Developer's semi-steampunk party. I tiny bit of networking, but more importantly, we saw a mime sing during Rockband! They also had a fun dark circus, gypsy like band playing with a contact juggling mime.That Damned Band, check them out!

Borderlands!

2009-09-14T16:53:00.002-05:00

Just one of the newer videos released. :)

Video Games | Borderlands | Character Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

bubble tea party!

2009-09-11T11:30:00.001-05:00

Wouldn't it be fun to have a themed tea party? Showing up all costumed up and fabulous? Maybe a costumed steampunk tea party? Or something more storybook? Maybe you can be the Mad Hatter and I can be Alice?

Well, on the same tangent, I've been craving tea lately, more specifically, bubble tea. Although I don't have fancy stuff to make amazing flavors, I did have some essential boba (bubble tea) making supplies.

Soooo, today, is recipe day!

Simple Syrup:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups water

Let's make the simple syrup, first!

Boil 2 cups of water. Once that is ready, pour the sugar in, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Done? Place it in the fridge to cool!

Boba:
1 cup boba
6 cups water

Once the water has boiled, pour in the boba pearls, stirring occasionally so it doesn't form a gooey layer on the bottom of the pot... Continue to let boil for about 15 minutes, then set on low for 10 minutes. Your boba should slowly start to float!

Next, rinse the boba with cold water (this will wash off some of the excess stickiness). Isn't it pretty? I bought rainbow boba. It doesn't taste different, but it sure is prettier!

Place boba pearls into the simple syrup and let cool. As it cools, the boba should take on a little bit of the sugary goodness. :)

Prepare tea!
This is really up to you, I suppose. Green tea or Jasmine would be nice, though, but I boiled some water (in my beautiful kettle!) and let two Tazo chai bags steep for a bit.

Once the tea is ready, pour some of the tea into a cocktail shaker (or water bottle...) with some ice cubes and milk. I also like to add a little bit of honey, too. Shake shake shake until it becomes nice and frothy!

Pour your mixture into a cup, and add the cooled down boba pearls, pouring a bit of the simple syrup to taste.

TADA!!!!

Now if only I had some fat straws...

If you have excess boba, save it! Just be sure to boil the pearls a little bit to soften the core. :)

underwear parade? it's a date!

2009-09-10T20:47:00.015-05:00

Last Sunday, despite a 40% thunderstorm forecast and a Labor Day crowd, Eric and suited up and went to Schlitterbahn!

I had a terrific time, despite walking around in... well, practically underwear. Swimsuits are funny that way, huh? In fact, while in line for the Master Blaster, a cute Disney crooning little girl made it a point to let me know that my "bra" was really pretty. Silly kids.

Seeing people in swimsuits (and being in one) is a bit daunting, especially when you stand in line exposed to people... for quite a long time. I found myself feeling rather self-conscious, but also appreciating the body types, beauties, and small imperfections around me. Speaking of imperfections, I was rather proud at how well my knees held out, too! Though they did swell a bit and give a little (and crack a little!), I think my mini knee workouts have been a great help in strengthening. I'd like to think that one day I can proudly stand in line for the Dragon's Revenge and not feel the awful urge to sit down with a small group of impatient kids.

The weather was fabulous- a little overcast, but warm, not scorching. And despite it being a weekend, not to mention Labor Day weekend, the lines weren't too bad either. Nice conditions for a date- or what I'd imagine a date to be like (I don't think I've officially gone on one before?). I think I like that idea, you know, the girly idea of getting all dolled up for someone? Well... in this case, I guess it was more like parading in underwear.

sad... but cute!

2009-09-04T10:41:00.001-05:00

super cute Asian shops.

2009-08-27T17:12:00.007-05:00

Today, through a series of texts, my dad has prompted me to panic about not having a job. Crazy huh? I mean, just a year or two ago, he had no idea how to text at all! Truth be told, I panicked of course, but rationally understand that despite my efforts, I haven't been getting many job leads. Be it my lack of skills or connections, it's also important to realize that hopefully as the economy picks up, job prospects will increase as well.

So... until Borderlands picks up (the game for which I interned), I'll just have to continue working on misc. projects and slowly build up a stronger portfolio.

I had lunch last week with Joanne, who was much more upbeat about unemployment. We talked about crazy ideas from openning a fabulous (but small) Asian-y shop (where we could always be cute), to running half marathons. Wouldn't that be fun, though? We even toyed with shipping Karen over so she could bake things for us to sell, too. ;) I think one of the most important things that Jo pointed out, is that during this time of unemployment, we have the opportunity to improve ourselves. With that in mind, I've been hauling myself to small gym excursions to slowly, slowly work on those old lady knees of mine. It's nice having Joanne around, I hope that we'll be able to schedule more outings (and have impromptu ones as well!).

Isn't she pretty?
I devoted much of today contemplating alternative (temporary!) jobs. I think my greatest fear is finding a job and settling for that (and not pursuing the game industry). So, I wonder if it's better to pick up a small part-time random job? Though at the same time... paying rent comfortably would be nicer. Hours later (and many, many forms), I've found a few interesting things- I've applied for a case worker position, a non-paid recording internship at the Austin Chamber Music Center, a montessori (...), and am in the slow slow process of filling out forms for a case worker position at the Austin Children's Shelter. I wonder though if I should go ahead and apply for a part-time job at the local bubble tea place or even consider retail? I'm also a pretty good waitress! I also found an interesting job that I would be qualified for >_<.

fleas!

2009-08-27T11:00:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, after many many reminders, the leasing office sent pest control to take care of our pests. I've posted before how we've been having an awful outburst of fleas, yes? Well, we came to the conclusion that since we don't have any furry pets, it must have been from the raccoons dwelling in our walls. Speaking of raccoons, we no longer hear them running around, and our neighbor has informed us that one of the smaller raccoons died in his walls.

Yes, you read that right-- died in his walls.

Apparently there was an awful smell that started to... ripen, and lo and behold, they discovered a raccoon died!

After an unsuccessful flea fogging, I hope the treatment will get rid of the problem. My legs are rather gross and splotchy now, and yesterday morning, within 15 minutes I successfully squished 4 fleas on my legs and arms. Gross? Yes, but I can proudly say I've perfected my flea killing technique.

With the spraying, I was told not to return to the apartment for about 4 hours, so off I was to keep myself busy! After running a few small errands, I ate at a small Korean/Japanese restaurant named Drunk Fish. Eating alone made me a bit nostalgic and thinking back to my excursions to Sushi Place during my freshman/sophmore year of college- and yearning for something other than what I ordered.

The arboretum area, with its shops and trees, is rather nice here. After eating, I sat on a cow (sculpture...) listening to music and people watching (though I felt like I was being watched more than I was watching, haha). It's really nice taking these relaxing moments, but I find myself to be a bit more restless and unable to relax for longer periods of time. I think it's time to start looking for that random/temporary job.

cosplay.

2009-08-25T11:48:00.003-05:00

mmm... baking!

2009-08-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've discovered a fond liking to baking.

Now I don't often bake, and when I do, I find myself using mixes and throwing that into the oven. I'm not sure what possessed me, but before my Dallas trip, I found myself with an odd urge to bake things from scratch. So... I did was was necessary, and baked 4 different kinds of cookies. A bit ambitious, huh? As a result, I ended up with a bajillion cookies.

Decorating, however, isn't my forte. :)

The other night, I baked honey whole wheat bread. I think it turned out rather nicely, and Eric liked it as well. Pretty cool, huh? I've made pumpkin and banana bread before, but this is the most time consuming I've made (wait for it to rise? and then rise again? and what- the directions want me to "punch" the bread?!). Overall, pretty successful!

I think today I'll bake some cookies... or some brownies.... or something. Anyone have any amazing recipes? :)

if you like it...

2009-08-24T16:11:00.005-05:00

a part of the club.

2009-08-18T17:23:00.006-05:00

Every weekday, I fancy telling time by how many cars are outside. Having awful vision, it's a lot easier to see those blurry car shapes as opposed to any clock. Today, after an early shower and packing a hamburger lunch, Eric waved goodbye to join that early morning club. So I did what I do best- I walked to the fridge.

On Sunday, mom brought all sorts of goodies: lawn chairs, smelly good plug-ins, and most importantly- bibingka! Mmmmmm! With melted cheese and butter, my stomach has been super pleased. Luckily (or unfortunately?), Eric doesn't favor it as much as I do, and just a few moments ago, I finished devouring one of the plates of bibingka my mom kindly brought over. :)

While eating is always fun, I like to feed others, too, and today I fed my neighbor, Meow. Well... pseudo-neighbor I suppose, as Meow is a stray cat who hangs out around my area. So after getting the mail and greeting Meow, I went back to the apartment to retrieve a can of cat food and a fresh container of water. "OM NOM NOM!" says Meow.

I'm probably just as vigilant as Meow is, too, as I nervously looked around making sure no one (especially residents) would catch me. But as I sat there looking around, I began to notice how the cat food oddly smelled like corned beef. Corned beef, now isn't that nice? Especially with some rice and fried egg? And as I laughed out loud, I realized Meow was staring at me- and I mean staring. Probably thinking, "Boy! Maybe this isn't safe after all..." Smiling and shrugging my shoulders, I watched as Meow returned to inhaling his corned beef smelling meal.

I think we'll form our own club.

sisters.

2009-08-16T23:41:00.008-05:00

These past few days have been great!

My 3 day trip to Dallas was super packed, and I wish I could have spent more time and got to visit more people (I think that presentation threw off my plans! Too long!). Luckily, I got to see a large bulk of people on Thursday and Friday for Nico's send off to Odessa.

Around 1-2ish, Karen and I lazily went back to her parent's place to pick up her dog, Biggie, but ended up being too lazy to head to her apartment. Huzzah for 1st ever Karen and Kat sleepoverrrrr :) !!! Apparently, we talked too much, we didn't go to sleep till around 6- which is fine and dandy, except that I woke up at 9 >_<.

Being with Karen reminded me of how much I miss her and Joanne. Somehow in this past year, the three of us just magically came together. Belly dancing lessons, Valentine's Day dinners, fantastic Central Market wine, and even a spring trip to frigid Chicago (though Disney World would have been FANTASTIC! haha), this past year has been the first time since high school that I've had such warm girl friends (girlfriends? female compatriots?). And though Julia didn't quite join us on all of our expeditions, she's been a wonderful adventure buddy as well (I love having an equally ravenous adventuree... 3AM IHOP trips... check! Drive to Waxahachie for catfish... check! Austin adventure for burritos... check!!!). Yes, they're lovely. On a side note, I was thinking that eventually when I find a job, it'd be great to take another dance class... I wonder if I could persuade Joanne to take salsa lessons with me? :)

Kim also came down to Austin after my visit. I really wish she could have stayed longer, too so we could have done more than eat, eat, and eat. And while I may be ravenous for types of food, Kim is a monster quantity eater!!! On Saturday, we went to Kerbey Lane for breakfast... and she not only finished her meal, but ate a large chunk of my own! Today, she DEVOURED pork and beef ribs, turkey, bread, sausage, and soup. It's quite impressive, really. Good thing she's in softball and works out a lot... otherwise those muscular legs wouldn't be as amazing.

So I've come to this conclusion: to be my sister, you must love food.

anniversaries.

2009-08-13T10:14:00.005-05:00

Tuesday marked my first month living in Austin. Trees, snow cones, Eric, raccoons, swimming, fleas(?), it's all been nice in some weird way or another.

So to commemorate my first month, I drove home to Dallas.

It's actually been pretty pleasant, really. My parents are happy to have me home, and I'm really enjoying seeing a few friendly faces :). But as much as I enjoy seeing friends, I can't help but think of how beautiful and green Austin is in comparison.

Wednesday, I had to present at UTD for the individuals who are funding the iPhone game I'm working on as well as a few other business men. Goodness! I hate presenting! Luckily, the 3 other teammates that were able to make it were pretty at ease and helped calm my nerves a bit. Overall, it went really well... from 11:30-4ish? We were fed lunch, chatted about lawyers, and listened to another group that presented as well. Success!

Wednesday also marked Eric's first day at Super Happy Fun Fun, the company that has picked him after his previous company died. Huzzah for Eric! I'm glad things have panned out well. Now I just need to find my job, too. :)

Speaking of jobs, I'm also looking into getting business cards made. I've been asked several times if I have any, and it would be great for networking as well. I came across a great design, and Eric has offered to help out as well. I'd love to have a simple, but unique card.

oh, boy!

2009-08-06T11:21:00.001-05:00

The other day, Eric and I ate dinner with his family.

Most importantly, his sister, Krista, mentioned that there is a chocolate festival next month. That's right- a chocolate festival!

The Austin Chocolate Festival... I like the sound of that! For $21.65 (tax included), you are given a 2 hour timeslot- kinda pricey, but proceeds are for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The website describes it as such:

The chocolate lovers event consists of local chocolatiers and chocolate artisans including restaurants, bakeries, chocolatiers, patisseries, authors, and catering companies. The vendors will compete against each other in several categories, offer samples to festival guests, and sell their products.

Karen, maybe you should schedule a short vacation next month and we'll bring along Joanne!

Chocolate... boy, doesn't that make you feel warm and fuzzy? :)

reunions!

2009-08-05T13:22:00.003-05:00

"Euna Lee, left, and Laura Ling, second from right, two American journalists who were arrested in March after allegedly crossing into North Korea from China, are greeted by Michael Saldate, the husband of Euna Lee, center, Ian Clayton, the husband of Laura Ling, right, and Lee's daughter, Hana, after the two arrived at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)"

fooding.

2009-08-05T12:43:00.006-05:00

This past week, I've been craving (and I mean craving!) Asian food- sushi in particular. And it's times like this when I particularly miss having eating buddies. Now I don't particularly mind eating alone in restaurants, but I think that really depends on where you're eating at, ya know? I mean... eating alone at Red Lobster is completely different than eating at alone at a small restaurant! With sushi though, I favor enjoying my meal with a companion regardless of my surroundings. Tamago, smoked salmon, unagi...

Korean food sounds good too... mmmm, how about some delciously tender bulgogi?

Oh eating buddies, how I miss thee.

happy little bags.

2009-08-05T10:30:00.001-05:00

I am a proud owner of multiple reusable grocery bags. In Dallas, I would often get funny glances when pulling them out of my purse in the check-out line, or sometimes, a confused glance by the cashier/bagger. This wasn't so much the case when I'd go to Asian groceries stores. Thankfully, the whole "bring your own bags!" thing caught on a little, and Target and even Walmart started to promote/sell bags.

Dallas is a little slow about this, but in Austin, I love seeing people bringing in their own bags. It's quite beautiful, really. Now for those of you that aren't too keen on the bag bringing, at the very least, it truly cuts down on the hassle of carrying a billion plastic grocery bags back into the house. That's right, you dare-devil! There will be no more of those one-trip, billion-bag carrying, plastic-cutting circulation missions from the car! This seems like a nice compromise, yes? And though sometimes it may seem like a hassle remembering to bring the bags, I think it's definitely worth it.

So... go invest in some bags!

pretty kettles.

2009-08-04T15:15:00.002-05:00

Kind of random, but I've been thinking a lot recently about tea kettles.

Yes, that's right, tea kettles <3.

After my stint at Gearbox, I've been trying to cut down on my coffee consumption. I just really like the taste of coffee :). I won't say I became addicted to caffeine really, it was probably more like, "oh! free coffee! mmmm, sugarrrr!" I'd love to get in the habit of drinking tea, maybe green tea again, but somehow my kettle didn't make it during my move to Austin.

I absolutely love drinking warm tea late at night (especially during the winter), and oftentimes, I miss the odd assortment of tea I had stowed away at my parents' house. We also had a nice variety of spices too, so it was always fun making my own concoctions of rosemary/mint, clove/cinnamon, and etc. etc. I loved sneaking into our backyard late at night for a bit of star gazing and that warm cup of happiness.

gestures.

2009-07-31T20:40:00.006-05:00

Stevo and Chrystal will be coming down from Dallas shortly. For being here for almost 3 weeks, we've been rather busy. Which also seems a bit odd, because I feel like time has been going rather slowly (especially on the job front).

Speaking of jobs, my mentor/old boss gave me a call the other day with a nice message about how he's talked to an audio friend to see whom he's connected with in the Austin region. Sure made me feel good. Today, I gave him a call back (after a brief rundown of what his meeting schedule is like), and we discussed briefly about jobs, life... and raccoons. Pretty good guy, I'm proud to have been his intern.

Just now, he sent me a text seeing how I'm doing, noting that I sounded a bit down when we talked hours ago. To be honest, I was a little thrown back, 1. that he could tell, and 2. that he asked. I'd like to think sound designers have great ears. Well... either that, or he's going through a rough patch as well (since psychologically, it's easier to pick out people with similar emotions). I was really touched by the gesture. :)

Maybe it's the weather, who knows, but I've been a bit lethargic, tired, and sad lately. With that in mind, I can't imagine how it must be for people with seasonal affective disorder! This morning, I woke up with GINORMOUS, dark, dark bags under my eyes. Crazy. Sometimes I'll get dark circles, but I've never seen such craziness under my eyes! They were rather puffy too... very unappealing.

But as much as I complain, I know this too will pass. But wouldn't it be nice if it'd speed up a bit? :)

My body still isn't quite ready to admit I don't have a job (which might come in handy later). I'm still waking up early enough to be ready for that 10-6+ job again. I guess for now, I'll just have to continue to work on things. In fact, you can find the latest music for Balance of Power on my online portfolio. Still some kinks and things that need to be finished, but I'm glad I'm moving forward with stuff.

Maybe tonight I can work on something new?

simple things.

2009-07-31T12:27:00.005-05:00

So recently, I've become lactose intolerant.

Does that make you sad? Well, it certainly makes me sad- I LOVE ice cream and cereal!

I started to notice it a couple months ago- pizza would give me stomach aches, ice cream would make my stomach gurgley, cereal just wouldn't agree, grilled cheese sandwiches were death, and finally, I put the pieces together. Granted, being the scientist and guinea pig I am, I tested things out (like the time I drank almost a whole glass of milk two days in a row... only to feel ridiculously gross afterwards), and sure enough, milk has become my enemy.

So this morning, I woke up bright and early munching on cereal and lactose free milk. I was a bit tentative and silly, but it definitely didn't make my cereal taste bad, and that's a plus! And get this-- I have lactose free ice cream in the fridge.

Luckily, my intolerance isn't god-awful. I still eat cheese and regular ice cream in moderation, so that's pleasant. In fact, I had frozen yogurt a few weeks back, and despite my stomach ache, I was pretty pleased.

But kind of like getting my nose pierced, you sure miss the simple things in life (like squeezing your nose and eating kolaches).

noises.

2009-07-30T16:17:00.001-05:00

So these past few days, I've been hearing odd noises at night. Noises like walking and scraping on the 1st floor ceiling, only to not find anything going on upstairs. Creepy, yeah?

At first, Eric dismissed it ("cool!"), but then one night while watching The Twilight Zone, the scratching started. So, being the gumshoes we are, we started investigating. Checking upstairs, comparing sounds, finding locations, nothing seemed to be clear.

The next day, the scraping was louder, moving further... AND DIGGING.

We knew it had claws, that's for sure, and it sounded about as heavy as a cat. No tell-tale squeaking of mice or rats (phew!). So... we figured based on our location, it's probably a raccoon.

Well yesterday, we went over to Eric's friend's place for some cookies and brownies (yum!), and when we came back, THERE WAS A HOLE IN OUR CEILING!!! Granted, it's a relatively small hole... but still... A HOLE!

And it's pretty funny, too. I mean, it's in the EXACT spot we heard it digging on Tuesday, too. So... Google came into play, and I skillfully searched: "How to scare a raccoon." Oooh, Google. :) So we learned to turn lights on and leave a radio on a talk station. Radio? Psh. So Eric went upstairs, brought back his laptop, and looped a rather long Leo Laporte tech podcast. That's right... we're educating raccoons.

Outside, Eric spotted one of our neighbors, who assured us that it's probably raccoons since that's been a recent problem in the area. Huzzah! Way to go, gumshoe! Eric then left to buy some duct tape (to temporarily patch the hole), and I was left to educate myself on technology as well...

So today, the leasing office said that they'll send a wild life person over to patch the hole and figure something out. As the hours creep by, I'm getting more and more worried that they won't make it today and tomorrow, we'll be eating next to the raccoons.

picnics and reunions.

2009-07-30T11:06:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, Eric and I went to an igda picnic. The picnic itself was held at one of Richard Garriott's lakeside estates. Supposedly, his property stretches 3 miles long, and his house (which we did not get to see), has an observatory. We did however, see a fortress and ship (which have been reported to be used for water balloon fights), a mini town, tree houses with connecting bridges, and a large chess set. There was also a live band (with The Fat Man aka George Sanger, bbq from Salt Licks, free ice cream from Amy's, and later that night (we left a few hours early), the event was rumored to have fire dancers.

The event itself was a good opportunity for networking among the game developer folk. Well... that and rather awkward introductions and conversations. Do you ever get stuck in that? I mean, it's rather odd when you're trapped in a situation where neither party seems to be interested and neither party seems to leave... Anyway, I was able to get a few e-mails, though unfortunately, nothing exciting to report.

Job hunting makes me rather sad. It's an odd way to think of it, but I think I've gotten rather accustomed to having a job and seem a bit at a loss. Eric's been pretty encouraging, and I do have things to work on, but I suppose I feel a bit pressured since I know that there's quite a few people out there anticipating my failure and those who are hoping for the best. I really don't want to let people feel down, especially myself. I want to be able to prove that I've made the right decision, and that I can be successful in my career choice.

Sunday, we went to Eric's family reunion (on his mom's side). I've never been to a reunion before, and I was pretty excited! As uneventful as a reunion might seem, having all relatives in another country makes things a little more difficult. We drove out to a small town about 1 hr and 40 min. outside of Austin, and were greeted with a church full of name tag wearing relatives. It was very organized to the point where the MC announced minutes from the last reunion, balances, and updates... I felt very much like I was at a PTA meeting! Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and two tables worth of desserts, I wasn't too surprised when the official count (minus those who came late) reached 189 people.

Eric's relatives are really nice and welcoming. There was quite a handful that I've met during previous festivities, and it's always nice to see familiar faces... among the 189 :). I particularly like some of the kids (who are particularly fond of me as well). Kids are fun to poke fun at. Maybe I've become a bit soft.

the roommate.

2009-07-24T00:30:00.003-05:00

My lovely apartmentmate and I are getting along quite fine, if I do say so myself.

It's been great having a Twilight Zone buddy again :).

Additionally, sometime this week will mark the start of our 4th year together.

Huzzah!

Josh, the visitor

2009-07-23T23:36:00.004-05:00

Almost week 3 in Austin, and I feel like I've been here quite a while!

There's been quite of bit of cooking lately, be it lasagna, shrimp tempura, burgers and burger and burgers, and bread baking, which is nice (maybe tomorrow I'll bake brownies from scratch?). Cooking is always nice. Josh however, came to visit for 4 days, and there was a healthy (or unhealthy?) handful of eating out. Thankfully, we ate at some pretty fun places (i.e. Hula Hut, Momoko, Kerbey Lane, Firebowl Cafe, Thundercloud), but it felt kinda gross...

Anyway, let me start over.

Josh came to visit for a few days. I actually thought he was going to be here for about 2-ish days, so I was a little thrown off when it turned out to be more. Although it was nice having Josh visit, it oddly made me feel pretty lonely. Eric's had his friends over several times and Kris came to visit, but I guess it made me much more aware of my lack of friends in this area. And I guess it's funny, too. I mean, that's pretty given when moving to another place, huh? But loneliness is still an uncomfortable feeling, and I found myself really missing my close friends and the ability to randomly see them.

With Josh here, I became a funny mix of a tourist/resident. We visited the fun places like Toy Joy, Momoko, Ladybird Lake, and etc. and of course the capital (since he's a history major). I even drove him around the area I live at, and visited the leasing office to see one of the one bedroom apartments (since he's vaguely considering moving here). I'll probably visit this post again and add pictures of his visit. :)

Aside from that, I've been pretty productive working on the iPhone game for my CGEC team. Hopefully I'll be able to catch the team leader soon; I really need to make sure that I'm on the right track! We're wanting to follow more along the lines of interactive music, so I've been hauling trying to figure out what exactly I want to do and how it should sound. Maybe when it gets approved I can create a mix for the computer and put that up on my website? It's crazy working with different platforms! What may sound fine and dandy here, may sound terrible on my laptop or Eric's computer, and of course, I have to make adjustments for the iPhone, too! It definitely can be a tedious process, and I'm always surprised at how different frequencies and instruments become and their effect on the music. Thankfully (as opposed to last semester), I have a device to test on. It makes a ridiculous difference!

I suppose that's a bit nerdy, huh? Well... so is this:

Hello, Austin!

2009-07-15T12:12:00.001-05:00

Welcome back, internet!

It's crazy when you realize how the internet is part of your every day life, thank goodness I could connect on my phone!

The move went by successfully. My family came to help me move, as well as Eric and my buddy John. John was such a trooper! He came early that morning soon after we picked up the Uhaul, and was terribly helpful in moving heavy items and provided overall jolliness (and Karen, he was on such great behavior!). My parents really liked John, and it was funny watching Eric and John joking around.

Julia made a later appearance (Karen, she has your printer! Unfortunately, the paper got boxed... sorry!) and Comet was super cute, too (he pushed my dad aside and jumped into the Uhaul!). :)

I think there are a couple people that are avoiding me, and I can't quite tell if they're angry at me or what-not. I had a pretty decent cry over that later- I really hate losing friends. I felt like if they were upset with me, I'd much rather them tell me instead of seeing me and avoiding me. But who knows, there may be other things factoring, and I hope things work out for them. I suppose the most difficult thing is thinking about how close we had become, and it was an unfortunate departure. Regardless, I'm thankful for all the wonderful friendships in Dallas. :)

The new apartment is lovely! My parents were really delighted with the area and the apartment itself! I think they enjoyed their weekend here. We also visited Toy Joy, and my dad was super amused with all of the random toys and gadgets. They're looking forward to their next visit. :)

Speaking of parents, Eric's parents also dropped by yesterday on their way to the Austin airport. Crazy to think they drove from Victoria to Austin for the airport, but then I remember that Eric and one of his sister's live here, too. :) Annnyways, we had a lovely lunch, and they stopped by the apartment to check it out.

Huzzah for parents liking the apartment!

Huzzah for Austin!

But no huzzah for unpacking. :)

internet.

2009-07-10T15:46:00.002-05:00

Internet, I'll miss you.

:(

crazy.

2009-07-10T14:46:00.001-05:00

Goals today:

1.FINISH PACKING!
2.Deposit money
3.Disconnect internet
4.Clean bathtub and sink
5.Change billing address for credit card and bank account
6.Wash linens
7.Find new homes for my microwave, toaster(s), printer, and fish (driving with fish is difficult!).
8.Clean, clean, clean, cleaaaan! :(
9.Donate remainder of items.
10.Drive to Austin... potentially.
11.PAAAACK!

So... potentially I'll be driving to Austin today so that Eric can drive me to Dallas... today... which would then save us a trip in the future... potentially.

oh.

12.Have car inspected. >_<

mornings.

2009-07-10T10:43:00.001-05:00

This put a really big smile on my face.

continuing.

2009-07-10T00:41:00.003-05:00

Today I woke up during my normal "get ready for work!" hours. It was quite an odd feeling to just lie in bed and realize that my internship is over.

Packing has been going pretty slowly, but I FINALLY had a chance to see Brittany today! We had a lovely breakfasty lunch at Cafe Brazil. It's crazy to think that I haven't seen you in almost half a year! Britt, I'm super glad I got to see you, and omg, your hair is beautiful! :)

My thyroid ultrasound was pretty uneventful. I waited for about an hour before I was seen, and it was crazy how fast it was done! Tomorrow I should potentially be hearing results. I'm not too concerned. I figure they'll just confirm that my thyroids are swollen, and with how my bloodwork has been, they'll probably tell me I have hyperthyroidism. I wonder if I'll have a prescriptive medication? Bummer about how that'll cost with my new insurance, but on the bright side, I've been successfully off my anti-depressants for 3 weeks!

Later, I had a goodbye dinner with friends at Zenna. Thanks for arranging for the meal despite your crazy schedule, Karen! I really appreciate it, and thanks for feeding me :). There was a bit of awkwardness, but overall, I'm happy to have seen people.

It scares me a bit to think of the friends I am leaving behind, but I know that we'll be alright. Let's stay close, keep updated, and see each other much! ♥

a series of goodbyes.

2009-07-08T23:45:00.005-05:00

Today was my last day at Gearbox.

It was quite lovely, actually, and I had lunch and dinner with the two audio guys. I'm terribly thankful for the opportunity I've had and the experience I've gained both from them and from the company as a whole. I'd love to describe how great of a learning experience it's been, but I'm sure I've already mentioned that quite a few times already. It saddens me to leave Gearbox, but on a bright note, I've also put a great recommendation for my fellow sound design classmate, Chris, to be my replacement. :) If given the opportunity, I hope that he will enjoy the internship as much as I have. <3

Despite already having dinner, I ended up having a second dinner with Julia at Panda Express. :) It's crazy to hear how much we've missed in a couple week's time, but she's been completely understanding about how hectic it's been as of late, and I really appreciate that. And it's a wonderful relationship to have knowing that even if several months may pass, I think we'd be perfectly fine about picking back up again. This is the kind of relationship that I actually have with one of my closest friends, Cheza. Despite going different ways for college and sometimes not talking or seeing each other for quite some time, we are still able to maintain a strong friendship. I hope that I can maintain great friendships with those here in Dallas as well. :)

Tomorrow, I have a lunch date with Brittany, my thyroid sonogram (haha) at 2PM, and dinner with some of my FSA friends. It's been a bit hectic figuring out times to meet with people and etc, but it's great to hang out with people before I leave.

Speaking of leaving, I still really, really need to get a move on packing. Funny story though! Yesterday, I packed my first box of items. It wasn't until I had sealed the box and etc. that I realized what I had done... my first box was filled with video games and consoles.

>_<

How silly and nerdy. It's also a bit pleasing. <3

lists!

2009-07-07T23:56:00.004-05:00

I've been approved for temp. health insurance!
I've become lactose intolerant?
I have a lovely boyfriend!
The apartment has a nice number!
I've discussed job opportunities with higher ups!
I potentially have a thyroid problem!
I'm having a sonogram done for my thyroid!
Who will adopt my fish?

bad timing.

2009-07-07T22:52:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I eat when I panic.

And then my panic causes indigestion.

>_<

apartment signing!

2009-07-06T00:49:00.005-05:00

How was your weekend? I hope it was wonderful, too! :)

I had Friday off, and drove to Austin Thursday after work for apartment hunting and to celebrate the 4th of July with Eric! Quite a few friends from FSA were also in Austin as well. Unfortunately, our schedules didn't quite align, but I know they had a wonderful time. :)

It was quite a busy 3-day weekend, actually. Eric and I woke up early Friday morning so that we could get to the leasing office when they opened. They had been holding a particular apartment for us that day, so that I could take a peek (Eric had already seen it that week). It was actually pretty nice. We were able to get a really good rate, and the apartment was on the 3rd floor overlooking the woodsy area. It had a vaulted ceiling and nice light fixtures (haha), but when we walked in, right away you could tell the apartment smelled like smoke. At first, I thought it was the old tenant, but when we checked out the balcony, we saw a pile of cigarette butts and out walked two smokers. Bummer! Can you imagine? They probably smoke quite often, and it was rather discouraging to think that we wouldn't be able to appreciate the patio (and even the apartment) because of the smell...

The leasing office was quite busy (which was a bit scary!), but we were able to beat the heat and check out several more apartments. It was quite successful, and I'm really excited! The apartment we chose (and signed papers for!) has a lovely view (well... from Eric's room, haha), a fantastically steampunk-looking furnace, and what I'd like to consider, puppy-friendly floors :).

I'm pretty nervous when I think about moving, but excited as well. I've recently had some casual conversations with my dad (success!) and have been relatively busy with last minute gatherings with friends and such. I really hope I don't get lonely in Austin. Does that sound silly? So, I hope I can possibly enthuse people about
journeying for a visit some time! In fact, Josh has already told me that he's taking a few days off to come and visit, and that makes me super happy. :) Do visit! Do visit! :)

Now for the not-so-exciting part... packing.

Gah.

weekends.

2009-06-29T02:06:00.002-05:00

These past few days have been really nice. :)

On Friday, I had a nice bonding experience and lunch at Zenna and ate dinner with Phil at BJ's (for some Chicago style pizza).

Saturday I got quite a bit done. I finished sorting stuff and dropped off 5 full bags of clothing, linen, bags, and shoes to Goodwill! Gaaah, it was so hot! I also decorated a cake and I met up with Karen and the apartment to check out Ikea for Karen's apartment necessities shopping. I'm super excited for you, Karen, and moving out is a great experience! Eric also came later on Saturday, huzzah!

Eric's birthday was on Wednesday, so we had a belated birthday bonanza of yummy tacos/chili dogs, a robot cake I baked/decorated, and watching a few Johnny Quest episodes. It's crazy to think he was pretty much here for about a day, but even crazier to think that I'll be moving in with him soon. It'll be a nice chapter and I can't wait to adventure in Austin with him. Huzzah! <3

I'm also now a proud owner of a white (yes, a white!) iPhone. It's actually quite nice, and I just added a wonderful ringtone, so call me! :)

So... with a couple weeks remaining here in Dallas, I'm hoping to bend time so that I can be around people. For those of you that haven't seen me in a while (who happen to stumble onto my site), know that I'd really like to hang out, and I'm sorry that I've been a bit busy, unsociable, and stressed these past few months. Let's try and make up for lost time, yes? :)

Hopefully this will be another great week, and hopefully I'll finally buy some boxes to start packing!

winter, please!

2009-06-25T22:23:00.005-05:00

Amidst the awful heat today, my ipod randomly played Winter Wonderland...

I came across this hat on Etsy... just looking at it makes me feel quite happy (... aside from it being made of wool...*shivers*).

good job.

2009-06-25T00:10:00.003-05:00

Accomplishments today:

1. Reserving U-Haul truck (July 11th!)
2. Magically not being late to work
3. Conversing with parents
4. Giving my boss the impression that I don't have any food.

Huzzah!

good morning!

2009-06-23T08:43:00.004-05:00

This morning, I woke up really excited. One of those huzzah!, today-is-going-to-be-a- great-day kind of feeling. :)

Today, Eric is going to talk to the leasing office at his apartment complex to see if they can terminate his lease early (like... a month early, haha) to transfer to a two bedroom. That would be nice, yes? Eric also pointed out that 2 bedrooms at his complex are more readily available than 1 bedroom apartments, so it would be in their best interest, right? Hopefully that'll go through and they'll give him a good rate as a returning tenant. :)

One of my goals tonight is to finish sorting my stuff... which is almost impossible to do in a one night, haha. Still, it'd be great if I can do some amazing sorting and at least have a decent looking apartment again!

As a side note, let's go swimming. :)

moving.

2009-06-22T09:20:00.003-05:00

Sorting stuff is a paaaaaain!

There are so many things that I think, "Gah, when will I ever need/wear this again?" And then, there are the times that I think, "Why would I want to get rid of this?" Ideally, I don't want to take too many things with me, and thus far, books are the hardest things to part with :).

My apartment is an awful mess! Hopefully I can sort things fast enough, before I give myself a heart attack! I'll probably go and buy some boxes today... or maybe I should finish sorting >_<...

Last night, Eric and I poked around at some 2 bedroom apartments available in his complex. His complex is nice, so hopefully things will still be available when his lease ends. I'm also tempted to poke around at other apartment places, too if we can't get a good deal at his place.

Moving prep for this week:

1. FINISH SORTING!
2. Drop off donations
3. Buy boxes
4. Reserve Uhaul vehicle
5. Start boxing!
6. Find people to help?

Hopefully I can find some people to help move stuff into the Uhaul thing when the time comes. I'm not too worried about carrying things aside from my monster desk and my futon... I distinctly remember not being able to carry my desk up with Josh's help!

Speaking of apartments and housing, I came across this video... kinda crazy, but pretty cool!

father's day.

2009-06-21T19:18:00.001-05:00

Today, I made an unexpected visit and gave my dad my pretty college diploma for Father's Day. His response? "Why would I want this?"

>_<

On another note, thank you Karen, for opening your house (and food!) to me yesterday. I really missed being with you, and I apologize for making you worry. I've been a bit low key lately. I think part of it stems from being busy, but also from stress and a little bit of antisocialness. It was wonderful seeing your family again, eating your yummy food (yay!), and I really enjoyed helping move a few things to your new apartment! I'm terribly excited for your newfound independence, and I'm sure you and Biggie will enjoy it!

Recently, I've been sorting through clothing and etc. to determine what I'll take with me or what I'll donate. It's a terribly tedious process, and I'm tempted to just say I won't need any of this, haha. :) Sorting and cleaning at the same time is a disaster waiting to happen... Thankfully, I have this wonderful pack of Lindt milk chocolate truffles. :)

Including this week, I have 3 weeks left in Dallas. :)

movement.

2009-06-15T22:20:00.000-05:00

Those who dream must stand on their past and look to their future.

sister.

2009-06-12T21:39:00.001-05:00

To me, one of the most emotionally straining times in life is when you realize that sibling bond has weakened. That sincere closeness, that silly, sisterly bond, as we age, things like that will change. And to be honest, it hurts be to see your disinterest in my leaving.

I miss talking openly with each other, finding pride in the other's achievements, adventuring and playing. I want that old need for one another. I wish you hadn't grown

just remembered.

2009-06-11T02:05:00.000-05:00

Remember that piece that I composed that was unsuccessfully performed?

I forgot to mention that I uploaded Whisper's intended performance on my portfolio. :)

Come visit me!

http://www.katherinehernandez.com/index.html

cartoons.

2009-06-11T00:13:00.004-05:00

I sat eating a late dinner and listening to the rain.

Well... that and watching season one of The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. :)

Have you ever noticed the difference in the pacing of older cartoons, even ones as recent as the 90s?

job hunting.

2009-06-10T22:41:00.002-05:00

So far, not much luck.

But that's okay.

I've recently been actively amping up my networking, be it through Facebook, Linkedin, or at work. Hopefully something good will come from my efforts, yes?

I also just got back from the Dallas igda meeting about employment in the game industry. I heard a few interesting things about the hiring process and such, but particularly impactful in my direction. The did however, discuss great points for anyone new to the game industry, what to expect, and what people should polish on. I did however, introduce myself to one of the panelists who happens to work at the company I'm interning at. :)

I messaged Stevo while at work about the event, and we carpooled with his wife to the meeting. OMG, the weather was crazy! Somehow, within 5-10 minutes, the skies got ridiculously gloomy and ominous, the siren went off, and wind and rain were going crazy! We saw trees/branches fall, traffic lights go off, strips of businesses lose power, and etc! Halfway to the meeting, we had to pull over to the closest building because of the chaos. We rushed into a McDonalds... only to realize the magnificent quantity of glass windows >_<. We did, however, situation ourselves right beside the restrooms if need be :).

Anyways, we made it safely to our destination in the end, and safely made it back as well.

All in all, a successful day. :)

ah.

2009-06-08T09:27:00.002-05:00

I've been in significantly higher spirits lately and also had a wonderful trip to Austin. There's also been some fun food outings lately, and I'll be sure to post up pictures tonight! Eric and I also went and saw Up over the weekend. Super nice, and I really loved the pixar mini before the film (not to mention how pretty Alamo Drafthouse was... and how yummy their chicken strips were!)

The commencement photographers FINALLY got back to me this weekend. They actually sent me the correct proofs of myself... and the Hispanic girl. Well... I suppose yjavascript:void(0)ou could always just pick which pictures, huh? :) Too bad my pictures didn't come out as pretty as hers!

Today I have a few goals when I get back from work:

1. Find more places to apply to.
2. Finish that song I started.
3. Start on music for Eric's game.
4. Start on music for CGEC.

Speaking of work... I should finish getting ready! >_<

Jet Set Radio!

2009-06-04T00:53:00.006-05:00

Mew from Jet Set Radio! This was my goal (minus the roller blades since they weren't allowed at A-kon... and my knees would be pissed)!

I ended up not buying a pattern, and decided to trace one of my dresses (which unfortunately didn't have long sleeves). I really just had to hope for the best... after I actually started pinning and etc. I was awfully afraid it wasn't going to fit...

So I finally got that sewing machine (that I got for Christmas from my mom) out of my car... I just had to learn how to get it up and running... and how to sew. Sewing the main part was okay, and I took in the top portion because it was too large... only to realize the sleeves wouldn't fit if I took them in... only to realize that I couldn't undo my mistake without making some holes... Luckily, the holes were tiny and covered up! Sleeves were by far the most difficult. My first 3 sets were too tight! >_<

Pins are dangerous! Every now and then, I'd randomly lose some on my carpet... Hopefully I've (safely!) found them all! At one point, I lost the sewing needle and found it when I stumbled... how dangerous!

I realized at the last minute that I should probably make her headphones. I had no idea where I could get cheap, rectangular headphones, so I bought a pair of headphones from Dollar General for $1.20 and picked up two eye drops boxes. I stuffed the insides with foam to keep it from shifting, duct taped it, and spray painted it... in my bathroom (luckily I wasn't messy!). I painted the red tip with nail polish, and let it hang to dry... on my toilet paper dispenser... The antenna is actually the a piece of my tv antenna that Stevo broke, haha.

I had this terrific idea that I should bead the emblem on her dress! I suppose I could have painted it or just used the felt... oddly, this never really occurred to me, and I thought it would turn out nicely.

...but I didn't realize it would take sooooooo long... Literally, I had just finished beading when Stevo came to pick me up! Another thing that took a while to sew was the feathery boa. I had to be careful not to bunch it up, and oddly, I have stray feathers flying around my room.

Tada! Unfortunately, I didn't fix up a nice spray can prop... So I often looked kinda awkward in pictures (not to mention how nervous I felt, haha). Chrystal dressed up as Gum and her friend (whose name I can't spell?) was Rapid 99 (both characters from Jet Set Radio).

Success?
Yes and no... >_<

internships.

2009-06-02T21:54:00.005-05:00

I'm working on this. :)

covers.

2009-06-02T09:11:00.001-05:00

What a lovely voice. <3

cosplay.

2009-06-01T08:53:00.004-05:00

So Saturday was my first time to ever cosplay AND go to an anime convention. It was awfully overwhelming!

A friend of mine, Stevo, came to pick me up so we could meet up with his wife and her friend (we were all doing a group cosplay... except Stevo didn't have a chance to change). Right as we walked in, he was telling me that people would probably be wanting to take pictures of me/with me, which was terrifying because I'm not too fond of having my picture taken (and I try and avoid them, haha). Well by the time he finished his speech and we walked in, this guy in front of me (who hadn't heard the conversation) saw my costume and asked if he could take my picture. I was terrified! Then, a guy dressed as Pikachu and his friends came over and asked for a picture as well! I was awfully overwhelmed, terribly shy, and hid behind Stevo asking if they could ask me later. >_< I think they took pictures of me hiding anyways, and I think I made Pikachu mad.....

So eventually I let people take pictures of me (I felt really awkward... and probably looked awkward, haha). Some of the instances were really weird... This one guy came up to me, asked me to hold his stuffed animal squid and smile... Mmmmm, okay. I also got random hugs from people when Stevo was in the bathroom (I then hid in the bathroom until he came back)...

Thankfully when we found Chrystal and her friend (whose name I can't spell), it was a little less awkward since I could pull in the two of them for pictures (it's like a buy one get two free deal!). Yeah... I'm not to great with pictures, and I'm afraid all these people have awkard pictures of me since I didn't quite pose or have props, haha. I just feel silly when people take pictures of me >_<.

A-kon was an interesting experience. I was terribly overwhelmed by the sounds, smell (!), and people, but once things died down a bit it was nice to take in the pretty costumes and etc. It was also nice to have our characters be recognized by some people :). Yeah, it was fun, and it'd be nice to try sewing again (I magically learned how to sew during a span of a few days!).

I'll be sure to post up some pictures of the costuming process! :)

mistaken identity.

2009-05-27T23:40:00.001-05:00

Funny thing.

Today, I got an e-mail of my commencement photos. Apparently, I'm two people: a pretty Hispanic girl and an Asian girl.

Yes... that's right, I got an e-mail of graduation photos of TWO people who aren't me... Soooo, I e-mailed them back telling them just that.

Hours ago, I received an e-mail from them with the graduation pictures.

This time, just the Hispanic girl.

storms.

2009-05-24T20:05:00.000-05:00

My dad stormed out of the restaurant.

parks.

2009-05-24T13:04:00.001-05:00

Recent short experiment with Cubase and a video clip I took in Austin.

nerds.

2009-05-24T12:08:00.003-05:00

This weekend I'll be going to my first A-kon! Yes, that's right, an anime convention. >_<

Now you can't get nerdier than that, right?

Well... yes, yes you can. In fact, I'll be cosplaying. :) I figure that I might as well go and get a full experience, haha.

So, with that said, I'll be going as Mew from Jet Set Radio (aka Jet Grind Radio in the States). Granted, I've never played the actual game, but I completely love their soundtrack!

So... now all I have to do is learn how to sew... >_<

Black eyes?

2009-05-23T21:18:00.001-05:00

Just a random thought I suppose, but what color are your eyes?

Growing up, I used to tell people I had black eyes, and many of my Asian friends said the same. But black eyes, really? More like dark brown. Recently, I've asked older Asian people (or looked at their driver's license) and heard/seen that many of them claim to have black eyes.

I haven't, however, found many non-Asian individuals claiming to have black eyes.

So I suppose it's a silly, question, but could it be more of a cultural description? For example, in many Asian countries dating from way back when (haha), many praised individuals with the ebony black hair, valuing its richness. It was something to be proud of. The richness of black was elegant and classic, something that you would wish to have. Now for many of us, if you hear black eyes, you might relate that to someone having bruises or injuries.

I guess this is kinda a silly post.

My parents claim "black" as their eye color.

Mine are dark brown.

ice cream, please.

2009-05-23T02:09:00.003-05:00

plano.

2009-05-22T02:09:00.005-05:00

(cow off the bus)

(men drinking milk should not stand on platform edge)

(non-bread-eating duck)

long days.

2009-05-21T23:38:00.000-05:00

Today's been quite a long day.

Work was a bit tedious, but hey, what can you do? I've also recently been told by my previous employer at the research lab that she will keep me on payroll and that I can come in whenever if I'd like to put in some hours and help every now and then (so Britt and Karen, I suppose I've become a Derek???).

I also found out (via text from my dad) that I no longer have health insurance. Fantastic. I wish I had known ahead of time so I could have at least gotten refills on my prescriptions? Anyways, que sera, sera. Thankfully, Eric helped me look for insurances, so maybe I'll go ahead and sign up for a temp. one until I eventually get employed full-time. I figured that it's not ridiculously necessary. I mean, I can do without a couple prescriptions and budget some of the ones I have left so I don't go cold turkey, but the thought of not having insurance is scary. Maybe it's what you get from being around medical people all the time? I've heard about awful stories of how (if it's not life threatening) hospitals may just give pain medications and not necessarily treat you at the ER and etc. etc. I dunno... I think I'd rather have insurance just to be on the safe side (and for cheaper meds!). It's crazy, too! One of my prescriptions is $160 without insurance and $10 with... isn't that terrible?

After work, my dad called to berate me on all levels. My internship, my lack of definite future employment, my wanting to move to Austin, living arrangements, not being important to my sister anymore, failing as a daughter, medications, etc. etc. etc. even my wanting to use public transportation (crazy, yeah?). It was ridiculous and quite frankly, made me feel like crap. Bah. And it's silly, isn't it? I mean, these are things that I think I should already be used to hearing, but it still gets to me sometimes (especially recently). I suppose if I keep ranting, this post will be ridiculously long.

Anyways, I felt ridiculously awful, but thankfully, I was invited to go with Karen and Joanne to the DMA for an alumni/jazz event. The weather was pretty nice, and they had a small jazz band, hor d'oeuvres, and a balcony from which to see the outside jazz event for the public.

We stayed for a bit, and ended up checking out one of the museum exhibit areas and making random arts and crafts in the kids area. :)

(mine's the one at the top! it kinda looks like it has a tail?)

alumni.

2009-05-19T23:09:00.001-05:00

Hoorah!

Such an eventful and wonderful weekend!

Eric arrived late Friday night (around 1 AM?), and on Saturday I graduated! Yes, that's right, I am now an official alumni of UTDallas!

The ceremony went by a lot faster than I expected (though I wish I didn't have to be there at 8-something in the morning!), and my co-worker, Julie, gave a wonderful speech. My family and Eric went to P.F. Chang's afterwards, and even better, Eric and I took a fantastic nap after lunch. ♥

In fact, we took quite a few naps over the weekend.

Eric had both Monday and Tuesday off, and my senior at Gearbox told me to take off Monday and Tuesday in celebration before I start working as a full-time intern. Overall, it was a great extended weekend of foodage (maybe too much?), Katamari (ooorigami!), Left 4 Dead, and happiness.

Today, we went to downtown Plano to feed ducks... but there was only one at the pond... who refused to eat the countless pieces of bread we offered. Oooooh, well. I also sent quite a few resumes off to game companies in Austin. Hopefully I'll hear back from at least one or two before my lease ends in July. I guess worse comes to worse, I can try and find some random job until a company picks me up... but for now, I'll keep checking my inbox. :)

Thanks everyone for all of the warm wishes!

Thanks for making it to my graduation, Eric, for Mr.Edirol, and for spending time with me!

One more month until Austin. ♥

yes?

2009-05-15T01:22:00.003-05:00

Let's visit the ocean and make sand castles together!

the e-mail.

2009-05-13T22:29:00.003-05:00

(sent on Thursday)

"Hi Professor _______,

I sent the two string players an e-mail with an mp3 of my piece so that they could get a little idea of what it's supposed to sound like since we never got to rehearse on Monday. However, I have yet to hear back from them (I also asked if they could verify when they receive the message), and the Spring 2009 Arts Festival program doesn't seem to include a cellist anymore... have we lost our cello player?

I won't be able to make it to the impromptu rehearsal tomorrow due to one of my jobs, and I was wondering about how we would do a sound check on the soundscape for Saturday. Is this going to be too troublesome? I'm pretty nervous about how things will pan out on Saturday, be it the musicians, the sound levels, or etc...

I might have missed it, but will we all be dressing in black or have a dress code of some sort? Are we meeting prior to 3:30?

Sorry for all of the questions. There seems to be so much going on this week!

Thank you,
Katherine Hernandez"

(her EXACT reply at 3-something on Saturday, the day of the concert)

"Just show up."

concert.

2009-05-13T21:59:00.003-05:00

So I know I mentioned before that one of my pieces was performed on Saturday, yeah?

Well, it was terrifying.

The piece had been completely unrehearsed, and my professor had not answered the e-mail I had sent that Thursday about a few of my concerns. I showed up a bit early, only to find that the violinist bailed out, and that there was no more cellist. Luckily, I had extra copies with me, and was able to give them to two of the orchestra students who had a concert moments before. I discussed the piece a little beforehand, and we went over the easiness of the piece itself. I wasn't worried about the pianist. I knew she had been practicing, and had listened to the recordings I sent.

After that got settled, I asked my professor about the soundscape on the CD I made, and whom I was supposed to give that to. She got overly upset, saying how we shouldn't even bother playing it on the PA system and just use a boombox. To that, I was a bit offended, and stated that the boombox does not have the capability of playing some of the more bass heavy sounds from the subway. She huffed and puffed, and ultimately, I was instructed to use the boombox.

By the time my piece was ready to perform, I was awfully nervous. Turns out, I had reason. We had one of my fellow classmates sitting by the boombox to be able to adjust the levels of the volume (via hand signals from myself), and the pianist started wonderfully... but then the cellist didn't play on cue. After hesitation, my pianist continued, and then the violinist never came in. The pianist stopped, and my professor came on stage and started conducting the two string instruments... without telling the pianist what measure she started on.

By this point, the audio track was not aligned with the playing, the strings skipped about 12 measures, and the pianist was still not playing... In the end, the pianist missed two pages until my professor finally cued her.

It was an awful jumble, and I was surprised that she didn't have them start from the beginning. In fact, I was VERY offended that she didn't have them start from the beginning. A few pieces later, a student's group had been a little off and continued, and she yelled to them to start again because she knew they could have a nice recording of the performance.

Really now?

And it wasn't that she realized that she should have had my group start over. Several pieces before mine had started over or etc.

After the performance, several of my classmates mentioned that it sounded coherent at the end, and were wondering what happened... and why so much was missing. I felt awful. Here I was with the piece she said would sound terrible, and I had a lot of faith in having it played and proving her wrong. I felt like she neither helped me, nor gave me the chance to show its worth, and ultimately, it sounded terrible. I was also bothered that she never addressed my e-mail, I wish that she could have at least told me that she was unable to get back to me or etc. (a classmate of mine had e-mailed her the same time AND got a response...). She went to several students afterward and talked about their pieces/performances, but she never went to me.

Someone in class (whom I never really talked to) suggested that she didn't like me. I'm fairly certain I agree.

anne.

2009-05-13T21:51:00.000-05:00

Indeed, she did get married.

things i like.

2009-05-11T02:55:00.003-05:00

Aside from the given, I happen to like the following:

1. Super bright highlighters. (I despise the ones that look bright, but highlight dull/dark)
2. Adventuring.
3. Ducks. (Not for eating, but for feeding! I love feeding ducks!)
3. Curling up in clean, warm laundry.
4. Tamales.
5. Listening to jazz on rainy days.
6. Creativity. (dancers, artists, musicians... etc, etc.)
7. Naps.
8. Reading for leisure.
9. Learning... and getting excited about learning. :)
10. Looking at pretty necklaces/rings... though I never end up buying >_< And by pretty, I mean simple, non-gaudy jewelry. <3
11. Creating.
12. Listening.
13. Watching.
14. Art museums.
15. The smell of baking bread.
16. Wild flowers. (That's right! Grow where you want! Survival of the fittest!!!)
17. Wind chimes.
18. Red pens.
19. Red bean pastries.
20. Flying kites.
21. Driving alone at night.
22. The thought of getting a small tattoo.
23. Printing paper with 96 brightness. (I don't like white paper that looks... dull.)
24. Latin percussive instruments. (I'd like to build up a nice collection one day.)
25. The ocean and building sand castles. (Let's go again, yes?)
26. Going out and looking pretty. (It's nice to do this once and a while)
23. Imagination. (Pretending is super fun! One time, Josh and I wandered the dark and empty halls of UTD late one night, and pretended to be spies and hiding from the janitorial staff. Kimmie and I used to pretend to be secret agents, but then she became too old to play... >_<)
24. Cute stuffed animals. (Inanimate objects are fantastic, haha.)
25. Well-lit rooms during the day. (I don't like sitting in the dark. It's nice to open the blinds.)
26. Pilot G-2 pens. (They write really smoothly!) Papermate Profile pens would be the runner up.
27. Showers with pressure.
28. Variation.
29. Almond milk tea.
30. Colors.
31. My mom's filipino bbq.

celebrations.

2009-05-10T13:05:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!

This morning, I met my family (and some of the Filipinos from last night) at Blue Mesa for brunch. I figured today would be a nice follow up. I was practically ignored the entire time.

On the bright side, at least Kim was there and I got fed.

Huzzah!

battlefields.

2009-05-10T00:44:00.005-05:00

So the concert for my piece was today, but that will be for another post. :) After the concert, I went home-home for a Confirmation party for my sister. Needless to say, I was prepared and knew what to expect- Filipino families questioning my future career goals, success, and etc.

I do try and think ahead a bit. I made sure I was still dressed nicely (since I was already dressed up w/ fancy pants and all from the performance). I definitely took into consideration that appearance would have some affect on how they would perceive me, and I wanted them to take me seriously.

But first things first- I had to eat. :) Well, that and collect info from Kim. Apparently, they had already been discussing me, and Kim described it as "pretty bad", "not knowing what she's doing," and it seemed like I was failing. Bummer, but I had expected that anyways.

As I was eating, one of the women came up to me and asked a whole lot of questions about what I was pursuing. Overall, she seemed unimpressed. After eating, I made my way to the women who were gathered in the kitchen. They weren't too much of a threat, but I wanted to make sure I made my presence there.

It was the men that I was more worried about.

So, they were sitting at the dining table drinking and etc., and I took a seat next to my dad, who then said, "why don't you go upstairs with the kids?" Well, yeah, no. I definitely didn't want to follow that. I wanted to make my presence known, and have that slight message that I am an adult (well... kinda). Shortly after, the questioning and doubts and etc. began. I was very straight forward, discussed my overall goals, my achievements. I was very knowledgeable of the things I wanted to make known. I discussed winning the competition again this year, the types of games, tools, and skill needed, difficulties finding internships, that there are only 2 main game companies in Dallas, job opportunities in Austin, and etc. etc. etc.

I really had it down pretty well, and made sure to tie in my majors (and make sure they knew I had 2 majors and a minor) and how they can relate to my field.

Regardless, there was a lot of talk about not knowing what I'm doing, how my career choice wouldn't follow through, and stability. In regards to stability, I said something along the following:

"I completely agree that the health profession is a very stable field. My sister is wanting to become a nurse, and I respect that. Unfortunately, the health profession is something that I am not interested in pursuing. I understand that the game industry is a field that many of you don't have much knowledge about, and that makes it difficult to see other perspectives. I feel like I have achieved quite a bit thus far, and am looking forward to my career."

I also made it known that I have very supportive friends. :)

I was pushed, questioned, put down, and taken lightly from many of them (luckily, only 4 families came). And that's okay. I expected this. And right from the start, my dad turned away and talked about watches and etc. with one of the men. And that's okay. I expected this, but at the same time, I put him in a situation and exposed him to my opinions once more.

After further mingling, and some people leaving, conversations carried on about how my dad was able to get away with a ridiculous amount of things with his father. I think I might have snapped, and to this, I said, "Unfortunately, I can't get away with my majors." He said something back, and we all sat there in silence. I gave in, walked to the bathroom, and cried.

I recovered fairly quickly, though. I wasn't going to lose, and I wasn't going to let them see how worked up they were making me, and definitely wasn't going to look distressed. I ended up going back to the kitchen and being an adult. :)

(I guess there's more I'd like to say, but it'd be kind of long.)

Overall, I think it was a successful event. I came in knowing what to expect. I delivered my plans, achievements, and understanding. I had my armor and stood my ground. I was civil, eloquent, and composed (mostly).

And now they know I'm not a bio major. <3

success!

2009-05-08T03:35:00.002-05:00

Successful transferring of files and etc. at the ATEC labs!

Our game is now complete (or at least we're not going to add any more assets)!

Huzzah!