A pretty cool day

The rundown of events

• A few meetings in the morning.
• Lunch with Nai. We were tipped off by Evan that one of the new Cafe's (Pinxto) was giving away sweatshirts. Yes! My first Google Sweatshirt. It's pretty awesome. Nai and I sprinted to the Cafe and we ended up getting the last two. A little running ended up paying off!
• After work I ended up going to a Goodbye party for Matthew at the Sports Page (A Local Dive Bar). We came in together in January. He's transferring to another office. So he'll still be in the fam. I'm so proud of him!
• After, I met Nai for dinner at Valley Fair. We ended up going to CPK. I've been wanting to go for a while. We split the California Waldorf Salad and BBQ Chicken Pizza. I totally didn't realize until afterward that the Salad was missing nuts. I knew something was a bit off :P
• I had 15 minutes before the mall closed. I ended up getting some Polos at Express Men. Yay!

Group Shot at the Sports Page - Pictured (Left to Right) - Rita, Brian, Me, Greg, Matthew, Josh

An Afternoon in Palo Alto

Ah... the land of hipsters, families, and yuppies. Good ol' Palo Alto.

Well, I decided I needed to catch up with Alex cause we hadn't seen each other all that much this week at work. I've suddenly become super busy. Anyways...

We headed over to the Stanford Shopping Center. It's a nice outdoor shopping area with upscale shops and restaurants. We walked around, played "tag", and browsed some shops.

We ended up eating lunch at The Palo Alto Creamery and Grill. It was pretty good. Minus the fact that a bird poo'd on me... twice. You would have thought I learned my lesson the first time around. Haha. It's all good.

It's never a dull day when Alex is around...

9/11/06 - A Day to Reflect

I'm not really sure to how to describe it, but today I felt really somber. Even if I were laughing, 9/11 was still in the back of my head.

5 years is a long time. I know I've grown as a person, but I'm sure the country has grown as a whole too.

5 Years ago I was worrying about starting college at UCR. I was having dinner with some High School friends and then meeting some other friends at LMU. Sami and Eric, my LMU buddies, had already started college. Not to mention that LMU was right near LAX.

5 Years ago, I didn't let the events in question get the best of me. My day still went on. I went to Best Buy to get the CD I was waiting for... Jamiroquai's "Funk Odyssey." I still love that CD. It means a lot to me.

All I can say is that the one thing that hasn't changed is that GW is still the Prez. That's one thing I was hoping would have changed :/

New Music Tuesday

Tomorrow's new music tuesday is one I'm looking forward to. Guess what's being released? Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" and John Mayer's "Continuum."

I've already listened to JT's album and it's fab. I really dig it. His music is moving slightly into a new direction, yet it fits him perfectly well. Lots of club bangers and yet some awesome ballads as well. All I know is that when "SexyBack" comes on in a club, people get really excited and shake their groove thing like nobody's business. It's probably a good indication that this song is both #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard's Digital Tracks.

I've heard John Mayer is going more into the blues-y direction from his once Pop/Rock days. I think his latest Single. "Waiting on the World to Change" is great. It displays his new found blues love, yet it's still fresh.

I'll be getting up early to go to Target and get these suckers before I go to work.

Facebook gets a Facelift

Wow. I just signed onto Facebook. It's like a completely new Social Networking place. The changes are rather interesting. It borders stalking. But, on the bright side, everything is much more interactive. It's really slick looking. The simplicity and good looks make MySpace look like it's on crack. Which, well, it always has been.

Check it out!

Quoting my tea

So one of the perks at Google is the refreshments. It's totally easy not to drink regular soda. I only really drink water, teas, naked juice, and diet coke. One of my favorite discoveries is Honest Tea.

It's either slightly sweetened with honey or has no sweetner. It's awesome and healthy. It's great calorie wise too.

One of my favorite things besides the taste is the quote under the cap. It changes all the time. Some are really amazing. It's kinda like the snapple cap for intellectuals. :P

Today's Quote from Honest Tea:

Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.
-Japanese Proverb

Top 50 Reasons to learn with the Best at UCR

UCR is getting serious about marketing. After winning $100+ million in grants, creating a new campus logo/integrated marketing theme, getting high rankings, and having professors published on a daily basis, UCR decided to compile the "Top 50 Reasons to learn with the Best at UCR."

The Full List with descriptions can be found at http://www.50reasons.ucr.edu/

Robbie Wiliams' New Single - "Rudebox"

The latest single, called "Rudebox," is a club banger. It's pretty unique. I'm wondering if the US will catch on to this one. The direction of his upcoming album seems to be WAY different than the last one. It seems to be more Dance/Hip Hop oriented. His music always seems to be slightly ahead of the curve, rather than just re-hashing current music.

The Tracklisting for His Upcoming October Release (Rudebox 74) is as follows:

1. Rudebox - produced by Soul Mekanik
2. Viva Life On Mars - produced by Soul Mekanik
3. Lovelight (Lewis Taylor cover) - produced by Mark Ronson
4. King Of The Bongo (Manu Chao cover) - produced by Mark Ronson
5. She's Madonna - produced by Pet Shop Boys
6. Keep On - Produced by Mark Ronson
7. Good Doctor - Produced by Mark Ronson
8. The Actor - produced by Brandon Christy
9. Never Touch That Switch - produced by Soul Mekanik
10. Louise - produced by William Orbit
11. We're The Pet Shop Boys - Produced by Pet Shop Boys
12. Burslem Normals - Produced by Soul Mekanik
13. Kiss Me - Produced by Dave 'Joey Negro' Lee
14. The 80s - Produced by Jerry Meehan
15. The 90s - Produced by Jerry Meehan
16. Summertime - Produced by William Orbit
17. [Bonus track] Dickhead - Produced by Jerry Meehan

GO UCR... at the GOOG

Today a new co-worker in my division was introduced. When she said...

"I just graduated from.... *drumroll* UCR"

My hands did a little dance. I got so freakin' excited. Seriously. A few people looked at me weird. Only one other person in my division went to UCR. So... we're up to 3! Yay! I guess people don't understand cause everyone else is from a freakin' Ivy League School or Stanford.

Then she said I looked familiar. Sadly, I have no idea who she is. :/

Steve Carell as a suicidal homosexual... It's "Little Miss Sunshine"

IT'S MOVIE TUESDAY!

I always go out with co-workers to see the weird movies no one else will see.

I actually don't remember hearing about this movie, Little Miss Sunshine. The cast is awkwardly terrific... Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette...

It's the perfect little Dark Comedy. I was really entertained and touched at the same time. There is an underlying story. You can interpret the movie in any way you want. But I'd give it 3 thumbs up if I could...

LA Drops Country, Gets Rick Dees.

I just read at LA Observed that LA's only country station (KZLA 93.9) abruptly changed formats without notice. LA is the second most popular market for country music. Not that I like country or anything, but I think it sucks for people who do like the format.

The New Station is Called "Movin 93.9"

Rick Dees is the New Morning DJ. He was the Morning DJ at LA's 102.7 Kiis FM for about a billion years (well, or since the 70's)

The Dish: Its a new AC format station targeting women 25-44. Most of the songs played on Movin' 93.9 consists of Rhythmic Pop and Dance hits from the 80's and 90's to the present day, along with classic Disco and Freestyle tracks thrown in for balance. It will basically compete with my other favorite LA station... KBIG 104.

That means I'd probably like the station, minus Rick Dees.

Justin Timberlake Album Cover Revealed

I dig it. But I think it refers to how he wants to depart from the 70's feel of his last album. Damn... what did the disco ball ever do to him? :P

Go ahead be gone with it...

Let's continue the good UCR press...

The past few days have been great for UCR in terms of positive press. Here's a cool new HEADLINE story on the front page of LA's CBS2 website.

Link to Story: http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_224132556.html

Aug 12, 2006 10:21 am US/Pacific

U.C. Riverside Proclaimed As Gay-Friendly Campus

(CBS) RIVERSIDE, Calif. Students and faculty have cause to celebrate "pride" on the heels of an announcement that U.C. Riverside was named one of the best campuses nationwide for lesbian, gay and transgender students.

"The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students" profiles 100 American campuses that foster a "positive living and learning environment for LGBT students," according to a university statement.

Nancy Jean Stubbs, director of UCR's LGBT Resource Center, said the recent ranking is a testament to the university's inclusive atmosphere.

"We were the first campus in California to open a staffed resource center and the first in the state to establish an LGBT studies minor," Stubbs said in a statement.

"We were also the first to offer a gender-neutral housing option where students can choose roommates without regard to biological sex or gender identity," she said.

Chancellor Frances Cordova lauded the university's innovative and empathetic posture toward the LGBT community.

"Our goal is to provide all of our students with successful undergraduate and graduate experiences. This recognition means we are succeeding," Cordova said in a statement.

Alyson Books will publish the college guide in conjunction with "The Advocate" magazine, to be released on Aug. 15. Its author, Shane Windemeyer, conducted extensive online interviews and factored into his rankings each university's safety, retention and counseling programs.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Guess What? UCR gets ranked impressively high.

To most people who go to UCR, they know the school is good and does its job of educating students. In fact, it excels in many areas.

I'm finally glad a publication recognized UCR within the top 25 Universities in the United States. (Notice, I didn't say Public Universities, either)

The Washington Monthly, a publication out of Washington DC, wanted to change the typical ranking system made famous by US News & World Report. This is the second year in which they've ranked schools.

Not only was UCR ranked #22, but it was also honored for being the best "Striver", or school who's ranking changed the most since last year in comparison to US News. UCR moved 63 spots, moving from #85 on the U.S. News chart to #22 on theirs.

Congrats!

Some Observations:

UC Berkeley is highest ranked UC.
UC Irvine is the lowest ranked UC.

UC Rankings:

UC Berkeley (#2)
UC Los Angeles (#4)
UC San Diego (#6)
UC Davis (#10)
UC Riverside (#22)
UC Santa Barbara (#57)
UC Santa Cruz (#68)
UC Irvine (#72)

Click Here to see the Complete List

Kelly Clarkson Concert: The Aftermath

I'm not quite sure why I'm up at 5 am. I think I went to sleep early watching TV. I don't plan on staying up very long. Haha.

Anyways, the Kelly Clarkson Concert was really fun. She did a great job. This was the first time I saw a concert at Shoreline. It reminded me of a twist between the Hollywood Bowl and the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine. While Alex and I walked from Google to Shoreline, an SUV of Girls said screamed, "Hi.... You guys seem fun. Come find us on the Lawn!" (I thought to myself... yea, right.) Right as we entered the venue, we got a couple drinks at the bar. The drinks actually weren't overpriced. About the same as you'd pay in a bar anywhere locally.

Kelly's set list was eclectic, but I found it to be very entertaining. She played a few songs off the first album, a few songs off her second album, two or three songs off her new album coming in February, her song from the Ford Commercial, and two cover songs. The cover songs were not recognizeable. I guess they are more underground Jazzy/Blues/Funk artists. I know for a fact the she sang a twist on Marc Broussard's, "Home."

The sista can sing. She can belt like no one's business. Apparently she was hoarse for her most recent concerts, but the one in the Bay was her first night where she didn't have a sore throat. Kelly's songs are VERY fun to sing. It's kinda like Karaoke. Everyone was into her.

She interacted with the audience quite heavily. She pulled up some girls to be "jumpers" on stage for "Gone." In her encore, she went to the 2nd floor, kind of near my section to sing two songs. One of them was of course, "Since you Been Gone." At the finale, a big storm of glitter and confetti shot out into the audience. That was fun.

The audience was about 85% female. Ya... seriously. Let me add, female and younger than 15. I ran into a few Google People, which was fun. Also, the line for the females to get into the bathroom was something else. That's the upside to being a man at a Kelly Clarkson concert.

We got out pretty late. I don't think she got on stage until about 9 pm. The audience was doing the Wave for a while before she got on stage. The opener, Rooney, was okay. I don't think the crowd dug them very much. Some of the songs were good. Plus, I've seen them at UCR before. So Ya. I don't think the concert ended until a little before 11 pm.

Some Photos from Flickr (some from other people):

Monday: Chocolate is So Very Sweet.

• The LG CHOCOLATE PHONE was released from Verizon Wireless today. I just about nearly peed my pants. I soooo need to get it this week. It's the shit.

• The KELLY CLARKSON CONCERT is this Thursday at Shoreline Amphitheatre. I don't have to worry about parking, being late, or food since the venue is right next to work. The BEST concert experience, ever. Since Angelo can't make it, I decided to invite a co-worker that I don't know too well. That way I can get to know 'em better. I decided to invite Alex... so hopefully everything goes well and it'll be a fun night.
• I worked out Hardcore the past 3 days. The stair machines are kicking my ass.
• At Dinner, I ran into a UCR alum who graduated in 2000 named Jeremy. (Undergrad Engineeing --- Ph.d at Caltech) I was wearing a Highlanders T-Shirt and he said, "Is that for UCR?" I smiled and we talked for a little bit. Go UCR at Google. :)
  
• Training is chugging along. I hope to be a pro at what I'm doing in a few months. I hate the feeling of not feeling comfortable with what I'm doing at work. I know, it'll just take time. But Justin explains everything pretty well, and the class is really smart, to boot.
  
• August 4th will be the start of my 8th month in the Bay Area and at Google. I still can't believe i've been away so long from So-Cal. I'm doing okay. At times is miss people and certain places, but I can live without the traffic and smog. But then again, Nor-Cal is a pretty awesome place to live. If you plugged me in a time capsule after I graduated and told me I'd be living in Northern California working for Google, I'd probably slap you.

Saturday: Golden Gate Park & Downtown Mtn. View

SATURDAY

Saturday started out by waking up kind of late. I woke up around 10 am. I chilled for a bit and then headed to the gym around 11:15 am with Nai. I used a new machine. It was a stair machine that is actually like stairs, not like a stairmaster. Seriously, 10 minutes on that thing KILLED me. My ass and legs hurt like a bitch. It tells you the equivalent of how many flights of stairs you walked up... it was over 30!

After the Gym, I showered and printed directions to Josh's Bday bash in Golden Gate Park in SF. Nai & I got to the city around 2pm, but didn't actually find the place in the park we were supposed to meet people at until 3pm. We drove around the park for over an hour. The park is so HUGE. It reminded me of Central Park in New York. I don't know why I've never been there before, but It's pretty cool. It's like a billion mini-parks and lakes within a huge park.

So we get to the area and run into another group of Googlers before the actual group we're supposed to meet. It was kinda weird. Haha. So I talked with Jane for a few and then headed to Josh's BBQ party. We just chilled in the park... but it was kinda chilly. It was Bright Blue Skies in the South Bay and WAY gloomy in SF. That's the upside of living in the Silicon Valley.

After the enjoyable time in SF's Golden Gate Park, we headed back to Google. I had to play around with my 401k stuff and sign-up for online access. I headed home around 8pm.

Around 10 pm, I went to go visit Mo and her new place off near Castro St. in Mountain View. The place is fab. We were joined by Steph, Danny, Kevin, and Vivian. She's renting a room in an amazing Townhouse (with A/C) right off Castro and Villa. It's right near Verde, that semi-fob Boba place. The Townhouse complex has beautiful fountains and everything. Uh, I'm so jealous. Plus it's closer to work than I am :/

Pics for your Pleasure from SF's Golden Gate Park

Friday: TGIF & Boba

FRIDAY

I'm still training at work. So everything's been sort of relaxing... sort of. The day concluded with a social TGIF. They had a nice Jazz Band playing outside in the sun. A group of us just chilled at one of the tables, sipping beer and eating food cooked by the lovely Google Chefs. I didn't eat or drink cause I wasn't really in the mood for alcohol and I was still full from Lunch.

Nai cut his thumb by trying to open a beer bottle on the table. Ouch. It was fun talking with Hana, who's last day was Friday. Sometimes, you hardly get to know the co-workers you want to. Then Jackie throws a curveball and says she's leaving to GHANA for 10 days on Saturday. You woulda thought she woulda mentioned that before. Haha. That's Sooooo Exciting!

After work, Nai and I ate dinner at El Pollo Loco, got caught up in some police mess on the streets of Sunnyvale, and had Boba Tea at Fantasia in Cupertino.

Where Have I Been?

Good Question.

I'm writing this entry from work because the power has been out at my apartment for the past two days. I'm glad I don't have real food at home, cause it would all be spoiled. Luckily, all I have are drinks.

It's cooled down a bit in the South Bay. It's now in the 80's, which is a nice change of Pace.

TUESDAY

• My Co-Worker Ayumi got Hired! Hell YA! I knew she would be hired, cause she's cool like that.
  


• We went and celebrated at the Tied House in Downtown Mountain View, near Castro Street. It was a nifty place that brews their own beer. I had the fruit beer... which was seasonal. What fruit you might ask? Passion Fruit! Yay!


• Drinking Beer made me forget about having no power. That... and reading "OK!" Magazine".

WEDNESDAY

• Went to Target to buy the new Pharrell CD entitled, "In My Mind." It's really good. He's always been a favorite of mine... whether he's driving the ship or in the background.


• I worked out again with Nai tonight. So... here's a story. I bought a polo 2 years ago at Express Men but was never able to fit in it. So I saved it in my closet and wanted to wait for the day when I fit in it. I decided to try it on this morning before work... and it FIT! Hooo Rah. :)

Another One Out of the Closet

File this one in the "Obvious" category.

Former *Nsync Boy Band Member & Wannabe Astronaut, Lance Bass, has finally come out of the closet and revealed that he is gay.

He's also been in a long term relationship with former Amazing Race winner, Reichen Lehmkuhl. When they were spotted in public a while back, Lance said that Reichen was his "Real Estate Agent."

Apparently, "Real Estate Agent" is lingo for relationship. Go fig.

In the wake of Darren Hayes coming out of the closet last week, It seems like we're in for a string of celeb outings soon...

Source: www.msnbc.com

Picture from: Pink is the New Blog

Friday Night with the Googlers

Last Friday was an Azn Style Night. A pretty big group of us from the GOOG went out to have some grub and fun. The night started off around 7:30pm with some korean food at Korea House in Santa Clara. I've been there once before with Dan, but it was just as delicious the second time around. Kal Bi for me :) Damn, I forgot how much food they actually place in front of you at this place. It's like craziness.

Then we Karaoked' it up at a Karaoke Studio nearby in Santa Clara. You know I got my Britney Spears on... right? It was hella fun. I should go more often... just to hear Danny go into high and low pitches. I think his best performace was for "Barbie Girl". Come on Barbie... Let's go Party...

South Bay Rent (*Sigh*)

I just read a news story about how South Bay Rent prices rose to an all time high. Rents at San Jose-area apartment complexes rose more this spring than at any time since the peak of the tech boom.

Landlords no longer need to woo customers with a free month's rent or a DVD player. Rent for apartments in large complexes rose 9 percent compared with a year before, the biggest jump in any of 29 cities in California and elsewhere studied by RealFacts, a Novato company that does research for the apartment industry.

The average monthly rent in the area was $1,414. Palo Alto was the most expensive city at an average $1,929, and Campbell the least at an average $1,231.

``There are so many people looking right now that after a place went out on the market, it would be rented within three to six hours,'' said James Barnes, 26, who signed a lease this week for a $1,500-a-month duplex in Sunnyvale that he'll share with a friend. Barnes said he and his roommate searched for three months before finding the place.

*Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/15082237.htm

A Well Deserved Promotion

I was happy to read that Professor Stephen Cullenberg is the new dean for the College of Humanities at UCR. I had him for an econ class a while ago as an undergrad. He's one of my favorties at UCR. Woot.

UCR humanities college gets new dean

UC Riverside has picked a permanent dean for its College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, the largest undergraduate school on campus.

The University of California Board of Regents approved Stephen Cullenberg, a professor of economics, to take the helm of the college whose disciplines range from art history and English to economics and political science. He will earn $182,200 annually.