Adobo Arigato Mr. Roboto? or Bad to the Adobone?

Last night was adobo.

And I followed the directions as best I could from Myra... but she's not a woman who takes notice of things like measurement, so I wasn't sure what I was up against.

Here's the short and skinny:

I took 6 pieces of boneless pork ribeye, cubed them, took one whole garlic, pressed it, then manually meshed them together. I threw in a whole bottle of white vinegar and added soy sauce periodically, while setting up for a boil...



To my perspective, it looked... like it was drowning.

But I knew better. Too much liquid just meant to boil it down to a reduction.

The problem... was the soup. It tasted TOO vinegar-ry. After adding black pepper and oregano, it STILL tasted too much of vinegar... so my next task to keep adding soy sauce.

This SORTA worked... but even after all had cooked, and all was said and done... I still had a problem with it... here's what it looked like...



So, I don't know exactly what the problem could be. It looked right, the meat was tender, and the sauce had everything it was SUPPOSED to have... but there was just something about it. Anyway, Lisa's parents came over, and tasted it, and THEY liked it... but I just didn't quite... you know... feel I did a perfect job. I have a more exact recipe in my computer at home, and i'm now interested in trying again.

So i'm done with cooking... well, other than curry, but tonight Lisa wants to drag me to this gay bar called 'Touche's'. I know, I know. It's a gay bar. But you have to remember, this is SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota. All the 'clubs' here are redneck and backwater, and probably play nothing but country or top 40. At least the 'gay bar' will have decent music, and some kind of exitement in lieu of new years. (Okay, i'm just making excuses for myself to feel better.)

Alright, i'll report after New Years.

Everyone... have a safe and fun New Years.

Peace out 2005.

Sinigang with the wind

Well,

It's done. The act of creating sinigang. There was a lot of worry and preparation involved... but in the end... "I'm a sinigangsta".

At first, I was worried... I had added the basic elements:

• boneless pork ribeye cubes
• two tomatoes (quartered)
• one sliced onion
• salt
• water

and got a unique concoction that looked like this...



As far as my experience with eating sinigang is concerned... i ain't NEVER seen something like that. Seriously though. But I persisted, and cooked it for 45 minutes, until the pork was super tender.

With that said and done, I went to the next phase... Tamarind Base, Patis, Veggies and Chile...
(Would you believe they ACTUALLY had Tamarind base here? Not to mention patis.)

So then it looked like this~



So now I was really worried... mostly because I'd never seen sinigang with that much... eggplant. Usually we (the filipino people) would use sili (pronounced sea-lee) instead of that honkingly large anaheim chili pepper. Sili looks like a small yellowish/green pepper that simmers with the soup, and then is removed later to create a spicy dip. But regardless of HOW huge it looked, I persisted by letting it simmer for an hour...

Until it became this~



Yup. I don't know how it looks to you, but it tasted like home-sweet-home. Even though I was stuck in the middle of frozen middle America, Lisa and I managed to procure the right ingredients to make Filipino Magic.

Tonight's adventure?

Her parents are coming over, and I'm charged with making : Pork Adobo.

Until then!

(By the way, I know I mentioned talking about Donna Watts... but i'll save that for another day!)

Cabin Fever

Two days before the end of the year, and i'm sitting at Lisa's computer posting a blog about my personal lethargy from being cooped up in a pet populated shelter known as 'her place'. Now, mind you, i'm not trying to say that i'm unhappy here... it's just, I'm a San Diego plant.

My breed is native to the balmy climate of the Philippines.

I happen to thrive in interactivity and socialization. Being alone for 10 hours a day, and sleeping for 8 of those hours only leave me 6 hours to be with her on a typical work day.

But I do miss my friends and family. (Not to say I have many of them waiting for me in San Diego.)

When I went to Egypt/Greece/London for a month, I had my dad, and everyone on tour to accompany me.

When I went to the Japan, I had my host family and all my friends from the language school.

But when I went to the Philippines with my parents, I was also cooped up in a small room, forced to just draw comics.

I couldn't go out there, because I didn't speak the language very well, and I wouldn't know where to go.

I kind of feel the same way here, but for different reasons.

I can't really leave anywhere with the car because it's super cold, and I really don't have anywhere to go.

The good news is, tomorrow is her last day of work, and then she's off until I get onto the plane to San Diego. So it will be nice to upgrade from being alone for 10 hours a day, to not being alone at all.

But if this trip has taught me anything... it has taught me to appreciate where I live, and to take advantage of my days there in San Diego. Be it working, or playing, or hanging out with friends, I should really leave computer time for things like blogging and watching anime, and have the rest of the time outside of my house enjoying life.

So in honor of the end of the year, i've decided to make a bold manuever and contact old contacts that I thought I wouldn't ever call back. I think when someone decides to go forward in their life, they have to make amends with the unfinished business of the past. There's this story, about a girl named Donna Watts, and I think the next time I post... i'll go into that deeper... but this sense of 'reconnection' is really important if I plan to be stronger going into 2007.

Wish me luck.

A Picture Share!

Hi

Update on the battle...

Christmas came early for me.

On December 18th (Lisa's Birthday), I remembered that I had a dispute with Flickr and that I took it to Pay Pal to battle. If their lazy customer service wasn't going to tango with me... then i'd kick it up a notch by bringing in someone who had the capacity to take their monies. I also remember them saying that if my opponent doesn't say anything up until Dec 17th, I win by default, and they jack the money back.

So I checked paypal...

24.95 BACK SUCKA!!!

That's right. Sitting pretty in my paypal account is an additional 24.95, which means, they took it back from those fools who dare cross my digital path!!!

HIYA! KARATE CHOP! TING ELBOW TO THE FACE!

So I scored a victory on THAT front. Christmas will now be extended by 25 bucks.

In other news...

Two days ago... Lisa and I cut down own own tree for Christmas.

Seriously.

I'm from San Diego... (as ALL two of my readers know) and when it's time to get a tree... you go to Target, Ikea, Home Depot, or one of the many Christmas Tree Seasonal Spots to get a nice green'un for the holidays.

Not here.

Lisa insisted we go to a FARM, and look through LIVE trees, and once we found it... CUT THE BASTARD DOWN! It's like picking out the steak you want to eat, but first having to slaughter the cow.

So we arrive at this 'farm' about 15 minutes outside of the city. We're bundled up, like it's 5 degrees outside, and we pull up to the entrance gates, which appear to be chain-locked. There's a happy sign that says, "Want a Tree? Dial 5XX-XXXX and i'll be there in 5 minutes."

15 minutes later, a woman rolls down the dirt street to let us in. The first thing she says as we get out of the car to greet her will forever ring in my mind...

Woman: "You sure picked the COLDEST day to get a tree."

She wasn't kidding. Getting out of the car to go into a supermarket, restaurant or movie theatre is ONE thing... but just STANDING outside, looking at TREES, holding a saw and a plastic sled... it's something else.

And we persist on doing it for the next 20 minutes. The rule of thumb is... if it's marked... that's the price, cut it down. If it's not, it's assumed to be a kick ass expensive tree, and is worth 10 bucks a foot. Lisa and I came to a solid agreement...

Let us buy the UGLIEST, PATHETIC tree we could find.

Longer story shorter... we did... with her help. I was so cold that I had my scarf wrapped around my face, and the heat from my breath had fogged up my glasses, which created moisture on the top of my glasses, which then froze. OH YEAH.

I didn't even see the tree we chose to get. But I liked it... because it was 20 bucks. (And no, not TWO feet.)

After hacking it down, shoving it in the car, and bringing it home, I soon came to realize why it was so inexpensive... it's NEEDLES were made by the devil himself, and if you didn't handle the tree with gloves and a jacket, you'd get dozens of needle stings that bit sharply!!!!

aRRGHEHHDHGGH!!!!

But I digress. It's a lovely tree now, so lopsided it stands. When I get my pictures uploaded you'll be the FIRST to see them.

Alright, I need to mail out Christmas Cards dammit.

Still Alive

I know I told my brother i'd tell him the story when I got back, but I think this is a good enough forum to share my flight experience yesterday.

By the way... despite an UGLY landing, I'm here... and alive... and it's 2 degrees outside. :(

Yesterday, my defeated brother (exhausted from his prior birthday hell) came over to pick me up and take me to downtown. I was up the night before until 1-ish getting ready, and when he came to get me, I was feeling a combination of exhaustion and nervousness. (Remember, I don't have my charm, and it was still bugging me.) Anyhow, we had some pretty in depth discussions regarding future plans. *WINK WINK Other than that, it was fairly easy trip ONTO the plane.

So getting onto the plane, I notice that i'm sitting next to an empty seat, (I always get aisle seating) and next to that is a middle aged frumpy woman. If i'm lucky, we won't get anyone between us, and i'll have a nice relaxing 3 hour 40 minute trip. Then as i'm sitting there, ANOTHER old lady walks up to me. So i'm thinking 'she needs to get into the empty seat' and I get up. She goes ahead and plops down in my seat. BITCH!!!

It turns out I was supposed to sit ONE ROW BACK. So totally embarassed, I sit back one row... and i'm next to...

MATT DAMON??



Well, not really, but this guy LOOKED like him. And NEXT to him was a girl who looked like Brooke Burke's younger sister. So I was thinking... "this is good looking couple."



BOY WAS I WRONG. (whoops... be right back... nose bleeding...)

(Okay, i'm back... the sudden shift in temperature does that to my nose.)

Anyway, yeah, I was completely under the impression that they were a couple... but as I leaned back, slipped on my headphones, and prepared to take a mental Yacht cruise into Minneapolis with Michael McDonald as my crooning captain...

Brooke starts talking to Matt.

Brooke: "So what do you do again?"

Matt: "I'm a cell phone sales company recruiter..."

So it turns out that they don't know each other, and they're GOING to find out. Now, I have my reasons for not really caring about this conversation... (mostly because i'm FLYING to that reason), but I couldn't help but overhear that Matt's job was... for cell phones. Being erotically seducted to the Palm Treo 650, I HAD to butt in and ask politely...

Mel: "Hi, can I have a Palm Treo 650 from you cheap? Oh, and for Sprint."

Okay, well maybe I didn't say it like that, but I did ask to that extent. Once again it turns out he worked for a company that did not work with Sprint, so I told him to go to stinky hell, and went back to my headphones, and the undeniably smooth music that IS Yacht Rock. Of course BROOKE wasn't satisfied with letting me sleep. She started talking to Matt about San Diego, and if he liked it...

Matt: "Not really..."

Brooke: "WHAT?! I don't like you... hey, where are YOU from?"

(You, referred, to me.)

Me: "San Diego."

Brooke: "Trade seats with him, I wanna sit next to you!"

Well, it was just that Brooke happened to LOVE San Diego, and was insulted that Matt didn't. So then I was dragged into the conversation of why Matt missed out during his 'conference' here. I basically told Matt to stay home, cause we didn't need more people in San Diego... and once I did that, all three of us started to talk.

And talk.

The first one to dissolve the mystery of their singleness was me.

Brooke: "So why Sioux Falls?"

Me: "That's where the girlfriend is."

The next one to reveal their true relationship nature, was Brooke...

Brooke: (to Matt) "You look JUST like my Husband! We've been married for TWO years... wanna see my ring?"

Finally, to make things more interesting... Matt decided to lay it out for us...

Matt: "I have a baby. She's 6 months."

So the comedy in this situation is... THREE singles, all on the same row... went from good-looking-singles, to ONE in a relationship, ONE who was married, and ONE who was NOT even married but with a 6 year old child but in a relationship.

Regardless... Brooke felt that we still needed alcohol... so after buying a Cranberry Vodka... she became bold... and wondered if she should still get another vodka, or maybe a wine.

Matt: "What happens when you drink too much wine?"

Brooke: "I get all like 'I LOVE YOU GUYS'."

Me: "And too much Vodka?"

Brooke: "I feel like I want to get into a fight."

Me and Matt: "WINE PLEASE!"

186ml of BAD Chardonnay. I think it was called... Casa Mayor or something like that. It was a twist off. A vintage really. They were better off giving us boxed wine. Brooke decided to buy a round for ALL of us.

But we downed our first wine, and Brooke revealed her name was Julianne. I became Romel. Matt... he turned into Levi. (Pronounced Lee-Vie, like the jean.)

Since Brooke bought the first round... and I, the lightweight of the bunch, was already SLIGHTLY buzzed, voted for paying for the SECOND round. THEN things started to get fun. After downing another 186 millileters of bad vino, we became 'The Loud Drunk Bunch In the Back Of the Plane".

This was mostly because, my second round PUT me into Happy Land. Since Julianne had drunk TWO shots PRIOR to her Vodka Cranberry AND two bottles of wine, SHE was in a Happy Spot... and Levi? Levi was an ex Frat Boy with the last name... O'Brien. So genetics alone gave him a +9 Drunk Resistance.

This didn't stop Julianne from sending us a THIRD ROUND.

This is when things went from GREAT, to just OKAY. We were nearing the end of the trip... I was DRUNK, and we were all going to be late for our next flight. Julianne, enamored with both Levi, and I, was the MOST likely to miss her connecting flight, and was trying to convince Levi and I to miss our flights, so we could all go hang out at the Airport Bar.

RIIIIGHT.

Longer story shorter... we all made our flights, (even her) despite how late we dropped in, but even before splitting up we made sure to exchange business cards and phone numbers and what not.

So that was my fun drunk 3 hour 40 minute plane ride.

The plane from Minneapolis to Sioux Falls took her SWEET time. I originally thought I was going to arrive an HOUR before Lisa got off work... but there was SOOO much delay, we arrived almost 10 minutes AFTER Lisa left. So not only would we have to wait at the airport... but we'd have to wait for luggage.

So as my parting thought before I need to log off...

As my plane landed from Minneapolis, to Sioux Falls... it touched the ground... then skid.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

THEN Stopped.

I had to change my pants. Okay, i'll touch on this again when I get the chance...

One post... for the road.

Alright, it's 1am, and all is set.
I just need to sleep, wake up, take a pill, shower, freshen up, pack the toiletries, bid on My Life / My Card, unplug everything, lock-up, wait for brother, BOUNCE.

I'm about as set as they get.

OH, and I got myself a NEW JACKET (you saw it), a NEW BACKPACK, (you'll SEE it), and a NEW CHARM. (Well, an OLD charm, that's been given the title.)

So this ISN'T my last post ever. I'm flying into TWO storms... i'm LANDING, and i'm POSTING from FUCKIN' SIOUX FALLS BEOTCH.

Not even Osama riding a Bloodstorm can stop me...

I may not be unbreakable anymore, but i'm going to claw and fight my way to success... death be damned!!!!

BY THE WAY...

A big apologies to my brother... who on his birthday... umm... listen... bro, i'm sorry... wow. Yeah... man... seriously? A VACUUM SALES PITCH?!?!? WTF?!

---

Mood: Determined. Excited.
Food: 1900 Calories.
Exercise: Packing.
Condition: Ready. Ready to roll. Ready to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and bitch, i'm ALL OUTTA GUM.

---

A salute, to two old friends...

Lost.

lose ( P ) Pronunciation Key (lz)
v. lost, (lôst, lst) los·ing, los·es
v. tr.

To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of; mislay: He's always losing his car keys.

I don't really want to dwell. But last night, and into this morning, I had to come to grips with a sad realization... my wonderful jacket, and my steadfast backpack are both gone, and I will not see them again.

I believe that they were in my mom's suv...
And that the door, or back window was opened or unlocked, and in a short time, someone came in and jacked whatever they could in that time span. I'm starting to believe this because I also had a 'CD Case' that I stored a lot of my old burned CD's in that car that isn't there.

I mean, obviously, if I was the one who left the car unlocked, it was MY fault that the items were stolen. That only makes things feel WORSE. I really don't care too much for the 'burned' CD's or the case for that matter. It was really the Jacket and Backpack that I have some connection to...

My jacket was a warm long black leather coat purchased for me by my mom, for my birthday almost two years ago. It was slick, heavy, and quite the most useful. It went with me when I FIRST visited Lisa, and when I wandered the busy streets of New York. It has protected me from a LOT of cold situations, and because it was bought for me by my mom, it has a lot of sentimental value. It's loss sucks ass, and i'm very upset that someone stole it. I cast a curse on you. A VIOLENT CURSE!!!

As for my backpack... that loss is a beast of a different nature...

This backpack was my 'SDSU' pack. It served me, my entire career in San Diego State University, and experienced some of the HOTTEST co-eds one could imagine. It was there when I was a Film Major, and carried my books when I decided to become a Psychology Major... it was my backpack when I became the Psychology Club President... and it was my backpack when I graduated after 5 years. On TOP of that, it has travelled the world with me. It was inside of Stone Henge AND the Pyramids of Giza. For the most part, it's been my reliably trusty travel partner. It was also there when I went to New York, and it carried it's weight when I lost 11 lbs. in Philadelphia.

Most importantly... there was a charm inside of the first pocket. The charm was a smallish brass colored triangle with an eye on it, and the word 'ROMA' embossed on it. My father gave me that charm, and told me that as long as I believed in it, it would protect me, even from bullets. That was the main reason why the backpack had to go with me, wherever I went. It's because it was my good luck, and my safety. It was the reason I felt comfortable on a plane. It was connected to a keychain holder on the inside of the outer pocket... and just like the bag it was attached to... it's also gone.

What does this mean? Does this loss of a jacket, and greater loss of an important backpack signify an important change? Does it mean i'm not 'invincible' anymore, and I shouldn't count on the 'warmth' and 'comfort' and 'reliability' of my parents? Does it mean, I should think about cutting down on the travelling, and focusing on the 'working' aspect? Or does it mean some DUMB FUCK JACKED MY SHIT?

*breathes*

I'm not upset.

---

Mood: Bitter.
Food: 1455 Calories (Not much... huh?)
Exercise: None... I cleaned and packed all day today.
Condition: Getting over it. Slowly.

---

Four days to go.

Here's what I basically need to do:

• Sunday - CLEAN, PACK.
• Monday - WRITE IN CARDS, TIE LOOSE ENDS.
• Tuesday - PARTY AT BROTHERS.

Then i'm out on Wednesday... but with the recent headlines in the news... i'm a LITTLE nervous...

Nigerian Plane Crash <- Click Here.
Chicago Plane Skid <- Click Here.

I'm not scared of flying, and I consider myself a frequent traveller, but it's always stories like this that always shake me up a little. I know no one died in the plane at Chicago... but STILL, do I really need to deal with that kind of stress?

And i'm touching down in TWO Airports, first the Minneapolis Airport...

Here's the weather report for Wednesday at Minneapolis.

THEN i'm landing at the Sioux Falls Airport...

Here's THAT weather report.

Simply PUT, i'm touching down TWICE, into TWO Snow Storms. (And here I thought I was worried about the SUPREME COLD.)

Anyways, here's another UPSETTING revelation...

My backpack's missing.

Yeah. Yeah, my VERY IMPORTANT backpack.
I'm starting to think, that the backpack, and the jacket are somehow LINKED.
If I can locate the whereabouts of the backpack, I will uncover the location of the jacket.

*sigh* This is just NOT good.

---

Mood: Disturbed.
Food: 2140 Calories.
Exercise: Worrying.
Condition: Wondering...

---

Satan's Claws, Satan's Claws...

I went to pho-cali. There's this freaky ass singing dancing santa. Watch him dance... And traumatize your children. That is in NO way freaky.

New. Cheap. Jacket.

I'm finished with all my shopping. (Christmas cards and nephew gifts.)

• I'm done.
• I'm like 95% healed from my past sickness. (We've got slight congestion, and an ANNOYING sore throat that's more of an 'irritated' throat, not to mention a case of 'sexy grumbly voice'.)
• I cleaned out the two vehicles today, and all presents that need to be wrapped... are WRAPPED.
• I DIDN'T win an XBOX 360 (Despite attempts.)
• I DID, however, LOSE my awesome Leather Jacket, and in trade purchased a new Snowboarding Jacketo.

It was 'like' at first sight. I was snooping around Radio Shack, when I decided to check out the Big 5 Sporting Goods (where my Niece works). As usual, i'm only ONE piece away from finishing my TOTALLY SWEET Snowboarder's Complete Package. What's the missing ingredient?

No, it's not love.

It's a jacket. So I always swing by to see if there's any ridiculous sales, like a 100 dollar jacket for, 50 bucks, or something. So I see this jacket here... (see below)



... and i'm thinking, "It's... XXL, and it's water and snow resistant... with fleece inner lining... hmmm, it also matches my snowboard pants to some extent... hmmm... how much IS it?"

$ 80.00

HOLY BUTT GRENADES. I don't have 80 bucks. (Ask Flickr... according to them, I have like, (-24.95) punks.) Anyway, I figure, "hey, this might be on sale, it might even be 40 bucks... THEN i'll think about buying it."

So I go to the cashier chick, and have her scan it.

Mel: "I just wanted to see, out of MORBID curiosity, how much this fine jacket costs?"

Chicky: "..." (She types in the prices slowly, and without luster.) "$25.00"

Mel: (blinking) "Excuse me?"

Chicky: "... $25.00"

Mel: "25 bucks? That's it?"

Chicky: "... No sir. There's tax too."

Mel: "Oh."

Well, since there was tax, I decided not to buy it- OF COURSE I WANTED TO BUY IT!!!!! But you know me, i'm cheaper than a Filipino on his last dime. So I figure i'll get my awesome niece to give me that FAT 10% discount! SCREW YOU TAXES!

Yeah, so the moral of the story is... I lost my awesome black leather coat...

I mean, HOW do you LOSE a BIG-ASS thick heavy Black Leather Coat, like <---- that one ---< ??!?! That thing kept me FLIPPIN WARM every single time I needed it. So at least I have a replacement to wear while i'm in ICY-HELL... erm... South Dakota.

So what's left?

->Clean.

->Pack.

->Party.

->Leave.

Everything else, baby it's CHRISTMAS.
But seriously... I wanna know where my jacket is. STEVE?!?! DO YOU HAVE IT?! DID YOU ACCIDENTALLY PUT IT YOUR LUGGAGE?!?! *cries*

---

Mood: Sad, and slightly nostalgic.
Food: 1675... and I thought I ate MORE...
Exercise: Wrapping Gifts... haha.
Condition: Slightly MIFFED.

---

FLICKR'D in the head.

: ( <- THAT, my dear audience is the emoticon of an UNHAPPY FACE.

Flickr went ahead and pressed it's finger deep into my heart, and punctured my left ventricle.

And people, it hurts. Like a smelly bitch.

I tried. I sent such a solid request, thinking NOTHING of it. Thinking, "hey, these guys aren't heartless beasts, they'll totally understand my problem and rectify it without as much as a 'no problemo' "

Alas, I was wrong.

Here, I present an interexchange between I, and a rep from Flickr... enjoy...

Mel: "Dear Flickr... I did something silly. In my haste of getting a year account, a good friend of mine decided to get me one as well... so, as much as i'm sure i'll be getting a 2nd year... I could REALLY use the cash for Christmas... and I would appreciate a refund. I haven't had OR used the account for more than a day, and I already have a Year Subscription bought for me by my friend. Thanks! -Mel" {This was a dramatization of the original 'remark' tag I sent to Flickr, because you know, they don't 'TALK' to anyone.}

And here is what follows...

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- [ From FLICKR to Mel ] 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hi Romel,

I'm very sorry but Pro accounts are non-refundable.

Regards,
Ana

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- [ From Mel to FLICKR ] 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Ana,

I mean, I didn't really have the account for more than a day or so, and my friend ended up buying me a year... is there really no other option for me? I really need the money for Christmas, if there's anything you can do I would greatly appreciate the help.

-Romel

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- [ From FLICKR to Mel ] 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Hi Romel,

I am very sorry but there is no other option.

Regards,
Ana

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- [ From Mel to FLICKR ] 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

:(

I've never heard of a company that can't do refunds. But you make me cry, Ana. I cry for the Christmas I can't give.

What would baby Jesus do?

Gimme my refund. That's what he'd do.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I don't know if I want to end this JUST yet.

I'm going to take this up with Paypal, to see if they'll try to help me.

I mean, it won't hurt to try. Right?

*UPDATE*

The gloves are OFF baby! I took it to the Paypal Resolution Center.

NOW we're GONNA talk.

Whether they like it or not.

---

Mood: Contemplative.
Food: 2392 Caloric
Exercise: Lifting a Receiver.
Condition: Clearing the throat often.

---

~A funny thing happened on the way to the FLICKR~

Ohhhhhh man.

Impatience + Stubborness = Ironic Situations

YESTERDAY... I came to the sad conclusion that I was NOT going to get .19 cents from 57 people, to have enough to get a Flickr account Pro.

So, resolved, I decided to just MAKE the money to get that subscription. I'd use the wiles of E-Bay to make enough to sustain a year of the Photo Site.

As luck would have it I ran an auction that made me 26 buckaroonies. Subtract the 1.05 for silly Gay-Pal fees... and what did that leave me?

24.95

What was ALSO that EXACT same price?

A Pro-Flickr Account for One Year.

So like a an assist in basketball...

The Auction winner passed me 24.95, and I shot it right for the Flickr account... all through Gay-Pal.

Suddenly I had a Pro Account. My 200 pictures... suddenly became over 600... because they never really DELETED any pictures from their website... they just cocktease you with the MOST recent 200 you put up, and the other 400 were in 'Get Pro Flickr or Rot' Hell.

Exploring the options in Flickr... I was like a Kid in a Candy Shop... or in THIS case... a Mel in a Flickr Pro Site. There's a ton-a-bunch of stuff to use in there... it was like the Non-Pro account was a joke... and THIS was the Relevant-Real-Deal-Holyfield.

"Flicker Pro... nigga."

So yay, I had my Flickr account, and actually I was going to post LAST night about my joy in attaining something...

Here comes the big ol' flaming ball of IRONIC COMEDY.

I speak to Jarold... (Or ~ ol' 19 Cents ~ as I like to call him) online, and he's like 'Oh, did you check your Myspace?'

And i'm like.

'No'

And then he's like.

'You should.'

And i'm like.

'I'm on it, like bubonic. Erm... Plague... is... to... people." < - (okay, I never said that.)

So then there's a series of gasping and cussing which would follow shortly thereafter... (See image below...)

On the top left image, Jay basically congratulates me on being able to enjoy unlimited pictures... wait... DOES HE ALREADY KNOW I HAVE AN ACCOUNT?!? Oh wait... let me check my G-Mail...

*Is GREATLY suprised!*

His 'kindness' came a day AFTER I 'kindnessed' myself. And I mean, I 'kindnessed' ALL OVER my keyboard.

SO, I basically told Flickr I want my money back. No offense. I'm probably going to extend with them until a better site opens or whatnot, but i'd REALLY rather use the 24.95... and add it to the unhappy little 4.74 sitting in Paypal to do some good in the cold country. (I need EVERY FRICKING PENNY I CAN HORDE.)

So cross your fingers people. Bid daddy Mel wants his mo-fockin' cash money bizzack.

---

Mood: Slightly Confused.
Food: 1710 Calories (Busy getting my badass haircut.)
Exercise: Being wicked dumb?
Condition: It's midnight, and my stomach's grumbly. I mean, 1710 calories???

---

JUSTICE! ~A dish best served cold~

I'll be quick. This isn't my 'end of day' post. (Right, because I have this big following now of readers...) But I wanted to put up a minor victory for John S. Littleguy, USA.

Here's the dirty on it~

I tried to get a loan. From a bank. Not a lot, but definitely not a little. So my brother helped me out, and we went to a friend of his who suddenly became a loan officer. Sufficed to say, I didn't get said loan from the bank, but that's not to say he didn't try.

He tried EVERYTHING. Simply put, I have a shiny and pretty credit score, but my debt (high) to income (none) ratio was out of wack. So that was a no go.

However, as a tactic, he signed me up (unbeknowest to me) for a checking account at CITIBANK so he could attempt to get me a loan THERE.

Still no good.

Now, we had LONG since gone past the need for a loan, HOWEVER, because a checking account was created, without my knowledge OR permission, Citibank felt that it was a good time to charge me a monthly fee for 'using' thier 'checking services'. So they charged a currently UNKNOWN, and UNUSED account their fee, and realized that there was no money in the account. *surprise*. So THEN, they CHARGE me a penalty overdraft fee, for not having any money in the account, that it charged me a fee for having in the first place.

Still with me?

Not long after, I was getting letters telling me that I had a negative balance AND it was totalled to -$30.00. (Which, interestingly enough is MUCH more expensive than a year with Flickr.)

So I called 'em up. Pissed as I was. I was lucky enough to get a call center in either India or the Philippines, with someone named Chris, or John, who was really named Ishmirddhi or Boy-boy to gently tell me that an 'investigation' would be placed on my account.

GOOD.

Now they'll trace their lines, and discover a contract that was NEVER signed by me.

Would that be the end? HELL NO.

I get a letter, a MONTH later saying...

"Our records indicate that on this date and that date, we sent you letters saying you had an account... please pay us money..."

...

Are you KIDDING ME?! Because they have records saying that they sent me LETTERS, that gives them the right to stand their ground on the fact that I owe them money for a service... I DIDN'T EVEN USE or KNOW ABOUT?! (<- whoa, angry much?) At a short time, SIX people were in this house, and at least FIVE of them were getting mail. I sure's hell remember never getting those letters. Anyway, I decided to handle this with a simple tool of social combat:

The Letter.

More effective than an e-mail, because it is tangible evidence. It has been used much longer, and earlier than e-mails, and for some reason has more affect on corporations. I figured that this would be the way to end this gay little game.

I wrote a letter. A polite one. But an effective one. And the same day I got their letter... I launched my own.

"Kakkatte koi yo." { Japanese ~ "Let's rumble, beotch." }

TODAY. Today, justice came home in the mail and I wanted to share it with all my (2) readers out there!



That's RIGHT, nigga!

They did their research, (probably more extensive than seeing if I got some letters) and discovered they tried to get money from someone who has no reason to be affiliated with them at all.

"Checking was closed with a zero balance"

AND

"There is no overdraft balance due at this time."

That's right. Kiss the ring.

Lisa, this victory is dedicated to you, cause I know you used to work there, and it was a MUCH worse place to be than cleaning up human shit all day.

A Quiet Sunday

Today was a quiet and mostly introspective day where I spent a lot of time to myself. As far as blogging is concerned, I don’t(thought I didn't) really have much to expand on. I dropped a post EARLIER today to make up for the night before. If anything, I looked through my old 'digital 'diary' I kept since 2002.

The original concept was interesting. It was 'batch' file. To those who don't know, a batch file is a pretty useful computer file that you run that can do multiple things. For example... my batch file... when I ran it, opened up a text file that had a pre-filled out form that I could fill out, which logged my exercise and diet for the day along with any thoughts I wanted to put in. As soon as I saved and closed out the text file program, the batch file would then run my winamp MP3 player, and play a playlist of my choice. Usually it was some type of motivational music, like Mortal Kombat, or something with high energy. I figured, if I set it up like that, i'd be more inclined to use my diary on a daily basis, with the reward of having my music play immediately afterward.

The whole 'digital diary' thing lasted for about 45 days... then I lost control. Around that time... the fall of 2002... I was doing SO MUCH at the same time:

1. I was a full time student.
2. I had a part time job as a jewelry salesman.
3. I had a part time job as a senior citizen driver.
4. I was in a research lab under Dr. Cronan studying Colorectal Cancer and Fibromyalgia.
5. I was a teachers assistant for Dr. Glaser's Psychology 271 Statistics Class.
6. I was the President of the Psychology Club.
7. I was jogging at MIRAMAR LAKE every morning.
8. I was working out with Jarold every afternoon.

So i'm not really SURPRISED that I crashed and burned around that time. But for at least 45 days, I was doing ALL of those things. Then I noticed, while reading through the log, that I started dropping one thing at a time. I first started studying less, then I dropped the driving job, then I slacked in the research lab, and eventually I stopped working out. It was pretty much downhill after that... and as I read through the 'log', it became more of an off-an-on journal ranting about a LOT of things.

And in those rants, I learned that my brother was right... I was really really hard on myself.

It was a constant self-motivating battle in each entry, constantly telling me that I gave up one day, and that i'd pick up the next, with a lot of self-bashing in the middle. It was really refreshing to read through it and really see myself almost a year later... (the last post was in 2004) .

As for that whole 'donation' thing? Like I said, other than Jarold and Lisa... (whom both either read it from the blog, or was talked to about directly) no one from Myspace probably even got a chance to read it. (Cept Kristie, but i'm guessing Jay told her about it.) That leaves the donation stuck in limbo at $5.50. Now my brother wants to join in... and still can ~

by going to paypal, and...

OH SHIT. Hahahahahahahah Man. First off, Jarold... dude... i'm sorry.

Check this out... (click on the picture.)

If you could read that... basically, when Jay donated 50 cents... there was a processing fee of 31 cents.

So Jay, you gave me 19 cents.

Somehow, I feel warm inside that this didn't get out to everyone. If 57 people donated 19 cents to me each... I'd have $10.83. I wouldn't even have HALF for the flicker account.

Thank you paypal, for making me sniff my own butt.

See, when Lisa donated, her $5.00 was spared, because she was charged 0.45 cents for the transaction.

My TOTAL is less than Lisa's original gift of $5.00. It's like $4.74, and that is in NO WAY SAD.

So BRO, if you're reading this... you have to donate like 10.00 bucks for this to even make sense. Stupid retarded Gaypal.

Thankfully, i'm selling a couple things I bought from Best Buy on Black Friday... and i'll put up the links to those auctions tomorrow, when it's about to close. The thick of it is... I spent roughly 42.99 for the items that i'm auctioning, and i'm hoping to at least get... well... all of it, if not more... back.

Now I need to sleep. But I also have to laugh. Stupid paypal... hahahahah.

---

Mood: Amused. But annoyed.
Food: 2742 :( bad mel.
Exercise: Lots of... typing?
Condition: Sleepy... but angry at Paypal. Jerkwads.

---

My Camera is bigger than YOURS!

I'm gonna be straight up honest.

I don't dislike my brother-in-law.

I mean SURE...

He can be a ~



or totally ~



but the fact is, he's not a bad guy. (I mean if he was, what kind of person would that make my sister?!)

But last night, he and my bro were shining examples of 'boys and their toys'.

See, my brother (<- click here) is all about toys. If it's hot, if it's new, if it's trendy... he's GOTTA have it. (read his XBOX entry.)

BUT, he'll compromise on the condition of such item:

• If it's used.
• If it's refurbished.
• If it's from Craigslist.
• If it's from a trenchcoated dude on Wall St. and Broadway... as long as it's the item (or at least looks and FUNCTIONS like the item) he'll get it, as long as he gets an exclusive discount for it.

Anyway, he's all about taking an obscene amount of pictures of his family, and of course, his child. So I wasn't too particularly surprised, when he showed up earlier this year with his new 8 megapixel Canon camera...

It's totally cool. I took a picture of my 'profile' pic with it, and I had to photoshop out ALL THE THOUSANDS OF PORES on my face, that this damn thing captured. So in my humble opinion, it's ~da shit~.

Now, my brother-in-law Paul... he likes toys too... but it's a LITTLE different. If the said 'TOY' appear in Sears or Home Depot, or even Cost-Co... it would be just NICE to have it. BUT if his mind is set on something... he will seek out to purchase the ultimate best super highest quality version of said thing. '

For example...

Let's say he wanted a CD player...

He'd get the HIGHEST RATED CD player on the market, then do a cross comparison versus comparably priced players. THEN once he made the decision, he'd buy the 'Fully Stocked' pack that came with all the side accessories and the 20 year fully covered extensive warranty, and once it was purchased... it would then be proudly used and talked of in great detail and length.

That being said, let the urinal comparison begin.

I suppose Paul got his hands on my brother's camera, and it sparked a want in him to have a nice camera as well. So he ended up buying the same brand of camera that my brother had except the version that cries out "I have 600 more dollars I can afford to spend!"

So last night, my brother, and my brother in law spent a MAJORITY of the evening comparing cameras... trying to figure out why one was so much more expensive than the other...

In the end, the difference wasn't substantial. And only in a professional's eyes, would the difference even matter, but at the same time, a professional would probably be spending 5-10 times as much than EITHER of them.

Eventually Paul confided to me the motivation behind his extravagant purchases... See, he could've bought the camera that my brother bought. Truth be told, there's nothing wrong with it. In fact, there's nothing wrong with a lot of the 2nd place 'toys' out there. But Paul is the kinda of guy who will ALWAYS wonder what he was missing. He will always be curious as to what little features that the 'best one' has, which makes it the best. He will always long for getting the absolute MOST for his money, even if that means he's spending MOST of the money. (And in my personal opinion, if he finds out his best friend gets the better version... it will drive him NUTSO.)

When you actually think about it, it's not a bad way to buy things... and truth be told... that fool can AFFORD IT.

---

Mood: Content.
Food: 2350 Calories beotch.
Exercise: Sleeping. hahah.
Condition: Coughing still. Stupid gay cough.
Song I'm listening to: Sarah McLachlan ~A Song for Winter's Night~

---

P.S. Happy Birthday to my Sister!!!!

Weight... LOST.

Remember those kids in highschool that didn't study, but got 'A's' on the test?

... Well, okay, that example is a little extreme.

Remember those kids in highschool that didn't study, but got 'B-'s' or 'C+'s' on the test?

That's me.

I'm currently part of a research study that gives you a pill which is supposed to suppress your ape-tit.

You take a pill EVERY DAY, and every month they log your weight... and stuff.

So for the first TWO weeks of the study... I was in beautiful Philadelphia.

I lost 11 pounds.

I mean, yeah I took the pill, but I also walked around a whole bunch, (not to mention I ran up the Rocky Stairs...)



After that trip, I stayed home for a month. WITH my parents. (But I still took the pill.)

Result?

+2 pounds.

Net Loss:

9 lbs.

THEN my parents leave. I get free reign of the house. Add a birthday feast or two, and hell, throw in Thanksgiving.

RESULT? *Drumroll*

-3 pounds.

Net Loss:

12 lbs.

Yeah. I'm still confused as all hell as to how or why I was able to LOSE 3 lbs. in the Turkey Month.

Now let's connect the story... I feel like that kid who didn't study for the test... and managed to not only pass, but actually score some points above passing. (Ergo losing 3 pounds for not doin' shiite.)

So I walked into my research lab like a dog with a tail between his legs, and it turns out that they're going to be more severe with me if I don't get more attentive with my food journal.

ROGER THAT!

So I'd like to introduce the newest part of my blog...

(look down...)

*TADA!*

---

Mood:
Food:
Exercise:
Condition:

---

I'd like to call it the 'How i'm Doing' post blog thingamajigger. Since I find myself blogging on a nightly basis, I figure it's the best way to sum up how i've kept up as far as my day. The fact is, more so than living our day as if it was our last, we need to live our day as if it's our own day to be responsible for. I need to be responsible for what I eat, and how or if I exercise, and whether or not I journal my food for the day. This little post-tag (which will appear at the end of every blog!) will be a reminder for myself to see how i'm being a responsible person. So wish me luck on that.

In other news...

Remember that bulletin that I put up on myspace? It turns out the hour I put it up, myspace goes and shuts their bulletin boards DOWN for a few hours... AND when it DOES come back up, all of my 'friends' who are bulletin POST WHORES start spilling their posts all over the board, sending mine to bulletin hell. *

(* Mel used the word Bulletin [ <-counting that one] 5 times.)

Anyway, I doubt anyone will find that besides Jarold, Kristy, my brother and Lisa, (oh and maybe Steve), but i would like to say that the second donation has come in... and it's from none other than my most favorite girlfriend of all... Lisa Brech!

I'm not sure if she got the memo, but she may have accidentally added an extra '0' to the asking donation of 0.50 cents.

That's right. She donated a MASCULINE $5.00 to the pro flickr account!

So now I get to say a few things about her...

• Lisa Brech is the steadfast type of woman who is always prepared for the worst situations.
• She's a kind soul who is willing to watch a building collapse, in the hopes that her enemies (or maybe small children) might just be hanging out inside.
• She's a stout spirit who firmly believes that felines should be given papal duties.

Lisa, my love, thank you for your kind gift, and keep the bed ANIMAL HAIR FREE before I get there, or else it's SARS MASK time!

---

Mood: Pleasantly Placid.
Food: 2483 Calories
Exercise: Erm... does putting up lights count?
Condition: End of Being Sick.

---

A Fundraiser is Me!

I'm pretty poor right now. I mean, as I type, i'm looking around my desk to see how much change I have. I probably have like 3-4 bucks in change. That should be enough to eat for a day.

But anyways...

I was chatting with Jay online for a short bit, and he explained to me how much COOLER Flickr is when you have a pro account.

For those of you who don't know, Flickr is a free photo-hosting site that's connected to Yahoo in some manner. It has a great system of uploading files, and organization, and compression, and display. Aside from kissing their anuses, it's just a great place to host pictures.

But if you don't have a Pro Account, you might as well post up your pictures on the floor of a public bathroom. The non-pro account limits your max uploads for the month at like 20 megs. And it caps out your max pictures at 200. With the 'pro' account, the max pictures become unlimited, and the 20 meg cap becomes a gig. A gig.

How much is the annual fee? 24 bucks.

So Jay was like..."

rdxiii (12/1/2005 3:06:09 PM): oh, it's only like 15 bucks a year or something ridiculous like that ($24, actually.)
Me (12/1/2005 3:06:13 PM): ...
Me (12/1/2005 3:06:14 PM): I want.
Me (12/1/2005 3:06:22 PM): <- is wanting.
rdxiii (12/1/2005 3:06:28 PM): should get
rdxiii (12/1/2005 3:06:30 PM): haha
rdxiii (12/1/2005 3:06:42 PM): because i hated how you're capped at 200 to show in your photostream
Me (12/1/2005 3:06:51 PM): i'm gonna go on myspace and request 50 cents from everyone on my friendslist.
rdxiii (12/1/2005 3:06:51 PM): but it's way better than fotosuckage
Me (12/1/2005 3:06:57 PM): Then i'll have enough.
rdxiii (12/1/2005 3:06:58 PM): haha..you should
Me (12/1/2005 3:07:08 PM): hahah I will.
Me (12/1/2005 3:07:09 PM): right now.
Me (12/1/2005 3:07:15 PM): i'm putting up a bulletin.
rdxiii (12/1/2005 3:07:48 PM): hahaha
Me (12/1/2005 3:13:28 PM): hahaha

So basically, I put up a bulletin displaying my blatant want of small change, for the sole purpose of getting a pro account at Flickr.

Here's a link to the bulletin...

(Update: RIGHT NOW)

I just went to Myspace to check out the bulletin that I put up.
This is the message I got:

We're taking the bulletins off line for about an hour right now to fix them. They'll be back soon. :-)December 1, 2005

FANTASTIC. Well, WHEN the bulletin shows up, i'll edit this post and put it up.
But I promised ANYONE who donated, that I would write up something about them in this blog.

So FIRST, lemme put up the picture of the FIRST donation:



That's right. The very person I recommended the idea to has the courage and pure honor to to kick start this epic fundraising project.

Lemme tell you a little something about Jarold Espiritu...

He's the kind that would take a bullet for you, as long as the bullet did not hurt him, nor penetrate his skin. Or in general, as long as he was not in the vicinity of danger.

He's the kind of noble spirit who would hold open doors for everyone female, and if you happen to be an 'inferior race', he'd totally cuss you out in the event of his complete inebriation.

He's that type of fellow that would be your martial arts body double, in the event that you have to fight a Miami Dolphin.

Bow your heads, and light a match. For tonight, we honor Jarold Espiritu, and his kind graciousness.