Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Better, not butter

In less than eight hours, 2008 will be part of the past.

As I was taking a shit, showering, lounging around the house, eating, etc., I thought about how I can better myself for the next year. Neither resolutions nor to-do items, they're just little reminders on my ongoing recipe, so to speak, for great self-being based on the Seven Deadly Sins.

1. Pride : The Sin of Vanity
Like you say hello to your best friends, also acknowledge acquaintances nearby. A simple wave will do. Don't try to act like you didn't see them. Open your arms to everyone.
Give compliments on the daily. If someone has a cool pair of shoes, compliment them, even if they may be a little vain. Just because him or her might be a show off, it shouldn't take away from the fact they he or she has a sick pair of kicks. Don't just accept them, give them away. Shit, they're free! And it makes you more likable.

2. Envy : The Sin of Jealousy
Don't be a hater, it's all good, smile now, cry later! Don't be jealous of anyone. Be happy with what you have. Instead of being envious, why don't you admire?
If you don't have that cool jacket, save up and just get it later. And plus, that shit will probably be on sale in a few weeks anyway!

3. Wrath : The Sin of Uncontrol
Be in control of everything in your life. Don't take the back seat. "You're the pilot of your own future." BE PATIENT! Make the best of any situation. You're in college now. Get on your hustle and grind!

4. Sloth : The Sin of Apathy
Do everything 100%. Don't slack off and DON'T BE A VICTIM OF PROCRASTINATION. Care for all of your endeavors, like you do your family and dearest homies. Do things more worth your time instead of watching tv, surfing the web, and sleeing sooooo much! Get an alarm clock and sleep for no more than 8 hours. Though it does take money to do hella thangs, find affordable things to do, ie: bowling, movies, walking around Target, Fowler, EXERCISE!, drive around, do homework, READ!

5. Greed : The Sin of Excess
Stay balanced. Have self-control. Don't go overboard. Live in moderation. Sure, go ahead and save up your money and spend it wisely. But remember: there is always a cheaper way of getting something your want. Just do the research and prevail.

6. Gluttony : The Sin of Over-Indulgence
Try to live a better and healthier lifestyle. Lay off the soda and drink more water! Bring water to school and drink at least one bottle a day. Eat smaller protions of white rice for every portion of meat and vegetables. Put more fruit in your diet. Exercise more. Go to open gyms. Run around the block a few times a week. Jump rope! Sit ups! Crunches! It's not too much to ask, right?

7. Lust : The Sin of Sex
I'm a good boy :]

In addition:
*Read 10 books throughout the year. IT'S POSSIBLE.
*Make more college friends
*Drink hella water
*Use your agenda, PLAN AHEAD
*Don't procrastinate! The results might be frightening.
*GET A JOB
*Roadtrip to SoCal. Possible campus crawl?
*Be more active in the house - wash more dishes, fold blankets, do my own laundry, wash the car more, vacuum the rooms and rugs
*Lose weight!
*Leave the drama in 2008!!!
*Save up for '09 Christmas and birthdays
*and much more.

Let 2009 bring as much happiness as 2008 did.

Cheers.
___________________________________________________________
Dear Ricardo,
as you look over your old posts, I hope this one and its contents are checked off. I will work as hard as I can to be my ideal person. And in a year may I be steps closer. Continue to strive and hustle.

with perpetual love and utter sincerity,
Ricardo v.2008

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The Best and Worst of 2008

From the beautiful fireworks above the Bay Bridge and the welcoming of 2008 along the Embarcadero with Angela, Christena, and Santi, I knew that this year was going to be great.

My 18th birthday. Driving around talking for hours. "Hello Panda!" Physics projects. Fifth period Leadership. "Gooooooood morning, Cardinals!" Prom with one of my best friends. Senior Cut Day. Last day being a Cardinal. "This is Ricardo Juni, your 2008 Senior Class President, signing off." The Spirit Cup two consecutive years. Graduation. My first alcohol beverage. First day of college. My first job. Summer Barbeques. Summertime in the SJC. My first time coaching volleyball. My first time being in a cotillion court. The cotillions. San Francisco trips. StrawHat Pizza. Banana peels. Evergreen Inn. A few goodbyes and many hellos. My real fuckin' homies.

The household's money problem. My first ticket. My first minor accident. Sprained ankle. Procrastination.

This has probably been the best year of my life so far. Though I've grown so much, I believe that I'm still the same person since Jan. 1, 2008. Shit, my hair still looks the same!

"There are two days in the week about which and upon which I never worry... Yesterday and Tomorrow." -Robert Jones Burdette

Love,

Ricardo Juni


Monday, December 22, 2008

The Materialist in Me

This may be a little materialistic, but since I'm really into fashion and trends, it actually matters to me :]

Earlier today, the 21st of December 2008, I discovered this site called Lookbook.nu while I was surfing through FaceBook. This site is literally an online lookbook for fashion-conscious people. (For those of you who don't know what a lookbook is, it's a book of model-esque photos that models have, and is necessary for go-sees (a "go-see" is when models go see potential clients in order to book jobs such as runway shows and product photoshoots).) But not everyone on the site looks like a model. Yes, there are chubby people on this site too. So big people don't be skurred! BUT in order to be a member, you have to be invited by a current member of the site. STUPID! and kinda condescending. But anyway, this site is a great place for people all over the world to show their sense of fashion and what current trends are going on in their part of the globe. It's pretty nifty.

As you may have guessed it, I want to be a member haha. If you don't know anyone on the site, you have to email the moderators or whatever and tell them what you can do for the website in terms of trends and fashion. I'm a little iffy though, because hella people have photos that look so professional. VERY UrbanOutfitters-esque type of photos and looks. And then there's me. I don't really have a look or style. But I guess, since I'm Filipino, I'm drowned in the label of "hype." I'm not really ashamed or anything, but it's just what people expect. I WANT TO BE DIFFERENT AAH AHHH.

Anywho, back to the website. It has really inspired me to dress the way I want to. There are so many different looks! There are the cute little H&M, F21, UrbanOutfitters hipster heads; the ultra urban dunk fiends; the rich Burberry and Prada argonauts; infinite etc! All of which I just think are soooooooo sick.

Because of these trendy individuals, I've become really fond of some thaaangs. There are so many more, but here's just a taste yummy!:
1. Dress shoes - Though they are called "dressy," they can definitely be worn casual with jeans and a simple sweatshirt.
2. cuffed to the ankle pants - It may look a little geeky, but with the right shoes (no socks), it can look hip and new.
3. knee-high boots - Let alone being up to the knee, these boots don't have to do much to stand out.
4. top-button buttoned - I've been doing this for sometime now too. Thank god I'm some what trendy. But anyway, though it may look cholo in this part of my hood, the rest of the world sees it as fashionable. So LAY OFF HATERS! haha.


I am now inspired more than ever to dress myself known as Ricardo and to become a fashion designer.

"Lighten up, it's just fashion."
Tim Gunn, Project Runway

Friday, December 19, 2008

20 people I've met underneath Heaven

1. I really want you to fill me in on your problems; I don't want to find stuff from other people or your xanga. We have less OM4L's now :[ But on a lighter note, everytime we hang out, it's like nothing changed and the years haven't swept past out feet.

2. You're one of the funnies bitches I know. I admire the way you attract people to you. I love that about you. I get jealous sometimes :[ haha.

3. Come out of that fuckin' rock sometimes and let me know you're still alive. Even though you live in the same city as me, I talk to people in different cities more than I talk to you.

4. You really are my twin. You're truly one of my best friends and I always want to be around you or people like you.

5. You always make an effort to chill, unlike some people haha. Tita Auntie's the best! You are a TRUE friend.

6. You can be shady sometimes. Just tell ALL OF US the truth, please. Stop hiding stuff from us; I thought we're your homies.

7. You're a homeboy and you always keep me updated with kicks and new dance videos haha. Save your money for a phone with unlimited text foo!

8. It seems we're not as tight anymore. I'm not even on your tops! And you have all these girls infront of all your homies. But you see us WAY more, what the hell. But damn, you are able to be liked by everyone. I admire that soooo much about you.

9. Even though you only live next door, I regret so much not being homies in middle and high school like how we were in elementary school. We'd just say "hi'' and that's it. But at least we're definitely homies now! Summer '08 nigga!

10. You are a doll! You're so kind and sincere. But I don't want to mess around with you when you're even a bit CRANKY MMM!

11. You are SOO funny. You're soo fuckin' laid back and down for anything! PARTY HOUSE!

12. You barely try to keep in contact. But I do see you more than a lot of your old best friends do though. We've partied together and thanks for the Grey Goose! haha. You're one of the only people I can really tell anything to and you always talk to me like everything I say is meaningful.
13. You're a bitch! haha even though sometimes you're a little rude in public. You need to get a new backpack and stop wearing that calculus sweatshirt!

14. You're a little airheaded and stubborn sometimes. Most of the time you're just out of it completely. But I'm glad you got a boo that's pretty chill :] No matter what happens, you'll always be a homie.

15. We go all the way back to 6th grade. Though I think you spend a little too much on the materialistic things, you're still real and down to earth. Sometimes you can be a little narcissistic though :[

16. You're a fuckin' homie and my around-the-corner neighbor. Your oldest brother scares me, but thank god you're nothing like him :] I love how family comes first in your eyes. I lub our pob acchents. haha

17. Sometimes you can be a little demanding, but you're like my little sister. We always have each others' back. I didn't like how you always told me shit about my JV team though.

18. I fuckin' dislike the shit out of you. Don't talk about my family infront all of your fuckin' friends like it's the thing to do. If I hear that you've been running your mouth again about him, pray to god that you'll see tomorrow. And for your little toddler boyfriend, he better start looking for a new bitch to fuck around with.

19. Since I don't see you all the time, I forgot how annoying you are sometimes. But when it comes down to it, you really are a homie and care about all your friends dearly. You died Senior year haha.

20. You're ANNOYING and have the dumbest, nerdiest laugh ever. But you're nice and willing.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

HERE IT GOES AGAIN!

It's funny how life can be sometimes.

Check this out... I'm getting my volleyball money of $1,000 this upcoming Wednesday. BUT (right now I hate this word!), I have to reimburse my parents for traffic violations and my winter term registration. My first ticket was $280, second was $170, and registration is $250. So by now you probably guessed I owe them...

$700!

That's $700 worth of work I put in into coaching JV volleyball. And in a blink of an eye, it'll be gone. UGH. This is one of my first steps of becoming more of an adult. I want to hold on to my parents' wallets forever, haha, but that's impossible. OH AND PLUS, I have to pay for traffic school tuition that's suppose to be complete by this Saturday. Oh sweet Jesus hear my plea!

Aside from financial drowning, I have to make a few posters for Mish's cancer research fundraiser. I don't mind doing it AT ALL. Honestly, I feel good being a part of something greater than myself. And I get to see a bunch of old faces that I've missed so damn fuckin' dearly. It sucks though that only TWO dollars per person is going towards cancer research. It should be the entire admission and skate rental fee! AND it's only for two hours, from 7:30p to 9:30p. That's definitely not enough time to catch up with everyone!

AND Lez's birthday party is the same night as the fundraiser, but DUH! I'm going to the fundraiser first! Michelle Lavarias and I are going to make a cake that looks like a bowl of pho for her birthday. I was definitely inspired from "Ace of Cakes" on Food Network. That show is sooo fuckin' out of control SICK. I want to meet all of them. Fuck, I want to WORK for them. If they had something like that in San Jose, I'd gather all the cooking books I can find and quickly become an iron chef haha. hehe. hoho. But anyway, baking a cake that HELLA relates to Lez is sooo much better than having to shop for her. And it's cheaper, say hey! HEY!

And finally, our JV volleyball outing is this Saturday (the same day as the traffic school due date YIKES!). We're gonna bowl then eat at Mayflower in Great Mall haha. it's weird though. Why would a Chinese Restaurant be called Mayflower? Which is UNDOUBTEDLY American? wtf. I want to bake them cookies. Cookies from the heart, heart shaped cookes. Heart-tasting cookies YUMMY! YUMMY DONUTS! Mr. Dad always goes there.

So I only have two more days of Finals. Shit, I only gotzz 2 more HOURS! hoooray! And Baby Jesus day is right around the corner. I'm trippin' a TINY bit because I only have $300 dollars. And with that money I want to:
-Buy Jessica, Puneet, Angela, The Michelles, and Virginia presents. and maybe Santi, Anthony, Andre, Adrian, and Lorraine. And SCOTT, MOMMY AND DADDY, and MANANG MICHELLE something too! Fuck, I just remembered about them. Damn.
-Buy myself a few things as well. Shoes, Jackets, NICE JEANS! Some shirts.
-Buy cake batter, fondant and royal icing ingredients, frosting for Lez's cake
-cookie dough for JV girls
-$30 for traffic school! fuck fuck fuck.

I pray that A). There are hella retail sales in the next two weeks B). I'm lucky enough to find some great steals C). some people might already have some of the ingredients I need AND D). All this work for other people will pay off.

In all honesty, I'd rather give than receive this season. Even though I do adore the material things in life, if I didn't have my family and friends, then nothing would matter. I finally realized that I do have everything I need right infront of me.

Good karma will lead to a good life.

Love,
Ricardo Juni

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Yadidashutthefuckup!

Time is going by so fast. Maybe even too fast.

I remember just yesterday I was trying to figure out whether I should stick with going to SFSU or go to De Anza. But now, I'm only 4 days away from my first quarter of college. Wow. I remember just yesterday I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grow up. I knew I wanted to major in architecture, then try my luck in fashion design. But now, it's like a completely different ball game.

I can still see myself designing buildings. I can still see myself having a gorgeous clothing line ambling down the runway. Both of which are defintely possible. My psychology professor, Dr. Ramskov, once told the class to do what you truly and deeply love, no matter how much money or any other material success it brings. Do what you want to do; don't let anyone try to manipulate your thoughts. That's so true. But you have to put in so much math and science into architecture, both subjects I dread. I love the concept of the major, but the factors are what suck ass. In contrast, with fashion design, all you need is a vision. As long as that is there, no one can really say whether your work is ugly or not. Afterall, it's art, right? It all comes down to the individual's interpretation, right? Yes. But then again, I don't want to take what seems to be "the easy way out," and that is why I've considered architecture. The balance of two different arts are there. - you have the arithmetics and physics behind one, and the confidence and vision of another.

OH AND PLUS, I think I want to minor in psychology :]

But anyway, I've noticed a few people are also interested in fashion design, and yet I haven't seen any of their work. Well, I have seen some stuff, but I don't think it could really be called fashion design. AAHHH, I sound a little vain, oh well. I'm kind of being hypocrtical though, since no one has seen my stuff. So soon enough, I'll post some of my sketches. I have a few, all I need to do is scan them onto my computer. THEN BOOM, MAGIC NIGGA.

Be in charge, be the boss, take control, and do you.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Whoa

So it's 1:13am and I can't sleep. Bored so I created one of these. Sexy because I just are. haha.

This four-day weekend was great. I was fortunate enough to have the perfect balance of activity and relaxation. Nowadays, it's almost impossible to achieve that. People are always on the move, turning their leisure time into a dense block of events only able to be done in that short period of "relaxation." Of course, I, too, am a victim of this reality.

But the question is, why? Why do we do this to ourselves? Does that trite saying "live life to the fullest" have something to do with it? Or maybe some people just dread staying in one spot for a few good hours.

Whatever the case may be, we're all guilty. I find myself right in the middle of these two extremes. I always catch myself playing these realization games. "OMG, this is the one and only November 30th, 2008 I will ever live through (unless you believe in reincarnation)." "Damn, I regret not doing something more worth my time 3 hours ago." I HATE THAT. You live through it. Then BOOM, please move on.

Though I get super slothy sometimes, I still try and do something. I'm always in the mood to go out and do whatever instead of staying home and going back and forth from MySpace and the television set. One problem is money. In today's world, most fun requires a monetary fee. Nine dollars to jump for an hour, 25 cents per arcade game, 20+ dollars to get into a club. Sure, you can always play in the park or window shop at Eastridge, but how fun can that be? Or you can cruise around, but there are just not enough places to drive. It all gets old. But in any instance, as long as you got your homies, then I GUESS nothing else matters. Haha, just pullin' yo' dick!

I feel like I just rambled on and on. But who cares? I doubt anyone will read this HA.

Everywhere, anywhere, with friends, together. Smile, absolutely nothing can go wrong with confidants.