ConGee_LPhiE's Xanga

Friday, September 07, 2007

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:39:13 GMT

VERY COOL BLOG SITE ON ADVERTISING: http://sandeepmakam.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

some of them are just straight up clever. =)

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:43:14 GMT

At the behest of others, I've decided to take up xanga again. Not sure what the hype with facebook is. Its nice to keep in touch with people. And yeah i'll look at some pictures but gets old without knowing the person. looks arent everything right? whence back to xanga. Its been a few months...the same people have commented on the same entry..and things are well the same and different. confusing? i'll paint this picture for you. if you've ever heard of impressionism, that sums it up pretty well. From far away things look relatively the same but upon closer inspection, you realize that the painting is really composed of alot of smaller grains of color that together add up to, well, life.

I went up to ny recently and saw the culmination of one of my bro's successes. Part of me can't help but feel a tad jealous as he unwrapped his new tv, but mostly i'm happy for him and if anything, it's motivated me even more. its another example of our generation accustomed to instant gratification. It may seem a bit materialistic; but those superficial objects are merely a symbol of success. i've given myself 4 more years to hit that point. after that, its whatever. aside from that, it has merely cemented the fact that I want to be in nyc. I had a fabolous time there, meeting up with bros and old friends i haven't seen in awhile. and for once i dind't stay in and play video games all day. ventured out to central park and explored the city. can't ask for anything more. hehe

on a more tangible note, what have i been up to? took the gmats...again. part of my plan to move to ny...hopefully. see where the winds take me i guess. Visited Cornell in May for quite possibly my last time. it was nice, but i could tell i was getting old. Went to Dewey Beach for Mem day Weekend where me and 4 other guys and 9 girls killed mulitple handles as well as 300 beers. it was the crazy spring break i never had. haha july 4th was nice altho fireworks were not on the main agenda this year. well i think this is long enough for one entry. good night!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 14:00:42 GMT

Stuff that makes you go AWWWWWW

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=5762&view=list&src=020607_0405_ARTICLE_PROMO_also_on_reuters

18 baby pandas born in China. Girls...go wild. hell, even guys can appreciate 18 baby pandas.

Caribbean getaway

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:09:45 GMT

Back from my vacation and just had to share some of the beautiful sights Jen and I saw...For those not in the know, I "won" a vacation last summer at the Fairfax festival I was volunteering at. Goes to show it pays to volunteer huh? Well I say "won" b/c I still had to pay some money for it even tho it was dramatically discounted.

The catch? Oh there's always a catch. I had to sit in on some vacation ownership presentation....no biggie cept I had to wake up early for it.

What did I get? 2 passes to Universal Studios, 3 nights of hotel, 1 week rental car, and 3 day Bahamas cruise. Like I said though, we still paid a good chunk of cash.

Now onto the fun part:

1st night we went to this place called Wonderworks. Not Orlando's biggest attraction but we had a good time.

Jen the astronaut!! Me playing with soap? I forget what you call them...

Onto Universal Studios:

Classic pic. Cept the stupid tourist didn't know to wait for the sign to rotate more...

DOnkey!! hahaha he was hilarious...the head moved and he talked.
Donkey: Where you from?
Me: DC!
Donkey: Oh yea? I remember a few weeks back, I was there and got mugged.
hahaha~

Can't goto Orlando w/o stopping at Disney!

Look familiar? Main Street USA!

Another pic closer in, w/ my next home purchase in the background...har har

At Futureland, playing FOB with our alien buddy.

Goofing off at the gift shop. Fantasia may be one of my fav Disney movies...hehe

My Minnie. =)

Cruisin away!
Unfortunately I dont' have too many pictures on the cruise. It was a fun time though with all the shows and entertainment going on...too bad we got motion sickness the first night...ugh. I liked our cruise director (very funny!), won $200 at the casino with Jen's help, ate lots of good food. Off the ship, we checked out Atlantis, the aquarium there, and lounged around on the beach. Also went snorkeling but no pics of that obviously. Waiting on the underwater pics to get developed!!

Sailing into Bahamas...Atlantis is BEAUTIFUL, but pricey!

The setting sun on the ocean. I wanted to wake up for a sunrise too but never did it...

Good way to end the entry no?

Happy Holidays!

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 10:25:27 GMT

Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for the wonderful gifts, texts, emails, etc from people. Went up to NJ to hang out with family and friends. Holidays are special i think cuz its one of the few times you can get ppl from all over together. I think next year I'm going to really try and immerse myself in the xmas spirit. I'm at work right now listening to xmas carols and its a ghosttown. Good time to get some real work done. What's your fav carol? I think mine is the "roasting chestnuts" one...

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:50:34 GMT

Before you scroll down, I thought I'd just shoot a question to everyone out there in cyberspace: What are your New Year's Plans this year?

You don't have to give specifics if u feel uncomfortable for any reason but just curious. I will be staying in DC this year and going to party it up with my pledge bro Jesse, who's visiting from NYC. So if you have ideas for DC oriented events, feel free to shoot them my way! Merci! haha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Graphic Edition of my Paris Adventure...

I took over 300 pictures so this is just a glimpse of my experience.

Close-up shot of stained glass at Notre Dame.

one of many beautiful ceilings I saw. How did they paint ceilings back then? Didn't their neck hurt???

Me in the Sculpture Courtyard at Le Louvre....those things were huge!

At Invalides...Army Museum/Retirement home for soldiers first created by Napoleon.
Yes that is a cannon I"m looking into. my those are big balls! cannonballs that is...

Outside in the garden of Versailles. Jen said they looked like crop circles...

My most favorite meal of all while in Paris. It was the type of meal that makes you smile with every bite. I say that b/c thats exactly what it did. Rumsteak on the right, the black circle is duck pate i believe in the middle, chicken, and goose maybe? i forget. tomatoes, cucumbers, snowpeas on the side. YUM!!!

At Pompidou Center...a Museum for Modern Art I believe? not sure cuz i didn't go in, but the outside is art itself. Similar to Eiffel Tower where ppl ridiculed it in the beginning but now have embraced it.

There were sooooo many statues in Paris. Everywhere. Gardens. Roofs. Ledges. Bridges. And alot of them are nude. yes. nude.

My mom and I in front of Notre Dame and Memorial of Deportation...a memorial dedicated to those that died in Holocaust.

For those that read my previous entry, I commented that my feet were hurting everyday. Now you know why. Lotsa walking and stairs. This was on our way down in the Arc of Triumph.

Good night!

Monday, November 27, 2006

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 10:21:46 GMT

God Bless America.

After a week in Paris, I am finally back home…home sweet home. Don’t get met wrong though; I probably had some of the most life altering experiences in my 25 years. What did I learn about this gorgeous city of light?

Instead of saving the best for last, I’ll get it out now…Paris is the most friggin PDA city in the world. Yes yes, I know it’s known for its romantic aura, but give me a break! Everywhere I went, people were cuddling or kissing and one was even just making out on the street. Actually, I’m not doing it justice. Picture you losing a ring or something down the sink and trying to get it. That’s how these two were kissing. They should have just hung a sign on their backs that said, “gone fishing, be back in 10 minutes.”

At first the cuddling and stuff was cute since I’m sure a lot of people come here for the romance…kind of how you get angry at a stupid driver from out of state but you’re still understanding since he doesn’t know his way. But man it just got out of hand, on the boat, the metro, the streets…everywhere! Or maybe I just miss Jen that much. =P

French people really are not as rude as you would think. This stereotype is probably more fiction than fact. In fact, they were all very pleasant with me. Examples? You and the storeowner saying hi everytime u go in the store. A very nice young lady showing me how to exit a subway train (you have to pull a lever apparently – me, not being able to read French, thought it was an emergency switch or something). People putting up with my bad French in general when I had to ask directions or whatever.

Transfers on the metro are deceivingly long. When you’re switching trains in DC or NY, its very simple…up one floor or down. There are those big transfer stations like Grand Central where you have to walk long corridors to get to the other platform. Picture that, except for EVERY transfer point. Its also very mazelike. Did they talk to an architect of minotaur descent? Get it? Har har. Mazelike, yet clear so its all good.

I’ve walked more here in the past few days than I have in the past few YEARS in the USA. Everyday, my feet are killing me; I read the warnings before I came that a lot of walking was involved and brought a comfy pair of shoes. Next time, I’m going to bring Mr. Ben Gay himself and some Gel Soles combined with my Nike Airs or something. Yes, its that BAD! Coming from an area where you hop in your car the moment you leave your apt to an area where you walk a few miles each day straight is a drastic change.

The Food? A fine-tuned double edged sword. The baguettes are overrated. Most have a crazy hard shell that’s well…crazy hard to chew. The pain au chocolat (bread with chocolate inside) is so simple, and yet simply amazing. Walking near a bakery in an enclosed environment can be suffocating. I felt like I was gaining weight just smelling the butter from the croissants. Foie gras is good and I can see why people may like it, but its not my thing really. The oysters here were to die for though…SLURP! Pate – yum! One meal in particular had me smiling with every bite…Bordeaux wine, tuna carpaccio, duck pate, rumsteak, etc etc. People here drink wine all the time. Eating out is damn pricey. It seems customary for people to always order a starter, main course, and dessert when they eat. People then will usually get a bottle of wine as well as some post-dinner coffee. Add that up for each person, plus the tax here of 19%, and the fact that tip of 15% is included already and bam, you walk home quite a bit lighter than when you came in.

Asian Americans in France. Yes, I know. Technically that should be about me, but I am in fact referring to French residents of Asian heritage. So should they be called Asian French? I personally have never heard of it. For some reason I find it peculiar when I hear Asian people around me speaking French and picturing them living here. To me, it’s a perfectly normal concept for an Asian to speak English but its weird for an Asian to speak French as his primary language. I admit it; I’m probably just ignorant since there is a Chinatown in Paris although it is no Canal Street. It did make me reevaluate which nationality I would attribute myself to: the United States or China/Hong Kong. It took all of 5 seconds for me to conclude that I am an American. I may look Chinese (not Korean), speak Chinese, and have Chinese blood, but I’m born and bred American. **cue Star Spangled Banner**

Other “ruminations” ?

French people smoke…a lot. Everywhere.
It rains way too much here; talking to other people it seems like its like Seattle a lot of the year. Not too pleasant as a pedestrian.
The French are overly extravagant. Ranging from all the art and statues from their past to their extravagant clothes and meals in the present, there’s minimalist, the norm, and then the French.

That about sums it up. You are cool if you read the whole thing. Haha~

Monday, November 13, 2006

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 09:26:38 GMT

why is my fantasy team on a 2 game losing streak all of a sudden? i'm gonig to lose my #2 rank soon...how did it go from 70's to blazing cold and rainy on sunday? dropped another $330 on my damn car. so all in all, not the best weekend. I did watch Annapolis over the weekend. Everytime I watch one of those military movies i always get inspired to join, to forego this rat race i'm in...tired of chasing the carrot that i may or may never get. thank u jen btw. =)

A real entry w/ pictures.

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 22:59:11 GMT

This is going to be a pretty random entry, full of thoughts, actions, events, and other useless junk..so buckle up!

(In no particular order)

Chris & I researched a few different townhomes in the area. We're playing with the idea of living together with Mountie & Doug. Mountie would get the master bedroom prolly and the garage. What was the first thing i said? big screen tv and ps3! haha~ it would be a yuppie fraternity house! woohoo!
Our little pet project then made me reflect on how living in a condo by yourself can get darn pricey. better pay off...**grumble**
my life has revolved around work, & gmats. i do well sometimes and not others...but trying not to get stressed.
still itching to goto AC....I've had the gambling itch since August 2005.
Looking forward to a good scare at the Haunted Forest next weekend!
Friendship is not a one way street.
The only way I can stay up really late is by being drunk. haha~
Would anyone like to buy me a PS3 for $600? that's going to hurt...
Need to do more research for my Paris trip; i want to make sure my mom has a good time. but from my reading, it seems like its such a small city I could just walk and explore instead of plan every detail.
Planning on pulling the trigger on some night classes so I can read/write Chinese eventually and learn Korean.
Thank you jen for the awesome shirt...definitely wearing it Friday. hehe~
I got a new pair of Prada glasses, but I'm trying to be patient. I think I'm toooo used to wearing contacts now. and it was with insurance people, i'm not really loaded. haha
And yes, I should be studying right now and if you've read this far, I'm impressed. regardless, onto pics:

Labor Day Weekend: I went up to NYC to visit bros and attend to other stuff. The weather was really crappy so I didn't end up going out at all. I didn't really mind though; it was just nice seeing everyone again.

Stayed in but doesn't mean I didn't have fun. Doug & I did pretty well against Jeff & Jesse in Beer Pong. I was glad to be able to contribute period. haha

Powen declined on the beer but obviously not on the SAKE! haha

Before lunch...look how happy they are.

After lunch...Doug is dead, napping after lunch @ Cracker Barrel.

Jen's Bday Celebration Extravaganza: We celebrated on 2 different days. a little sugar, a little spice. haha~ 1st night was a nice dinner and bday gift from me. 2nd night was w/ friends and involved massive drinking. Which one's the sugar and which one's the spice huh? haha

(excuse the blurriness)

Appetizer: tuna tartare (sp?)

My entree: some steak dish...hahah i forgot the name.

Jen's ravioli dish. pesto? whatever it was, it was pretty darn good.

Gifttime!

Woohoo!

onto the spice...

Huffin n' puffin

priceless. haha

Random weekends...

Jen being interviewed while we were at the Mazda Racing event. She got picked out of the whole crowd to come out. hotness.

What's a party w/o your group shot? =P

Cowabunga dude!!

We went to a sports bar and asked for a bucket of beers and this is what we got. HA! lol

Random pic while at GWU working the APA Film Festival. For some reason, I just like the lighting. can't explain it.

Au revoir!

Friday, September 22, 2006

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 09:49:22 GMT

So havent' had much going on, so nothing to really write about. Been insanely busy at work this past month and a half, but its dying down a little now...thank goodness. Anyone that is not an ibanker and doesn't get paid like an ibanker should not be working at 11.30pm. Be working more until Nov when i take my first vacation since joining Booz (I would like one now actually):

Nov 18-26: Paris, France

Jan 13-20: Orlando (Disneyworld!), Ft. Lauderdale, and Bahamas

And couldn't end the entry without thanking my awesome lil, Anna, for the gift in the mail. haha a very belated bday gift but I was very very happy. Thank you!