been some time since posting here.... long time no see xanga peeps.  u all should go to www.alivenotdead.com instead  :P

anyway as some of you  know by now, i will be changing schools and begin teaching in downtown LA next year.  unfortunately, i didnt' get my tenure at my current school, but the place i did find to teach i feel might be a better fit.  smaller school, fewer students, same pay, assurance by the principal that there are no discipline problems.... sounds good right?...  let's hope  :)

after 18 years in irvine, i now have to look for a new place to live.  my first choice of location would be in monterey park or alhambra.  anyone got any good tips on nice but cheap places?  i've seen a few places.  if i'm willing to spend $1400 and up, i can find really nice places.  but if i want to spend sub $1000, it's a bit harder.

how about downtown LA?  anyone have experience living out there and any recommendations?  with gas prices the way they are right now, i really don't mind living in the city, but finding a combination of nice, safe, and cheap could be difficult...

as promised, here are some pictures of NYC.  first time there and did a ton of walking.  gotta love that subway system.  don't know why some people think it's scary...but, it does smell like pee...

walking around rockefeller center on christmas day.  Lots of people just milling about and seeing the sights

yo dude...that is a big gun.  can i hold it?

walking around times square.  also lots of tourists just milling around closed shops on christmas day

 (me n dezz...awwww....  <3)

Brooklyn Bridge

(need a better low light camera)

Ground zero WTC.  crazy big hole in the ground.  very emotional place.  passed by this every single day on our way into the city.

Columbus Circle.  apparently this is a statue of a woman....

and this one is a man... his penis is soo small for a big guy.  i don't have to feel so bad about myself now  ;)

Wall Street.  NYSE.  wish it was open to the public.  would have been fun to watch the chaos of the trading floor in person.

i took the picture of AMEX across a cemetary.  makes it look kinda creepy..hehe..

SOHO.  interesting chinese shop in SOHO.

streets in SOHO

Central Park

(me n dezz again)

feels like walking through a movie set going through the mall in central park

Washington Square

if you watched "i am legend"  this arch should look really familiar

 so should this townhouse.  they are just across the street from each other.  much closer together than the movie would lead you to believe

Greenwich Village.  best pizza i ever had was here at ray's....mmmmm... also had gray's papaya hotdogs just up the street..yummy stuff too.  loved walking through the village.  could totally see myself living here if i could afford it  :) 

Dinner at Budokan.  overpriced asian food in the west village.  pretty cool experience still.  taro puff lollipops were tasty

Staten Island Ferry.  can't resist the free ride across the harbor from manhattan to staten island.  long ride but nice view of the city from the harbor.  Got to see lady liberty for the first time.

again, happy holidays.  welcome in the new year and hope the best for everyone out there.

man..did not check AnD the last week and have 100+ feeds?!  sorry to say i will not be retro-reading everyone's blogs out there...hehe.. (guess this doesn't apply to you xanga'ites) anyway, had a pretty good time out in NYC over christmas and new years.  no, i did not go to times square for the ball drop....just too many f'ing people.  was great to spend some quality alone time with my lady too  :)   will post up some pics in the next couple days.

ciao peeps  ;)

long time no blog.  stupid wildfires suck.  everything smells like smoke, ash all over the place.  people losing their homes and landmarks.... closest fire to me was santiago canyon/irvine lake wildfire.  driving down the street, you could see the hills ablaze.  my sister's highschool was close to the path of it.  but the winds changed and it went the other direction.  good for us, but bad for others..

hope the best for everyone affected by this.