2010 Post Mortem

beyond producing some verbal vomit every so often into my little corner of the interwebs, these yearly memorials have been a fantastic time capsule for my already addled mind. so to ensure that i will always have a lasting visual of what my life once was, i will continue to type my babbles.

last years inaugural posting reflected on the seeds that i have planted while looking forward to a year of progress. looking back on it, i can say that it has been a year of partial successes and half failures. certain things moved forward while others stayed completely the same. so this year, no lofty goals, no inspiring quotes, just another year gone by.

december
a rambunctious and surprisingly productive lame-duck congress finally put an end to the 111th congress, the most active and successful congress in decades. though happily, unlike 2009, i wasn't forced to sit through endless hours of cloture votes this month and i was able to make my trip out to taiwan for a long overdue visit to my family.
november
this was the first year in quite a while that i was the sole chef for the thanksgiving table mainstays (turkey, ham, blah blah blah). and i tried a new recipe...and joined (though i've heard it many times before) the brining revolution. probably one of the best turkeys i've ever pulled out of an oven.
october
a month of political chatter and electoral banter led up to our shellacking of november's midterm elections. but us liberals did get a nice reprieve from the consecutive appearances of sarah palin and glenn beck with our own rally with our icons on the left...jon stewart and steven colbert.
september
a birthday month with a much more extravagant and costly (thanks friends) than i expected. it also came with a nice visit from a good friend from the other side of the country. another year older and another year wiser...well, i definitely got the year, but not necessarily the wisdom.
august
crossing off another state on my futile and not really active attempt to see all 50 states, i got a visit to minnesota taken off my list. as the new representative on health care issues for the senior senator from minnesota, i made my rounds around minneapolis and st. paul meeting all the players.
july
of all things that progressed in my life, my career was probably moving at the fastest pace. and with all the glory and reputation of working on health care reform, i was surprised that my half-assed and semi-unprepared job search ended in such swift conclusion with my hiring at the health legislative assistant for senator amy klobuchar of minnesota. also, i did get to make a very nostalgic visit back to california for a very nice reunion of san diego friends at helen's wedding.
june
before my move to the hart office building, i took a reward trip to boston as a reward for a year and half of being stuck in the dirksen office building. so while unknowing that i would cross minnesota off my list of unseen states, i got to add massachusetts to that list as well. i was sure to hide my lakers jersey while i walked the streets of celtics territory.
may
on this look back, i realize that i did a fair amount of traveling this year...taiwan in december, minnesota in august, massachusetts in july. for the month of may, we can add montana and new york to that list. montana for work for the old boss...a victory lap around the state to sell the bill law; new york for a vacation with an old friend...a personal celebration with drinking and debauchery.
april
like last year, april seemed to have dragged on, but in a much better way than last year. this april was more a "take a breath and relax" month as the finance committee's health team finally got some time to sit down and enjoy the spoils of success.
march
what a month march was. with another around-the-clock effort, democrats on the hill followed the president's leadership and determination to finally pass health care reform and the accompanying reconciliation bill. march 23 will now represent the peak of my legislative career.
february
this was a tough month...with our seemingly dead health care reform legislation sucking in its last breaths while being pumped by life support. not to mention that the entire district was snowed in by our own little version of snowmageddon.
january
before the political earthquake of a scott brown victory for ted kennedy's historically liberal democratic seat, the entire health care world was roaming around the floors of the capitol building, darting in and out of bicameral+white house meetings working on a conference health reform bill. though it included extremely late nights and painstaking negotiations, it was probably my favorite part of the entire legislative process.

so there it is, the year in a nutshell. i can't seem to find a proper wrap up of the past year or an appropriate prediction for next year. maybe it's my lack of imagination or creative instincts, hopefully it's not an omen for the future, but i'm having a hard time deciding whether my glass is still being filled.

Dream Girl

there may need to be new room on my mantel of ridiculously hot women that i will never get to meet...and as much as it pains me to think about this possibility, emmanuelle chriqui, has some serious competition.

so without further ado, to live forever in my creepish fantasy world of awesomely beautiful women who i will never have a chance with...arden cho.

and to further promote her and a few ucsd alum and a bunch of much more creative asian people than i..."A.S.S"

More Animal Cuteness

to follow up on the great panda escape, here's another clip of a bear cub of the black bear variety (i'm totally guessing here) being freaked out by a lion. i would imagine that this pairing could have potentially become one of those "odd couples" in the animal friendship world.

Bear Cub Scared By Lion - Watch more Funny Videos

WTF

lately...there has been a kind of malaise around me. it is the lack of motivation or excitement that comes with uncertainty and powerlessness. usually at these moments, you feel completely alone and unsure of the next steps or who to turn to. but as in the midst of my ritualistic sunday perusal of the interwebs, i found that i am not alone...but that even the calendar feels the same way i do.

Another Decade in the Books

as i sat down at my desk trying to figure out what memories i could draw to write this memorial of 2009, i realized that as hectic and crazy this year has been, it all surrounded a singular topic which readers of this blog know all too well by now. hopefully my regurgitation of history won't be as monomaniacal as my career has made me.

a good friend of mine asked me yesterday if 2009 was a good year for me, and in most aspects of my life, it really was. from several new toys to play with...to fostering friendships...to a conclusion of a rather uninspiring academic career...to a blooming professional path already flowered with milestones.

exactly last year, i was penning a post predicting my naivete in hoping for a 2009 full of highs. and exactly one year later, i don't find myself wishing for continued ebullience, but merely for progress...for too many seeds were planted this past year and they must be vigilantly nurtured.

december
the health reform battle that labored for months had culminated in a three-week floor battle and an ever more historical christmas eve vote for final passage. and sitting in the gallery of the senate, i witnessed a years worth of hard work be rewarded with 60 aye votes.
november
with the holiday season revving its engines and no extra chef hands to help this year, i decided to try something different. a turducken was ordered and prepared...then deliciously devoured as the pre-thanksgiving holiday feast continued.
october
another month consumed entirely by work...this time it was the precursor to december action, committee markup. countless hours, innumerable talking points, dem on dem bickering, and political courtship resulted in a bipartisan 14-9 passage of the finance committee version of health care reform.
september
as i hit my quarter century mark, i was gifted with a new computer (a beautifully sleek macbook pro whose keyboard glows a heavenly aura as i type) and a return of my black, equally sleek acura mdx that has now freed me from the shackles of wmata.
august
with congress heading home for recess, i was affordable a comfortable month of excessive indulgence as restaurant week reservations were made and a decadent trip out west was enjoyed.
july
is it a good thing that i only remember two moments of this month...and that i have previous entries about both? i'd like to think my life was more interesting than playing hearts as we awaited the splashing of fire and lights across the sky or a trip out to the vineyards of virginia on a perfectly weathered summer day.
june
sadly, june was a month that was spent trapped inside the dirksen building as negotiations raged on. minus sitting down at the smallest (6 seat) yet most intriguing meal of my life, june was a month consumed by work.
may
graduation month...the finale of two years of grad school and the nail in the coffin of my academic career. sure sure, education extends beyond the walls of a schoolyard and never ends...but it never felt so good to gain three little letters after my name.
april
i remember april to have dragged on...with senioritis weighing down my legs and extensive hours at work continuing to place burdens on my shoulders, i could not wait to escape the pouring showers of a long, wet spring.
march
the doldrums of winter caught up to me again this past march. a good california boy like myself can only handle the biting cold and dampness of snow and ice for so long. but i will remember the month as an old friendship was rekindled...if only ever so slightly.
february
the memories of this month have escaped me...sadly, the only thing i can really remember that caught my attention this month was the last minute toe-tipping catch santonio holmes made to win the superbowl...wonder what that says about february.
january
even though i was diverted by a blockade of obamaniacs, i will also remember january as the month i almost got to see obama inaugurated. even with the failures of the blue ticket gate, the inauguration was still the breath of fresh air the country needed...before a year of beer-summits, economic stimulus, and health care reform partisanship tainted our beliefs of hope.

so there is it, 2009 wrapped up in a neat little blogosphere bow. of it all, i will appreciate the past year as perhaps my most independent one of all. i spent wire-to-wire in the district with only a few days beyond its boarders...graduating with a degree, pouring hours and hours into a cause and finally seeing results, and the ability to reap in the rewards i actually felt that i earned.

to 2010...

Sad Panda

how you ask, do i connect a sad panda entitled blog entry to health care reform...well, its simply the fact that i've lived, breathed, ate, and bled reform for the past year and sadly, it has controlled my life. but this posting not only reaches into my heritage (if only by stereotype and ethnicity of the protagonist), it also shows the difficulties of our economy and the joy some people can somehow find from it.

Cloud

Cloud - A funny movie is a click away

Notte Sento

so i've been feeling like i've been drifting lately...busy with work, disgusted with school, singularity at home...it seems that i just haven't gotten my feet down firmly on the ground in a while. maybe i'm just burnt out, maybe it's the anxiety of graduation...but i haven't felt like myself lately. but every once in a while, you come along something that just lightens the mood and injects a tiny pin prick of spirit that can bring a smile back to my face...and this little italian short did that for me tonight. maybe it'll give you what you need.

Notte Sento (English subtitles) from napdan on Vimeo.

My Piece of the Pie

so everyone knows that the United States is the home of the frivolous lawsuit, ambulance chaser, and malpractice mecca. and having lived in this wonderful land of freedom and excuses for 23 of my 24 years of life...i figure it's about time i got in the game.

so Lucie J. Kim, count me in...

and yes...i am a little embarrassed to be looking at TMZ while at work

Perfect Combination

this is the ideal amalgamation of one of my favorite shows on tv ever with reality...

First Dance

i remember my first dance...way back when in junior high. when it was still awkward and you could fit a whole other person between us. when it was all so new and exciting, as if for a few moments you were doing grown up things. and when i see those young kids feeling their first burst of butterflies in their stomach, it is still a warm and fuzzy moment.

and i know i'm still wrapped up in the events of the day and the measure of the moment...but is this not one of the sweetest things to see:

Remembrance of 2008

during a conversation with a friend of mine, she spoke of how 2008 was her best year ever. this concept got to me wonder which of my 24 would be considered my best years (of those i can remember at least)...would it be 1990, trotting along in first grade when the backpacks were larger than my body and my lunch box emblazoned with ren & stimpy cartoons, before the politics of second grade kicked in?...or 2002, having survived the high school experience full of first-loves, ditching classes, and the inescapable competition of college acceptances...or 2006, finally traversing the college landscape dotted with previously inexperienced freedoms, real loves, and leaving with actual college degrees...or 2008, where a roller coaster of events rocketed me up to meaningful employment down to the dirges of lost loves shaped this previous year.

with fears of too much thought leading to a growth of my love handles, i decided that 2008 had been like all the others...unpredictable, memorable, heartbreaking...and most importantly, over. perhaps it would be too quixotic of me to say 2009 will only consist of highs, or even too naive of me to even want that...as it is the magnitude of events and emotions that help define us.

seeing as how my first post of last year was a recap, it felt fitting that the first post of year 2009 also contain a brief rendition of last years exploits. and following previous formats, the countdown will begin in reverse order:

December
the prospects of finishing up my masters is drawing closer at the conclusion of my third semester, which coupled with my full-time work schedule led to a much needed vacation with the family in shanghai.
November
wonderful november, a young politico's wish and democratic staffer's hopes have come true with a historic election...also, with the aid of another chef in the kitchen, we were able to host one of the most successful thanksgiving/holiday feasts ever with a table overflowing with food...it was an epicurean's dream.
October
this seemed to be a rather tiring month as i experienced my first month with a combination of full-time school and full-time work...this dual led to develop my drinking habits and expensive weekends out.
September
with a well-timed arrival of an old friend, i celebrated my 24th birthday with new friends at Marvin's near U-st. what can only be described as a 'growing' experience, it was nice to compound that with my acceptance as the new health research assistant for the senate finance committee, ending my unemployment while padding my resumé.
August
though the success and excitement of the olympics was in full bloom, this was not a very good month for my emotional humanity...having lost a part of me, august seemed to be bleak, though i somehow managed to restrain from entering depths i have vowed to avoid.
July
with frequent trips around town searching for jobs and networking old sources for help, i found july to be a humbling experience that unfortunately too many are dealing with.
June
i'll remember june with the ending of my congressional fellowship, my most recent trip to vegas, and what unfortunately became my last vacation out to san diego.
May
besides the end to my first year in grad school, may seemed to be unusually quite for 2008. either that or age has caught up to me and has plagued my memory with blind spots.
April
with ting and matt further solidifying their relationship, i found myself without a roommate for the first time in a long time...though i did come to enjoy the freedoms of living alone.
March
another seemingly forgetful month that i probably spent procrastinating from school, feigning dilligence at work, and entralled in a primary contest that would never end.
February
if august was the larger drop on the roller coaster, then february had to have been the quick loop and dip used to gain momentum in order for the cart to make it to the heights.
January
ahh...the beginning of it all...the prelapsarian month of this all too exhaustive year. the question would have to be, "if i knew this year would've been like this, shouldn't i have stayed in 2007?"

and with that, my reader(s), i relinquish my grasp on the previous year which will now be archived into memory...with little bits and pieces of it found right here in my little niché of the blogosphere.

Extreme Cuteness

be careful...this one might just be an overdose

Hope

"That’s what hope is—that thing inside that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that there are better days ahead."
- Barack Obama

now...how you apply that is up to you

The List

so after agonizing debate and mental conflict, i have come up with my celebrity list (you know, the list of celebs you're allowed to sleep with without relationship retribution). i figure i won't pull a ross and keep a laminated copy in my wallet, but i will release the contents of my list to the blogosphere.

and this is in no particular order:

Maggie Q
















Scarlett Johansson
















Jessica Alba
















Emmanuelle Chriqui



























Giselle Bundchen

Ode To The Mosquito

little pesky things,
so small, yet your bites always leave stings.

i try to leave you be,
but you always come back to me.

what is it about my blood that you so adore?
what about me drives you to come for more?

now that you've eaten,
i feel annoyed and beaten.

each time you choose to hitch,
it is another red spot on me that i have to itch.

how i hate you so,
you little pesky thing, you mosquito

Good Ol' Days

back in the last year of my high school career, my good friend lance and i were paired together in a senior-easy A-joke tv productions course. keeping in line with the tradition of several other friends who had taken the course in previous years, we decided to extend the Secret Agent Man series. here is what ensued...

excuse the quality, back in those times, we rendered the videos onto VHS (yeah, right?)...and also excuse the humor, we were in high school.




and here is another "dream sequence" video...same disclaimers apply.

Peronsal Fears

while i adjust myself to overcome my overwhelming rage to the lakers' game 4 collapse, i found this interest series of pictures online...

with this picture taking particular hold in my phobias...

It's All In the Delivery

as i sit here at a 24 hour mcdonalds getting the most out of their limited time free wi-fi because the power went out in my building and it's hot in dc (even at 11:30 at night) and because i don't know how to survive without electricity and tv and/or internet for long periods of time...i began to think about how we're all so easily convinced by the speaker. so running into this article was perfect...

we've all seen them before, the late night commercials promoting "dates" by phone (phone sex for those who are incredibly naive). these commercials are undoubtedly stacked with beautiful women all bursting out of their clothes, speaking seductively in their camera about how they want to talk to you tonight.

then, your oppressing loneliness overwhelms you and the thought of having a stranger whisper sweet nothings into your ear sounds increasingly appealing. so you call and on the other side hear a woman describe herself as barbie-esque and you paint a picture...

...would you still call if you knew your late-night telephonic rendezvous looked like this?

To The Graduates

it wasn't but a couple of years ago that i was in this same situation...sitting out in the sun on rimac field, waiting for professors and deans to call out my name and hand me an empty folder. it felt nice to get the degree, but it would've been nice to have a keynote like this...