The pond is still, but the frog is busy. The WercShop is overflowing with projects. I am completing the big ones first.
September 28, 2001
September 27, 2001
I am currently beta testing... Illustrator 10... on both the Mac and Win operating systems. I just think it is the coolest thing in the world to be doing. If there are any huge differences... I will be sure to post 'em. Till then... I shall be grinning.
It felt really good to go to bed early. IF you are anything like a normal human... you say you are going to try to get to bed early... and well, it just never happens. Hmm...
September 26, 2001
One Margarita... and my pillow starts screaming my name. She has a very loud voice... still soothing. Well...
Busy busy day at work today. I am looking forward to my lunch break. I need a few seconds of peace.
Been drinking a ton of water all day... and I am still thirsty. Insane.
I fell asleep on the sofa last night. I sat down for a few seconds... and woke up a few hours later.
September 25, 2001
Coming soon to a blog near us.
And for those who need a little translation. Now you can watch foreign movies in peace.
On the way out the door, I noticed that I had blood dripping out of my nose. Not cool. I just called in to work to let them know I was going to be late and that I wold leave as soon as the red stopped flowing. It always seems that a bloody-nose will just sneak on a person. Pain in the butt.
I have about seven minutes to blog... and about thirty minutes plus of words... I hate it when that happens.
I had to make my car payment by phone this morning... it appears that I never received a statement. In general it is a very bad thing when people call asking if you still want your car. Eeek. And of course, my online banking is not working this morning. I need to transfer cash... the internet and all its toys are still not what they are cracked up to be.
I am working on... yes, another project. For the first time in a long time, I am working on something that is pure design... and no rules. Feels good. In fact, it feels great. I cannot even recall the last time that has happened. And this does have a lot to do with my "coffee" statement.
I have gotten a few e-mail asking me about my job... so... I work in a print shop as a graphic designer. It is truely amazing some of the big name clients that we have there. I have gotten to design things for major clients like NBC, Kia, and Saleen. It is a joy to work with clients that have huge budgets. There is simple no end to what you can design.
My finger is not feeling so hot. It was doing really good... and it just is not doing that anymore. I hope it heals up soon. I am dying to go to the beach or even go swimming. I am going to change the band-aid again today... I am hoping that will help it.
And my birthday is a month from today. On October 25, I will be the ripe old age of 23. I will be redesigning my site for a short amount of time for all my family members to dig through a list of stuff that I need and/or want.
Time was up four minutes ago. Eh.
September 24, 2001
I have found a new reason for coffee. Details to follow.
Heh heh.... the pleasure was all mine, Marlon Ongdo ...
The weekend is gone, but it was good. As usual, I did not sleep enough... I am too young to sleep that much anyways, right?
Saw Planet of the Apes last night... and also saw the new VeggieTales... the Veggies was better.
September 23, 2001
I feel kinda lost today... Trying to be productive, but trying to relax. I think I need a cigar.
September 21, 2001
For all of you that hopefully love the new design for Ong's site... well... I did up a store already.
You are going to be seeing me cranking out a lot of designs in the near future. Why? I have projects that I am behind on... and I am eager to get rid of. I have some new mercuryblog members... and I love designing those site. I have a about a MILLION personal projects. And last, but not least... I just want to be better.
Yes, I am watching.
If I could only express how happy I am that the weekend is here...
September 20, 2001
1. A sense of one's own proper dignity or value; self-respect.
2. Pleasure or satisfaction taken in an achievement, possession, or association: parental pride.
3. A cause or source of pleasure or satisfaction; the best of a group or class: These soldiers were their country's pride.
4. The most successful or thriving condition; prime: the pride of youth.
It appears to be morning again... and I appear to be tired again.
September 19, 2001
I need a breath. I need a break. I need a mission.
I have decided that relaxing is not doing nothing. Relaxing is doing something... doing something escaping. For me, designing is a nice break from the Nazi brain cells that force my massive drive to accomplish. With my work and my pleasure being at the same keyboard, one would think it hard for me to draw the line between the factory and the studio. However, I promise you that I could not sit in a chair behind a desk in the light of a monitor, if it was just work.
Computers provide too much already... and they are providing more every second.
Lookie. Claire makes me proud. I sometimes forget the joy of hard work. Thank you for a little reminder.
September 18, 2001
Too many brain cells; no enough time... can I please just have one more hour everyday... time to just live. Not sleep... not eat... not work... not rest... not think... just live.
I left for work 15 minutes later than normal... and still got here at the same time... I can leave 15 minutes early and still get here at the same time. I just do not understand traffic. Strange.
It sure is gloomy out this morning. Gloomy, but beautiful... I love the sounds of the city... the police cars, the contruction, the freeway, the bag ladies with their carts... it is all just a beautiful piece of art. So...
Good gloomy morning.
September 17, 2001
Happy Birthday, Manda!
I like life.
I never get quite enough done on the weekends... or more like I overbook the weekends. It is usually impossible to fit in a full month of chores and fun into a weekend... but I still try.
September 14, 2001
The barbarians will learn what America's all about.
They pay me to tease shades of meaning from social and cultural issues, to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, just be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering.
You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard. What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed.
Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.
Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.
Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.
Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, cultural, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae, a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse.
We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God.
Some people, you, perhaps think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals.
Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel.
Both in terms of the awful scope of its ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, indeed, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before. But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain.
When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice.
I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future. In days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.
There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined. You see, there is steel beneath this velvet.
That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish.
Still, I keep wondering what it was you hoped to teach us. It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred.
If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're about. You don't know what you just started.
But you're about to learn.
Copyright © 2001 The Seattle Times Company
Editorials & Opinion : Wednesday, September 12, 2001
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist
September 13, 2001
Sorry, but it will be nothing other than shallow posts until I get DSL at home... I will be blogging from work... so I do not have much time at all.
September 11, 2001
Today is a day that I never wanted to see. I felt just about every emotion today... and I still cannot sort through it all. My heart goes out to all those envolved... I am still too speachless to say more...
September 07, 2001
PacBell prides itself in hiring only the finest idiots. I will be away from the internet for an unknown length of time.
September 05, 2001
The weather is overcast still. It has been for about 3 days now... no rain... just clouds. I am enjoying because it takes the edge off the heat... and it just looks cool.
This going to work at 9 is not too bad. It gives me a lot of time in the morning... as long as I get out of bed at 6... heh heh. Maybe I can start eating breakfast now... hmm.
September 04, 2001
DZ is swanky... so in honor of his trip to California, I remodeled LP with road-trip flare.
We had a great time. The last day rocked. We toured downtown San Diego and Coronado Beach... we even got to spend a little time with PB. The whole day... start to end... was just plain good.
First day at work... I cannot tell you how good it feels to have a job. The people seem great. I really think this job is going to be a blast... and not too stressful.
I will be sitting at my new job in about 2 hours. Feels good to be earning money again.
September 02, 2001
It was nice at the beach. It is not quite as fun when you cannot get in the water, but still a blast.
We start the day early tomorrow with a trip to San Diego. We may be meeting up with PB in the afternoon/evening as well.
Tomorrow is the last day of vacation for me... and DZ flies out on Tuesday.
Back to the beach... the tide is kinda ill timed. I would be really nive if high tide was later in the day. I do not think we will make it down to Laguna Beach before high tide hits... we move a bit slow around here... until the coffee starts flowing.
Yesterday, we had a blast at Getty. I think I have been therer about 4 or 5 times now... and I still love it. Again, I say... I would go there as often as possible.
We also hit up Santa Monica and Venice. Venice is just plain nasty. I could do without going there again.
Looks like Monday will be a trip to San Diego... is my life rough or what? Heh heh.
September 01, 2001
I am going to have to remember to go here on weekend. Looks like a very cool place.
I think I should buy stock in Dave & Buster's. I spend too much time there... all good times.