Day 239: Orange County Redeemed ?

 

August 27th, 2011At the beginning of the day, I was very apathetic and regretful of my decision to go home for the weekend, due to a variety of reasons. By the end of the day my concerns seem to have calmed down a bit, due to the wonderful time I had rekindling with my friends. In the morning, I got a haircut, and now that my hair is super short, so is my self-esteem. I spent the majority of my day at home sadly enough, eating whatever scraps of food my mom would give me throughout the day. I basically tried to play the Sims which crashed on me and didn’t work from the beginning of the day to the end. What really upset me was twofold though: the fact that I kept getting probed by my parents for my potential plans for the future, which I didn’t really feel like telling them. My dad wants me to be a lawyer, and I am not ready to tell him teaching is probably going to be my future profession….. I still don’t know though, cause I might want to put my Communications degree to good use when I graduate. Sigh. Depression seeped in even further when I found out my friend was going to be late – Earle ended up coming 90 minutes late – so late that I told my friend Thiep to come and drive me. They came at the same time, and we both left in Thiep’s car for Jonathan’s 21st birthday party.
Now I’m not too excited about these parties. It seems every year I know less and less people there, due to the fact that most of them are Jonny’s SD friends (whom I never talk to or associate myself with). I ended up playing some Rock Band, and catching up with Eva, Chris, Robert, Diana, Earth, Justin, among a few other people in the crowd whom I’ve never met (Helen, etc.). It struck a nerve when we started talking about future career paths, and people started talking their upcoming MCATS and LSATS they needed to study for. I feel really guilty for not doing a direct schooling path as my fellow high school graduates are doing, but I settled for answering the question saying I’m in pursuit of programs like Teach for America and Americorps. Me, Thiep, and Earle all chipped in for a wonderful bottle of Bicardi (151) [pictured] to give to Jonny (something John Torres deprived me of nearly two years ago). It was hilarious as he downed the shot, and attempted (along with everyone else) to peer pressure me into drinking. Sadly enough, that doesn’t work on me. Not yet anyway >:)!
By the end of the night, me, Earle, and Thiep got tired of the party, so we left, ultimately settling to go to Irvine for 85 Degree Bakery. After seeing the large line, we settled for some Yogurt Land nearby, where Earle bought a cute plushie for his car, and we all ate some delicious yogurt (plain tart ftw!) Catching up with them in that one moment was enough for me to be satisfied with my trip back home. That’s exactly what I needed – a moment of zen, a moment to bring me back to reality. The future is near, and I have to eventually figure it out – but at this particular moment, I’d rather sit back and enjoy each and every moment on its own individual merit.

The most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history occurs on Krakatau (also called Krakatoa), a small, uninhabited volcanic island located west of Sumatra in Indonesia, on this day in 1883. Heard 3,000 miles away, the explosions threw five cubic miles of earth 50 miles into the air, created 120-foot tsunamis and killed 36,000 people. Krakatau exhibited its first stirrings in more than 200 years on May 20, 1883. A German warship passing by reported a seven-mile high cloud of ash and dust over Krakatau. For the next two months, similar explosions would be witnessed by commercial liners and natives on nearby Java and Sumatra. With little to no idea of the impending catastrophe, the local inhabitants greeted the volcanic activity with festive excitement. SCARY STUFF!

As Hurricane Irene barrels along the U.S. East Coast, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas said the nation would be much better off without the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “I live on the Gulf Coast. We put up with hurricanes all the time,” the GOP presidential candidate told CNN after a New Hampshire campaign event Friday. “There’s no magic about FEMA. More and more people are starting to recognize that.” Paul has long been a critic of the agency, which he calls a “great contributor to deficit financing.” With more than 7,600 employees, FEMA falls under the Department of Homeland Security and coordinates response efforts when disasters strike. Dr. Paul is correct in thinking so.

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