the best and the worst of 2008...

bye bye '08
hello 2009!!

having a little fun with the condensation on my bedroom window. my window's sweaty, haha. anyway, i was going to make another end of the year list but dang, that last list took so long. i got a little carried away. but here's a list anyway...i'll try to make it short(er).

best 5 moments of 2008:
5. moving to california.
- granted, i haven't been loving living in california for most parts. however, living in california has always been a dream of mines since as long as i can remember. in truth, i believe i just don't enjoy this area of california...it's too small town for me rather than big city, it just feels like there would be more to do near the city. i hope to one day move closer to the city life i've always dreamed of. the fact i'm already in california just brings me closer to that dream. maybe after a couple of years this place might actual feel like home.

4. runner runner music video shoot.
- i'm so glad i got to go and be a part of their music video. i won't write a long rant about it now since i've already done it here. but i will say this, was a very fun day. and it was nice to see familar faces (still can't get over the fact nick totally remembered me) and meet a few new ones as well.

3. incubus concerts.
- refer to previous entry. let's just say all those concerts should fall right here on this list.

2. spring semester.
- one of the best semesters. all my classes were of those i actually enjoyed going to, which might explain how i ended up with straight "a's" for the first (and last?) time in college. lunches with brooke and/or sara were the best part of each school day. actually being part of art events. the printmaking room: litho and letterpress. the art building was my second home. share-a-bike. first fridays. bar/house/apartment parties. girls night. dancing all night. the 14th (13th) floor/apartment. much, much, more...and of course the reason behind all of it, what makes it the best...all my friends, old and new.

1. my 23 birthday.
- best birthday i've had in a long time. i usually forgo parties and end up just having a dinner or something. but this year, i figured since it was probably the last b-day i'll have with my friends, why not make it "the best day ever!" and to me it was. the dinner was awesome and i was so thankful for everyone that showed up. the party back at the apartment was crazy...jell-o shot snorting, champagne, cupcakes...everywhere, flower people, polroids, the half-eaten apple pipe, extreme edward 40 hand, and even more friends/people showing up. and i can't help but love that my friends and mostly my roommates help make that day #1 for me in 2008.

worst 5 moments of 2008:
5. elise getting mono and leaving school.
- she was my partner in crime. and having to say "good-bye" to a friend is never easy. in fact, i didn't even get the chance to say it in person. the night (or night before?) she was leaving was hard for me. with everything else on my mind at that point (see #1 on this list) this was a breaking point and i ended up breaking down...thankfully the boys next door happen to be awesome friends.

4. moving to california.
- ok, so this also is on my "best" list and like i said up there, for most part moving to california seemed like a bad idea. it just seems like the timing was bad. the location kind of sucks. and i can't help but feel loneliner than ever here. but i'm making the best of it and still have hope for something better. only time will time if this really belongs in the "best" or "worst" moments of my lifetime. though being #4 here and #5 on the "best"...that might be saying something, at least for 2008.

3. having to miss out and many things because i'm here and not there.
- it's not just about living in california while a bunch of my friends are still in hawaii. it also the fact that i'm in california with so much happening around me...yet, i'm still too far to go to them (especially since i'll be alone). it's not fun hearing about everything going on in places i want to be but aren't. plus, i'm a homebody. somedays that's fine...but i've never liked the feeling of being left out, worst feeling ever.

2. having to say good-bye to hawaii/all my friends and family.
- for all the years i've been wanting out of hawaii...now that i got that chance, sometimes i can't help but feel like i want to go back. everyday, i catch myself thinking of certain places, events, moments of the past and end up missing hawaii like crazy. it has been my home for most of my life so far. up until recently, it's all i've ever known...and it hurts sometimes to be so far away. and it should go without saying that what i miss most of all are my friends and family. i hate knowing i'm missing out on seeing the kids grow up. i hate not living next door to family (and people who were pretty much family). and my friends. it's just hard. funny, just when i feel like i'm actually a part of something, that i can be comfortable with being me...i have to start over again...and alone.

1. the aftermath of a broken heart.
- i wrote about this here and a few entries in my old blog here. i can honestly say for the most part i'm over it. i mean it doesn't hurt as bad as it did...it doesn't even really hurt anymore. though sometimes i still find myself thinking about him every so often but then i stop and it's done. ugh, i hated how i ended up feeling because of him. and then having to see him around almost everyday was painful. but i guess, a plus for moving to california, is i don't have to be around him, that he's not a part of my life (no more stupid run-ins and no more me trying to make him like me - even as a friend).
and with that said, i'm still nursing a broken heart of a different kind...having to leave my love ones, having to leave my heart, at least a part of it, in hawaii.

i tried to keep it short(er). it kind of worked.

tomorrow is the last day of 2008...

till later.

take time to realize...

i bought a trapper hat today. i've been wanting one every since i saw them sometime last year at banana republic. i would have gotten it then...however, it was $150. yeah, i don't know why i have been wanting one so badly. yesterday, this boy came in the store wearing one and i really wanted to asked him where he got it. and recently i some them again at target. and though they were only like $15 this time and really cute, i still couldn't bring myself to spend the $15 on it. but tonight i found one for $10. it's black and so soft and furry...faux fur of course. and though the weather has not been as cold as i wish, it will keep me warm when the time comes. either way, i've been hoping to add a trapper hat to my winter wear. as of late, i've been wearing my beret beanies whenever i'm not at work...if i knew it would be ok, i'd probably wear them to work too. right now i have 5 and find myself wanting to buy a new one everytime i see them. cold weather, i'm getting ready for you...so you better come soon. yeah, i get that i do live in california so it doesn't get that cold but still...it'll be colder than hawaii.

so this isn't a picture of mines...but it's pretty close. it's a funky sort of hat and that's probably why i like it so much.

and just because...

i watched this last night and the first thing i thought was aw, pretty...the song, the candles, and ryan's haircut, haha.

on runner runner's youtube page they recently put up a bunch of cover songs to listen to.

till later.

this is the remix...

i'm watching mtv's the island right now. i don't really like the show. all the dudes are such douches. but i'm watching it because they are going to play a part of runner runner's so obvious during the show.
well, right as i was about to leave my room i hear the intro. it's pretty cool hearing them on tv/mtv. apparently, they were played on the hills as well but i never seem to hear it. but what was really cool was that during the scene on the island they had the little black bar at the bottom stating the name of the band and song.
seriously, it's only going to get bigger for them. so proud.

anyway, they posted a little remix video of the big race from their so obvious music video. that was really a fun and long day. the video made me laugh almost as much as i did that day. the boys are looking pretty sweet in their short shorts.


till later.

so obvious...

so the runner runner boys finally posted their music video for so obvious. i thinks it's pretty awesome. but then again i might be a little bias. really though, they did this video all on their own and that's a hard task. am i right?

boy, was that a fun day. i guess it's pretty cool that i can say i was in a music video. especially, for a band i truely love both for their music and as people. it's just funny to see me creeping in the background, along with the JO-R mobile. i don't what it is but james's scenario with the wii is probably my favorite...and the race scene of course.

well, my cousin and her husband from maui stopped by late or maybe early since it was past midnight yesterday. they went to watch a chargers game and then they are off to vegas. it was nice to see them again and spend a little time with them. when i was little, her house was like my second home. they gave us a picture of their family which included her three kids, her sister's family, and my aunty. crazy to see how grown up her kids are now, her oldest is 13. and her sister is only a year older than me, yet she's already married, two years this month, and has two kids. i miss them all very much. hopefully, i see them all again.

and yes, i wore my over it hoodie today as well as got a strawberry and cream at starbucks.

till later.

and i’m here and this heart screams fear like a lion...

i tried to get my laptop problem fixed today but the part i bought at best buy didn't fit. hopefully, the problem gets fixed soon.

anyway, i got a package in the mail today. it was the runner runner ep i ordered from smartpunk awhile ago. ok, so i already had the ep/cd. but if you pre-ordered it from smartpunk you get a free shirt and the "so obvious - acoustic" mp3. so of course i needed to get it, haha. plus the cd looks different, kind of. i actually now have 3 different cds, of what technically is the same cd, give or take a few songs. i usually do that, buying the same cd again if something special comes with it and if it's one of my favorite bands. that would explain why i have two copies of step outside yourself - over it's cd. one is even still sealed up, i just wanted the phone call, haha.

the shirt that came with the cd.

autographed cd.

the 3 cds i have.

tonight i went and checked out some live music down by the movie theater near my house. the band i caught was called war stories. they are from san diego. and really good. my mom even liked them. their bass player did some sweet dancing and the singer was kind of cute with his (faux?) leather/bomber jacket. i would have stayed later to catch more bands but it was really cold, since they played outside, and i didn't have a jacket.

well, tomorrow it's off to ontario cause there's some sort of filipino thing going on there that my mom want to go to.

till later.

and the search continues...

i woke up this morning to a phone call asking me to set up an interview for yet another job.
it's for tomorrow.
great.
you'd think with all these interviews someone's bound to hire me. please.

project runway. greatness. christian, daniel v., and wesley & daniel back in one episode. loves it. blayne finally went home. i never liked anything he made but he was interesting to watch. i mean the whole "hollar at your boy" thing with tim gunn was great...mainly because of tim though.

the runner runner boys added this little video clip of the race from their video shoot. and like i said before you can catch me looking like a fool jumping up and down cheering them on from behind. can't wait to see how the video turns out.

once again, i need all the luck i can get as i go into yet another interview tomorrow. let's hope i don't suck.

till later.

oicwydt runner runner...

so i decided to go to the runner runner music video shoot, their first for so obvious, a song i adore. it took me an hour to drive to huntington. the drive wasn't so bad but the whole way there i was nervous of how it was going to be...but i manned up and just went for it. when i drove up they were shooting a bike scene with pete on the street. i parked on the side and saw nick by their house. he waved at me. aw i thought, that was nice, him welcoming people to the shoot. so i head over to him and he gives me this huge hug and said nice to see you again...so i asked if he remembered me. i thought he was just going to say how he remembers seeing me at one of their shows somewhere but wasn't sure which show. but instead he says, "of course, but aren't you suppose to be in hawaii?" the last time i actually saw nick was back in january 2006, 2 years ago, and after all that time he actually remembered me. seriously, one of the nicest guys i know. he got me a water and i watched awkwardly as everyone moved around me and listened to some interesting conversations - one of their friends really wanted to be in party boy gear, haha. the boys were really sweet though, making sure i was alright and thanking me for coming. nick reminded james that i was "josie from hawaii. the one who made them sweet leis." upon hearing this ryan then said he likes getting lei'd...maybe next time, haha. it was the first time i had ever met ryan and jon, even though i saw jon play in rufio with over it in '06.
at one point nick calls out his friend joey, "hey i want you to meet my friend josie. she's from hawaii too." ok, so first thing first that fact that nick introduced me as his friend. i know, it's lame to say that i was really touched by that but honestly i was. i've been listening to over it since high school. i've only been to 3 of their shows (then again they only had 3 hawaii shows). and everytime i see them they treat me more as a friend than just a fan. it was just really nice to hear him call me a friend. once again, nick = nicest guy ever. ok so back to joey. nick tells me that it's joey's house where they stayed at when they were in hawaii and how joey's a hawaiian moke but would never say it to his face or he'll get beat up. so ture. well, when nick introduced us i kind of already knew who joey was...well, i knew he was national product's old bassist and saw him play with them at surf-fest before he left the band to play for ashlee simpson! joey and i talked a little about my move. he was nice. funny, in my room i have a picture with his face crossed out...not by me, but by np current bass player.
then these three girls showed up for the shoot. they turned out to be really sweet and friendly and i got along fairly well with them. thank goodness, i was no longer alone. we hung out for a bit. even played the "guess how old i am" game, which i hate. my standard answer is now 12. everyone thought i was younger than i was, which is a good thing, right? oh and i got to talk to elise on the phone for a bit. i was on her home turf so i gave her a ring. i miss her and my friends back there, oh and all the crazy nights as well.
anyway, the boys changed into some sweet outfits complete with short shorts, classic. for the big race. when the video comes out you may get to see me looking like a fool cheering them on at the starting...and finish line. movie magic. i wasn't even in the race, but boy that tucked me out a little. oh, and i think the "jo-r mobile" is in some shoots, maybe. the boys were too funny with their a.d.d. kicking in. we ended up getting into this very deep conversation on how to pronounce, volcom..."it's not myspace dot come." i told them it probably comes down to the whole potato/potahto thing. i also found out jon likes to use big words and nick's not the smartest in the group. oh and also that pete liked my paul frank shoes. there were also these neighborhood kids that held up the finish line tape. they were so excited, "we're going to be on tv!!!" well, not going to give away who wins the big race but lets just say there was a nice group hug with nick and high five with the boys. it was a fun, hot, and long day...the guys weren't even done for the day. they were shooting scenes for the video the whole day. nick even invited us to head to the next location...but i was tired and still had a long drive ahead.

some photos and more stories from the set: this guy who runs an internet site, can remember off hand, anyway he was streaming live footage from the shoot the whole day. he also does this for concerts, pretty awesome. his friend he was with talked to me a little about it, sounds pretty sweet. anyway, this is nick and james showing off their lovely race outfits to the internet.setting up the shoot for the big race. what are they racing for? who will win?just look at those mega awesome short shorts. they all have chicken legs. ryan was the first to come out, it was amazing. nick was not feeling the look. at first pete was the only one not wearing converse, he noticed, and so he changed.yay jon. so funny, that video he made for one of the girls' friend, haha. and he gives little kids lollipops, awesome! icu ryan, creeping in the background. right before the photo was taken james took off his head band so he'd look more normal. their orange (?) tree cast weird shadows on my face but james looks cute. then james lets us into their house. ok, how crazy is that, shot at their house. i mean who lets fans into their house? it was a little awkward, like i shouldn't be in there or something. oh but they had some awesome artwork on their walls.

tracked down pete. once again someone was charmed by my snake charmer shirt. just like parker from say anything, pete liked my style from my shirt down to my shoes. oh while inside, some of their guy friends were watching tv...and all i remember hearing was, "don't put it on dirty dancing" and "attack of the double D cups." oh and something about porn in the afternoon, hence the double d comment.once back outside i found one of ryan's notes on the video. he was telling me before how they were doing the video all on their own. you could tell they'd be coming up with ideas on the spot from time to time. it was cool to know that runner runner was them working really hard to make things happen. ryan even said when they do their big budget video he's bringing us back to be in it, haha.i also ended up finding this little note. i guess someone wrote in the "is gay" part. i thought it was funny for a non-obvious reason.when i got to ryan for a picture he didn't have a shirt on. he asked if i minded. i jokingly said i guess it'll have to do. he talked about how his gf loves when there are shirtless photos of him, she's always wonders what's going on.when nick and i meet up again he had already changed. told you he wasn't enjoying the look. funny in this photo we're sort of matching. i like how in the pictures with jon, james, and nick they too automatically threw up the peace sign with me. before the photo was taken nick sang a little to me, "josie's on a vacation far away..." cute. after taking photos nick hops on his little bmx bike and talks about how he got it on warped tour in chicago at walmart for cheap. i told him about j's tall bike and he told me how zack from all time low has a unicycle. then one of the girls asked if he's really zack's brother. a question that comes up a lot. he told us the story of how that got started - "you could be like my dad." haha. but nick already told me a part of the story after i had meet zack at atl's hawaii show in february. but i did find out from nick today how zack apparently did text him about meeting me that night...when i told zack at the show that i knew nick he said he'd tell him i said hi. i didn't think he would because why should he but i guess he actually did. how nice is that, i guess i can understand why people might really think they really could be brothers.

oh and you know that pick necklace i always wear. well, i got it from nick at the over it/rufio show in 2006. i pretty much wear it everyday in hopes that i get a chance to see them again (lame, i know). and it's cool when people ask me about it since that gives me a chance to tell them about over it, now runner runner. anyway, after this photo of nick and i was taken i noticed my necklace had come undone which is not easily done. coincidence, maybe. before i went home i stopped to taken in the ocean.

oh how i missed the water and sand. weird.

i got to sit through so pretty sweet traffic on the way home. there was a big accident, a van was totally smashed. but once i got through that it was pretty much smooth sailing.

turned out to be a good day. it was fun. i hated to leave. i met awesome people. got to see some awesome people. and just hang out with awesome people, something i miss so much.

i guess all i can say is i'm pretty proud of these boys. they work so hard and they are sure to go far. i'm not sure if i'll ever get to watch them play a show anytime soon though. i just know they are about to take the world over. i'm just glad that i can be a part of it in some way. and it's nice to know that i can call them (at least nick for sure) friends.

till later.

i need you here but you're always so far away...

if things work out i'll been able to see runner runner this saturday.
nothing's 100% just yet. so we will see if it actually comes to be.
man, i hate going to things like this on my own. i know i'm going to feel so out of place.
but hey at least i'll get out of the house. maybe even talk to people, haha.
the things i do so i won't bore myself to death.
if i do end up going, i just hope it's fun and i don't feel so awkward...
but then again, when am i never not awkard.

till later.

you are not alone...

when i was still in high school i found this band online. they were called over it. i liked their music and soon became a fan. a couple years later, my second year in college, they were coming to play at surf-fest, their first show in hawaii. i had join their street team and days before they were set to play i got an email from them inviting me to come out to the concert. out of all the band playing, i was most excited to see them. that day, i learned that not only did they play great music but that they were also a bunch of great guys. they quickly became my favorite and i was overjoyed when i learned that they were returning to play in hawaii a couple years later.

that second show was probably one of the best concerts i ever have been to. never had i thought they would remember me, but they did and even seemed happy to see me there. they were as friendly as ever. it was fun hanging out and talking with them. i saw them play just once more later that week. i had almost miss that chance since i didn’t know they were playing with aar and the show had sold out. but once again they had me covered.

they did a lot for me, guest lists, free cd, pictures, even a ride home. i saw that their fans really meant a lot to them and that was refreshing to see. after those three shows they didn't have any other shows in hawaii. but i kept in touch leaving messages here and there and to my surprise they would reply. i could go on and on with reasons why i love them so much. maybe at a later time.

over the years the band changed their line up adding ryan, from don't look down. then seth had left the band to return to school. that sadden me since he was always so sweet and friendly to me. then lastly they add jon, formerly from rufio, as their new bass player. i was shock to hear through the grapevines that maybe an over it breakup on the horizon.

but it wasn't a breakup...it was the start of a new band, runner runner. not too long after hearing these rumors, nick sent me a message telling me of his new band. though i'm sure i would have found out about them by myself soon enough, it was nice that he had thought to let me know.

although, over it will always hold so many good memories for me, runner runner is without a doubt my newest addiction. their music makes me smile. and it doesn't hurt that they are the same great guys of over it (and rufio and don't look down). i can't wait to see where this road leads them. i hope i get the chance to see them in concert one day. either way, i'm here to support them. i feel like any band that treats their fans more like friends will go far.

they're taking over.

till later!

band of the day: runner runner

video of the day: runner runner - dedicate

and so it begins...

i can't remeber where i read it, most likely lurking some random site, but someone mentioned the idea of doing something everyday starting on 08-08-08 untill 09-09-09 and it sounded like a cool idea. i often get myself into little projects thinking it'll be a "cool idea" but in the end i sort of lose steam and end up abandoning them. does anyone remember my thousand cranes?
well, this blog is my attempt to actually stick to one of these projects. i've decided to write at least one blog everyday. i've tried this once before with my xanga one summer and i did fairly well on it but alas it too went dowhill.
but why a blog and not something else? i don't really know. though recently i made a major move in my life, moving away from hawaii to california, and had toyed with the idea of writing about this ajustment. then the move happened and then two months passed without a single document about the venture. like i said, i come up with all these ideas but have very little follow through.
i guess this blog is my way of actually trying to stick to something i've set out to do. it's a start at least. start with small steps right?
besides it's not like i'm not online everyday. and well, since moving i have had very little contact with people other than my mom and lets just say she doesn't always get what i talk about. i figure a blog will allow me a release to let my random thoughts out. im sure my myspace friends will be glad that i've come up with another outlet for my semi-daily ramblings rather than flooding them with bulletins.
if anyone happens upon this and reads it, cool. if no one ever reads this then that's fine too because really this is for me. sure, i would love it to be another way to communicate with people but if in the end i end up talking to myself, well that's nothing new to me. that being said, this will be a free for all for myself. i'll talk about whatever. express thoughts, ideas, feelings. it'll be random and most likely filled with misspelled words, bad grammar, run-on sentences, and the lack of capitalization. but above all, hopefully it'll be fun.
hmm...
we shall see how this goes.
till later!

song of the day: runner runner - dedicate
number of the day: 8 (my fave #)

p.s. while driving down the I-15 today there was a truck covered in flames in the middle of the highway. it was crazy. i wish i got of photo of it but i was driving. i'm always driving.
i pray that no one got hurt.

p.p.s. i'm driving to san diego tomorrow to pick up some food stuff.

p.p.p.s. the olympic opeaning ceremony is going on right now, amazing.