So I’ve always loved Iced Tea, because it is refreshing and seems to have enough caffeine in it to help me get through my day, but for the last year I’d say that level of love has gone to obsession. After weeks and weeks of making sure I had a Black Iced Tea from Starbucks each and every day to satisfy my cravings I had to come up with a cheaper way to still enjoy it. A venti at Starbucks is roughly 3 dollars each time and if I want more than one a day, that adds up big time! Since I didn’t know how to make it, of course I used Google to help me in this department. After reading all the suggested ways to make tea, I found an incredibly easy way to make it! If you’re absolutely obsessed like me, the following is a walk through.

What you’ll need:

• Tea bags or leaves of whatever flavor you’d like. I bought 100 bags of Lipton for less than three dollars.
• Medium sized pot to boil water

No, really that’s all you need!

Directions:

• Boil pot of water and add at least three bags of tea or leaves.
• Let the tea bags/leaves sit in the water for 5-8 minutes.
• Serve hot, serve over ice, or fill up a pitcher and let it refrigerate.

Obviously you can probably guess how much tea I’ve been drinking these last couple of days. If you happen to have any other iced tea or even hot tea recipes you’d like to share I’d really appreciate it! Enjoy!

[Flickr credit]

I hate summer more than any other season, because of the heat. One of the main reasons I had considered moving to San Francisco in the first place was because of the cool weather. I’d rather have the chance to bundle up than to try to peel absolutely every article of clothing off in attempts to feel cool. Although, I’ve made an exception to this season because of America’s favorite pastime. Baseball.

Baseball and I have a history like most fans of it. I’m sure most of you can remember your first game or how you came about to be a fanatic. As most of you know, I grew up in Los Angeles County. Home of the Dodgers, but I … I was raised an Angels fan. (Number 15, Tim Salmon, was my favorite.) You can only imagine the crap I got from friends saying I wasn’t a true inhabitant of Los Angeles, because I was a fan of the team located in Orange County. Don’t get me wrong though, if the Dodgers are on I’m a fan, but if the Angels are against the Dodgers it’s a whole other story. I started out listening to my dad whistle and yell at the screen after the Angels (known as the California Angels at the time) were either winning or were a disappointment. We would spend hours watching and I was able to tell you every single player by first and last name. My dad would call out for the score of a game while he was outside doing yard work and I would repeat the score, how many were on base, who was on deck, etc. I could be given the name of a city and be able to tell you what team it was. Lately, most of what I hear are cheers for the boys in red to hit another home run, because they’re pretty good compared to what I remember growing up. Some call baseball boring and not their sport, but out of every sport watched in my house from football to golf, baseball will always be my favorite. You couldn’t get any better than a game at Angel Stadium at 7PM in the summer heat sitting there alongside the three boys of my family (Dad, Corey, and Aaron), eating peanuts, yelling “CHARGE”, and getting up for the 7th inning stretch.

When I look back now, baseball is what brought my family together and reminds me of the good times throughout my childhood. These days I will still catch a baseball game on television if I’m unable to attend a game and of course no matter where I am at or how many name changes they have, I will always be an Angels fan. So even if I have to sit in weather that makes me feel uncomfortable, miserable, and sticky, I will tolerate summer for a baseball game.

For being unemployed and doing odd consulting jobs here and there to make ends meet while collecting a random check every two weeks, I really haven’t been too productive lately. Unless you count catching up on television shows, recovering from being sick so often (another blog post in itself), and personal projects something useful. It has given me a lot of time to rest which has made me ready to go out there and fully work. I also wouldn’t consider working on an internship soon much of a job except for maybe the experience and networking, because it is such a short time frame.

Anyway, onto more important thoughts like television. (I’m actually kidding that’s why this blog post is entitled UNPRODUCTIVE thoughts.) I’ve always been completely confused as to how people get so many shows in and have all kinds of time to keep updated, but since I’ve had a lot of spare time lately, the DVR is looking pretty empty. Even a week of spare time and just lounging around the house can put your DVR to a very high availability percent of 80. Which means I’m stuck watching useless stuff or discovering a new show in which I HAVE to start from the beginning. No really, I can’t start a show in the middle of a season let alone at the second season. Who does that?! How the heck would you know random sexual acts on True Blood were a reoccurring theme and what the term “Fang Banger” meant?!! Since I am a normal person who starts from the beginning, I know these things. Really. This is where thanks to the Xbox 360, Internet, Netflix, and downloading in general deserve a thank you for contributing to saving my boredom when it comes to having too much free time.

You’ll be happy to hear that even after all this TV talk I actually do fit in work on personal projects, exercise, and things for school, so I am actually keeping my brain working and trying to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Also, for having so much free time I really should start writing more, but then I’d be filling it with so much randomness. Which might actually be a good thing since this is obviously a personal blog, but we’ll see! Well, June has finally ended with the brother’s 21st birthday and I’m now looking forward to the beginning of July. California summer, make me proud!

Finals are over with at Stanford, friends graduating this year just passed, and good things seem to be happening around me right now. I’m in a state of bliss which was all but forgotten for a while due to the amount of items stacked high on my table and the stress that it has put me through. After all has been said and done I’m taking on this summer and hoping to do a few things along the way. I decided that if I was going to make this summer epic at all I had to start writing down a list of things I wanted to get done, so that I could make sure to enjoy it to the fullest:

1.) Get a tan.
2.) Take a vacation – and not just one, at least two or three.
3.)  Make a trip back to Monterey and home again.
4.) Take the camera everywhere it can possibly go to record such information. Pictures are worth a gazillion words.
5.) Start a new project and complete it.
6.) Find time to catch up with old friends and make new ones.
7.)  Have at least one epic road trip.
8.)  Throw a party.
9.) Remember to have fun at all times.
10.) Repeat number nine continuously. <3

Obviously this list isn’t at all complete, but a rough draft doesn’t hurt. Here’s to having an amazing summer and hoping yours is too!

Last week I was already on Tuesday and wondering how the hell I was going to complete all my midterms that were due by Friday. I hadn’t studied and thought I wouldn’t do very well. After stressing about one in particular, because it was a subject I can’t stand, I decided to get it over with and not worry about it. Surprisingly, I pulled off a 94/100 and immediately thought I deserved a drink after all that worrying. Although I didn’t manage to get one due to other awesome plans, I was able to enjoy my weekend and be available to the possibility of having a great weekend. My weekend was fantastic! …Until I woke up today and realized I had roughly five (now four because I decided to waste half of today) days to complete a damn paper! It isn’t a very long paper being only seven pages, but when it is something I don’t want to write about and due when someone else wants it done, writing doesn’t seem to flow from my fingertips onto the keyboard as easily. Which is why I’m writing about the not wanting to do the damn paper instead of actually writing the paper. I already know which of you are going to laugh at me being lazy, but thankfully the above picture does not actually demonstrate how much I’ve written. I already have a rough outline written down on paper and pulling together articles I’m using for support. Anyway, eventually I’ll get my shit together and complete this by Thursday. Wish me luck, I’m going to need it!

Among the many apps I have on my iPhone, I’ve been testing out this one called Sleep Cycle which is supposed to be able to do exactly what it says. Determine what your “sleep cycle” is depending on your movements throughout your sleep and inform you of how many hours you slept and at what times you woke up. This is all based upon different levels throughout your sleep state. Which are awake, dreaming, and deep sleep. Then it uses a 30 minute window that ends at your set alarm time so that you are sure to wake up at your “lightest sleep phase”. The accelerometer within your iPhone can determine your movements when you put the phone face down on your bed which I placed on my mattress next to the pillow that I would sleep on. It is interesting hearing the weird noise that comes from the phone to test it out before you actually set the alarm, because it will in fact detect even the slightest slow movement.

I was very skeptical of how it would be able to determine me tossing and turning at night versus me actually awake in the morning, but it seemed to have worked! After a total of 19 nights trying this out, I can remember the next day based on the graph exactly when I actually woke up and when I was still asleep. In particular, one morning I remember waking up at  8, 9, and then 10 AM (I remember checking the alarm clock next to my bed each time) which the Sleep Cycle was actually able to detect. You can see one of the examples of the graphs above which demonstrates each time I woke up (it was obviously a horrible sleep) and how much time I had slept for, including my average of all nights.

I recommended this to a few friends who are trying it out to see exactly how it works and are particularly interested in how much sleep they actually get. We like to compare our sleep cycles via Facebook or email which is an option as well. If you want to try it out I bought it for 99 cents in the app store. Enjoy!

After receiving a box a few weeks ago full of delicious jerky, not being able to wait to share this with you, and the help of Janie at House of Jerky.com, I joined Andrew from BenSpark and Scott from ScottySnack to host a Beef Jerky Giveaway! If you haven’t already heard of House of Jerky then chances are you haven’t tried their jerky yet and we’re hoping to fix that right now!

The Scoop on House of Jerky:

After (having the privilege of) trying the House of Jerky Jr. Variety Pack which includes 10 amazing flavors and a weekend full of jerky tasting, I can happily say, you have got to try this! I particularly enjoyed the taste of the Hot Jerky and Buffalo flavors myself, but upon tasting all 10 flavors I couldn’t help but love all of them. The House of Jerky website is full of all types of jerky to fill your heart’s desire. And if you’re a jerky fan like me, they even have a Jerky of the Month Plan which allows you to enjoy it regularly! Check them at at HouseofJerky.com and follow them on Twitter at @HouseofJerky - let them know Sam sent you.

So How Does This Giveaway Work Already?:

The Beef Jerky Giveaway will run from now until Friday, May 7, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. To participate is simple – simply leave a comment stating what type of jerky you would want most from House Of Jerky – Beef Jerky, Buffalo Jerky, Venison Jerky, Ostrich Jerky or Turkey Jerky. Then, once the Giveaway has ended, a handful of persons will be randomly selected to receive a Free House of Jerky Sample Pack of their choice jerky! Pretty easy, right? Alright now, go on and submit your entry!

Currently, I am knowingly putting off brainstorming for one of my papers, because I have no clue what I want to write it on. I always feel like when writing is forced it is always a harder task to get the deed completed. I have the next two days to decide on a topic, but for a subject I’m really not that interested it, of course I had to result to asking friends to help me brainstorm with me. I have a few suggestions and I suppose I could look into them, but what better way to procrastinate something I don’t want to do and with exercising my writing skills in an update!?

Yesterday I completed my first three quizzes/tests of the quarter. They were allowed to be taken online and had a timer of 30 minutes for each. And I am happy to announce that I actually aced all three! I was actually pretty surprised, because I sat there for a few questions pondering if I had actually got some of the answers right, but went with what I have learned in the past and stuck with my first answer. What I have learned though is that I pretty much got lucky with these three, because I had already known the material prior to taking the class. Knowing these were basically “introductory” chapters I need to crack down and start reading the material for the next three chapters, because shortly a midterm will be due and I don’t want to worry about that for sure.

Another thing I have to mention is that I still haven’t learned exactly how to study, because once again, I’ve never needed it. Amazingly, I really hate that about myself, because I feel like I should be and that everyone else is busy reading, note taking, repeating information repetitively, and whatever other tricks they have. Then here I am just sitting or reading through the lecture and going straight to tests. I guess I keep thinking that maybe I’ll surprise myself by failing a test or it is just the need to be constantly busy. So hopefully I find another way to approach the whole feeling very student-like while not getting much done or finding out ways to be more productive with my spare time of no studying.

Anyway, back to being lame at picking a topic and brainstorming for this damn paper.

I can’t believe I’m about to publish a very semi-personal post about my oddities, but there is something that has been bothering me lately. The amount of anxiety I have before an interview. Of course you think that is normal, right? Yes it is, but when you’re experiencing a very high amount of anxiety at that moment, you feel like you’ve got a big problem on your hands and no one can fix it. Thus, you feel very… not normal and like you’re walking into the unknown.

I can’t tell you how many interviews I’ve been on in my lifetime, because I’ve had a great amount of jobs for my age. The experience I’ve gained throughout the years has a lot to show for it. Although, no matter how many times I’ve heard the same question, an interview is never the same for me. Of course there is the fact that not every company is the same and not every person you interview with is going to be cool and laid back like your previous boss where they made you feel at ease. That makes sense, because you’re here for an interview, which is basically a chance to sell yourself and prove that you are what this company needs.

So there I am sitting in my chair, when the interviewer asks, “Why do you want to work for Company X?” You remember that you prepared for this prior to the interview, but all of that is shot out of your head at lightning speed, because you can’t prepare for an interview. You really can’t, no matter what anyone thinks. This isn’t a multiple choice test and no answer is actually right or wrong. This is what makes me nervous. The unknown. You don’t know what is going to happen, if you are saying the right things, or if the person interviewing is understanding the message you are trying to convey about yourself. Knowing this is always going to happen in an interview makes me very anxious prior to interviewing up until the first five minutes in the hot seat. How does one get over that? I do not know.

What does all this tie into? I am scheduled for a few interviews within the next couple of weeks. You are probably saying, but you just got a new part-time job, right? Yes, but it never hurts looking for bigger and better things that might have come along the way that you can gain more knowledge and experience from along the way.

**Excuse my love of run on sentences and fragments. Don’t judge me.

I sit down to start my homework today that I’ve been putting off, because everything else has got in my way and getting back into the groove of school is just not an easy task. And EVERY single possible thing that could have went wrong, went wrong. No, really. Let me break it down for you:

Laptop open and ready to have massive amounts of knowledge passing through it? Check. Printer hooked up to laptop to have thoughts printed and ready to brainstorm all over, because you like writing rather than letting your keystrokes do all the work? Check. Allergy pill taken to make you stop thinking about the fact that spring is stupid and makes you sneeze every time there is a breeze? Check. Steady flow of Bon Iver, Passion Pit, and Temper Trap coming through your earphones to get the flow going? Check.

Ok, I’m ready.

Print first set of notes which to write upon? Fail. Hm… Fix all settings you know of? Check. Print? Fail. Ok, hmm… all ink levels are high, printer is hooked up correctly, set up correctly, and ready? FAIL!?! What the? Ok I’ll write everything I guess even though my hand will probably fall off mid-lots-of-unnecessary-lecture-writing. So I go look for a pen, but do I have one? Apparently not. I’ve been so much of a non-student these days I have no writing materials, including the fact that half of my stuff is still packed up in who the hell knows where. I go ask someone nearby for a pen and what do you know? They have one. I get all situated again and the pen has no damn ink. Seriously. You can’t make this shit up. Homework fail. Enter… Sam’s sad face pondering what to do.

After all this, where am I? Showing my homework who’s boss of course…

…by sitting in my room with a grumpy face, articles in my Google Reader, and watching Netflix through the Xbox.

After three full days of getting things done around the house and settling in, I am completely exhausted. The first week of Spring Quarter at Stanford has come to an end and I’m already behind in the reading material for my classes. I find myself trying to make time to study and go over notes (if any) that I have taken. I thought I would be a lot more productive seeing as how I no longer have a full time job, but it almost feels as if I’m slowly slipping back into learning how it feels to be unemployed, at least part-time. The part-time job starts Monday and I’m looking forward to knowing I have a paycheck coming in that will allow me to at least enjoy some of my time out and about with the rest of the world. Most days, of course, will include finding cheaper things to do that keep me entertained. It sounds weird, but I’m looking at everything with a whole different perspective, because I never really noticed things around me or what I could do with my time. For the first day I found myself really exhausted and the next two I had plenty to do, but still felt bored. I am not a lazy person and I always have to be on the go. You can thank the L.A. girl in me. I’ll always be used to the hustle of the city. I have also been waking up every morning between 8:30 and 9 which is something I find completely ridiculous, especially because I’ve been staying up til odd hours. You would think this different lifestyle would cause me to sleep in. A friend of mine had mentioned that it was a sign of maturity and that the older I get the earlier I’ll rise. If that’s true then in the words of Peter Pan, I don’t ever want to grow up. Sleep is way too important to me and one of my favorite things to do! I’m sure I’ll fall back out of the cycle which was always 8 to 5, but until then I can only hope for more Z’s.

**Note to self: Study time must also result in being something I do during the day and not include playing on the Xbox for hours, watching movies, or surfing the interwebs. No, I must actually learn how to say no to all things that are fun for me and make sure I stay ahead of the game. How I will do this, I do not know yet, but I’m sure I’ll manage.

I feel like I’ve been saying a lot of goodbyes recently. First my job and now my parents are moving from the house I lived in for most of my life. This is basically where all my childhood memories up until now were made. I have to move my bedroom in their house all the way to their new house. So I’ve spent the last two weeks of my spare time going through a bunch of items to see if I want to throw any of it away and box up the rest to be moved. I can’t begin to tell you how weird it is to pull out my prom dress, graduation cap and gown, photos, yearbooks, old letters, and things your mother has saved over the years to remember your childhood. It is almost alien-like going through your memories and thinking about all of the things that made you who you are today. Cheesiness and remembrance to follow now:

Not only the house is being left behind though, but the whole city in general. The neighborhood coffee shop (Flo’s) that everyone would go to on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Everyone knew each other and you’d talk about how each was doing. Tito’s sandwich shop that had a line of cars just waiting for that awesome meal. The El Monte Barber Shop where I remember both of my brothers crying for their first time getting their haircut from Rudy. The bakery on Peck Rd. that served champurrado, pan dulce, and tamales at 6 AM. Lambert Park, where I worked the snack bar helping my parents coach and be team mom while my brothers grew up playing baseball. The same place where I experienced my first kiss from my first love. The quick distance between my city and downtown Los Angeles where trouble could be made. The long rides from my house to Bob’s Big Boy to get diner food at 3 AM. Knowing where friends from high school still live or their parents and being able to name who lived at almost every house on each block in the city.

It is funny to look back at all of these things knowing that you can easily come back to visit even if they are far, but sad to know you can’t get to it on a daily basis anymore. I’m happy my parents are making this transition though for themselves, but I’ll always miss the city I grew up in. Now to get to these boxes and stop procrastinating…

After yesterday I can say that I’m pretty pleased with what is going on in my life at this moment. Yesterday was spent securing a new part-time position at [company name has been redacted], a great dinner, and evening spent with my boyfriend. I think it has been a while since I’ve been this happy about everything going on in my life. (I blame the stress in the past and not feeling like I was being challenged for so long.) It is amazing to me how taking the time to realize exactly what YOU want out of life can make you this ecstatic about changes and events to come. I can say with completely certainty that I made the right decision after all. I’m also very glad my loved ones are very supportive of this big step in my life.

Even though this post is going to be very short and sweet, I look forward to updating everyone with my progress or new things going on!

After a bunch of soul searching and trying to decide exactly what I want, one of my girl friends pointed out that I needed to make a decision and stick with it regarding work and school. I was giving myself too many options. She was completely right. I’ve been prolonging my definite decision since fall of last  year and I had basically already made my decision by January of this year, but didn’t really notice. I was unhappy with how things were falling into place in my life and that I was not focusing on the things that were most important to me. So after consulting my family, boyfriend, boss, and close friends about the things that had been going on in my life I finally did it.

I walked into my office yesterday to discuss my options prior to actually making a final decision. My boss had explained how my whole life I had been working and used to the order of things around me like having a job to go to in the morning, making money, and focusing on that before I went to school. He was right, because he knew I had to pay my way through school since I was 17 and working for this job since I was 19. He said that even though he would miss the employee that I am and everything I had done for the company, that I should focus on school and make sure I got what I needed out of life and to enjoy school life. I was very appreciative of his encouragement.

I gave my two weeks notice late this morning to my boss and as of March 31, 2010 I will be a full time student focusing on earning the rest of my degree. So here comes the “kind of” part… Of course I plan on looking for part-time work, because I couldn’t possibly just make no money. There is obviously minor luxuries like my cellphone and going out money that my parents aren’t exactly willing to pay for and it is definitely nice that you can do with your own money as you please. I am happy that I decided to make this decision in my life and look forward to what the next couple of years is going to bring to my plate. I’m also looking forward to the many doors that will be open after I finish.

**Side note: I get to enjoy funemployment for the first time ever! Woo hoo!

A few days ago the Executive Director for the company I work at, has released the freeze on the hiring process. Which basically means transfers to different offices, promotions, and new hires will be accepted again! For those of you that don’t know, I have been struggling with my current position, because it travels so much and I feel like I am not really going anywhere. Being able to challenge myself and take on new things is almost necessary in a company I am working for. To me it proves what sort of job I can do and leads me to bigger and better things constantly. I do have to admit one thing though… this job has great benefits and I always have the same amount of hours every week. I am salary and have been working in my department for three and a half years so it only seemed right to stay with the amount of time I have invested and the seniority I had achieved.

Now that the freeze has been released and I can start transferring, I feel like I am a little less stressed about finding different work in the Bay Area. The job I am transferring to is actually in another department which has room for growth and will provide me with multiple challenges on a daily basis. One thing I really miss doing is helping clients and having the satisfaction of knowing you helped that person with what they needed.

Right now what is important is a steady income, school, and getting everything done so I can accomplish more in my future. Either way, I’m so happy about this positive change and looking forward to concentrating on Stanford for the next quarter!

Excuse me for a minute while I step back into my girly self and take a few moments to reflect on my personal life.

I’m not really one to write about my relationship, because I’m always afraid I’ll jinx it or something and I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to be a relationship guru. Or it must be the fact that I like keeping at least some things private. Especially the most important, but there is something I want to mention when it comes to spending time with your significant other while you both have a lot on your plate. Sometimes it becomes SO difficult to spend time with one another, so I love when when we always find ways to make it work out.

In between all of the things I have going on which are traveling, homework, work, studying, social events, and just basic “me time”, one of the most important people I worry about is my boyfriend, My Robert. Spending time with each other is not always an easy task, because we both do so much of our own stuff, so most of our time is spent finding ways we can communicate during the day. I can tell you that small things like a text to say good morning and a phone call during the day are always much appreciated. Going over how each other’s day went and talking about what we did that day keep the sparks for me. So when people ask me how my boyfriend and I make it work, I tell them. It’s those little things and just enjoying each other’s company when you have time to do things together that make it work. I’m seriously not even big with spending that much money. An evening at home or going out to watch a movie is probably one of my favorite things to do with my boyfriend. Also, the calls of support for each other on a bad day and having someone to discuss it with is always a plus. With that said, if the Boyfriend reads this, he’ll know much extra he is appreciated if he didn’t know already.

My life has been going through spirals lately, because of all of the stress I’ve had to deal with in my career, school, and personal life. After so much time has been spent feeling like a weight is on my shoulders and just taking too much out of me, I basically feel like it is time to sit back and evaluate what is going on.

This time I turned to my friend L, because it never seems to stick on me when I do it myself. It is also always good to have another person looking from the outside, because they aren’t clouded in the situation and it isn’t you judging yourself. L began to tell me how I needed to get rid of all the negativity in my life. To sit down and look at the good and bad of all things going on around me. Was it really necessary to keep doing what had been bothering me for so long? To let go of all the negativity would make my life turn into more positive being generated. I was able to start a new life in a new city, new school, and a new job. This was an opportunity that most people aren’t given and I should take advantage of it. Everything L said made complete sense, so I decided to take on the challenge.

I began to look at this like throwing out the clutter that was overwhelming my life. So I began to write down what needed to change. Starting with work, school, and finally things in my personal life. Things I needed to learn how to say “no” to and things I needed to actually start saying “yes” to so that I can make my life easier. Trust me, evaluating your life is never an easy task. Especially when you’re not accepting of sudden changes. Luckily for me, I love change, so starting fresh is always something I look forward to. It is mainly why I love the start of a new quarter or project. I’m hoping the start of this new project will help me accomplish turning everything negative into a positive by going with this theory of getting rid of the things that are actually negative in my life or figuring out a way to fix them upon impact. Wish me luck!

February is on its final day and I am already overwhelmed with March. Besides rain and very little sun, this month was filled with Valentine’s Day fun, interview prep, meeting up with old friends, checking an item off my 2010 list, and much more. Today I spent the day all to myself taking a trip to Starbucks, getting a much needed haircut (only cut off an inch, growing it out ), trip to the Apple Store, walked around downtown, treated myself to a great burger, and came home to do things around the house. I had dubbed Sunday as my “to-do” day and thought it was about time I got much needed things out of the way before a fresh start and a new month.

This past month I have done a lot of resume building, cover letter editing, and talking to people who are familiar with the industry I work in. I found all of the peer help to be pretty interesting and very much needed in my quest for another job. I know myself that I needed to build a few things before I started interviewing so that I would be prepared when questions were asked. Quick and knowledgeable answers are always a plus in the interview process and being prepared is something I have never done before. I felt it completely necessary this time around, because there are plenty of people out there who are unemployed that are looking for a job like me. The competition has been raised a bar and as you find yourself moving further up the ladder, you find the job market a little more cut throat (factoring in the crappy economy also). With me, it is a little more complicated than also just interviewing, because I also have to include what benefits are out there (dental, vision, and medical). After a few interviews this past week, I wait to hear back and see how I have done and whether or not I am moving on to the next round of the process.

School preparation for the start of a new quarter at Stanford is also under way and I’m not so stressed about that, so that is a great thing for me. Being able to focus on other things before school starts is beyond needed for adequate stress relief, because I know when that hits I’ll be drowning in papers. Already looking forward to spring break!

I’m so pleased that even though I came home a few days with migraines this month and things seemed to be moving too quickly for me at times, I was able to catch my breath and relax a few days. Hopefully March is as nice to me.

I don’t consider myself an idiot when it comes to technology, but there is still one thing that I haven’t quite figured out and that is mastering my email inbox. No matter how hard I try to filter my inbox with dozens of labels and specific places it for it to go, I still can never get it to zero. Knowing that I probably have an OCD, because I can’t stand the number that is still climbing, staring back at my face. Red numbers that are visible as missed calls on my iPhone or sitting in my voicemail always need to be cleared out too, so I get to those also. So you can obviously see my ongoing need to keep things clear and done. On a daily basis I have usually more than a hundred emails coming in and about as much time to get maybe half completed if I am lucky. I started having to “star” things in Gmail to save the important things for later if necessary. One thing that has helped relieve some of the inbox is the recently found Dropbox, where I can receive documents in shared folders instead of through email. I find it very fast and reliable, so that is a big plus!

If you have any suggestions on how you get through your email without finding yourself sinking in it let me know. Hopefully after mastering it I can then buy myself the Nerd Merit Badge that means “Inbox Zero“!

I keep coming back to this:

I always notice after a conversation on the phone with an old high school friend who I haven’t talked to in years, things always come up that I never realized about all the changes that have been going on in my life. Mainly with the different person that I have become. It is always a little surprising to hear about how things were in the past and what people are going through in their current life to make you stop and evaluate yours. I have been out of high school going on a couple years now, which may not be long to some, but very long to me. People are getting married, talking about starting families, and finishing up grad school or getting started on it. It always makes me wonder if this was the right path and if I should be choosing a different career. My move to the Bay Area has not been as easy as I thought it would be and I seem to be trying to piece back my life together after hitting a little bump in the road along the way. With girls I think it is a little different when you’re thinking about how much older you’re getting and how you still would like to eventually plan out the rest of your future career and including a personal life. Frustration seems to get the best of me these days with all of the constant falling behind when you’re trying to stay on top of things. I suppose this is where the “life is never easy and will always throw you curve balls”, comes into play. Continuing to work full time is something I never really planned on doing when I was setting out to medical school. I also had planned to go to medical school since I was fourteen. With all the technology around me and related work I can’t help but still wonder if the tech industry which I feel so comfortable in, is the route for me. I know I’m still young and I have a lot of my life ahead of me, but to me I don’t have all the time in the world. I’m hoping a little break to sit down and figure things out will help me think about what it is that I really want my outcome to be. So I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that whatever I choose it is the right one for me.

One of my favorite places in San Francisco is Q Restaurant for a number of reasons, but the main reason is because the food is awesome.

My friend E (from Sacramento), decided it would be a great place to try, because she had seen it on the Food Network of all places and it had been given rave reviews. It was my first time being in San Francisco in this area actually, so it was a completely new experience for me. My friend L and I drove to meet her, P, and B around 12:30 for lunch. L and I took in some of the scenery prior to her arrival and thought it was an interesting area with all the shops, food places, and people walking around with their dogs. We had no clue how packed Q would be, but I guess we should have thought of that when it had obviously been mentioned on the Food Network. Luckily after putting our name down we only had to wait about 20 mins while catching up (E, P, and I had not seen each other in about 3 years).

Inside, Q had a bar area with different drink ingredients adorning its walls which was along the center of the wall, so your eyes immediately were focused there. We were seated at a window seat where some of our backs actually had the window as a chair rest which made it feel even more open. I glanced around the restaurant and noticed the amazing paintings on the brightly colored yellow wall and a huge mirror that made the restaurant look like it went even further back. The menu was very simple and not at all highly priced. I chose of all tasty looking things on the menu, a cheeseburger. Which when it arrived, was completely amazing tasting. Made with fresh bread, stacked with cheddar cheese, veggies on the side, where I chose a side salad instead of their awesome fries, and of course don’t forget the bacon I added onto my burger. I looked at everyone’s meals which also included various burgers topped with blue cheese or swiss, a salmon burger, and a great looking sandwich. Our table was completely satisfied with service, the amazing food, and great conversation among us friends.

I definitely recommend checking out Q if you’re in the area and I am positive I am going back to sample from more of their awesome food.

I used to feel like blogging about a product was sometimes a piece of fluff in a blogger’s posts.Then I realized that when you really like something and you want other people to know how much they would also like it, you have to share. This is where my post comes into play:

After a long day at work, one of my co-workers pointed out to me that my trusty laptop bag of the past 5 years (which is the amount of time I’ve ever owned a laptop) was officially dying on me. The strap on the bag was ripping at the seams and it was only time until my bag decided it would drop my lovely MacbookPro. Obviously it was time to replace my bag, but after weeks of searching I had no luck, because there was nothing I wanted. Then a friend reminded me of the Timbuk2 gift certificate I had, so I decided to check out the store and see what the bags were all about online. To my amazement I was completely excited about how stylish the bags were, as well as provided enough protection for a laptop, had a lot of pockets, and claimed to be very sturdy. I asked a few of my friends what they thought of their bags and all were very pleased, so I talked to an employee at the Timbuk2 store on Hayes in San Francisco where he gave me a walk through of all the bags that were available and we even talked about how easy it was to customize one. I ended up settling on a Commute 2.0 which has a pocket where the laptop goes that is TSA friendly. This is crucial, because it is really annoying having to take out your laptop in the middle of the airport along with your sweater and shoes, only to find out how hard it is going to be to put it all back in and on. There is also plenty of pockets which allow me to put my Air Card, earbuds, paperwork, external hard drive, etc. neatly in my bag. I am also impressed with the comfort of the shoulder strap which I have going across my chest that makes me feel like I am barely carrying anything. (My previous bag only allowed putting it on your shoulder which added weight on whichever side I wore it which made me hate taking my laptop anywhere.) The price was totally worth it for a bag with great quality that was going to provide everything I needed. I am pretty positive my next laptop bag purchase if I ever need one will be a Timbuk2 and I recommend checking one out if you are ever in need.

I’ve been finding myself working late at night with absolutely nothing to do, but heads down typing away and finishing a load of projects. To keep myself semi-entertained while my shows are still recording on the DVR (I hate watching shows live and not being able to fast forward commercials) and making sure I’m still in the mood to work, I’ve been using my Xbox like crazy. So I thought I might actually inform you of my two favorite things to do on my Xbox that have been keeping me completely happy lately.

If you already have an Xbox you would know that Netflix is now available to be streamed through your console and onto your TV. Recently, I just discovered Heroes for the first time, so I’ve been catching up on the all of the old episodes until the current season. It doesn’t have much to pick from as far as new movies go, but it does great with favorites or television shows, including the fact that anything playing on Starz will now be available, so that’s always a plus. It is also fun to start up a movie with any friend who has Xbox Live and also has Netflix. You can suggest a number of movies and then agree on one to watch together. My second favorite thing is Connect360 which is basically a program I have installed on my Mac after paying 20 bucks for an activation code. Basically it installs onto your Mac and allows you to play movies, music in iTunes, or pictures you have on your computer, right onto your TV through the Xbox. Which is pretty amazing, because it makes you feel like there is really no need to have cable. Especially if you download.

Anyway, this is basically what has been keeping me busy and happy lately in the at home entertainment department. I hope you find this of use to you if you want something else to do on your Xbox. Getting the most out of your console is always awesome and I just had to share.

I have actually checked off one item in my list of 23 things to do in 2010!

I’ve debated getting a camera for the longest time and basically got through about three months without one, but it was so depressing. I seriously felt like part of me was missing. Before you think I am completely crazy, I’ll explain. I like to spend my weekends going to new places to take pictures of the new places I visit. It’s very relaxing for me and I believe sometimes a picture is way better than explaining it in words. After plenty of research and asking a few people (specifically Helena, blog writer of Queen of the Pavement who takes amazing photos) which camera they thought was best. I settled on the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS. (Excuse the photo quality of it, I had to take it with an iPhone.) After going back and forth about purchasing a DSLR, I decided that since it wasn’t a very serious job and just a hobby, this camera would do just fine, but in pretty awesome quality. I really can’t wait to enjoy this camera on my next outing which will probably be this weekend, so I’ll keep you posted!

It is amazing to me how stressful and what a bummer this week started out with and seemed to have pretty much failed me, but I have decided that I can’t let this get me down. Even if things don’t seem to be going my way or looking up for me right now, I have a lot of other things to keep in mind.

I have interviews scheduled in February for jobs that I have applied to in the Bay Area. Preparing for those and hopefully gaining some that will temporarily make me an actual full-time college student. Not that I haven’t already been, but working full-time as well does not let you put everything you can into your school work. I have managed to keep up the good grades (A student!), but as classes are getting harder and I’m reaching the next pivotal point in my education I need to focus more. I know I can’t always be the girl who has never studied. (Photographic memory.) So I plan for my next quarter to be a full out process by keeping up with the reading, work, and important school events. I feel like I am beginning to sound redundant, but you can never remind yourself enough to stay focused on what you set out to do. I know that in the end this will all be worth it.

Having to keep my mind on school and partially on the future can sometimes make my twenties feel like I am planning for when I have the out of school life. Where I focus on my career and plan for the rest of my future. Yes, of course most of it is about that, but the only other thing that I should remind myself is to remember to have fun while I’m doing it. There is no way my twenties has to be all work and no play!