Same Ol' G



I just realized that as of this month, I will have had my car for 5 full years. It seems like just yesterday that I was giving up my beloved Maxima for a new love, the G35 in its first year of manufacture. Now, my baby is all grown up and has over 80,000 miles of history with me.

Infiniti has since put out several newer models of the G with more horsepower, all-wheel drive, and sleeker design, but would I consider "trading up" given the chance? Nah.

Some people see their car as merely a way to get from point A to point B. To me, a man's (or woman's) relationship with his/her car is so much more.



First of all, the car you drive should be an extension of your personality. If you are a very outgoing person, it wouldn't make sense to drive a boring gray compact sedan. If you are more of an artistic type, you probably wouldn't roll out in a pimped out Escalade.

As for me, I do feel like my car just fits who I am and what I'm about. It's not the most attention getting car, but quietly performs just as well as (or better than) many other luxury brands that receive more hype. Personally, I really respect that quality and I think it applies to people just the same as it does for a car. It's better to keep your mouth shut and just let your actions do the talking, than to constantly brag about things you don't always back up. Not only do I look for it in the friends I keep, I also try live that way myself (though I know I fall short sometimes too).



Another thing about this car is that it's typically very low maintenance, but occasionally demands some attention and extra care than others. Throughout these 5 years, I have yet to have anything break down unexpectedly with the G. But it does cost a lot to change the performance brake pads when they wear down, and the tires are expensive too when I get flats. I'm kind of the same way - pretty independent and dependable most of the time, but once in a while I need a little more help and support from those who are closest to me.



The other fact about the G that I can relate to, is that it doesn't really fit into any category or stereotype. It's a 4 door sedan, but I wouldn't really consider it economy, sport, or luxury - more of a blend of all 3. And it's a Japanese car, but Nissan/Infiniti has always been a little different than the other Japanese makers. Admittedly not always in a good way, but when I had my Maxima, I liked the fact that it didn't quite fit in with the Camry or Accord. Of course, if you really wanted to be unique, you could drive a Jeep or a Mini-cooper or something, but that's not quite what I go for either. The way I see it, you can be different without going out of your way to be different.

Admittedly, this is a stretch to compare myself to my car, but if you look at my life, you can see in a lot of ways that I'm a product of my surroundings and what I was born into. I fit into a lot of typical "Asian" stereotypes. Being raised in a church has also made me somewhat of a "typical" Christian.

But I think people who get to know me better, probably see that I don't really fit in with any particular group. Especially in college, I didn't really click with the church crowd at CFC, but I wasn't a major partier either. I was an enginerding major, but I never hung out with the hardcore geeks who were into reading electronics journals and coding Java applets in their spare time. I hang out with a lot of Asian friends, but never got into the AzN PrYdE thing. Though I wouldn't consider myself a loner, I still feel like an oddball in almost every group I associate with.

As I said, it hasn't always been a good thing. At times in my life, I have wished that I had more of a sense of belonging in this world, that I could fit in with people who look like me and talk like me and act like me in every way. It seems like there are so few people in this world, if any, that fully relate to me and who I am.

Still, you are who you are. Like I was saying with my car - I think it's only fitting that I drive a car that doesn't really fit into any category. I can appreciate what it means to be different, without being completely out there, if that makes any sense.



Another reason why I say the relationship between owner and vehicle is so valuable is, simply because you spend so much time in it. Doing some quick math and making some estimates - 80,000 miles in 5 years translates to more than an hour per day spent driving on average. That's a lot of time, and for some people who have longer commutes, it's even more than that.

Put another way, many of us potentially spend more time with our cars than we do with any of our closest friends, or even a significant other. Maybe the relationship doesn't run as deep (actually I hope it doesn't), but I'd still argue that it is deeper than we think.



There's a Cadillac commercial running lately that asks the question: "When you turn on your car, does it return the favor?". It's corny, and borderline creepy, but kind of goes along with what I'm trying to say. The driver-car relationship isn't a one-way, dead interaction. Sure, you step on the gas and the car accelerates. You hit the brakes and the car stops. But is that really all there is to it?

I remember the first time I modded my Maxima with a performance intake. A very simple mod, but when I took her on the highway for the first time and jammed on the throttle, it was one of the most memorable thrills of my life. Something about the way the engine roared, and the sudden jump in acceleration - it felt like she was literally coming alive. With my G, every time I hit a sharp turn or an on-ramp, I get excited to test the limits of the handling. And I've grown to love all the little features about the car, that I don't think I could live without any more.

It's hard to explain, but other people who love their cars know what I'm talking about. You share not only the good times but the down times too. Whenever I get pulled over for a speeding ticket, hit a flat tire, or simply get stuck in traffic for a couple hours, it sucks. But at least I never feel alone in those ordeals. My car is always there to share my pain, accompany me to my court date, patiently wait for me to get things taken care of.



People say that it's not financially wise to spend a lot of money on a car (as compared to real estate, etc.), which I'm sure is true. But I'm not looking at getting a car to make money on investment returns. The bottom line is, I have never regretted spending more on a car than is "financially wise". I don't know anyone who has spent some extra money on a car they know they'd love, and regretted it. Of course, this is talking within reason, but if you have to stretch your budget a little bit, I always believe it's worth it.

Anyways, this entry spiraled out of control pretty quickly (big surprise), but mainly I just wanted to note the very important milestone that my baby has reached. Happy 5 Year!

SD Trip

Way back in February, me and the boys started planning for our 2nd annual Bears road trip (last year was to Minneapolis). Nearly 7 months and 200 planning emails later, our trip to San Diego finally materialized when we hopped on a plane and flew out west last Saturday. It was my first "real" vacation in a long time, and despite all the hype and buildup, the trip did not disappoint. Of course, a summary/recap of our vacation is mandatory:

*Manchester Grand Hyatt*



We stayed at a pretty nice hotel, located right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Rooms were good, not super luxurious, but the views and facilities were great. They had a beautiful pool deck, and one of the better workout rooms I've seen.

Probably the best thing about the hotel was the location. Besides being basically right by the ocean, it was also across the street from a trolley stop, and walking distance to downtown and the "Gaslamp Quarter".

*Gaslamp Quarter*



This was a really nice area full of restaurants, bars, shops, etc. Very pedestrian friendly and a unique atmosphere (someone in our group said it felt a lot like South Beach). Bottom line is, I don't know if there's any place in Chicago I could compare it to.

So we spent a few of our nights going out in the Gaslamp district, and definitely had a good time there. Most of the restaurants had outdoor seating, and we took good advantage of this for dinner at a Mexican place called La Fiesta. Not only was it one of the best meals I've had in a while, but it was fun to people-watch as we ate, just taking in the San Diego lifestyle.

As far as the bars and clubs go, they weren't bad, although I don't think it's what SD is really known for. It was nice that all of them were non-smoking, though.

*Bears vs. Chargers*



Of course, the main focus of the trip was the actual game between the Bears and Chargers. We spent the morning tailgating with some of Chras's local buddies, which was a phenomenal time. I was really surprised by how full the parking lot was of fans, starting early in the morning. Even more impressive is that maybe almost a quarter of the fans were in Bears jerseys. Maybe it was because of NFL opening week, but still.

The pre-game atmosphere was awesome, with a lot of friendly trash-talking between the locals and the invading Chicagoans. Even though we were loud, the Chargers fans were all pretty cool and everyone was having a good time about it - regardless of whether you were wearing a navy #54, or a powder blue #21 (they do have sweet looking jerseys, I'll give them that). But I mean after all, when you have beer, grilled food, perfect weather, and a football game between 2 top teams, how can you not have a good time?

Probably the only downside to the day was the game itself, which the Bears ended up losing in a familiar way. Pretty disturbing that the offense still looks crappy. For all the talk of his offseason improvement, I still can't put much trust in Grossman to lead this team. The defense was great, although losing Mike Brown for the season yet again, is absolutely terrible.

As far as the stadium goes, Qualcomm was pretty average. Nothing too spectacular about it, except maybe that it's kind of built in a little valley, so when you look outside the stadium, you see mountain peaks surrounding the upper deck. Kind of cool. But this was negated by the fact that the vendors were charging $8 per beer, which I found to be ridiculous.

*Beaches*



We went to 2 of the main beaches during the week, Pacific Beach (PB) and Mission Beach. I think I liked Mission Beach better, but both were amazing and obviously a huge step above anything in Chicago. Besides being absolutely gorgeous, they were easy to get to, easy to park, and not that crowded either, even on a Saturday.

In the week we were there, I managed to get sunburnt not once, but twice. The second time, I even caved and put on some sunblock (which is very unlike me). I also developed quite a dependency on this bottle of Aloe Vera gel that we bought.

Still, I think the beaches were my favorite part of San Diego. Something about the view of the ocean, the sound of the waves, the coldness of the water, walking on the sand, just gets to me. To borrow a quote from one of my least favorite books, Moby Dick, "there is magic in it". Or to borrow another quote from one of my least favorite friends, Anuj, "there's frickin sand everywhere".

*Zoo*



Apparently, the San Diego Zoo is one of, if not the best zoo in the world. So we had to hit that up for a day.

As it turns out, there definitely was a lot to see there, and the zoo did not disappoint. Most memorable for me were the Pandas, the tropical birds being released, and the arctic wolf being walked right in front of us. Also the zebras too (quote - "I was watching it the whole time!").

*La Jolla*



If there was an "upscale" district to San Diego that we saw, it would be the La Jolla area. Smaller beaches, fancy restaurants, and some of the most beautiful scenic views I've seen, even by SD standards (quote - "bluffs"). Besides the awesome scenery, the highlight for me was dinner at a nice sushi place. Very satisfying.

*Vegas*



A 5 hour drive from San Diego, the 5 of us boys met up 2 more buddies for a few days at Vegas. This leg of our vacation could probably be its own separate entry, but to sum it up in a few words, it was a solid Vegas trip. Stayed off-Strip at the Palms, which was a pretty nice hotel. I still think the Vegas experience is much better if you stay on the Strip, but we had a car, so it wasn't as bad.

Anyways, there was the usual Vegas stuff - blackjack at a number of places, walk around the Strip, hit up the LAX club at Luxor, checked out the hotel pool at Mandalay Bay and the Palms. In addition, lunch at Lotus of Siam was one of the best meals of Thai food I've ever had (thanks P). And the Shark Reef Aquarium is pretty cool place too, I recommend it for those who need a break from gambling and drinking.

We also saw a couple shows this time. One was Cirque du Soleil "O" at Bellagio, which was really good. Some impressive acrobatic stuff, but I liked it more for the overall production. Just felt really unique and classy to me. I thought it was especially cool that all of the music was being performed live - the instrumentals, vocals, everything.

The other show was the Smashing Pumpkins concert at the Palms. I hadn't seen the Pumpkins perform live, since their supposed "2nd to last concert" at the United Center a few years ago, so I was pretty excited about this. The crowd at this show ended up being pretty bad, but I still enjoyed the concert a lot. In my opinion, you haven't truly experienced "1979" or "Cherub Rock" until you see and hear it performed live. As I was there that night, the realization started to hit me that it could be the last time I'd get to experience those songs live, ever. I guess it made me cherish the moment that much more.

One other highlight to note was that a couple of the guys in our group shared an elevator with OJ Simpson (and some of his hoes), the night he supposedly committed this armed robbery thing. Apparently, Anuj and Piya got to see his nipple, and it was not appetizing. Of course, none of us knew at the time that he was staying in the same hotel as us, or that he was about to get arrested, until we saw it on the news the next couple days.

The rest of the stories from Vegas will have to stay within the group (quote - "MISTAKE!!"). Sorry folks.

*Padres Game*



Our last night in San Diego, we checked out a Padres game at the relatively new Petco Park. I really liked this stadium, especially in comparison to Comiskey - which isn't a bad place itself, with the improvements they've made in the past few years.

Anyways, I've never been in a baseball stadium that was so fan friendly - a mini little-league field behind left field, a sandlot where kids were playing in right field, and lots of sprawling open areas for people to just walk around and enjoy the weather - before, during, and after the game. The location of the ballpark was really great too, being walking distance to all the Gaslamp stuff I talked about before. But what topped it all off was the fish tacos they serve there - very tasty.

It was also cool that they were playing against the Giants, so we got to see Barry Bonds for an at-bat (before he hurt himself in the outfield and got pulled for the game). Personally, I'm not as much of a Barry hater as most people, so as a baseball lover, I thought it was very exciting to see him play in person for the first (and maybe only) time in my life.

*Final thoughts*



As far as San Diego goes, I fell in love with the city pretty fast. Besides all the stuff I just described (weather, beaches, etc), there's a certain overall feel to the SD culture that is so appealing. Although I hate talking about "diversity" because it's become such a cliche topic, I have to say that the diversity I saw in San Diego was definitely something that set it apart in my mind.

I think some places in this country are diverse in a bad way - you can see clear divisions between different groups of people, as well as some inevitable tension that hangs over how everyone interacts.

In San Diego, I felt like it was truly diverse in a good way. Being near the border, there's obviously a lot of Mexican influence. There were a decent amount of Asians, though not nearly as much as the rest of California. And of course, the white people and black people are present too. The thing is, I never got the sense that there were social boundaries between any race. It's not like Asians only hang out with other Asians and do "Asian" things, i.e. run dry cleaners, Chinese restaurants, and soup up Hondas. Nor were there black or Latino dominated areas of the city, as far as I could tell.

Maybe it's just the places that we happened to hang out in, which admittedly are more "touristy". But it seemed like everywhere we went, there were people of every social group mixed together - not just in terms of race, but gender, age, wealth, everything. To me, that is the kind of diversity that is actually a good thing.

Ironically, the other part of our trip probably highlighted the polar opposite of everything I described about San Diego. While SD really shines during the daytime hours, Vegas doesn't come out to play until the sun goes down. SD is surrounded by beautiful beaches and scenic bluffs, Vegas is in the middle of the desert, and all the attractions are completely man-made.

And while you see every kind of person in Vegas, it's far from a "melting pot". Everyone pretty much knows where they stand on the hierarchy, and it all pretty much comes down to how much money you have (or are willing to spend). The low man stays at the cheaper hotels, plays small limit games at the casino, and waits in line for hours to get into the clubs. They can only watch as the high rollers strut around with their comped meals, VIP access to every hot spot, and beautiful girls escorting them everywhere.

While I'm on the topic of hot chicks, I thought it was interesting how both San Diego and Vegas were packed with smoking hot girls. But in one place, they all still seem approachable, genuine, down to earth, non-materialistic. While in the other, you could never tell if the girl you were looking at was a stripper, an escort, a gold-digger, etc. No matter how attractive they were on the outside, I would never even bother trying to talk any girl in Vegas, period.

But with all things said, even though I just listed all these negatives about Vegas, it's still one of my favorite places to vacation. A few days there is just about right - any more, and you're pushing it. SD on the other hand, I could honestly see myself living there someday. Not that I have plans to move, so don't start worrying yet, but I'm just saying it's definitely my kind of place.

My thoughts on the trip overall - as I said in the beginning, it was a really memorable and awesome vacation all-around. I think all of the guys realize that as we get older, its gonna be harder and harder to plan these long excursions with "just the boys". Just looking at our current situation - one of us is getting married next year, another has already moved away from Chicago, and the rest of us are simply getting more and more involved with our careers and everything else. The sentimental side of me definitely treasured this opportunity a lot, and I'm hopeful for at least a few more of these annual Bears road trips with everyone involved.

Sappiness aside, though, it was simply a lot of fun. Even as long as this entry has gotten, I still didn't even cover a fraction of everything of the last week. The nice thing that stands out to me is that while the good times during the trip were obviously good, so were the not-so-good times, in their own way (quote - "that's Terrible's"). That's how you know it's a great trip.

Thankful

Just wanted to say a few words of thanks to anyone and everyone who came out to my baptism, and/or wished me well with words of encouragement. It was honestly an amazing day for me, and one that I will remember for the rest of my life. (Especially the part when I had to follow the girl who had the most dramatic and emotional testimony known to man.)

Anyways, I can't fully express how thankful I feel to know that I have the support of some really great people in my life. Thank you for all the love over the years, no matter if I was going through happy times, or if I was struggling to stay upbeat. Thank you for always trying to understand me, even when I don't understand myself sometimes. Thank you for not judging me or giving up on me when you see me fall short in my life, and thank you for keeping me in your thoughts, your prayers, and for every little thing you do for me.

In one way or another, you have all been a part of making me the person I am today. Though you may not even realize it, there have been so many times throughout my life that you have encouraged me, challenged me, and taught me things over the years. I want you to know that your actions have not been for nothing.

As I move forward with my life, my hope is that I can be not only a better friend, but to be a genuinely loving brother to every person in my life. I know that I will continue to fall short, make mistakes, and hit obstacles ahead. But regardless of what happens, I will try to always be learning what it means to "live by faith", and not be afraid of anything in my life.

More Thoughts

- HBO was showing Home Alone 2 in HD the other day, so of course I had to stop and watch it for a bit. Did you know that Donald Trump makes a cameo in that movie? Anyways, watching that movie got me in a Christmas-y mood. I know it's not even September yet, but I'm already itching to throw up that Christmas tree, put on some Mariah Carey, and go driving around the neighborhood admiring the lights.

- I can't believe R Kelly is still adding to his Trapped in the Closet song. I heard he's up to part 22 now. The last part I remember listening to was part 5, I think, and it was already getting pretty weird at that point. With midget strippers and stuff. I'm afraid to even wonder what he talks about in parts 6-22.

- Finally joined Facebook. I think it's pretty cool so far, but I can see how it could start eating up way too much time. Some names and faces I haven't seen in like 10 years, which is really weird. But as convenient as it is to connect with people online - through IM, email, Facebook/Myspace, etc. - it will never be a replacement for real life. I heard a quote the other day: "Friends are like balloons - once you let go of them, you can never get them back". It's sad, but true.

- My upcoming vacation to San Diego is still over a week away, but that doesn't mean I can't still look up the weather there and dream in advance. I've been checking the forecast for San Diego lately and it's pretty amazing - every single day is sunny, highs in the 80's and lows in the 60's. I think I've seen one day so far when it was listed as "partly cloudy".

I'm starting to wonder if once I get out there, I will fall in love with the place and never come back? Then you all will only be able to see me on Facebook. Suckas...

My Baptism

He's more than the laughter
or the stars in the heavens
As close a heartbeat
or a song on our lips

Someday we'll trust Him
and learn how to see Him
Someday He'll call us
and we will come running
and fall in His arms
the tears will fall down
and we'll pray,

"I want to fall in love with You,
I want to fall in love with You,
I want to fall in love with You,
I want to fall in love with You..."

- Jars of Clay

*****

I think I've already mentioned this to most friends that I regularly talk to, but thought I would post it here too, in case there's anyone I missed.

This coming Sunday (Sept. 2nd), I am getting baptized at my home church in Willowbrook. It is a day that means a lot to me, for a lot of reasons, and I really want to share it with everyone who can possibly make it there in person. It doesn't matter if you are not Christian, or if you don't fully understand why this baptism is so important to me.

Baptism is something that I have been thinking about for so many years - ever since I first became a "believer" in junior high - but I have held off from doing until now. Not because I didn't think it was important, but in fact the opposite - because it was such a big deal in my mind, I wanted to make sure I understood why I was doing it and not for the wrong reasons.

It has been a long road for me to get here, and as some of you know, I have gone through a lot of challenges and tough experiences during the past year or so especially. It hasn't been easy or fun, but I do feel like going through them, I've grown a lot as a person and finally reached a point where I really want and need to take this step, and have it be meaningful to me.

I will try to explain more about my feelings in my short testimony on Sunday, before getting myself soaked in the water. But one thing I will say here, is that I personally see this baptism as the most important moment of my life up to this point. It is one of those things that only takes place one time in your life, and I definitely care much more about having my friends and loved ones there for this, than I would for my graduation, any of my birthdays, etc., even for my wedding day. That is how much it means to me.

So, whether or not you fully understand why it's such a big deal in my mind, just please know and trust that it will honestly mean the world to me to have you there. I know I wouldn't be where I am, or be the person that I am today, without each and every one of the people who have touched my life in one way or another over the years - and it genuinely is my deepest wish to have you there to support me on that day, as well as to share in the precious moment.

If you can come, and haven't heard from me about this yet, please let me know (dudo509@yahoo.com) and I will forward you the details.