February 27

Farewell, my youth and innocence. Farewell, Hannah Montana.

Basketball, Forgiveness, In N Out

Yesterday, I had a lot more fun than I've had in a while. I met up with Ashish and we played basketball at Central Park. Ashish is pretty skinny still but apparently has been going to gym to prep for track. Even though I reminded him that he is genetically inferior, he kept trying to do the Dwight Howard superman dunk. We played 21 with this middle-aged Korean man and he kept making 3-pointers from the very deep corner (almost behind the backboard). My stroke was horrible but I still won somehow. Then we played 4 on 4 with what looked like guys in college. They were pretty chill. There was one big guy on my team that they kept calling DJ Mbenga. They also called Ashish "Jubran" every time he got the ball. We played two games up to 15 and split.

After basketball, I went over to Ashish's house and watched the second half of the All Star Game. I was getting pissed because I wanted Kobe to take over the fourth quarter and skeet all over Ray Allen and LeBron. Oh well, next time.

I've been thinking about it for a while and I've decided I'm glad that humans can forgive other people. If we stayed mad at each other for too long, the world would be a lot messier. Hurt feelings go a long way, but I don't think hatred or anger lasts as long. I occasionally get very angry at people and I will take some sort of hostile action then and there, but the anger tends to fade. Then I get a chance to reevaluate the situation when I'm clearheaded.

Oh, and this made my day on Friday. Strange things happen when I go to In N Out. First, I lose my interest in Latinas. And now this. I was standing in line to get a double-double when I overheard a group of girls sitting at a table behind me. Amazingly, they all seemed to be of different nationalities like it was a Toyota commercial. So as I am standing there, I suddenly hear them whispering about something. Then I hear this: "His calves are big." I was wearing cargo shorts but I didn't pretend to hear. I wasn't sure it was me anyway. Then this: "His butt is pretty cute."

Now wait a minute (good ole Mr. Cullinane) you gotta understand something. I've been getting lots of crap about my gluteus maximus lately. In fact on Friday, Kathleen told me in APUSH to "move my booty" because it was preventing her from reading something. In other words, my buns are quite toasty and they won't lie about it. But the girl's choice of diction "cute" was what really struck me. I've heard girls describe some of the damnest things as cute, and this was another instance. Blessed with a visual learning style, I then tried to picture my butt for a millisecond and wondered whether it was indeed cute. As I became conscious of all this chaos swirling in my head, I began cracking up. Then the girls started cracking up behind me. At that moment, I couldn't decide whether or not to turn around but I was saved by the counter lady who took my order. Then as I walked out with my order, I grinned at them and they cracked up again. I have to say that was once in a lifetime experience.

Woohoo three day weekend! February is an awesome month because we have two straight Mondays off. Plus my birthday is coming up, which I share with Kat and Sean Kim.

Recently I've been getting constantly reminded of flaws in my character. I guess I am pretty hypocritical sometimes. I demand a lot from others though I may not set the same standards for myself. I also look at situations from my point of view with my set of beliefs. When things don't go the way I expect, I get disappointed and the feeling can be crushing. I don't always show tons of emotion, but my first response to anything is usually an emotional one. As I've matured, I've been able to reevaluate that initial response against my cold logic before it triggers a behavior, but emotions always linger...

I don't know why but I become very attached to people I come in contact with. They may not be my friends or even people who know me very well but I always feel the need to check up on them if I don't know how they are doing. Many people I meet make very deep impressions on me, and I will never forget them regardless of how long I have known them. Then there are times when I feel a desperate need to make sure they are ok. I want them to be happy and successful. And I hope to meet them again. It's a hard feeling to describe.

Lakers managed to beat the Magics today even after giving up 44 points in the first quarter. Pau Gasol scored 30 points and he showed lots of fire throughout the game. I love Gasol's game: jump hooks with either hand, post-up footwork, face-up game, soft touch, free throw proficiency, and 17-foot jumpers. He's also rejuvenated Odom's playmaking skills by drawing double teams and luring his defender out to the perimeter.

Speaking of Gasol, I pulled a Kwame Brown-Pau Gasol trade of my own today. Stephen offered his delicious chicken bake in exchange for my chicken patty cafeteria lunch. I had always thought chicken bake was a misnomer for baked chicken but apparently it comes with a burrito countenance. Clearly I got Gasol in that tradeoff.

Vista or XP? I got a laptop with Vista but I think I'll trade it in for a XP.

Today in APUSH, Kat said that I am going to be a millionaire in the future but then changed her mind and said I would be a Chippendale dancer. I didn't even know what that was at first. Then this suddenly happened during lunch: I was leaning against the basketball pole and then I stretched my arms behind my head to grab the pole. Feeling the surprisingly soft texture of the pole, I said out loud something like, "This pole feels so good." Apparently I haven't been getting enough sleep.

Check out this addictive game and have a wonderful three-day weekend. http://gprime.net/game.php/athleteballsnwalls