"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."

I noticed they've re-designed the site, but I've been trying for the last couple of days to post photos, and the ADD PHOTOS link/button just doesn't work! Is it just me or is anyone else experiencing the same thing? HELP!

Hi Folks,

Can't believe it's the last day of July tomorrow--- pretty crazy huh?

I can still recall that in the beginning of the year, one of the things I was looking forward to was the big trip to the Philippines I was going to take with my family in July... and now I'm back and it's almost August. Pretty soon it'll be Thanksgiving and and then Christmas.

Well, the major "time panic" I'm feeling is because I'm planning on applying to Pharm Schools to get my Pharm D this coming November, which is about 3 months away from now. I remember in the beginning of the year thinking "I'll feel like a stronger candidate come deadline", and yet from where I stand, I feel weaker by the minute. I think it also has a lot to do with the fact that I'll be entering as a non-traditional student, which is just a fancy expression for "I'm older than most aspiring students".

Anyway, I don't want to end this post sounding all depressed, so I'll wrap it up by saying "HEY! It's PAYDAY tomorrow"!!!

Hi BuzzBuddies,

Sorry for the major lag. It's been very hectic few months to say the least and basically it has mostly to do with work. Yes--- good ole work--- the one thing that keeps kicking my butt and basically not allowing me to have a life.

Well, I just returned from a 2+ week trip to the Philippines after 14 long years of not setting foot there, and let me tell you, I wish I had taken this trip sooner. It was really relaxing for one thing, despite the intolerable heat that I could not get used to, but it gave me more reason to spend more time in a water somewhere and just chill. I have so much to say about my visit but I think I'll do most of the sharing through photos and captions.

I missed Buzznet a whole lot and can't wait to crack into my buddies' pages. Bye for now!

 

Here's a pic of one of the most breathtaking churches I saw in the Philippines. I'm not a religious person, but sights like these make me wanna attend Sunday services more often.

I'm looking to buy a new car (Honda Civic EX with Navigation) for the first time by myself. I've had cars before but my parents always had a hand in the "wheeling and dealing" process. Anyway, I visited a car dealer today and it was so exhausting. I sat there for a little over an hour with my boyfriend getting quoted for an obscene amount of money... all the back and forth.... more back and forth... until finally they won't lower the price anymore. Unfortunately, I still think the minimum they'd go for is still a tad high so I grabbed a calling card and left with no new car. :-( *Sigh*

The search goes on... Now I just need to build more confidence as  I approach more dealers.

Meet the new addition to our family: Charlie Chaplin. Can you see the resemblance?

Well not really... I went for a llloooonnnggg jog today with my sister and almost had my butt kicked. I can seriously tell how out of shape I am, but my goal of getting toned and healthy starts now. Wish me luck!

Upon careful consideration, and many months of self-reflection, my boyfriend and I have both come to the conclusion that we are still too young to settle in to a suburban lifestyle. So... we decided to look for a new apartment in the city of San Francisco. I currently live in the Peninsula, approximately 10 miles south of my target city and I have to admit, as much as I love my 2-br apartment right now, I am ready to make a move to a funner and livelier part of the Bay Area.

My boyfriend and I have been looking for a new place for almost a month now, and I guess we never really thought it would be this hard. Here are some of the troubles we've come across:

• San Francisco apartments are much smaller, older, and much more expensive than the newer, bigger, and cheaper Peninsula apartments. We just need to accept these differences.
• Not all locations in San Francisco are safe. There are some really scary places where one can literally see people beat each other up while others just stand on the sidelines doing nothing. We need to identify the safe areas.
  
• We need to be more observant and more stringent when viewing apartments- make sure there are basic things like hot water and heat. :-/
  

Wish us luck on our quest!

I've been away for a month now officially. I think my mini-Buzznet vacation was mostly due to frustration with how slow the site has gotten, even just to post a comment on friends' pictures.  But I came to realize that  there are a lot of people I will surely miss if I just ditched the site. Plus, there are tons of people who take some awesome shots here! Hopefully, the speed will get better.

How's everyone been? I've been working alot lately..! and I can't believe it's already September. Gosh... time is just flying. I still remember when I was a kid- I couldn't wait to grow up. Now that I am, I am wishing I was a kid again. HAHAHA... There's just no satisfying us humans sometimes.

On another note... I ate my last McDonald's apple pie tonight, 'cause tomorrow, I'm going to start working out again. I weighed myself this morning and realized, I need to get healthier. :-/

'Til next time!!!

I found out recently that I can actually have a pet in our apartment complex, specifically a cat. Coincidentally, one of the scientists at my work place's cat just had kittens and she said that I get first pick once they're weaned!!! So here's a preview of my future kitten. :-D  

So I recently "rediscovered" Google Earth program on my computer last night... I reacquianted myself to its unique and cool features that I ended up staying up until 3AM... Big mistake. I have been cranky all day at work due to sleep deprivation. *Sigh*

I've been feeling some major pressure lately at work-- I've basically been functioning like I'm an advanced level researcher when I'm really just a newbie. On top of that, there's also the pain of being surrounded by office politics that can get rather annoying.

However, as I quietly typed away on my computer yesterday, the big boss called me into her office notifying me that she needed to talk to me about something. As she closed her office door, she then proceeded to tell me how much she appreciates and took note of the fact that I've been working like a dog for quite sometime {more or less in those words}... At this point, I was wondering if she was going to fire me or promote me, when suddenly, she pulled out a certificate and a bonus check!

Suddenly, all the bitterness I was feeling seemed so trivial....

Things that make us happy..... Sigh...

As most of you have noticed, it has been weeks, and I mean WEEKS since I've last posted any photos or any journals on my buzznet site... I have a really good explanation for it, well more like a LLOOOOONNNGGGGG story, but I will try to not bore you with the complete details. Instead, I'll simply give you some bulleted highlights and try to be as concise as possible. So here goes the list:

• I made the mistake of taking two classes for "fun", just so my mind doesn't morph into pudding since I am now officially out of school and starting my career. Big mistake! The classes were a bit overwhelming and took too much of my time outside of work--- so taking cool pictures became impossible by mid February.
• I decided sometime between working my first official job since finishing my grad degree and getting frustrated by the politics of research that I should study for the April MCAT and depending on how I score, perhaps apply for Med School.... Let's just say that April was a bit too ambitious and I am now pushing for the August exam.
• Work really sucks!!! I feel very fortunate working for one of the top biotech companies in the Bay Area (maybe even the world), but the politics really bite. Nowadays, it's really not enough to work hard, be intelligent, and hit the ground running when handed a project, but you really need to know whose ass you should kiss and play the political card. And sadly, I am not handling the whole politics all too well. It's really fairly irritating in my opinion. At the beginning of this month for instance, after all the long hours I have put in the lab, I found myself drained and wanting to kick people's butts--- literally! So basically, I spent a big chunk of the last several weeks in my stressful bubble of too many assignments and office politics.
• Since work was really agonizing, I gave myself a break and went to New York! I just returned yesterday and seriously felt like crying at the LaGuardia Airport when I realized that I had to come back to work. I loved it there! I just wish it wasn't so darn expensive. :-(

So that's my month or so in a nutshell... I'll be updating my photos soon!

Lizette

Sunday... Approximately 6:20 P.M. I decided to not spend the last few hours of my weekend watching more television but instead breathe some fresh air and maybe do a little window shopping. I've also been on the market for some turtleneck sweaters, so I though I'd hit the mall.

When I finally reached my destination, I felt completely okay/normal. In fact, I even took time to marvel at the crescent-shaped moon and Venus next to it (see photo below). After having a little picture-taking session, I headed inside the store and started browsing through piles and piles of clothing. It was rather crowded for a Sunday night, then again, it is the Holiday Season- the time to spend, spend, spend among many things.

After about an hour of running around like crazy, I suddenly felt a slight tinge of hunger. Since I was nearly done with my shopping, I thought I'd stick it out--- only it was probably the worst decision I made that day. As I got in line to pay for the items I wanted to purchase, I felt nothing but the rush of oxygen escaping from my brain. Perhaps it was the mixture of the thick crowd, hunger, and various funky smells circulating around the store, when I found myself falling and hitting the ground! I OFFICIALLY FAINTED!

No worries, I got some help (if I didn't, I wouldn't be writing this right now), but I definitely gave a new meaning to "shop 'til you drop!

I've been looking forward to the weekend since this week began- and thank god it's finally here!

Ever started a week grumpy and just knew that you'll have a hard time getting through the next five weekdays? I don't exactly know why I was so cranky all week, but I think it might have something to do with some negative vibes at work. People have been complaining to me left and right about how they can't get along with others and how their supervisors are just making them unhappy--- blah blah blah... I guess I generally try not to complain at the workplace, but since my relationship with most of my co-workers are more like friendships, I get the brunt of everyone's frustrations. The negative energy seriously brings my spirit down, leading me to the state I'm in now: drained. Oh well, it's finally Friday. I can sleep in tomorrow, go to the gym (maybe punch some bags), and maybe shop... Next week, I will start anew.

There's nothing better than spending a lazy Sunday at home in my pajamas all day ; except I seem to keep getting unwanted visitors. This morning, at an ungodly hour, someone buzzed my apartment. I was a bit hesitant at first to get up and answer but by the 2nd ring, I decided to do so. Huge mistake! It was simply some lady who wanted to know whether I spoke Spanish. She probably wanted to sell me something... Ugh! And not too long ago, I heard my intercom buzz again... Only this time, I simply pretended to not be home.

Do spammers come to your door nowadays too?