Haven't blogged in a while, but nothing too exciting going on lately. I guess I'll just give a recap of my stay in Scottsdale over the holidays and other things that are going on in life for me. Just a warning though, this blog will be all text since I didn't take any pictures!
Before I left for Scottsdale, I purchased a 27" monitor for my computer; w00t w00t! Why? Well my parents were talking to me and wanted to get themselves a new monitor since they have a small 19" square screen. They were hoping for something 22" or greater for less than $70 but I told them they couldn't find one unless it was used. So I looked online and saw a good deal for a 27" ViewSonic and jumped on it. I'm like that sometimes, I just buy things when I see them and I don't wait very long just for a slightly better deal. So yeah, I brought home my old 22" monitor and gave it to my parents as a Christmas gift. On a similar note, my dad also wants a 70" LED big screen for $1000. LOL! Not sure I can help him there though... :P
Speaking of Christmas, I went back to Scottsdale for the holidays. My sister isn't around on Christmas day since she spends it with her in-laws, so in Scottsdale it's just me and my parents. We went out to Great Wall over by Camelback and 35th for dinner; going out to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas day is pretty much the usual for us. I really enjoyed the Beef Chow Fun; it's one of my favorite Chinese dishes and I would recommend it at this restaurant!
This trip around in Scottsdale was very productive for me. Not in the working for IBM sense (I worked remotely, but very light hours). Actually in the sense of just doing what I do: Making It Happen! I saw almost all of my friends this break: shoutouts to Band, Keri, Peyman, Priya, Nate, Elizabeth, Kyle E, Kyle K, Kevin, Jeff, Ashley, Matt, Pamela, Jonny, Sam, Wes, Ann, Lucky, Dori, EC, Platner, Lester. Band and I got a lot of time in at the gym for both lifting and basketball, got ourselves a Winter Bowl victory with Peyman and Nate, leveled up about 11 times on Borderlands 2, and got in some Blackjack time in at the casino taking home respectively $175 and $100 in winnings over the span of I'd say about 30 minutes, lol. Oh and we shortened our Contra 3 speed run time down to 14 minutes and 1 second. :D
That's what the holidays are for me, just being home with friends and family! I don't receive Christmas gifts anymore. I may give a gift to my parents when there's something cool to give, and I get gifts for my neices and nephew who I saw the Saturday after Christmas, but that's about it. The highlight of the winter break was definitely New Years Eve. I had almost all of my really close friends all in the same house at the same time and I can't ask for anything more (well maybe if the Tucson folks had been able to make it too, heh). A house party was pretty much what everyone was looking for this year and I think it was quite a success!
As for now, it's back to reality. And fortunately I look forward to my reality, which involves me just partaking in all the things I love doing. Pool league has started back up again and I'm playing on two separate nights now (yeah, I got invited to a 9-ball league on Mondays now too). Our Tuesday 8-ball team is named "The Dollar Menu" this session and we all have nicknames from items off McDonald's Dollar Menu. They'll be referring to me as Andy "Sausage McMuffin" Lin!
The second half of IBM Bowling League is back on this Thursday. We currently have a 5-3 record and have to build on that so that we can make the championship game. I've contemplated buying a second bowling ball that is non-reactive to help me pick up those 10-pins more consistently, but I might hold off until the off-season to work on that. Will this be my first season as a 200 bowler? My average sits at 199 at the moment!
After Hours Gaming League for StarCraft 2 also starts up on Sunday. As captain of team IBM, I have to bring my team back to the finals and actually bring home the trophy this season. Our team has improved slightly since last season but so has almost every other team, so it'll be a challenging season ahead!
I also look forward to IBM Basketball League and defending my title! They have been asking me to take over as the league commissioner, something I have accepted verbally but not officially. I guess it's just in my blood to take over as the lead on things. Good ol' reliable and responsible Andy I suppose.
TL;DR version - It's a new year and I certainly look forward to it. I continue to grow as a person and realize what makes me happy in life and I must say I'm really enjoying where I am right now. I hope everyone else is as happy as I am and wish you all a great 2013!
