9pm Bedtimes

Here's the top 5 for the moment:

5) Referring to the title of this blog entry, that is now my new bedtime. Sleeping at around 9pm/10pm and waking up a around 4am is an interesting experience. I have co-workers that do the exact same thing, so I don't feel like a total idiot waking up that early and commuting to SFO. However, I've been thinking about moving out of the nest and getting an apartment near work. It would be nice to have my own place and actually gain real independence (college was only a simulation of independence, but I was still financially connected to the bank of mom and dad). Also, I don't know how long can I last sleeping and waking up early. On the other hand, living at home gives me access to virtually free rent. It's definitely cheaper living at home (and yes, I have taken the commuting expenses in consideration). Also, you can't beat the access to home-cooked food. I'd probably be 30 lbs. bigger if I was living alone (which I will resist doing regardless).

The other difficult question to ask is what do I want to do with my life. For now, I found myself in a secure position. Working for the federal government is practically a guarantee for a job for life. However, do I want to go to med school still? If I stay under the federal government, do I see myself staying in my agency, or do I consider moving to other agencies? I also find myself asking if I am willing to move away from California to pursue certain positions in different agencies. For now, I am in a good place. However, I still have a lot of thinking to do before it becomes too late. I am perceived to be old, but I am young enough to still dream and grab what I want before my commitments lock me down.

4) Speaking of work, I am tad anxious but excited for training in Maryland. For those who don't know, I will be in the East Coast for two and a half months starting January 4. Yes, that will be in the middle of winter. Considering all of the recent news about the blizzards, I am not looking forward to the weather. To a born and bred Californian, snow is going to the mountains for a day or a weekend and then coming back home in sunny conditions (not even in rainy conditions, which is definitely a cause of concern). Despite the talks of snow storms, it will be an experience to actually live in an area that snows. I've even started buying clothes that adapt to the weather, but that is difficult to do considering the obvious point that the stores don't sell clothes that can withstand the snowy conditions, especially caps, jackets, and shoes. I will probably buy a few of those items in Maryland since they will definitely sell those things.

Training should be fun too. It is definitely something to take serious because if I fail training (and I heard it does happen), my job is in serious jeopardy. However, it should be like college again, but taking high school classes instead. There's definitely no need to do all-nighters! Also, I heard I will get my weekends off, which is a prime opportunity to do touristy things like visiting Washington D.C. or New York City. While I do have to pay for my weekend ventures, everything else like the flight, the hotel, and my food is paid for by my agency. For those readers who pay taxes, thank you.

3) I had a discussion about weddings. Yes, weddings. Apparently, there's perhaps a good number of women who already have an idea of how would they like their weddings to be. If that can be feasible, that's another question, but it was an interesting topic to talk about. You now may be wondering if I have plans for my own wedding. The answer is no I don't. It's whatever my fiancee wants. The only thing I know is who do I want to be my photographer and I prefer a church that actually has a aisle rather than an auditorium feel, but otherwise nothing else. No color scheme, how the invitations should be like, what kind of flowers, etc. As long as the fiancee doesn't pick some absurd shit like a pink and brown color scheme, I will go along with it. However, this talk about weddings is thinking WAY ahead. I need to work on step 1, actually finding that potential Mrs. Hopefully her favorite colors will not be pink and brown.

2) Imeem has been shut down! Apparently MySpace has bought Imeem and it is now converted to MySpace Music. I am blogging this as a point because...it really blows! Imeem has been a major part of this blog in terms of my playlists. Now, this blog has lost a bit of its character. I never liked MySpace to begin with, now I wish it would just shut down. Facebook and Twitter better ramp up the competition! That or MySpace Music better improve their website to mimic Imeem.

1) Christmas Day is coming in less than a week! I'm excited because I'm going to take advantage of the holidays before I may be called to do overtime in the future Christmases. I've also been in the Christmas Spirit since after Thanksgiving. Part of it is because I love utilizing my Christmas Songs Playlist on my computer (still very bitter about Imeem though). Also, this particular Christmas has been somewhat humble. I guess it's because of the overall sentiment that we were not as wealthy as we were a couple of years back. However, I like the feeling. The mass consumerism is simply overwhelming. How I tend to shop for gifts is to simply think about what I would like to give, and if it is something that can't be made, I just go to the specific store and buy it. Simple. No need to window shop, no need to stay in the malls and shopping centers surrounded by all these people who are probably so exhausted and pissed off about the holidays to begin with. It's just nice to unwind for the day, eat some awesome food, and enjoy Christmas as a holiday.

Hope you will enjoy the Holidays as well.

That is all.