still in search of that path to sound utopia, got an xmod to crystallize my music collection. jake was kind enough to bring it back from new york where he spent the easter long weekend. i remember being excited when i ordered this online some weeks back, but it doesnt really matter anymore, especially when i rarely even spend time in my room listening to songs these days.

is it just me or does my ipod really sound better connected to the xmod and out the x530? i should try watching movies to compare.. guess now i can say my setup is complete. all i need is time to actually use it.

maundy thursday found me at yvr waiting for my flight to sacramento. couldn't wait to see the sun again after a month of clouds and rain. when i arrived at smf, gerry was there waiting to tell me about his novel which will be published this year. shing flew in from chicago, bringing with her the stuff that i bought., and that's how our adventure began =)

g's place is an ultimate bachelor's pad, with a pool table, mini bar, wii, ps3, xbox, and home theater to boot. i wouldn't mind staying here for a year ^_^ friday was spent touring the airbase and shopping at downtown sacramento. we tried the burgers at in and out and enjoyed the warm sunshine while driving top down on g's solara, a convertible is a necessity in california, so he says. to cap the day, we had dinner at this sushi place with the revolving tray.

woke up early on saturday to pick up jake and reenact sideways at napa and sonoma ^_^. had lunch at the wine train and went on the cable car to the top of sterling which has a nice view of the whole valley. got lost along the way and blamed it on the the bottle of pinot noir, haha. to cheer up gerry who wanted to get drunk but couldnt. we went to jollibee and red ribbon for peach mango pie and empanada =)

on sunday we drove to muir woods to hug the giant sequioa trees for my mom, apparently this has been one of her childhood dreams. we followed the hillside trail to burn off all the calories we had for the past two days and then proceeded to the golden gate bridge. the scenic view is picture perfect. lunch was at the fisherman's wharf and a boat tour followed afterwards. g bought popcorn and chips to feed the seagulls while s was busy taking snapshots. i was at the other side of the boat looking out to the city skyline and wishing my mom was there to enjoy it with me. we wandered on the streets of san francisco, looking for the magic that people saw in this place, we never really found it.. at dusk, we went back to being children and played our hearts out at dave and buster's.

fenton's ice cream was the last treat we had before real planes came to take us back to the life we left. and that's how i spent my long weekend.

after mike's birthday dinner at red robin last friday, jake, krissy, alvin, jason and i walked to hilton to pick up our rental, the roadtrip to portland has begun. armed only with a gps and a bag of cheetos, we bravely went where no frugal man has ever gone to - oregon - for nature trips, and what else - shopping, (again!?).

ok i didn't really buy much in this trip, i was just in for the company and the travel, to get away from what's familiar and see something new. i get bored when i'm in one place all the time, i always have this need to explore and discover the unknown, even if it will end up to be the same terrain as the one i left; so that was my excuse.

we spent the night in seattle tacoma and woke up bright and early to follow the columbia river gorge. multnomah falls was a sight to behold, it's definitely not niagara but not kawasan either, pagsanjan is definitely much better, but hey, who's comparing right? the trail up to the bridge was good exercise for our cramped feet. after the short homage, we went straight to business - filling the trunk till it can't be closed unless you jump on it. broke and utterly content, we drove back to vancouver to reflect on our splurge ^_^

to say that a lot of things have changed in the last 29 days would be an understatement. i have been sleep deprived and in transit and pulled in many directions for the past week or two. met a bunch of new friends, got loaded with tons of work and been busy with activities to keep my days, nights, weekdays, and weekends full.

i feel like a tightrope walker making my first step, don't really know how this works but heck, what's the harm in trying, right? there may be no safety net to catch my fall and i may find myself more broken than when i started, but i don't really care anymore. i want to stop thinking and just start feeling this time..

new soul
by yael naim

i'm a new soul
i came to this strange world
hoping i could learn a bit about
how to give and take.

but since i came here
felt the joy and the fear
finding myself making
every possible mistake

i'm a young soul
in this very strange world
hoping i could learn a bit about
what is true and fake.

but why all this hate?
try to communicate.
finding trust and love is not
always easy to make.

this is a happy end
cause' you don't understand
everything you have done
why's everything so wrong

this is a happy end
come and give me your hand
i'll take your far away.