Good riddance, Time Warner Cable!

I just switched over to AT&T’s U-VERSE service this week. Took two weeks for an installer to come out and another two hours for him to get everything setup, but now my home theater is complete (for now.) With over 30 HD channels streaming in, I can finally make use of my new fancy TV. I’ve enjoyed several on demand shows and lots of movies from the movie channels have kept me company. There’s the occasional digital glitch or two, but so far, excusable problems. This is a young service with promises of being better.

Just in time too, I just read this article - Time Warner: Download Too Much and You Might Pay $30 a Movie - which basically says TWC is trying out extra charges to those who use extra bandwidth. With HD content and more music and movie streaming, they are onto something. Milking the cash cow, that’s what. I think it may be too early to try this tactic, but whatever! Tomorrow I return my hardware to TWC and finally bid adieu.

In other TV news:

I’ve been keeping up with The Biggest Loser for the first time. It’s actually pretty inspiring. Instead of taking a nap, I went and worked out after watching this the other day! I am incredibly intimidated by trainer Jillian Michaels and think I would hide if I saw her in real life.

I didn’t understand Gene Simmons’ move on The Celebrity Apprentice. I’ve never seen Donald try and help someone so much. I think Simmons may be “too smart for his britches.” Hard to believe he rocked it with KISS, he’s so serious.

I am very glad Friday Night Lights still has new episodes and has not been canned.

Finally, my mom called me right after American Idol Wednesday night. I was behind fifteen minutes because I was watching it on my DVR (to avoid commercials!) so I didn’t know what she was laughing about. And then I saw. The “Asian man dressed like Elvis” my mom described was actually a “Filipino man dressed like a Simon worshiping angel.” It was very strange. (And admittedly, catchy!) But I did chuckle when Paula Abdul started breaking out the dance moves. Oh Dallas, you disappoint me sometimes.

I am your brother
Your best friend forever
Singing the songs, the music that you like.

We’re brothers ’till the end of time
Together or not, you’re always in my heart
Your hurt, your feelings in you will worry no more.

2007 moments.

I’ve been at my parents’ home (the land of dial-up) so I haven’t had a chance to update. For now, here’s my favorite memories of 2007 in chronological order.

Baptism - My mom had me baptized before I knew what that meant as part of the Catholic tradition. I became a believer in 2001 and thought, “once baptized, always baptized.” Something always nagged at me that maybe I should look into getting baptized again, so I did. Actually, I wanted to become a member of The Village and had to complete that as a requirement. I took the mandatory baptism class which made the experience richer. I had my good friend Courtney baptize me as I stood in front of the congregation and my friends and declared my faith. We also had Palio’s pizza beforehand so it was a pretty good day.

The Band - My friend Megan and I always talk about music and our rockstar dreams. She found two other girls with similar passions and we rocked out for a month or so. At first, I thought it was a joke, but then I realized the drummer, Z, was amazing and Megan and the singer, Steph, were passionate about getting this thing going. We had a date set for Memorial Day to play a gig and practiced a lot, getting a few cover songs down. We goofed off a lot, but we also had fun piddling around and even hitting up church together. It was an unlikely combination, but it worked. Sadly, the party did not happen so we did not play, and when I came back from Asia, half the band started their real world jobs. We haven’t played since, but I’d be up for it again anytime.

Week before Asia - The week before my Asia trip was a hectic one. All the packing, planning, working, and my birthday was squeezed in there. All the encouragement I received from friends, family, and strangers was God sent and totally helped me get through the preparations and last minute hesitations. As a birthday gift, my friends helped me out big $$$ time and my bandmates put together a care package, complete with compact toilet paper and hand sanitizers. These gifts and the time spent made my heart happy.

Last night in Asia - I spent almost two weeks in east Asia and met some amazing people. During our last week, we dedicated our time to two of our new friends - seeing the sights, eating new food, and just getting to know one another. For our last full day together, we went to see the incredible fountain night show (while eating KFC!) then just sat outside and talked. I had a crazy moment of peace sitting out there, staring at the neon lights of the city and smiling at the entire experience. I want to go back.

Afternoon in Portland’s Living Room - After reading Don Miller’s books and falling in love with Oregon, I finally spent a week in Portland with my friend Megan. We hit up some hotspots like Powell’s Books and even went north to visit Mars Hill Church in Seattle. But hands down, my favorite moment was sitting in Pioneer Courthouse Square. We bought some lunch from some food carts (I think I ate a Philly Cheesesteak) and popped a squat on the steps. There were loads of people just sitting and chatting and the sense of community was welcomed. Megan and I engaged in some great conversation which topped off the moment. Dallas needs one of these.

Chantanapummas + Wii - I bought a used Wii for a fantastic price just in time for my holiday trip to Stephenville. My brother has been encouraging me to buy one, thinking the whole family would join in perfect harmony to play together. Well, he was right! After all those times my brother and I would play Guitar Hero on my PS2 while my mom danced, we finally had something all four of us could play. I have never seen my mom laugh so hard in my life. She ended up kicking our butts at bowling and laughed every single time she hit a strike (which was almost every time!) Even my dad ended up trying it out and determined to beat my mom at bowling (which he did at 3am once my mom was tired!) It’s my first game console since the PS2 I bought in 2001 and it has already earned its keep. I can’t wait ’til the next family get together and am contemplating buying one just for my parents!

Bring it on, 2008.

Thanksgiving weekend recap.

Wednesday: Work was just as long as I thought it would be, mostly due to drive time. My brother called me to let me know we were going to eat at Pizza Place which definitely made me drive a bit faster. By the time I got there and we headed to Pizza Place, the lady at the counter said they had no more pizzas. Couldn’t she have told my brother when he called beforehand that no, there will be no PIZZA at PIZZA Place tonight?

The night was redeemed as my brother played Guitar Hero III all throughout the night. We also squeezed in a game of Scrabble. Although my mom usually wins - which boggles my mind because ENGLISH IS HER SECOND LANGUAGE! - my brother managed to whoop us both.

Thursday: I almost slept ’til noon. My mom had put so many blankets and covers on my bed, I slept like a, um, bug in the rug, or say, a pig in a blanket. My parents had a Thai couple from Weatherford over for the day and we shared Thanksgiving together, awkward Chantanapumma style. For lunch, we had overly done steaks, papaya salad, and sticky rice. Lunch dessert consisted of fruit salad and your choice of pumpkin, pecan, or apple pie (store bought, mind you, my mom lacks the baker’s touch). I know, some of you are confused because the pilgrims probably did not eat this, but this is how we do. Lunch was capped off by my dad checking on the turkey to discover the foil pan had leaked and there was sizzling turkey water everywhere. My brother and I quickly skipped out of the drama to Wal-Mart to buy a new pan. Thanks for being open, Wal-Mart.

The afternoon was crammed full of Guitar Hero III again as Tony and I set out to beat co-op career mode together on Hard. Metallica’s “One” became the bane of my existence. My mom did enjoy dancing while we played though. I wish I had stopped to take video of her doing so, but again, we had to concentrate on beating that freakin’ song. We did sneak in another game of Scrabble in which my brother mysteriously won again.

Thanksgiving dinner was a bit more American. We had turkey and ham, dressing, cream of chicken for gravy (really, it’s an awesome substitute), sweet potatoes w/marshmallows, cranberry jelly (which I try out annually and gag annually), corn, and rolls. The turkey was fantastic. Dessert was just repeats from lunch, still good.

Tony and I finally beat GH3 and I finally conquered Tony in Scrabble with the biggest win margin in Chantanapumma history. He quit bragging quick, ha ha. We finished the night by watching the Ellen DeGeneres “Here and Now” DVD I brought home in which I heard my mom and brother laugh like there was no tomorrow. Good times.

Friday: My mom packed me up some leftovers and made me wake up my dad and brother for quick goodbyes. My mom waved as I pulled out of the driveway as I reluctantly drove back to Dallas for work. The thought of having to put up with the crazy shopper overload had me consider quitting, but on the bright side, I had an afternoon shift. I have had to be at the store at 3:30 AM, so I wasn’t going to complain about noon. As I prepared myself for eight hours of answering questions and putting on my best sale face, my supervisor called me to a huge job. It took three of us, six hours on my part, and $2500 worth of labor and hardware to finish up the job. You bet I was stoked that I spent my whole day at a client’s house instead of the crowded store! I finished my day around 10 PM, took home pizza from work and vegged out the rest of the night.

In conclusion: When people asked me how my Thanksgiving went, I reply, “Went by way too fast.” Going home for Thanksgiving is becoming less of a hassle and more of a joy. My family usually drives me nuts the first hour I’m there until I remind myself that they are my family and that’s how they are. It’s when that kicks in and they have settled down that I really enjoy my time with them. Besides, they are the best Scrabble competitors and Guitar Hero partners I know.

“Is that mold???”

My brother saved me last night from eating moldy bread. The timing of it was perfect - I hadn’t really eaten all day due to a cold that suppressed my appetite, but at the sight of bread, my body rejoiced so I took two slices and carried them with me. I was not quick to shovel it down and wanted to sit back, watch Arrested Development, and enjoy my pieces of white bread. Right before I sat down, my brother walked by, took a quick glance at my meal, pointed and said, “Is that mold?” Perfect.

Anyway, I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time with my family for the holidays. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would have been.

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1/365 My mom…

is secretly at the top of my hero list. Who else can move from some another continent with very little to start upon and be able to support a lazy guy and her two children with no complaints? She’s amazing.

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explanation: for more about 40×365, check out this blog. forty words, 365 days, 365 people.