Monday, March 8, 2010

Never Ending Radical Dude

A couple of months ago, I realized that I need to get back into playing games. Why you ask? Because once I finish school, get married, have kids, etc. there will be no time to do so. Therefore, I have to get as much I can in now before it’s all over. (yes growing up = all over)

This past weekend, Xiao and Peter visited San Antonio and if you have never been around us, you may not grasp the dynamics of the majority of our conversations. It is centered on a) chicks and b) games. We started to reminisce about the games we grew up on and somehow we ended up talking about GOAT arcade games. Of course, we mentioned Ninja Turtles, Simpsons, and X-Men in addition to some others that I will not get into. Before we knew it, Xiao installed an emulator on his laptop and we were playing X-Men on Xiao's laptop and eventually beat the game. Unfortunately, the entire game lasted only about twenty minutes. Fail.

I told them that when I was growing up, I had most of the consoles, but I only played sports games. I was all about NBA Live, Madden, NFL Blitz, Fifa, NHL Hockey, etc. Then in High School, I convinced my dad to buy me a really nice computer for “school purposes” but it was really for games such as Red Alert Command and Conquer, Age of Empires, Civilization, Simcity, Starcraft, and Counterstrike. However, I never got into RPGs such as Final Fantasy (except for Shenmue II on Xbox because of my younger brother). So when they started to talk about Final Fantasy (Hao included), I never felt so clueless and left out in my life.

I knew the Final Fantasy series was very popular, but I had no idea how passionate fans were about the game. I really had no idea what the game was about. In fact, I had never even seen what the game looked like until this past weekend. In a nutshell, there are two promises I have made to myself concerning extracurricular activities for the next few years.

1. Watch as many Lebron James basketball games as I possibly can. I did this with Michael Jordan for as long as I could remember and I feel sorry for those who didn’t because you had no idea what you were missing. In fact, those who can legitimately compare Kobe to Jordan are the people that never really watched Jordan. But, that discussion is for another time, another day. I am in no way saying Lebron James is the next Michael Jordan—I am simply stating that I do not want to miss watching the best basketball player of our era during his prime.

2. List of games I need to play in the next couple of years (in addition to the sports games)
-Final Fantasy 6 (emulator)
-Final Fantasy 7 (emulator)
-Final Fantasy 10 (emulator)
-Final Fantasy 13 (PS3)
-Uncharted II (PS3)
-Heavy Rain (PS3)
-Starcraft II (PC)

Nerd for life.

Albert Nguyen Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alnguyen84
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Make lots of memories and don't forget the joys of life.

Faith and trust in Him,
Albert Nguyen

Monday, January 25, 2010

Lots of 0's and 1's

The other day, the date was: 01.11.10 -- I thought that was pretty cool

I didn't make any resolutions this year. I guess just the normal... eat healthier, sleep more, smile more, pray more, and read more. What I do know is that I am trying to lose 5-10 pounds this semester, I lost 12 pounds the first semester, so a few more would be ideal. I really can't visually tell the difference though, I think those 12 pounds were all in my face, butt, chest, and shoulders. I want to lose some of my gut but I guess as long as I don't have a huge badonkadonk, I'm happy.

Anyways, I just got back from NEW YORK CITY last week. It was my first, but definitely not my last time to the big apple. I had never seen a downtown like that, I was in Chicago once, but I stayed in the suburbs and just drove by the skyline so I really didn't get to experience all the tall buildings.

Also, the guy on the left just got engaged. Congratulations to Johanna and Mark!

I thought school was really tough last semester, but I can foresee that there will be a lot more coursework during this one. Fortunately, I am a lot more efficient with my time and I know how to study for the exams... or I think I do.

As far as the Cowboys are concerned. I was not very upset, sad, depressed, mad, or anything like that when we lost to the Vikings. It took more than half of my life to finally win a playoff game, it would be asking too much to expect another win the very next week. Furthermore, I don't think we could have won on the road in Minnesota, then on the road in New Orleans, then on a neutral field in Miami anyways so it's better we lost when we did. We should be pretty good the next few years so I'm just going to enjoy it while it lasts... I know how bad it can get (Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, Drew Henson...)

Albert Nguyen Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alnguyen84
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Make lots of memories and don't forget the joys of life.

Faith and trust in Him,
Albert Nguyen

Sunday, December 27, 2009

2010

2010 = super save money year

Go Cowboys
Go Mavericks

Albert Nguyen Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alnguyen84
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Make lots of memories and don't forget the joys of life.

Faith and trust in Him,
Albert Nguyen

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Holiday Season

Even though I'm in the middle of the most intense studying of my life, I will make time for this blog. What can I say, I am a man of my word. I said I would update once a month, so I'm going to update once a month! (I yelled this silently in my head).

I can't believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone... next thing you know, it'll be Christmas then after that, 2010.

Anyways, this may get a little emo/sad/depressing, but I guarantee I am doing just fine!

First of all, Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday of the year. I mean, think about it--football, food, football, food comas, food, football, shopping, food, sleep, food, etc. What can get better than that? (especially those who know how much I love food, football, and food comas) However, the 2009 version of my Thanksgiving was by far the worst of my life. The only good thing that came out of this week was being able to walk around the apartment naked because Hao left for Dallas on Monday, but we'll go into that some other time. I've been at the library everyday this week, which I was planning on anyways so that's okay. On Wednesday night I decided, because it was Thanksgiving on Thursday, to leave the library at 2am instead of my usual 4am. That was pretty much the highlight of this wonderful holiday for me.

On the actual day of Thanksgiving, I got up early to go to the library to get some studying in before watching the Cowboys game. That worked out fine, however my glorious plan of going to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving dinner failed miserably. After the Cowboys game ended at 6, I called the restaurant just to see when they were closing; I literally felt my heart sank when they told me they had already closed at 4. So then I frantically called Luby's to see if they were still open, the lady that picked up answered with "we're actually closing in about 15 seconds." I don't know who the lady was but that was not what I wanted to hear, so I hung up on her (I pressed the end call button on my cell phone really hard). In a nutshell, I spent the actual day of Thanksgiving without consuming any food until 10pm. Guess what I made at 10? I made a sandwich that only included one slice of meat and cheese because we were out and everything was already closed. At least I used turkey breast right? Haha sigh...

Lucky for me, Hao said he's bringing Thanksgiving dinner back for me on Sunday Night. Thus, Thanksgiving will be on a Sunday for me this year. Thank you roomie =]

But seriously, how come I've a) never gone to Golden Corral before until about a month ago and b) never gone to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving? All you can eat turkey, stuffing, cranberry, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, green bean casserole, rolls, all the different pies, cakes, and other desserts, etc. It's like having the ultimate get together for Thanksgiving (inviting your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, second cousins, next door neighbors, ex girlfriends, the kid the down the street, you name it), but not having to clean, cook, or do anything before or after the meal. You just drive to the restaurant and eat as much as you want and try as much as you want, then drive back home. That sounds amazing to me. I am making a promise to the blogging world, I will eat at Golden Corral for Thanksgiving dinner in 2010.

Go Cowboys
Go Mavericks

Albert Nguyen Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alnguyen84
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Make lots of memories and don't forget the joys of life.

Faith and trust in Him,
Albert Nguyen

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

XXV

I can't believe that my 25th birthday is just around the corner. Looking back on it, where has all the time gone? I am feeling a little sad, excited, anxious, and scared all at the same time. I've met so many people and lived in so many different places; I am truly thankful for my family and the friends who have stayed with me through all of my phases throughout all those years haha. I will admit, I do go through a lot of phases...

After this weekend of fun in Austin and Lockhart (the best BBQ in the world), I'm going to have exactly a month before finals so I will be hiding away in the library until then. I have no Thanksgiving plans so if anyone would like to join me during my study sessions in San Antonio, please do! Take care =]

*edit

A little update on the crazy budgeting that I have been on recently:
10/12 - 10/16 = spent $0.00 (weekend = $40.00 for the TEXAS STATE FAIR)
10/19 - 10/23 = spent $2.17 (weekend = $7.00 for pho)
10/26 - 10/30 = spent $0.00 (weekend = ???)
This includes expenses for everything; food, gas, shopping, etc.

What the heck do I eat??
Breakfast - either cereal or nothing
Lunch - free PB & J that the law school provides everyday
Dinner - law school meetings that provide dinner, random stuff around the house (ramen noodles, dumplings, etc.), and frozen stuff Hao gets from his mom.

Go Cowboys
Go Mavericks

Albert Nguyen Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alnguyen84
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Make lots of memories and don't forget the joys of life.

Faith and trust in Him,
Albert Nguyen

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Road Less Traveled

nomad (noun)
1. A member of a group of people who have no fixed home and move according to the seasons from place to place in search of food, water, and grazing land.
2. A person with no fixed residence who roams about; a wanderer

So I was talking to my roommate the other night and he pretty much concluded that I love moving to different locales each year and that I would most likely transfer out of San Antonio at the end of my first year of law school--I thought he was just being silly, but this got me thinking. First of all, I drive a Toyota Corolla and there is already over 75,000 miles on it. Considering I bought this sucker brand spanking new off the lot during the summer of 2006, this equates out to be around 1,875 miles of driving a month. If you include the six round trips I've made between Texas and California, countless trips to and from Austin, Houston, and Dallas, I guess it all adds up. Also, I've bought three different mattress sets in the last three years haha. I constantly forget what my zip code is. So now I'm asking myself, am I ever going to slow down? Will I ever be able to stick in one place? Am I moving all the time because I want to or because I have to?

To help you see what I'm referring to, this is what happened after I graduated from Plano Senior High School:
Fall of 2003 - Moved to Arlington, TX
Summer of 2004 - Moved to Keller, TX
Summer of 2005 - Moved to Antioch, CA
Spring of 2006 - Moved to Brentwood, CA
Fall of 2006 - Moved to Concord, CA
Summer of 2007 - Moved to Irvine, CA
Fall of 2008 - Moved to Austin, TX
Fall of 2009 - Moved to San Antonio, TX

8 different homes in 6 years. I never really sat down and thought about it, but that seems pretty amazing to me. I guess if you are too close to the situation, you never see the entire picture. Honestly, I can tell you that I don't have any major regrets these last few years, sure I've made mistakes but I've enjoyed every step of the way. So... where does this leave me in the future? I DO want to settle down; I DO want a wife and kids; I DO want a nice house; I'm just taking the long way =]

Anyways, let's talk about how law school is going. During the first three weeks, the amount of work and reading completely shocked me. I knew going into the semester that there would be a lot of reading involved but I am the type of person that doesn't believe something until I see it for myself. Because of this, I was hit really hard and I was stressing every night because I wanted to be fully prepared each day for class. Fortunately, I've gotten used to the amount of reading and analysis that I have to do on a nightly basis so I don't get as stressed out anymore. I still spend the same amount of time in the library, but I've learned how to deal with the workload and the mental fatigue that comes along with it a lot better. Since Hao's school is just across the street from where we live, we head up to that library every night from dinner time until it closes (midnight), and those 4-5 hours are enough for me to get everything done for the next day. Ultimately, my usual day consists of about 5 to 6 hours on campus, then 4 to 5 hours at the library; so I still have about 5 hours to myself to relax and hang out, not including sleep. That is pretty much my routine so for those who see my gchat status as "studying", I really am studying lol.

I've met a few people at school that I talk to and eat with everyday. A couple of them went to UT, a couple of them are from California, and a couple of them were in the military. So, there's a good mixture of different backgrounds in our group which makes for some very interesting conversation. It's pretty crazy for me when I look around school and I see future lawyers that I'm going to be going up against, or future lawyers that I'm going to be partnering with in a particular case, or even future judges that will decide my cases. Three more years... just keep swimming... just keep swimming...

Rant:
Tony Romo is the most overrated superstar in the NFL during the last decade. A lot of the attention and aura that surrounds him is because he is the starting quarterback of America's team. To the media, he is a very charismatic guy. That part I completely understand, it's good for exposure and it's good for business. But, when a quarterback has a great game one week, then an average or terrible game the next--it's a glaring sign that he isn't that good. Consistency is what sets good players from great players. There's a reason why he wasn't recruited heavily out of high school, there's a reason why he wasn't drafted out of college, and there's a reason why he didn't play in his first NFL game until his 4th year in the league. With that being said, I love the Cowboys and I'm going to defend them until my last breath. I want Tony Romo to do well. I want him and the team to succeed. I want him to prove me wrong and lead us to #6.

Albert Nguyen Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alnguyen84
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Make lots of memories and don't forget the joys of life.

Faith and trust in Him,
Albert Nguyen