mathmat1kz's Xanga

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 06:35:36 GMT

this is absolutely disheartening. sometimes the abuse of power is tolerated and left for the 'other' to give a shit. but when is enough, enough? when is enough to much? on nov 14 a UCLA student was tazered five times over 6 minutes in a nasty exchange with university police. the entire ordeal was videotaped. i caution anyone viewing it that it is difficult to comprehend and just as fascinating to view. not in the same sense as interesting, but fascinating in the respect that in a position of power, ethics and morality seem to escape throught the pores in our head. absolute power corrupts absolutely they say. after watching this, it's hard to argue otherwise. thoughts?

Monday, October 30, 2006

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 03:41:21 GMT

man. last night was insane. i had a blast and the clean up was soooooo worth it. pictures on flickr.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 06:42:40 GMT

my next day off is next friday. all this work makes me dull, i think. and i'm beginning to realize something. i am finally in a business setting and one in which i have a good handle of the business i'm running. i analyze P&L's, adjust payrolls, recognize trends, predict buying patterns, speculate on what product will be profitable and where in the store will be the best placement; and i hate it. i participate in conference calls, i communicate with other managers within my district, and i present innovative ideas to make my store more profitable. i thought i would like business. i thought i would have what it takes to run one. i do, i just don't find anything intrinsically satisfying about it. the pay is incredible, and, to me at least, it's easy. but, ultimately, i help make the people upstairs have fatter wallets and what it all boils down to is this - my job is a numbers game and that's all it is. in the end, i drive numbers and as long as i do that, i get a paycheck. i don't help anyone. i don't teach anyone. i don't learn anything.

this in mind, in may i'll be receiving a B.A. in psychology. yes, psychology has everything to do with business. business needs people for it to be profitable and psychologists more than anyone else understand the underlying dynamics that dictate human behavior. so i thought, "i love psychology and i love business, so i'll get a psychology undergrad and an MBA." WRONG. i hate business. now that i am knee deep in spreadsheets, i can't stand it.

so naturally, this current feeling of mine prompted me to reexamine what i've been doing for the past 9 semesters and rethink about what aspect of psychology i enjoyed the most. my favorite courses were ones that dealt with some sort of clinical assessment or counseling. my absolute favorite one was psychology of women, not because i love studying about the female psyche, but because it had a community service component. for this course, i was assigned to a lower income community in long beach to tutor at risk youth. my role as an academic mentor comprised of this, facilitating and encouraging the growth of the student in their academic, emotional, and social circumstances. at the time, i thought i enjoyed it because it was fun and rewarding. but looking back at the last 7 years, every instance in which i worked in some sort of community service, i was happy. being a coordinator for science camp was incredible; being a youth coordinator for two years at my church was not only rewarding and fun, it was uplifting; and finally, being an academic mentor to children that may or may not have the opportunities that we take for granted was especially satisfying. i am rethinking my career choices because of this - because helping people do better makes me feel happy. odd huh? ...

the main career i am thinking about? ... School Psychologist.

School Psychologist: Mental health professional that helps children and youth succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. They team with educators, parents, and other mental health professionals to help create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all students that strengthen connections between home and school.

i love psychology and i am good at it, so why not combine it so that i can utilize it in a setting that i have enjoyed so much in the past? ... this may be the winner.

Friday, September 29, 2006

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 06:33:21 GMT

i overslept again today. that means that i missed class, again. and it's not that i'm lazy. it's just, i truly am tired. i have class at 8-1215. i have a 3 hour break until work. and then i work from 3-10. i thought that i can use that 3 hour break to do hw or catch up on readings, but i've only used it for lunch and naps which isn't exactly productive if you ask me. after work i thought i'd be able to routinely have a gym session but instead i just go home, talk on the phone or go to sleep. what fun huh? ....

i'm not adjusting to being both a fulltime employee as well as a fulltime student as well as i thought i'd be able to. at this point in my life finishing my final semester strong is a higher priority than "driving our average selling price and attachment rate", so i might have to make some changes in my current career situation. i mean, i don't plan on staying in a retail setting for long, shit, i don't even plan on staying in retail for another 2 years. whatever.

anyway, that ends my umpteenth bout at complaining on xanga.

halloween is in about a month and the cousins and i will be having a halloween shindig at edsel's house on oct.28. should be LOTS of fun. you have to wear a costume though and the four of us plan to be ninja turtles. hah. that should be pretty dope. i have the next two days of and i have next tuesday off. someone go out with me. i promise it'll be fun.

oh yeah, i posted some new pics on my flickr. they're pretty funny. check check em out.

NOTE

entourage is the best show on television. and ari gold is the best character on television. in tribute to both, watch this clip.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 22:55:19 GMT

this is freakin' hilarious. enjoy.

anyway, back to school and back to work this week. i have a 3 day weekend coming up at the end of this month. vegas anyone?

Monday, September 11, 2006

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 04:54:46 GMT

man o man. officemax is tiring. this past week i've worked over 54 hours and 4 nights past midnight. who the hell knew that 'back to school' was considered an essential retail season. haha. whatever, i'll be laughing all the way to the bank once i see my OT pay. wait, i take that back. my luck, i'm probably gonna get taxed a shitload.

fall semester is in full swing. i actually like all my classes this semester. my abnormal psychology class is interesting and the professor is dope; my multicultural psychology class is fun, interesting, and intimate (there's only 7 people in my class); sociology is fascinating because my professor has an extremely unique perspective (turns out he was made fun of because he was too white, oh yeah, he's black). the only exception is my popular music course. its interesting and all, but my professor just sounds boring. for that class i actually have to write up 3 concert reviews. so who's coming with? i'll pay, i just need a companion haha.

with my crazy ass schedule, the only free time i have are fridays and saturdays. so if anyone wants to take me out that'll be mucho appreciated. seriously. i need a vacation. LOL.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 07:30:57 GMT

no one really reads my xanga anymore. i have nothing to write, therefore nothing to read. back in the day i found that xanga and my livejournal were absolutely essential pieces of my day to day going ons. that's not the case anymore, i don't feel as 'personal' anymore. most of the stuff i write about nowadays circles around politics and music. boring to most people, but really, probably the most interesting topics i find in my life as of late. for example, has anyone seen that daily show episode "islam vs. christianity"? if not, here it is. watch the whole thing, and then read the rest of this entry.

i thought that was hilarious. no joke. yet, some people either find it offensive or not that funny. whatever. anyway.

so let's get personal. i don't work at Best Buy anymore. yeah, i know. no chump to give you a discount anymore. LOL. so sue me. yeah, i got lured into a Sales Supervisor position at Officemax. not as exciting, but the pay is great and it looks good on paper (resume). who wants a 10 percent discount on a .74 eraser? exactly. i also started school about a week ago. my last semester. whheeeeeee. in springtime, nathaniel papa will have a bachelor's in psychology. what fun.

so much for my attempt at a personal entry. ask me a question, maybe you'll learn something new. meanwhile, enjoy the michael jackson remix in my background.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 01:03:39 GMT

it's been a while. as usual. i apologize for not blogging as much as i usually do. i guess i can attribute that to my "walls".

anyway ...

let's recap the last few weeks. the best was in town for about three weeks. that was great. it is always a pleasure when my best friend is in town. i quit best buy. i know right, weird. BUT, i am now a sales supervisor for officemax. all in all a much better opportunity to enhance my resume before i apply to Anderson. other than those two events not much has occurred in my life. i still play video games. i still am very liberal. i still eat spam masubi.

school starts on monday. whoop dee do. last semester. i guess i should be glad about that.

disturbed.

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 01:30:40 GMT

this whole israel/lebanon thing is getting waay out of hand. i'm quite fearful of the fact that perhaps the conflict can engulf the neighboring countries as well. if that happens we will seriously be in some WWIII type shit. while i can understand israel's vicious response to the the kidnapping of the two soldiers, i do not and refuse to support what they're doing. i really can't describe how i feel about everything. there are soo many adjectives in the english language yet none of them really hits the point. apalled, disturbed, dismayed, frightened, overwhelmed, terrified ... maybe that one. terrified.

hezbollah isn't even the governing body in lebanon. that's what gets me. israel's beef is with hezbollah, not lebanon. i don't understand why israel continues the violence against civilian targets. is it to prove a point? what point are they trying to convey? ... don't fuck with zion or we're gonna eliminate every single one of your motherfucking people? VIOLENCE DOES NOT END VIOLENCE. everything is escalating so fast and so intensely. watch the news kids, read the papers. fuck all the bullshit. everyone should be cautious and aware of what's going on. very soon our world can change. and not for the better. i hope it gets better. i pray it does.

i fuckin' hate it.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 04:09:44 GMT

so a day has passed since i've been back from texas. i am sure glad to be back in LA, that's for damn sure. i mean, the weather here is near perfection, 90 degrees with absolutely no humidity (relatively speaking, of course) is such a luxury. there are no mosquitoes the size of hummingbirds (i'm not joking either), there are hills, and people are LIBERAL. but, texas was very very fun. plus, I got to see my cousin before he heads to iraq on the 7th. ooo, i took pictures too, check out the flickr. peace and adobo grease.