01-31-03 Another beautiful day in Costa Rica. Patience to all for I am almost done with the business website. I'm really not sure what I am doing here working on the computer when I should be out enjoying the day. Anyway, here is my agenda for today: grocery shopping(need some toothpaste) date work on the documentary respond to e-mails do laundry have fun!!! 01-26-03 Sorry to everyone that I havent written any e-mails in a while nor even kept up with my journal here to keep you posted on what's going on. It's been pretty busy here lately, especialy since we just bought the domain name for the business website. So we are redoing the whole site making it 100% better then before and that is taking the biggest chunk of my time. Then, just got order for another video and at the same time trying to get sponsors for our site and trying to come up with prices for all of the services we are offering. Lots of work but it will be worth it at the end. He he he, Dont worry, you'll all get an e-mail with the new URL for the site as soon as its ready to go. That's just business though. In other news, I got pink eyes in one of my eye a few days ago so that really sucks and everybody is afraid to touch me now(good in some ways, bad in others!!!). Goodness, since I've been in Central America I keep getting all of these strange tropical diseases. I got an e-mail from the girl I met through my travels and she said that when she got back home, she found that she got 4 different types of worms in her. Yuck, I wonder how many I have now. Hum, also need to get a new printer. So we can remake business cards. Some of you may know that I had a printer before but I bet you dont know the story as to why I dont have one anymore. If you dont know, its too bad cause I ain't gonna tell you know. Superbowl Sunday, given up on the Raiders winning. He he he, lots of people are going to be disappointed since the line on the Raiders was -3 1/2. Its hard to believe that I have been in Costa Rica for almost a year now. Who would have believe it. It doesnt feel like it. The funny thing is that I am a bit homesick yet I know that if I go back home, I'll have to go back to responsibilities.(yuck). While when I'm travelling, I am so free and can do as I wish. Hum, I think I'll stay a few more years abroad hi hi hi AN interesting thing about this website is that it's letting me hear from people I havent heard from in a long time. People I thought I would never hear from again all of a suddent sign the guestbook. Very nice and happy to hear from them. Yes, I have to agree on what Marita said one time that the internet has created a new breed of people. until next time, take care all of you 01-19-03 My new lint brush sucks. It's one of those lint brush that is a roll of scotch tape or something and I wasted the whole roll trying to get the lint off my shirt and my shirt still has lint on it. I had to finish removing most of the lint of my shirt with packing tape. How bad and desperate can you get? Anyway, enough about lint and lint brushes. Today was a most uneventful day, but then again it was Sunday. I was checking my mail when I came across this e-mail from someone from VAn with some interesting stories about racism. In particular, the story about Shaquille O`Neal and the racist comment he made about the rookie basketball player from China, Yao Ming. I know that this happened back in December but it is odd how no real reprimand has been made to him considering that other sports athlete like John Rocker got in big trouble for it. Clickhereto read about it It seems like some asians feel very upset about it while others dont really seem to care and call it basketball trash talk and that Shaq's comments were not meant to be derogatory towards Yao Ming but just funny. A joke in bad taste mind you but no harm was intended. Kind of like a little boy making jokes about things he doesnt understand. In all honesty, that story alone didnt really bother me until I read another story while I was browsing the net over new U.S. immigration rules. I saw it because it was about Pakistanis youth who had a protest in Multan because there Pakistanis wee part of had 19 other countries where they had to be photographed and fingerprinted before they could come for a short term visit to the U.S. Somehow, that story just didn't feel right. Click here to see what I'm talking about. I mean, I understand why they would do it but it seems pretty bad to limit it to just a few races. I think that they should do it for all people, otherwise, it feels like it is putting the blame on a few races instead of a group of individuals. And from there, it leads to racial hate crimes(which has been up since the 9/11 tragedy by the way) and where will it stop? Are we going to have detention camps in the desert like in WWII for the Japanese Americans? Instead that now, it will be for people that look like they are from the middle east or North Africa? I guess that the Shaq story and that combined made me think a bit more on the issue. Maybe I'm making too much of a big deal out of it but I have already sent a few e-mails and letters out to congress and a few organizations about it. Will it make a difference? I dont know but at least I can say that I will not stand by and watch my world get poisoned. He he he, I hope I didnt get too political and serious on everyone. 01-18-03 Today is Saturday and I feel overwhelmed with all of the stuff I have to do. Need to write a letter to someone special, got deadlines to meet for the documentary, AAAAAAh running out of ideas and going out of my mind because I'm having a creative block at the moment. However, I finally found a lint brush and took a picture of myself with the new haircut!!! . . Yesterday didn't do much, I did some badly needed grocery shopping and played pool with a few friends but called it an early night for I wanted to get up early. I did get up early, around 6:00am because I was eager to use my spanking new lint brush but there is so much lint on my shirts that it is taking me forever to brush off the lint. Grrr!!! Spanish classes are starting again and I should begin again this coming up Tuesday. Oh yeah, my brother also e-mailed me a story about how he met me to put on the site so check it out!!! Now if only other people would follow suit. No pressure of course he he he 01-14-03 I think I have been a bit lax with this whole journal thing. Hope people wont expect me to add to it everyday. Actually feeling a bit better from my cold. Got plenty of sleep last night. I did go to bed late but not that late. I was going to go before midnight but this great documentary was on the history channel. It was in spanish of course but I understood most of it. It was about weapons through the ages and it was simply fascinating. Also, yesterday, I just worked ont he documentary and both websites and for lunch went to eat with this girl call Sophia at this restaurant called Manolos on Avenida Central. On the menu for me was tico spaghetti. A strange mixture of noodles, spaghetti sauce and ham. I also went looking for a new sketchbook and a novel in spanish but had no luck with it. Oops, forgot that I had to get a box cause I need to send something. Argh, I guess I'll hav to do it tomorrow. And Oh yeah, I finally got an e-mail from my sister, sure had been a while. I'll be nice though and wont mention which sister... I went to look at the mall today for a lint brush and I could not find ont to save my life. Sicne I have no dryer at home, my clothes have become lint traps and I look like crap. SOMEBODY HELP ME and send me a lint brush!!!! Also got a haircut, finally cause all my friends in CR were making fun of me. I think that people like me better when I had a shaved head. Hum, wonder which is best. Think that I'll have to post a new picture of me and people can give me their opinion 01-10-03 Dont feel like writing much today for my head hurts and I'm not sure why plus I'm starting to shed my skin like a snake. It's not pretty. 01-09-03 Well, just got back from the beach last night and boy am I burned. When will I learn to wear a stronger sunblock. On top of that, I have a big bruise on my face from trying to be one with the waves. So let's keep track here. Day one at the beach: Sun=1 Waves=1 Frederick=0. Not very pretty. I arrived to Jaco beach around 11:00am on Tuesday after a gruesome 3 hour bus ride. Checked in my favorite cabina place and hit the waves. Tried to ride the waves to the best of my abilities on the first day but the ocean just wasnt with me that day and instead, took quite a beating. Ate some great food and did a bit of the night life but I was too tired to stay up very late from the day at the beach so I went to bed sometimes around 1:00am. The beach / / / Street in Jaco Day two: I hit the waves again and I was one with them. It was awesome until some mother freaken wave slammed me against the bottom of the ocean and now I have a nice big bruise on my face to show for it. I got smart and put on some stronger sunblock he he he. I learn very fast when pain is involved.So the score stands as sun=1 and 1 tie, Frederick 2 ties, Waves=2 and 1 tie. I wish I had more pictures to show unfortunately, All most of the pictures from the digital camera ended up fuzzy because the lense had some kind of greasy film on it. So here are some of the pictures from the video camera that turned out alright. The ride back to San Jose was the worst. The bus was packed with people and many people were just standing in the aisle of the bus. Even the seats were tiny and cramped. Now that I am back in San Jose, I am just smearing lotion on my burned body. Beach salesman / / / Main street in Jaco 01-05-03 I guess that before you get better you'll feel worst and I think I'm feeling worst right now. Hope people like the new background to the pages. Anyway, I thought it was cool. Slept most of the day and chatted a bit with Marita. LOL, actually a lot. Now that I think about it, Probably most of my friends dont even know who she is. All I have to say is, check out her site he he he. Isnt odd how often people get asked if they are happy? What exactly is the proper answer to that. I mean not that I need anything. In theory, I have everything that I need to live comfortably, but I suppose that life is not just about that eh? Otherwise, what would be the point for we would live but not live. Kind of like animals. I do have a lot of fun but I go through many phases of boredom. No matter where I am or what I am doing. So what am I? 01-04-03 Not feeling too good today. Think I'm catching some kind of Costa Rican cold. It also didnt help that this drunk girl called last night around 2:30am(You know who you are and I don't need to mention any names...). Anyway, I think that I will not be going to the beach until Tuesday morning. I need to get better before I go so giving myself an extra day to get better. And then, it will be surfing time well, maybe not too much since my surfing skills really need to improve. 01-03-03 Another year and my first entry for the year 2003. Weird, doesnt really feel like a new year. Today, I have done nothing but learn HTML and I have had it up to here with that stupid language. The more I learn, the more I know nothing about it. Its nice to have Marita and Mike to help me out with it for they have a lot of good things to say. Things to do today: Grocery shopping Figure out which beach to go to Get AA batteries for camera Stay away from the PC Get some sleep I would talk about my New Year's Eve experience but I dont think its a good idea. I'll just end this entry on that note...