Hey everyone!  Stephen is back, and is ready to blog!  I’ve been so lazy over the past couple of months, and I’ve been busy trying to be the best at some great PS3 games (which reminds me, I forgot to pick up my MGS4 Special Edition!  D’OH!), including GTA4, GT5 Prologue, and GRID (awesome Codemasters game).  Which reminds me, I forgot to tell everyone that my family and I are officially moving from Southern California.  I know…HOW COULD IT BE?   Stephen and family leaving?   How crazy is that?!?!?!?  Well, I guess circumstances have presented themselves that make such a move the best option.  Fortunately, I don’t hope to be a stranger to everyone, and I hope I can keep in contact with everyone via Facebook, this blog page, and other means (AIM, Cell, PSN, XBOX, Wii).  Furthermore, I’ll be making a continued effort to visit California at least every month, and if not, at least once every two months.  I could never leave the place that I have lived for over 22 years, let alone lose all the connections and dear friends that have shaped me to who I am today!  I will never be too far away (besides, I’m only up the coast, so you can even make an excuse to visit me if you’re headed to Canada!).   Anyways, life has been pretty mundane, but I have achieved a new appreciation for taking care of a whole house by myself….I finally understand what my parents have been going through for countless years; tending to the yard, cleaning the bathroom, washing dishes…boring stuff that must be done in order to maintain the cleanliness that is so desired.

Actually, I’m in the airport right now while I’m writing this blog…I’m in front of my gate at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac), 2 hours early since the shuttle couldn’t drop me off any later than 3:50 AM (grrrrr….) , so pardon my grammar if I tend to run on; I haven’t had sleep in 30+ hours.  Hopefully i’ll be sleeping on the plane, but I always hope that there is a hot girl that sits next to me and happens to talk to me (love at first sight?  hahaha who knows).

Lately, I’ve been catching up on new technologies, reading up on a guy finishing his surgical residency (Atul Gawande), reading about diseases, honing my skills on writing upside down, and mastering trigonometry & geometry (c/o Mathnasium).  Speaking of work, it has been oddly satisfying; it’s great to know that people I have taught are no longer failing!  They are earning Cs, and even Bs!  Their improvement in their math scores has been VERY drastic, to say the least (given that I’ve only been working with them for a maximum of 3-4 months).  It seems that these kids are now enjoying math, and it’s awesome to see the maturity of their work increase as well.  I guess you could say that I’m starting to get the feeling of how teachers might feel when they finally reach one of those difficult students and help them understand.

I’ve been watching too much TV;  seriously, I think it’s starting to rot my brain.  However, there have been two interesting series of late that I must mention: The Human Body - Pushing the Limits, and NASA Missions - When We Left Earth.  First, the Human Body series:  I watched a special on brain power, and I was mesmerized (not just because I was a Neuroscience major) at the descriptions and comparisons that the show made to what the potential of the brain really is, and I think it’s something that everyone should see to realize how much ANYONE can actually learn, and what kind of abuse your body can really take!  Secondly, the NASA Special really brought out an emotional side of me that I haven’t felt since studying time travel; I guess space travel has that effect on me, especially in HD.  Definitely watch it (They’re both on Discovery Channel, with NASA Special airing on Sunday Night).

Otherwise, that’s it.  On a closing note, I feel proud to call myself a Southern Californian, even if I no longer live there (for now…).  This diverse place has taught me so much, and it has given me so much more.  I hope that the future fulfills much of the promise that Southern California always gave me.  Peace!