Now that we got some of the history backed off - let's talk about what i've been doing lately. Damn! I just wrote a blog for 40 minutes, and blogspot decided to crash on me. Now i have to start from scratch.. sigh. I dunno if i should make everything brief or write it even longer.
The Website
So why has bronx's junkyard been down? There were a few factors that got involved.
1. First off, i moved to Southern California to attend a University here. Therefore I am currently residing at my best friends house which limits my access online and contact.
2. Ben who used to host my site moved back to Northern California after finishing school, and his T1 line got cut off which hosted bjunkyard.com. The transition would have been a little smoother if Ben's T1 line provider didn't cut his line off 1 week earlier. Although he is getting reimbursed for the time he already paid for, i was sorta left in the cold.
3. Looking for a new host, i was able to get a new host relatively quickly, all thanks to Jet.. looks like the server will be back up as soon as his back from his vacation to Seattle.
Don't worry.. Bronx's Junkyard isn't going anywhere.. Jet has also agreed to join me in running the site. Although i will be the primary administrator of the site, he will co-admin with me by updating the site and keeping everything in tact. There are a few congestions though.. first of which the Korean government has been cracking down on Mp3 Album websites - and forcing most of the people there to close down. The thing about Korean websites, is that you need to enter your SSN or identification number everytime you sign up for any type of service. So if a government agent looks at your site - all he has to do is ask the host of the site for your SSN, and your busted.
Most of you probably know that SoriBada already got closed down.. and so are many of the web based sites. This not only includes mp3's but videos as well.. so things are getting a lot harder to get for free.
School
I will be attending California State University of Long Beach majoring in Business/Communications. I attended my orientation on Aug. 7th - and it was pretty interesting. The campus itself is very big.. it took 20 minutes just to walk from the parking lot to the orientation. The campus itself is pretty slick.. a lot of nice food, a very clean pool to chill in - and the classrooms seem clean and friendly. The only thing that worries me is the parking.. since it's the beginning of a new semester and a lot of students will be trying to add classes.
Adding classes was a bitch.. since everything was full. The continuing students got to register back in April.. so transfer students are pretty much left with garbage. CSU LB seems to be a cool place to study.. and i'm pretty excited to be here.
Apartment Hunting
For those of you who think housing in LA is better or cheaper than the Bay Area.. it's a huge mistake. Finding a decent place was a pretty bad experience for me. I was looking for a good neighborhood, decent rent prices, good parking.. and this was certainly a huge challenge. Originally i was planning on living in Torrance, but there was literally nothing open in my price range. So then i looked at a few other cities like San Pedro, Redondo Beach, and Gardena.
San Pedro: The ghetto
If you plan on living here in SoCal.. avoid San Pedro.. that place is so ghetto (no offense to anyone that lives there now).. but i had a bad experience there. I had a few houses in my price range i was looking at, so i just went there one night to check them out.
The first place looked okay from far away it was listed as $500. As soon as i reach the front door.. the very first thing i saw was a huge roach. Err.. scratch that place.
The second place looked good from far away aswell.. but guess who was sleeping next to the door? A stinky old bum. Scratch that place.
The third place.. i didn't even get a good look.. because it was heavily guarded by four ESES.. with their pimptocycletas. Scratch that place.
Gardena: Ghetto part 2
So with little hope left with the very few houses left on my lift - i went to a few places that were looking for roommates. They came out to becoming a bunch of dirty old couples who need to take a shower. The last place on my list was a bachelor apartment in Gardena. The rent was $550 with utilities, but there were a few things that i didn't like.
The parking lot was a mess.. the last thing i need is a thieve going into my car.
It's on a very busy street..
Although it's furnished with a bed and microwave, there is no kitchen to cook or wash dishes.
The location is right in the middle of all the freeways, so you'd have to drive a few miles to reach them in any direction.
With little chance of getting anything better at that price, i told the manager i would call her the next day and hold the apartment for me.
Long Beach: Just got lucky..
Who would have guessed that when i got home, Pae would have found another place to look at. One of the cities i didn't even consider was Long Beach.. but i had nothing to loose. The first place i checked out was really awesome.
Furnished
Air Conditioning
Refrigerator
Kitchen
Underground parking
Pool
Gym
For a total price of $590. Compared to the other places i looked at this was a little too good to be true. But seeing as how my luck changed a little i went with my gut feeling and didn't apply right away. I went back home and looked for more places in Long Beach.
And, my gut was telling me the right thing - because I found another place right down the street owned by the same company for $525. It was the same decent neighborhood with:
UnFurnished
Microwave
Garage parking
Bigger room
Pool
So for $65 i would have to sacrifice AC, Fridge, Bed, and a Gym. Was it worth it? I think it is.. considering i'll be saving $1,000 in a year. The thing is.. AC i won't really need (i can always get a portable one if it gets that hot), I can get a free bed/fridge from my uncle, and i probably wont' have the time to go to the gym. So after talking it over with my Uncle - i made up my mind.
The next day i went over there to sign my application.. and then the waiting game began. The Apartment has a first come first serve basis - so i was afraid i wouldn't be the first on the list. But it just turned out that i was, and three people applied for the same studio right after i did. However, the manager told me she would give me the studio because i was the first one to apply for it.. My credit went thru and my application was accepted. I went to the bank - got my deposit money.. sign the lease agreement and will be moving in on the 24th.
Job
Ahh.. i need a freakin job. I'm so low on cash right now.. i seriously have to start budgeting myself again. I spent a little recklessly when i first came down here. Originally since i was planning on living in Torrance i wanted to transfer to a BR at SoBay Galleria.. but everything changed now because i will be living in Long Beach and i wouldn't be able to handle the commute. So now i'm trying to transfer to Cerritos mall.. which i will try again tomorrow when the hiring managers are available.
Life in general (Roads)
The roads here in LA suck.. worse than north cal.. actually.. it's not even fair comparing the roads here to there.. it's heave/hell difference. The railroad tracks specially tick me off because my car is dropped, and my alignments gets messed up everytime i go over them. Traffic is another novel i would probably write about in another blog. Just don't take 91 East.. it's the worst freeway i've experienced so far.. that road is always congested at anytime of the day.
A lot of people in Los Angeles area are superficial.. it's all about how much you have of this.. what type of this you have.. etc. I am fortunate enough to know a few people here who aren't to narrow minded. The funny thing is.. even those people who are all about $$ tell me about other people who only look at how much money he has and what type of car he drives.. hipocrites.
Money seems to be the biggest issue for me right now. I have spent plus/minus $2,000 on tuition, food, rent, deposit, gas etc. And i'm sure i'll be spending more once i move in to the apartment as far as necessities and furniture. Then i'll need books for my classes and so on..
For some reason, my back has been hurting for a while now when i sit down for a long period of time. It just burns in pain.. so i have to lay down once in a while.
I will write more about what i have been doing on a daily basis since i've come down here in the later blogs.
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