Things and Stuff

I kinda suck at this blog thing, huh? Sorry about the hiatus, folks. But there HAVE been some changes. All positive ones, fortunately.

Firstly, the new job. It's going swimmingly. I think I've gotten past the stupid-noob-mistakes stage and entered the somewhat-passably-competent stage. Secondly, the new townhouse apartment. We've settled in, but we're in that acquiring-our-own-stuff phase. I dropped some cash on a TV (a sweet 40" LCD) and a couch (an L-shaped sectional).

Also on the newsfront, my uncle & aunt on my dad's side came from the Philippines to live with my parents. (!!!) I'm very exciting to have them. They're in the process of becoming full-fledged U.S. citizens, and I've been doing what I can to acquaint them with the fair city of Portland.

Because I feel like a blog entry after this long of an absence deserves some illustrations, the following are of: [1] a picture of my parents' house taken by my aunt, [2] my uncle (who's eerily similar to my dad in both appearance & mannerisms) & aunt outside of the apartments, [3] me doing one a' those dumb MySpace poses with Brien, and [4] my parents & I a few months back.

Awesome Year is Awesome

Got the OHS job AND the townhouse! Wut wut!! =D

Y'know, in review so far, 2010 is turning out to be one spifftastic year. I don't know what I did to receive such good fortune, I really don't.

Here's a pic of the delicious calamari plate I ordered at the New Year's 2010 bash we went to. What the hell does that have to do with anything, you might ask? Well, I guess it doesn't. But if you know me, you'll know that I like snapping pics of my food. I didn't really think about it 'til now, but I suppose it's my little way of reminding myself of something: No matter what, I will never forget the simpler things in life. Ever.

Stealing Homes From Babies

Brien & I went to look at a townhouse we saw on Craigslist. It's a crazy amazing deal, the kind we'd be fools to pass up. We were resolved to snag it as long as some key things checked out (i.e. tenants didn't look like hookers, place didn't smell like weed, carpets didn't have bloodstains, etc). The place looked great.

On our way out through the parking lot, we passed a hispanic couple with 2 small children. Turns out they were there to view the same space, as the landlord courteously called to inform us. And they wanted it bad, so pressure's on. Technically Brien & I have dibs on it since we viewed it first, but who knows, maybe the owners prefer families over unmarried childless couples?

If we do win the place, it'd be hard to shake the feeling that we just stole a home from babies. Mmmm, stealing homes from babies is yummy.

Ballin' on the Job Market

I've been whoring my job resume around town. And getting good interview experience. Best Buy hired me on the spot. However, I'm still moving through interviews with the Oregon Humane Society. Quite honestly, I really want the OHS job. Best Buy is part-time in corporate retail. OHS is full-time with benefits, independently-owned, and in the animal care field (the reason why I majored in Biology/Zoology).

Originally I had planned to do this the straight-shooter way, but the game changed when I was hired on the spot. Being a playa is something I hadn't expected out of myself.

Back To Reality

Though I wasn't named the next XFX Girl, it was a dream just to be named a finalist and invited to Hollywood. Why did I enter in this competition? I didn't do it for the exposure or the travel. I did it because I've loved video games ever since my Atari 2600 at age 4. I did it because I have an idea of what goes into building a sweet gaming rig. I'm glad I was able to put my love for games towards something.

I know there're people who belittled this competition. Some think it's just a booth babe gig. Some think because XFX is a niche market, this opportunity meant nothing. Some think the finalists were chosen solely based on looks and that we didn't know the first thing about hardware. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. If you thought any of these things, you probably didn't invest a single moment into learning what the competition was actually about. But I can tell you, the winners (I love you Rika & Fefe!) have a lot of work to do, and I truly believe that if they play their cards right they could become the next Olivia Munn.

Why did I enter in this competition? *Because I did not want to live the rest of my life wondering what might have been.*

Myra... a Spokesmodel?

I was almost a spokesmodel. Almost.

Several months ago, XFX (a leading manufacturer in high-end computer parts targeted at gaming enthusiasts) launched a nationwide search for a fresh face to represent its company for the 2010 year: the XFX Girl 2.0 Search. And this wasn't your average booth babe gig (contrary to popular reaction). They wanted a REAL gamer girl. Someone who can frag, raid, and pwn with the best of 'em. Someone who knows the difference between a DIMM slot and a PCI-E slot on a motherboard. Sure, looks were a plus, but you had to know what the hell you were talking about.

On December 2009, six finalists were announced. I was one of them. (!!!!!) In January 2010, I was flown to Hollywood, California. There, I met representatives of XFX, Complexity Gaming (LA's professional gaming team), & Brandi (the original XFX Girl). I don't think I need to tell you that the experience was surreal.


We were treated like princesses. We were put up in a luxury hotel, treated to a classy dinner, given free swag, taken out to 2 of the hottest LA nightclubs, had a professional photographer following the events, and had limos taking us everywhere we went (for the clubbing it was a Hummer limo).

This whole thing... was definitely not a typical day in the life of Myra.

A New Blog

Oh look, a new blog! New things are a bit tricky. While it's fun to have something unfamiliar to play with, you also have to decide what exactly it is that you want out of that thing. Then you have to figure out how to maintain it. That goes for anything. In the case of this blog, I have the following to consider: Is the purpose to update acquaintances on recent happenings? Is it to share my innermost thoughts and ponderings? Some balance of both? Should I type with a formal voice or a casual voice?

After some contemplation, I've decided to treat this the same way I've treated most things in life thus far: I'll do whatever the hell I feel like doing at first and see what works and what doesn't.

I already have a few things figured out. First off, I should be mindful about the length of my posts and not dawdle too long on expressing any one thought, because the average human attention span is disappointingly short.