Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Average LeBron-Hater

Hi all! Long time no see, but I decided that, with the new NBA season underway, it's time to rejuvenate my blog.

Let me take you guys back to the NBA offseason summer, where this dude once said...

"I'm going to take my talents to South Beach, and uh, join the Miami Heat."

This will apply to 1) those who are with me or 2) those who are against me.
You guys are in for a treat, cause you get to hear me vent about how much I HATE this guy named LeBron James. Sorry in advance for those LeBron lovers out there.


I'd like to bring your attention to the first game of the NBA season: the Miami Heat vs. the Boston Celtics.

As a Lakers fan, I HATE the Celtics, but I was rooting for them during their matchup against LeBron. And in the end, the Celtics prevailed. That's just how much I hate LeBron. To root for a team that I hate...that's saying something. Congrats dude, you almost got a double-double. 30 points and 8 turnovers. Props to you.

Celtics: 88; Heat 80

Looks like you took your talents to Miami, but it just wasn't good enough buddy boy. You left Cleveland to win more games, and what a great way to start off the season eh? Losing with your superfriends. Also, without you, your old ballclub beat the Celtics today (the day after you lost to them). Who needs your 30 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds per game?


Celtics: 87; Cavaliers 95

Looks like YOU were bringing them down.
Until then, GO KOBE BRYANT. I love you man! Keep kicking ass.


Sunday, June 6, 2010

Average Roommates!

You know there's something wrong when you can't show your own mother your room when she comes to visit her son.
You definitely realize there's something wrong when every time you enter your dorm, your face cringes due to the pungent smell of of the room.

Fortunately, my nasal passages adapt to the smell after being in the room for more than 10 seconds. That is, until I leave and re-enter my room again, and that SAME pungent smell of sex, sweat, and cum re-enters my nose; thus, creating the John-Andy cycle of nasal readaptation.

Everyone always asks me how I deal with my roommate situation. I always answer with, "It's no big deal." Until my last couple of weeks here, I realized that the only reason why I thought that way was because I was introduced to the dorm life this way, thinking everyone went through the same thing I did. But man...was I wrong.

What exactly is the roommate situation and dorm life that I was exposed to?
Well, I live in a building called Dykstra Hall. This is the oldest residence hall at UCLA. The rooms are small, carpeting is old, but the people here are great: social, friendly, and smart. Everything you look for in a significant other, you can find it here. I live in a triple, with THREE bunks beds. Hear that? THREE living spaces, but FOUR people live in room. How is that possible? I mean, that fourth person would have to sleep on the floor, or even worse, share a twin-sized bunk bed with one of my roommates.

Turns out, that fourth roommate is a girl. Her name is Caitlin, and she does sleep on the same bed as my other roommate, Phil. Here she is:

This is what I see every morning when I wake up. yay! Sometimes at night, I have trouble falling asleep, but thank god I have Phil and Caitlin sleeping under me to send gentle vibrations that rock me to sleep.


Here's Andy. He's super chill. Very clean person. Good roomie to have. Before coming to UCLA, I wasn't exposed to many white people, so I found them quite intimidating. Before the school year started, I was terrified because both my roommates were white! Turns out, Andy is harmless. The only difference is that he's 2 feet taller than me. Thanks Andy, if it weren't for you, I never would've gotten over this little fear of mine.


Here's Phil. He's a pretty cool guy, but, like any other person, has a couple of flaws. When you sign up for roommate preferences, there's a section about your cleanliness.

Cleaning Habits: How would you rate your cleanliness?



Moderately Messy

You see, UCLA forgot to add a FILTHY Messy button, because that's where he would be rated.

Other than the countless sexiles this year, the cum/sweat smell, beer and alcohol spills, messiness, vomit stains, uninvited guests, dust bunnies the size of real bunnies, multicellular organisms/eukaryotes/fungi growing on Phil's desk, bras and shit-stained thongs on the ground, and fruit flies everywhere, my first year with these guys was fun. Thanks room 644!

After living with Phil and Caitlin for so long, Andy and I actually got to know what it would have been like if they weren't there. It was the last week of school, and Phil and Caitlin left early.

So what do you get when Phil and Caitlin move out and only John and Andy are left?

You could actually see our floor!

-Average John.

p.s. Though I may seem bitter, I do love all my roommates.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Average Look

Everyone comes out of high school knowing what looks "good" and what doesn't, what's in and what's not.
Coming from the Bay Area, I've noticed that the style in Los Angeles (LA) is a little different from back home. Sadly, what I've come to think looks "good" is unfortunately no longer in style in LA.
So the Great debate arises...
So-Cal.....................................................or........................................................... Nor-Cal?
















(Photos courtesy of Maki Productions!)


For some reason, polos aren't very fashionable in Los Angeles, so I'm forced to leave my polos at home. I also found out about another fashionable clothing article in Los Angeles: flip-flops. Back in San Jose, I never wore sandals or flip-flops. If I was caught wearing sandals or flip-flops, then I was probably wearing socks too. My white feet were never, and I mean never, in sight. EVER. That is, until I moved to Los Angeles. Suddenly, I had the confidence to share my feet with the rest of the world. Enjoy my smelly feet while you can, all you So-Calians out there.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Average Misconception!

Funny thing happened to me this year.
My friend, A-Fro, decided to look up the word "metrosexual" on www.urbandictionary.com one day and he immediately thought of me.

Ever since that day, my floormates have acknowledged me as "metro John." It's honestly pretty funny, but I have a feeling that this name is going to stick for as long as I'm in college. Great.
Here's what urbandictionary said:


































Going by these rules, I technically don't break any of these.

1. You just can't walk past a Banana Republic store without making a purchase. +.25/1

-I only own one article of clothing from this store. (No, it's not a man-purse; it's a polo).

2. You own 20 pairs of shoes, half a dozen pairs of sunglasses, just as many watches and you carry a man-purse. +.5/1

-I own about 10 pairs of shoes (basically all vans) because my friend, BK, hooked it up with 50% discount when he used to work there. Whoot whoot!


3. You see a stylist instead of a barber, because barbers don't do highlights.


-I've been getting haircuts from my friend, Nielsen, in his bathroom since 10th grade (pretty ghetto if you ask me).

4. You can make her lamb shanks and risotto for dinner and Eggs Benedict for breakfast... all from scratch.
-I can make scrambled eggs. That's about it.


5. You only wear Calvin Klein boxer-briefs.

-I do wear boxer-briefs, but the Hanes brand.



6. You shave more than just your face. You also exfoliate and moisturize. +1/1

-Okay. You got me here. What's 1 of out 6?


7. You would never, ever own a pickup truck. +1/1

-Fine. 2 out of 7 isn't too bad. Got me here again.

8. You can't imagine a day without hair styling products.

-I have gone many, many days without wax. More than I can count.

9. You'd rather drink wine than beer... but you'll find out what estate and vintage first.

-I hate wine.

10. Despite being flattered (even proud) that gay guys hit on you, you still find the thought of actually getting intimate with another man truly repulsive.
-Funny requirement, but this would definitely have to be a no.

2.75
out of 10? I think it's safe to say that I do not fall under the category of being "metrosexual." Tell me what you think. Remember, my reputation is on the line here, so please help me turn this average misconception into a BIG misconception!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Average Friend

There are 2 types of friends you make: the whatever "friend" and the friend friend.
First off, there's "the whatever friend." Simply stated, these people come and go. Here's a list of a couple you might run into.

1. The Hit-and-Run Friend
You meet this person once. You guys click....but you never see them ever again. Just a one-night stand type of thing.

2. The "Hi, How Are You" Friend.
You make a lot of small talk with this person, but after a while, you guys run out of things to say. The "Hi, How Are You" Friend turns into someone you wave to and smile at when you awkwardly run into each other.

3. The Facebook Friend.
You meet this person and add him/her on facebook. You comment their facebook wall once or twice and never think of them ever again. They're just good for uping your friend count and making you look cool once you hit the 1000-friend mark, unlike our old buddy Tom here...
>

4. The Acquaintance.
This person was in your class. You use him for notes and he uses you for notes. End of story.

Now there's the real friend friend. These people mean something to you because after all, they are your friends right?

1. The Psychiatrist.
You have problems, but luckily, this friend is always there to hear you out and make you feel better.

2. The Floormate.
You see them everyday.You can't help but get to know them on a more personal level.


3. The Freeloader.
I've heard once before that a true friend isn't someone that is afraid of eating your food; they're the reason why you don't have food in the first place. You feel so comfortable with this person that you guys don't care what about what the other person thinks.

4. Stated VERY Simply, The Friend.
They can be completely different from you. They can be exactly the same as you. You could've known them from as long as 10 years to as little as 6 months. None of it matters, because in the end, they'll always be there




Now take a look at your friends. It doesn't matter how many friends you have. What really matters is who your friends are. You don't want the average friend. What you should strive for is the exceptional friend, so get out there and get to know your "Hi, how are you" and facebook friends and become friend friends with them.

I will do the same.
-Wish me luck on my quest on going from average John to popular John.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Average Name

JT.
Type this on Google. Or even better, walk up to someone and say JT. Just like Google, that person will think of Justin Timberlake. After all, he is Justin Timberlake, the one and only. Adored by many in the 90's. An N'sync icon. 6 Grammys, 2 Emmys.

I am John Tran, one of many. 6 billion people in the world. 196 million Johns. 10 million with the surname Tran. Born in the 90's. No awards. A high school diploma. (One thing in common with the other JT). How else can I say this? I'm like Shia Labeouf in Even Stevens. I'm like a unicorn without a horn. I'm like a Metapod who knows how to harden.


So what? I'm not telling you this so that you could pity me. I'm telling you so that you could know where I'm coming from. So that you could know that I'm not someone great. I'm average. I'm not the six foot NBA point guard that I want to be. Everything may seem a little exaggerated, but the point I'm trying to make is this: instead of moping over your failed attempts, keep trying until you get something going for you.

Take it from someone who knows his stuff. As the great JT once said, "Cry me a River." You could sit at home and mope about how average you are, cry about what you could have done, live your life based on regrets, but in the end, you did not get anything done. Your tears don't mean anything to Justin Timberlake. He's telling you to get out there and keep trying until you make it big.

My name is JT. I am not Justin Timberlake, but I made it to college. And soon enough, I will not be your average John.