Feeling utterly disgusted with myself right now. Rightly so after consuming, what, a fellow creature from every meat group?
Most of the day was spent on the "grill-a-meat" tradition, widely known as "BBQ". Then came the "stuff your face" phase. Now I am at the "feel utterly disgusted with yourself" stage.
Why do we feel compelled to shove down as much food as we can when it's all laid out infront of us? You know.. you go into a buffet and you count the number of plates you went through, calculating whether you are breaking even with the price of admission.
Sad. Greedy things we are.
Anyways, while whirling the t-shirt above my head mimicking helicopter blades (trying to cool myself down after a shower), I recalled the conversation I had with my mom earlier today. It was a short one, about how neither of us have a real home right now and how without one we feel like we are not rooted. That's a good word, "rooted". So that's the next goal to find a place to grow our roots. Then I went on to explain the whole global warming situation and how we need to pick a place that's not too close to the water or streams so that we won't be flooded and a spot where it's relatively safe from tornados and earthquakes.
That reminds me, there's a good quote in Al Gore's book "An Inconvenient Truth" that rings so true:
"Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood - it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words 'Too late'. There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance in our neglect. .."
- Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Yah, back to the immediate task at hand - turn in code.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Monday, July 03, 2006
Happy Birthday America
Boom! Boom! Boom! SHHHHhh......
Watching fireworks shooting off towards the sky and exploding into hundreds of bright sparkles of light is one of those timeless things. During the spectacular displays you took some quick trips down memory lane. Whether it be a visit back to the first firework show you've ever seen or reminiscing that person(s) you were with at the last event.
This year's display had some new ones that I haven't seen or heard before. It starts up as others, shooting for the stars, then it explodes into that "fireworks" pattern but.. wait..wait.. there's a surprise at the end of each string of light.. another spot of colorful light illuminates and kinda fizzes through the air before disappearing into the night. The other one explodes and it makes this loud shussshhhh.. sound.
Cool. By the end of the show, I have reverted back to 5 years old, and was calling out "Booom! Boom!! Booom!!" with each firework that exploded up in the air.
What tickled me as well was when one of the performer at the town event wanted everyone to pull out their cellphones and wave them in the air as we all sing along with him to the theme song.
Brilliant.. that man is brilliant. And like he wanted, a lot of us in the crowd whipped out our gadgets and proudly displayed our love for the country through the sea of brightly lit, swaying, LED screens.
Happy Birthday - United States of America.
Watching fireworks shooting off towards the sky and exploding into hundreds of bright sparkles of light is one of those timeless things. During the spectacular displays you took some quick trips down memory lane. Whether it be a visit back to the first firework show you've ever seen or reminiscing that person(s) you were with at the last event.
This year's display had some new ones that I haven't seen or heard before. It starts up as others, shooting for the stars, then it explodes into that "fireworks" pattern but.. wait..wait.. there's a surprise at the end of each string of light.. another spot of colorful light illuminates and kinda fizzes through the air before disappearing into the night. The other one explodes and it makes this loud shussshhhh.. sound.
Cool. By the end of the show, I have reverted back to 5 years old, and was calling out "Booom! Boom!! Booom!!" with each firework that exploded up in the air.
What tickled me as well was when one of the performer at the town event wanted everyone to pull out their cellphones and wave them in the air as we all sing along with him to the theme song.
Brilliant.. that man is brilliant. And like he wanted, a lot of us in the crowd whipped out our gadgets and proudly displayed our love for the country through the sea of brightly lit, swaying, LED screens.
Happy Birthday - United States of America.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Love At First Sight
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I think it's possibly but extremely rare. Never to commit, that's a good answer right? Well, I should correct myself, not that I don't give out definite answers, but unless you can prove it for certain, it should remain open to what is possible and what is not. It's like winning the lotto. Will I be the lucky winner one day? Highly unlikely but it is plausible.
Anyways, for me, I think I am more like a crock pot. Instant attraction maybe, but, I wouldn't call it love. What's love anyways? With one glance can I tell this is the person I am meant to be with the rest of my life? Nah.. I am too practical and skeptical to let my gut feeling take over. It really sucks being a Virgo + Asian combo sometimes. Practicality rules every decision, well not if I have to pee or not, you know what I mean. By the time I justify my choices, several times, opportunities have slipped away. For example, those nice clothe belts I should've bought in Taiwan, even though the colors weren't the exact ones I was looking for, but darn it! It's good enough, just buy the dam thing! Frivolous example, but ..
Regrets, unfortunate by products of a too practical person.
A sweet movie Imagine Me & You, predictable and somewhat unrealistic, but it's a romantic comedy so one shouldn't concern themselves with those details. The heart of the story is about meeting that one person that you click with and know with a strong degree of certainty that, yup, this is it, this is the person I am meant to be with.
The cast is gorgeous. Very pleasant on the eyes indeed. After watching a British production, I've always end up talking with a British clip, or trying at least for several days. Anyways, another bit of useless info I like to throw out about myself.
Back to the movie... I liked it, I liked it a lot. I read a lot of different books and watch whole array of movies, but always am a sucker for a story with happy endings for all. Piper Perabo's performance was surprisingly pleasant. I've seen her in couple other movies but this one so far showed off her incredibly convincing British accent and her acting! Quite different from her previous dark roles. Lena Headey, I sure would like to see more of her work in the future. After looking up her info, found that Lena Headey was the woman from Brothers Grimm. No wonder she looked a bit familiar. Liked the director later revealed in the commentary, the slight lingering glances said it all.
Together, Piper (Rachel) and Lena's (Luce) characters made a cute couple. They had great on-screen chemistry. Actually, the 4 main characters had pretty good rapport, believable.
Mathew Goode is just down right charmingly handsome. He seemed so tall and upright in the scenes. This is the first time I've actually found a guy's neckline attractive and incredibly sexy? Puzzling to me as well. The region from the base of Mathew Goode's neck to his shoulder is just soo.. soo... good to look at! Casting director -- you did well. Which is what I can't say about the Da Vinci Code's picks.
Imagine Me & You is PG-13 in my books. Which is fine. You don't need much spit trading to tell a sweet story. There are a lot of tender moments in the movie and that's what made this pic a joy to watch.
Love at first sight, although highly unlikely, I sure wouldn't mind getting zapped one day or zap someone.
I think it's possibly but extremely rare. Never to commit, that's a good answer right? Well, I should correct myself, not that I don't give out definite answers, but unless you can prove it for certain, it should remain open to what is possible and what is not. It's like winning the lotto. Will I be the lucky winner one day? Highly unlikely but it is plausible.
Anyways, for me, I think I am more like a crock pot. Instant attraction maybe, but, I wouldn't call it love. What's love anyways? With one glance can I tell this is the person I am meant to be with the rest of my life? Nah.. I am too practical and skeptical to let my gut feeling take over. It really sucks being a Virgo + Asian combo sometimes. Practicality rules every decision, well not if I have to pee or not, you know what I mean. By the time I justify my choices, several times, opportunities have slipped away. For example, those nice clothe belts I should've bought in Taiwan, even though the colors weren't the exact ones I was looking for, but darn it! It's good enough, just buy the dam thing! Frivolous example, but ..
Regrets, unfortunate by products of a too practical person.
A sweet movie Imagine Me & You, predictable and somewhat unrealistic, but it's a romantic comedy so one shouldn't concern themselves with those details. The heart of the story is about meeting that one person that you click with and know with a strong degree of certainty that, yup, this is it, this is the person I am meant to be with.
The cast is gorgeous. Very pleasant on the eyes indeed. After watching a British production, I've always end up talking with a British clip, or trying at least for several days. Anyways, another bit of useless info I like to throw out about myself.
Back to the movie... I liked it, I liked it a lot. I read a lot of different books and watch whole array of movies, but always am a sucker for a story with happy endings for all. Piper Perabo's performance was surprisingly pleasant. I've seen her in couple other movies but this one so far showed off her incredibly convincing British accent and her acting! Quite different from her previous dark roles. Lena Headey, I sure would like to see more of her work in the future. After looking up her info, found that Lena Headey was the woman from Brothers Grimm. No wonder she looked a bit familiar. Liked the director later revealed in the commentary, the slight lingering glances said it all.
Together, Piper (Rachel) and Lena's (Luce) characters made a cute couple. They had great on-screen chemistry. Actually, the 4 main characters had pretty good rapport, believable.
Mathew Goode is just down right charmingly handsome. He seemed so tall and upright in the scenes. This is the first time I've actually found a guy's neckline attractive and incredibly sexy? Puzzling to me as well. The region from the base of Mathew Goode's neck to his shoulder is just soo.. soo... good to look at! Casting director -- you did well. Which is what I can't say about the Da Vinci Code's picks.
Imagine Me & You is PG-13 in my books. Which is fine. You don't need much spit trading to tell a sweet story. There are a lot of tender moments in the movie and that's what made this pic a joy to watch.
Love at first sight, although highly unlikely, I sure wouldn't mind getting zapped one day or zap someone.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Rewards and Points
Drenched. That's how the entire North East Coast felt over the weekend. Rain, rain, and more rain.
Pride and Prejudice was the Saturday night entertainment. I have to join the nay-sayers. The movie gets thumbs down from me. It was long and boring. I fell asleep and possibly snored? The performances were flat and seemed a bit forced on Keira Knightley's part. Go back Keria! Go and make more Pirates sequels! I liked her better as a sword wielding lady than this dull character. This interpretation version of Jane Austen's book is sooo weak when compared to the 1995 Sense and Sensibility. What am I saying, it's weak regardless. With Ang Lee's direction and Emma Thompson's script, the dialogues in Sense and Sensibility came alive and the wit, the humor, and of course superbly executed by Emma Thompson. Bottom line, Pride and Prejuice --- Booo! Sense and Sensibility --- Yeahhhh!
Sunday afternoon I was tempted to go outside in my slickers to scrub the streak of bird poop off my Element until my cousin informed me that in the event I do get struck by lightening, she will not be collecting my body until the rain has stopped. After some careful consideration, I went back to working on the dam RSA portal server setup, and there I remained in my room as a prisoner tied by the 2 laptops for the rest of the night into the wee hours of the morning.
Which leads me to the subject of this particular blog entry. Rewards. What better way to break from work than to figure out how many reward points one has earned while swiping away? After reviewing all my credit cards, looks like Discover and Citibank Dividend Platinum are the winners in the point rewarding world right now. 5% back on gas, grocers, and drug stores.
Bye bye Chase.
Pride and Prejudice was the Saturday night entertainment. I have to join the nay-sayers. The movie gets thumbs down from me. It was long and boring. I fell asleep and possibly snored? The performances were flat and seemed a bit forced on Keira Knightley's part. Go back Keria! Go and make more Pirates sequels! I liked her better as a sword wielding lady than this dull character. This interpretation version of Jane Austen's book is sooo weak when compared to the 1995 Sense and Sensibility. What am I saying, it's weak regardless. With Ang Lee's direction and Emma Thompson's script, the dialogues in Sense and Sensibility came alive and the wit, the humor, and of course superbly executed by Emma Thompson. Bottom line, Pride and Prejuice --- Booo! Sense and Sensibility --- Yeahhhh!
Sunday afternoon I was tempted to go outside in my slickers to scrub the streak of bird poop off my Element until my cousin informed me that in the event I do get struck by lightening, she will not be collecting my body until the rain has stopped. After some careful consideration, I went back to working on the dam RSA portal server setup, and there I remained in my room as a prisoner tied by the 2 laptops for the rest of the night into the wee hours of the morning.
Which leads me to the subject of this particular blog entry. Rewards. What better way to break from work than to figure out how many reward points one has earned while swiping away? After reviewing all my credit cards, looks like Discover and Citibank Dividend Platinum are the winners in the point rewarding world right now. 5% back on gas, grocers, and drug stores.
Bye bye Chase.
Monday, June 19, 2006
RSA
Rational .. wait.. wait.. I know this.. "RSA", "Rational Software Architect". Fine, so I cheated.. anyways.. back to the coding grind again. It's definetely a shocker to the system to be coding again after a good 9 month of non-programming work. Blah.. first day I got the laptop with all the build environment shipped to me, I must have swore at least 200 times. I think I went from a sailor to like captian of the boat.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Black Cloud
Weather this weekend have been sweaty. That's one word to describe it. Sunny as hell (oxymoron there), but I see shadows wherever I go, black clouds hanging.
Father's day -- my dad is with my uncle in PA, my mom is in Louisiana, my bro in Hawaii, and I myself is in NJ. "4 people, 4 different places" as my grandma puts it. Grandma, in bed, not able to move due to injury from falling in the middle of the night 2 weeks ago. The phrase "I've fallen and I can't get up." will no longer be a silly TV ad to me. I've the image of my grandma hurt, silently calling for help in the middle of the night laying there cuz she really cannot move.
Black clouds.
I couldn't even think of what mental thoughts to jot down on the train ride home tonight. It's all so jumbled up here.
Music once again expresses what I can't in words: Elba by E.S. Posthumus.
Father's day -- my dad is with my uncle in PA, my mom is in Louisiana, my bro in Hawaii, and I myself is in NJ. "4 people, 4 different places" as my grandma puts it. Grandma, in bed, not able to move due to injury from falling in the middle of the night 2 weeks ago. The phrase "I've fallen and I can't get up." will no longer be a silly TV ad to me. I've the image of my grandma hurt, silently calling for help in the middle of the night laying there cuz she really cannot move.
Black clouds.
I couldn't even think of what mental thoughts to jot down on the train ride home tonight. It's all so jumbled up here.
Music once again expresses what I can't in words: Elba by E.S. Posthumus.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Semester Bills
While watching "So You Think You Can Dance", yes, lovely program, I was sorting out the boxes of memories from my younger days. Tonight in particular I went through my past academic "stuff".
I am a packrat. I still got my elementary school report cards. Hey those are important!! If I ever have kids, I'll make them keep it as well and the only chance they'll get to throw them away is when they burn it along with me when I finally croak. Yah, I wouldn't want to be buried. Such a confined space. I would rather be spread into the ocean or sea or wherever, preferably somewhere with clean air and water. Take note future child.
Anyways, so I was talking about my inability to part with things. But tonight, I made some progress. Thank goodness for scanners! Whoever invented the scanner is a genius and perhaps the biggest packrat of them all. The mother of all packrats! the ancestor! the master! the legend!
Okie.. off my meds tonight.. so.. I digress again. I love scanning, scanning and filing all of it away in my computer, makes me so happy.
Here I am close to midnight scanning in my semester bills from college days.
It's a good day.
I am a packrat. I still got my elementary school report cards. Hey those are important!! If I ever have kids, I'll make them keep it as well and the only chance they'll get to throw them away is when they burn it along with me when I finally croak. Yah, I wouldn't want to be buried. Such a confined space. I would rather be spread into the ocean or sea or wherever, preferably somewhere with clean air and water. Take note future child.
Anyways, so I was talking about my inability to part with things. But tonight, I made some progress. Thank goodness for scanners! Whoever invented the scanner is a genius and perhaps the biggest packrat of them all. The mother of all packrats! the ancestor! the master! the legend!
Okie.. off my meds tonight.. so.. I digress again. I love scanning, scanning and filing all of it away in my computer, makes me so happy.
Here I am close to midnight scanning in my semester bills from college days.
It's a good day.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Hustle & Flow
Just finished watching Terrence Dashon Howard in the film Hustle & Flow. Great film. You got the non-typical protagonist of the story -- a pimp, and the supporting cast, mainly -- his hos. Pardon the language, but just going with the flow now. With these characters to start with how can the movie ever get boring?
We get a glimpse of what it's like to be DJay, even if just for a little bit. A man going through his midlife crisis, questioning "is this it for me?" Now that's a man I can relate to; a character all of us can identify with at one point or the other.
"It ain't over for me. No, it ain't over for me." DJay raps over and over. Everyman's got to have a dream.
It ain't over for me either.
We get a glimpse of what it's like to be DJay, even if just for a little bit. A man going through his midlife crisis, questioning "is this it for me?" Now that's a man I can relate to; a character all of us can identify with at one point or the other.
"It ain't over for me. No, it ain't over for me." DJay raps over and over. Everyman's got to have a dream.
It ain't over for me either.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Karoke in My Room
Now, I am sure everyone, even those that won't admit it to others, when there's no one else in the car with ya and the radio is up playing your favorite tune, you find yourself start with the humming. Then your foot taps along with the beat, next comes your fingers on the steering wheel. You gain that little bit of confidence (well since you can hardly hear yourself because the music is loud enough for the car next to you to name that tune even with the windows up) and the head start bobbing and then all of a sudden you hear yourself belting out that favorite line "I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky!..." ehhh.. or whatever is on your CD at the moment.
It's a nice moment isn't it?
No one around to critic you on how off key you are or to suggest that you take a lesson before ever consider singing infront of children.
Anyways, I had those moments today. Instead of doing my work, well, I did some work, but mostly I was engrossed recording myself singing along with my fav songs.
Three tracks. I recorded 3 tracks last night. They sounded alright. I wouldn't be distributing them anytime soon.
It's a nice moment isn't it?
No one around to critic you on how off key you are or to suggest that you take a lesson before ever consider singing infront of children.
Anyways, I had those moments today. Instead of doing my work, well, I did some work, but mostly I was engrossed recording myself singing along with my fav songs.
Three tracks. I recorded 3 tracks last night. They sounded alright. I wouldn't be distributing them anytime soon.
Friday, June 09, 2006
DIY - Saved Some Money
I didn't save any money on my car insurance today but I did save some $$ by changing out the wiperblades on my car. Well technically only the refills for the blades.
Yah really nothing to brag about, but I do feel better about myself. Cheap therapy.
Whole process took me a good 30 minutes at least. Cuz I am slow and didn't realize the trick to it until I've mucked around for 15 minutes. Hopefully this set of blades refills will last at least another 3 years.
2 front refills = 6.38
1 rear refill = 3.19
Total cost = 9.57
Not bad, not bad at all. Now my little Element is ready for the rain.
Thanks H and A Accessories!
Yah really nothing to brag about, but I do feel better about myself. Cheap therapy.
Whole process took me a good 30 minutes at least. Cuz I am slow and didn't realize the trick to it until I've mucked around for 15 minutes. Hopefully this set of blades refills will last at least another 3 years.
2 front refills = 6.38
1 rear refill = 3.19
Total cost = 9.57
Not bad, not bad at all. Now my little Element is ready for the rain.
Thanks H and A Accessories!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Researching Doctors
Why aren't there forums out there for people to recommend doctors in their hometown area? Huh?
Isn't it frustrating for everyone to figure out which docs are lifesavers and which ones might push you one step closer to the grave?
Okay fine, I might be a little dramatic, but seriously, I racked up some good hours each time I move to a new place or need a new doctor.
Maybe that'll be my money making scheme.. mohhhahahahaa... shh...
Anyways, so instead of working on work, I was doing searches on the web and then cross referencing the different search results to compile a PDF doc with comments on each docs. Yes, I am anal, and I am proud.
Here's the process. Since I have Health Net and their doc finder doesn't really provide details on where the docs went to school and what is their background, I had to do the following (Health Net! Pay attention!):
1 - Search for doctors in my area in Health Net
2 - Print search results into PDF
3 - Search for docs in my area in UnitedHealthcare
4 - Cross reference doctors in PDF file with the results from UnitedHealthcare and take down notes
5 - Search for docs in my area in Aetna
6 - Cross reference doctors in PDF file with the results from Aetna and take down notes
7 - Read over my PDF with notes and then decide which doctor to call up.
Phew!! You telling me!!
In addition, I also like to check to see if the medical doctors are listed in American Board of Medical Specialties or in American Medical Association.
Always good to know who's going to be looking over you or operating on you. Too many horror stories out there about weirdos with fake certificates pretenting to be some medical profession.
Ah, at least several hours of work is not in vain. Buys me some comfort in narrowing down the choices.
Oh yah, I finally remember why I am blogging about researching for docs.. cuz I need one to look at the mellon sitting on top of my shoulders. A month after I was attacked by an electrical pole (full story here) I am still feeling the slight bump, depression and what seems like a crack on my upper right portion of my skull. Figured I better get it checked out in case I am leaking brain fluid.
Isn't it frustrating for everyone to figure out which docs are lifesavers and which ones might push you one step closer to the grave?
Okay fine, I might be a little dramatic, but seriously, I racked up some good hours each time I move to a new place or need a new doctor.
Maybe that'll be my money making scheme.. mohhhahahahaa... shh...
Anyways, so instead of working on work, I was doing searches on the web and then cross referencing the different search results to compile a PDF doc with comments on each docs. Yes, I am anal, and I am proud.
Here's the process. Since I have Health Net and their doc finder doesn't really provide details on where the docs went to school and what is their background, I had to do the following (Health Net! Pay attention!):
1 - Search for doctors in my area in Health Net
2 - Print search results into PDF
3 - Search for docs in my area in UnitedHealthcare
4 - Cross reference doctors in PDF file with the results from UnitedHealthcare and take down notes
5 - Search for docs in my area in Aetna
6 - Cross reference doctors in PDF file with the results from Aetna and take down notes
7 - Read over my PDF with notes and then decide which doctor to call up.
Phew!! You telling me!!
In addition, I also like to check to see if the medical doctors are listed in American Board of Medical Specialties or in American Medical Association.
Always good to know who's going to be looking over you or operating on you. Too many horror stories out there about weirdos with fake certificates pretenting to be some medical profession.
Ah, at least several hours of work is not in vain. Buys me some comfort in narrowing down the choices.
Oh yah, I finally remember why I am blogging about researching for docs.. cuz I need one to look at the mellon sitting on top of my shoulders. A month after I was attacked by an electrical pole (full story here) I am still feeling the slight bump, depression and what seems like a crack on my upper right portion of my skull. Figured I better get it checked out in case I am leaking brain fluid.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
MOMA - Revisited
Finally met up with a long time college friend in the city today. America is so big and with everyone's schedule, meetings like these are hard to come by.
MOMA it was. Working for corporate America does have its perks -- free admission to some top museums. But not at the Guggenheim though! Cheap @#f@#$. I shouldn't be so harsh, at least I get in some places for free.
Snapped while waiting for friend to show up. Classic streets of NYC.
We went through the exhibitions pretty quickly. Neither of us think too deeply about what the artist was thinking when they created their painting, art, or sculpture. Art is too subjective for me. Some of those paintings hung on the walls look like chicken scratches to me. But I am impressed with all the artists who managed to have others acknowledge their work as "art".
Is it superb marketing? Knowing the right people? Or really 100% talent?
Who knows. I did find some pieces that attracted me visually.
Rene Magritte - The Empire of Light II
Yves Tanguy - Extinction of Useless Light
Barnett Newman - Vir Heroicus Sublimis
I don't know the painter, but the guy matched the painting.
Open Early
Open Late
Open 7 Days
Mohahahahaa!!! I rhymed! As I crack myself up reading outloud Commerce Bank's logo, my friend looked down at me and said "yo, you stupid".
God it's good to have friends.
MOMA it was. Working for corporate America does have its perks -- free admission to some top museums. But not at the Guggenheim though! Cheap @#f@#$. I shouldn't be so harsh, at least I get in some places for free.
Snapped while waiting for friend to show up. Classic streets of NYC.We went through the exhibitions pretty quickly. Neither of us think too deeply about what the artist was thinking when they created their painting, art, or sculpture. Art is too subjective for me. Some of those paintings hung on the walls look like chicken scratches to me. But I am impressed with all the artists who managed to have others acknowledge their work as "art".
Is it superb marketing? Knowing the right people? Or really 100% talent?
Who knows. I did find some pieces that attracted me visually.
Rene Magritte - The Empire of Light II
Yves Tanguy - Extinction of Useless Light
Barnett Newman - Vir Heroicus Sublimis
I don't know the painter, but the guy matched the painting.Open Early
Open Late
Open 7 Days
Mohahahahaa!!! I rhymed! As I crack myself up reading outloud Commerce Bank's logo, my friend looked down at me and said "yo, you stupid".
God it's good to have friends.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Scrubbing and Washing in the Rain
June -- has been temperamental so far.
Humid, cool, thunderstorms, and sunny days. Today ranked in the constant downpour to scattered showers range. Someone up there probably heard my pleas for reasons to procrastinate further so they granted me water --- free water!!!
Cheap ass like me can't give up this grand opportunity to get a free car wash. What happened to all those handwashed car services? Now majority of them have those tunnels installed where your car is moved through the spray, scrub, rinse, and blow dry cycle.
Part of the process involves some human labor, but most of the work is done by metal equipment. [Robots are going to take over the world!!]
Anyways, I've always wanted to wash my car in the rain. Doesn't everyone? So I did a quick change into my wet gear:
- Children's Place yellow slicker (it's so cute!)
- sandles
- shorts
Armed with an umbrella and a towel, into the rain I went. Oh, I was out there for good 30 - 40 minutes, giving the Element a good scrub and wipe down. Getting to places ignored by the machines. I am sure all the neighbors think there's a crazy Asian living amongst them. Whatever, I enjoyed the activity.
It's a cleansing feeling. Just you, the car, and the rain. Oh yah, and the garbage can you forgot to bring in for 2 nights now.
Pitter Patter, down came the splatter.
Humid, cool, thunderstorms, and sunny days. Today ranked in the constant downpour to scattered showers range. Someone up there probably heard my pleas for reasons to procrastinate further so they granted me water --- free water!!!
Cheap ass like me can't give up this grand opportunity to get a free car wash. What happened to all those handwashed car services? Now majority of them have those tunnels installed where your car is moved through the spray, scrub, rinse, and blow dry cycle.
Part of the process involves some human labor, but most of the work is done by metal equipment. [Robots are going to take over the world!!]
Anyways, I've always wanted to wash my car in the rain. Doesn't everyone? So I did a quick change into my wet gear:
- Children's Place yellow slicker (it's so cute!)
- sandles
- shorts
Armed with an umbrella and a towel, into the rain I went. Oh, I was out there for good 30 - 40 minutes, giving the Element a good scrub and wipe down. Getting to places ignored by the machines. I am sure all the neighbors think there's a crazy Asian living amongst them. Whatever, I enjoyed the activity.
It's a cleansing feeling. Just you, the car, and the rain. Oh yah, and the garbage can you forgot to bring in for 2 nights now.
Pitter Patter, down came the splatter.
Friday, June 02, 2006
A Fine Example of Idiocy
I've been waiting for my new Cingular wireless phones to arrive since the day I placed the order. You know how it goes. Place the order, wait wait wait for the order confirmation and the shipping tracking number. Get the number and click on the link to see the updated shipping status every 5 minutes..
Finally the phones have arrived! Being my usual anal self, I started going through all 4 boxes of Sony Ericsson z520a to make sure everything is there. Ah ha! I found one of the phones have a pretty big scratch on the bottom of the internal screen. Getting pissy I mumbled to myself "What is this? Is this like one of those phones that customers returned? How come the packaging folks didn't think about adding on a sheet of clear plastic to protect the screens?"
So the next step logical of an unhappy customer is to call up someone to complain.
"Hi, I just received my new phones from Cingular this morning and there's a pretty big scratch towards the bottom of the internal screen. Is there a way I can get an exchange for my phone?"
"Hi, yes, is the scratch on the plastic covering or on the screen itself?"
"The scratch is not on the external screen but on the inner screen which I don't see a plastic covering. Is there one? Oh wait... let me check."
[Sidebar: I swear I checked to make sure there was no plastic on the internal screen before I made the call!"]
"When the phones are shipped there's usually a cover on both of the screens."
[Then I lifted the little tab on the screen completely... viola!! Look at that!]
"Oh!! sorry about this, yes... there is a plastic cover sheet. I didn't see it before."
"It's ok, a lot of people call in with that problem."
Yes, I felt like an idiot for the rest of the day.
Finally the phones have arrived! Being my usual anal self, I started going through all 4 boxes of Sony Ericsson z520a to make sure everything is there. Ah ha! I found one of the phones have a pretty big scratch on the bottom of the internal screen. Getting pissy I mumbled to myself "What is this? Is this like one of those phones that customers returned? How come the packaging folks didn't think about adding on a sheet of clear plastic to protect the screens?"
So the next step logical of an unhappy customer is to call up someone to complain.
"Hi, I just received my new phones from Cingular this morning and there's a pretty big scratch towards the bottom of the internal screen. Is there a way I can get an exchange for my phone?"
"Hi, yes, is the scratch on the plastic covering or on the screen itself?"
"The scratch is not on the external screen but on the inner screen which I don't see a plastic covering. Is there one? Oh wait... let me check."
[Sidebar: I swear I checked to make sure there was no plastic on the internal screen before I made the call!"]
"When the phones are shipped there's usually a cover on both of the screens."
[Then I lifted the little tab on the screen completely... viola!! Look at that!]
"Oh!! sorry about this, yes... there is a plastic cover sheet. I didn't see it before."
"It's ok, a lot of people call in with that problem."
Yes, I felt like an idiot for the rest of the day.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
We Have No Beef
I was stunned when I heard Bush say the words "We have no beef with Iran." on CNN Live. The president of the United States of America said "we have no beef"? At least Tony Blair is a little more eloquent when he answered the press with "We have no quarrels.. ".
I don't know whether to applaud Mr. Bush for speaking his mind or say "for shame!" for speaking like that on an issue watched closely by the world.
Well have to give it to Bush. He's probably the first president in American history who has ever used the words "we have no beef".
I don't know whether to applaud Mr. Bush for speaking his mind or say "for shame!" for speaking like that on an issue watched closely by the world.
Well have to give it to Bush. He's probably the first president in American history who has ever used the words "we have no beef".
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Clouds & Music - Balm for the Soul
I think we all have one of those days that started out great and then out of nowhere, a mood killer event happens and the day just turned into crap.
Today was one of those days. So like the typical me, I retreated back to my invisible shell and shut the door tightly behind me. I might have even used some duct tape today.
I wonder if turtles ever wished they can have an extra flap? So that after they withdrew their head, from the inside they can push like this little flap of skeleton door and shut the hole so that pesky humans would not be able to poke them with various items. Perhaps.
After a good nap in the Element, by the way for those of you Element owners out there that haven't tried putting all the seats down flat and sleeping in the back, try it! The seats are amazingly comfortable. Prop open the skylight (so I won't run out of air), lay down and look up at the moving clouds, with the sun gently blanketing me with warmth - divine. Moments like this, what more can I ask for? Some people love chocolate, I love resting in my Element. Each to his own. Anyways, I digress. So, I was saying, after a good nap, I felt much more de-stressed.
Then came the discovery of AOL Radio with XM that came with the new AIM Triton. Pretty cool I have to admit. I was surprised there is a Movie Scores station. I guess music scores are more popular than I thought. I love music scores. Found a new album tonight - Veronica Guerin. I have not seen the movie but the station played the track "Conversations". It was hauntingly beautiful.
Music to my ears and clouds for my sore eyes. Maybe the turtle will come out tomorrow.
Today was one of those days. So like the typical me, I retreated back to my invisible shell and shut the door tightly behind me. I might have even used some duct tape today.
I wonder if turtles ever wished they can have an extra flap? So that after they withdrew their head, from the inside they can push like this little flap of skeleton door and shut the hole so that pesky humans would not be able to poke them with various items. Perhaps.
After a good nap in the Element, by the way for those of you Element owners out there that haven't tried putting all the seats down flat and sleeping in the back, try it! The seats are amazingly comfortable. Prop open the skylight (so I won't run out of air), lay down and look up at the moving clouds, with the sun gently blanketing me with warmth - divine. Moments like this, what more can I ask for? Some people love chocolate, I love resting in my Element. Each to his own. Anyways, I digress. So, I was saying, after a good nap, I felt much more de-stressed.
Then came the discovery of AOL Radio with XM that came with the new AIM Triton. Pretty cool I have to admit. I was surprised there is a Movie Scores station. I guess music scores are more popular than I thought. I love music scores. Found a new album tonight - Veronica Guerin. I have not seen the movie but the station played the track "Conversations". It was hauntingly beautiful.
Music to my ears and clouds for my sore eyes. Maybe the turtle will come out tomorrow.
Friday, May 19, 2006
First Step
This morning, and literally this morning, 3:25 AM to be precise, I submitted my first resume to an employment agency after 6+ years out of college.
Whohooo! The feeling after finally pressing that Submit trigger came close to euphoric, as happy one can be at 3 in the morning. It was such a relief! More like I did it step! Well so far no response yet, but at least I didn't get one of those standard - "Thank you for your interest in our company. We have kept your resume in our system and will be contacting you if there are any openings that fit your profit."
So there's hope!
Import Planning Manager, that was the job title. The job description sounded pretty cool. Actually, I am quite excited by the prospect of working with home decor items and use my Chinese background to my advantage. Although, I have a feeling that one day I'll need to go back and learn how to write Chinese, esp Simplified Chinese instead of the Traditional words.
Just another job seeker in Monster, but one big step for little me.
Whohooo! The feeling after finally pressing that Submit trigger came close to euphoric, as happy one can be at 3 in the morning. It was such a relief! More like I did it step! Well so far no response yet, but at least I didn't get one of those standard - "Thank you for your interest in our company. We have kept your resume in our system and will be contacting you if there are any openings that fit your profit."
So there's hope!
Import Planning Manager, that was the job title. The job description sounded pretty cool. Actually, I am quite excited by the prospect of working with home decor items and use my Chinese background to my advantage. Although, I have a feeling that one day I'll need to go back and learn how to write Chinese, esp Simplified Chinese instead of the Traditional words.
Just another job seeker in Monster, but one big step for little me.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
人情
Mommy 說的對, 人情很難還.
佛言: 欲知前世因,今天受者是. 欲知來世果,今生作者是.
如果今世身邊得人都對你很好, 是因你前生修來的福, 還是他們欠你的?
I think it was this morning that I had one of those toilet dreams again. The toilets haven't came back to haunt my dream realm for a long time now. Not once in Taiwan. A long line, I was waiting in a long line outside of a bathroom in a public place. By the time I finally moved up to the front of the line, taking a look at the dirty toilets I decided to forfeit my position and say "Oh, forget it!" What was differen this time is that there weere probably 1 or 2 people ahead of me, but I gave up the chance to relieve my bladder even before I got to position number 1. So what does this mean? That I am giving up too early? That I am giving up without really making an attempt? Or is this about sex somehow? Freud says everything is about some unconscious notion leaning towards some sexual feelings. Something like that right?
佛言: 欲知前世因,今天受者是. 欲知來世果,今生作者是.
如果今世身邊得人都對你很好, 是因你前生修來的福, 還是他們欠你的?
I think it was this morning that I had one of those toilet dreams again. The toilets haven't came back to haunt my dream realm for a long time now. Not once in Taiwan. A long line, I was waiting in a long line outside of a bathroom in a public place. By the time I finally moved up to the front of the line, taking a look at the dirty toilets I decided to forfeit my position and say "Oh, forget it!" What was differen this time is that there weere probably 1 or 2 people ahead of me, but I gave up the chance to relieve my bladder even before I got to position number 1. So what does this mean? That I am giving up too early? That I am giving up without really making an attempt? Or is this about sex somehow? Freud says everything is about some unconscious notion leaning towards some sexual feelings. Something like that right?
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
VOIP - Voiceral
Voiceral should give me a free month of service for the free advertisement I am about to write for them.
Several days after getting back to the States, along with the dreadful thought of going back to work, a more imminent problem was at hand - phone service.
Including me, there are now 3 people in this house working from home and there's only 1 phone line. That won't do. So the search begins for a cheap but good VOIP solution. There was no way I am going to spend precious celly minutes for conf calls. Scouring over the sites and forums for reviews, finally found one that sounded like a good fit for me - Voiceral. The biggest draw for me was their $14.99 plan with unlimited calling to US, Canada + calls to landlines in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. So I figured, what the heck, doesn't hurt to try. Plus they have a 30 day guarantee right?
Shipping & Equipment
--------------------
Online, I ordered the service on 5/10/2006. On 5/15/2006 (there was 2 weekend days) I got the adapter kit consisting of a little silver plastic covered thing (about 3"x2.5"), a short telephone cable, a short Ethernet cable, 2 pieces of paper (directions and features) and the power supply. Following the simple directions, viola! Plugged that sucker in and hey look at that I can make calls!! Very portable.
Voice Quality
-------------
Get to the point right? How's the voice quality? Not bad actually. Some of the calls I made sounded to the others like I am in a conf room, a little bit of echo. But that was about it. Other calls sounded perfectly clear to me, very little breakups. I do notice a little here and there, but it's fine with me. Not too distracting at all. I've made local and long distances calls in the US and also calls to Taiwan. Pretty satisfied with the service so far.
Customer Support
----------------
How's customer support? I called the tech support on the first day when I thought there's something that's preventing my phone ringer to go on mute. Turns out that I dind't check the obvious - dam ringer volume was turne off on my phone itself - Doh, don't I feel like an idiot afterwards. Anyways, although no one answered when I called, I was able to leave a message. The tech support called me back within 2 hours. The response time is something Voiceral can improve in the future, but the tech calling back was pretty courteous so at least that's nice. Under normal circumstances, one probably wouldn't really need to call the tech support too often.
Summary
-------
So overall summary - for my first VOIP service provider, I am pretty happy with Voiceral so far. Hopefully what they advertise is accurate and that I do not incur any extra charges for making calls over to Taiwan, China, or Hong Kong.
By the way there is a $29 one-time setup fee and a $9.99 shipping/handling fee. I didn't see the one time fee until after I placed the order, but it's still cheaper than going with local phone carriers.
Hey if anyone is going to try Voiceral, I can refer you! I get a free month for referals. Of course, this is not the main reason I am writing a review on Voiceral. Just thought I share my experiences :)
Power to the blogs!
Several days after getting back to the States, along with the dreadful thought of going back to work, a more imminent problem was at hand - phone service.
Including me, there are now 3 people in this house working from home and there's only 1 phone line. That won't do. So the search begins for a cheap but good VOIP solution. There was no way I am going to spend precious celly minutes for conf calls. Scouring over the sites and forums for reviews, finally found one that sounded like a good fit for me - Voiceral. The biggest draw for me was their $14.99 plan with unlimited calling to US, Canada + calls to landlines in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. So I figured, what the heck, doesn't hurt to try. Plus they have a 30 day guarantee right?
Shipping & Equipment
--------------------
Online, I ordered the service on 5/10/2006. On 5/15/2006 (there was 2 weekend days) I got the adapter kit consisting of a little silver plastic covered thing (about 3"x2.5"), a short telephone cable, a short Ethernet cable, 2 pieces of paper (directions and features) and the power supply. Following the simple directions, viola! Plugged that sucker in and hey look at that I can make calls!! Very portable.
Voice Quality
-------------
Get to the point right? How's the voice quality? Not bad actually. Some of the calls I made sounded to the others like I am in a conf room, a little bit of echo. But that was about it. Other calls sounded perfectly clear to me, very little breakups. I do notice a little here and there, but it's fine with me. Not too distracting at all. I've made local and long distances calls in the US and also calls to Taiwan. Pretty satisfied with the service so far.
Customer Support
----------------
How's customer support? I called the tech support on the first day when I thought there's something that's preventing my phone ringer to go on mute. Turns out that I dind't check the obvious - dam ringer volume was turne off on my phone itself - Doh, don't I feel like an idiot afterwards. Anyways, although no one answered when I called, I was able to leave a message. The tech support called me back within 2 hours. The response time is something Voiceral can improve in the future, but the tech calling back was pretty courteous so at least that's nice. Under normal circumstances, one probably wouldn't really need to call the tech support too often.
Summary
-------
So overall summary - for my first VOIP service provider, I am pretty happy with Voiceral so far. Hopefully what they advertise is accurate and that I do not incur any extra charges for making calls over to Taiwan, China, or Hong Kong.
By the way there is a $29 one-time setup fee and a $9.99 shipping/handling fee. I didn't see the one time fee until after I placed the order, but it's still cheaper than going with local phone carriers.
Hey if anyone is going to try Voiceral, I can refer you! I get a free month for referals. Of course, this is not the main reason I am writing a review on Voiceral. Just thought I share my experiences :)
Power to the blogs!
Monday, May 08, 2006
So Flat
"So flat", I thought to myself as I looked out my window down at Seattle.
As we fly closer to the Seattle airport, I can't help thinking about the difference between United States and China. If Seattle was in China, the housing around the water would certainly be at least 20 stories instead of the single family homes.
I am back.
As we fly closer to the Seattle airport, I can't help thinking about the difference between United States and China. If Seattle was in China, the housing around the water would certainly be at least 20 stories instead of the single family homes.
I am back.
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