Nana

Stupidity and depression

2008-10-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

They go hand in hand, during job hunting in this economic times. I think economy does play a small role, but I can't really blame it on the economy when others around me are getting invited to interviews, while I am getting dinged left, right and center.

And I feel so stupid having failed a test. Not once, but twice. I don't even know how I did. They don't publish results or let you know your points or marks. But most other people seem to have passed it. Which must mean I am slow or stupid.

Also, I feel maybe I am stupid in terms of picking my locations. Maybe I am picking locations where they are not hiring or where I don't have the language qualifications.

Its difficult not to get depressed at this time, especially when you get multiple dings in a day and you find out lots of others getting interviews. Maybe I need to look at the bigger picture of life and count my blessings.
But seriously, with my personal problems and this, I think I am losing the little faith that I regained.

Disheartened

2008-02-13T05:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a tough month for me. Looking for summer internship is difficult in the current economic state. Getting dinged during applications and then during interviews can get a bit discouraging. Still trying to stay positive and see the light.

I need to get up, dust myself and walk along. I know this isn't everything, but it feels like a bit part right now. I can only do what I can and try not to stress over it.

On the flip side, I think I am managing better now than a few weeks ago. Relax! :)
Maybe I should just take my mind off of this and do something else. Something fun! Seriously looking towards Spring Break.

BIG changes

2008-01-28T06:11:00.001-08:00

I should update this more often.
Its been almost a month. Waiting for pics!!
Its an excellent day today, though it was a bit foggy and chilly. But very refreshing indeed. So far, L hasn't been cold since we got back after New Year's. And its excellent. Not having to worry about gloves and layers and layers of clothing. A very strange winter indeed. Apparently, Sea isn't so lucky this year.

Interesting thing happened yesterday. We went to Nobu for dinner. Yep, Nobu indeed!! And we were sitting 2 tables away from Kelly. Which Kelly? Osborne. :)
Thats my run in with someone famous.

Alright, back to normal life. The pace of school is picking up quite fast this term, what with summer work search. Hope things go well with me!
:)

New Life after 3 months

2007-10-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Long time no blog! And what changes there have been.
- month in T.
- wedding planning
- weddings of near & dear ones [Congratulations!!]
- relocation x 2 [haha.. yes, I don't take baby steps changes]
- month in L.
- co-hab [strange strange, but adapting well]
- new hectic, busy, fun, crazy life

I don't know where to start. Just this last weekend, when we went out shopping for some home supplies and appliances, I thought to myself "Look at our home expenses!! I must blog about setting home event."
Things we bought:
- DVD player [TV purchase made 3 weeks ago]
- Crock pot [made my first rabbit stew]
- books and school supplies [ damn they are expensive in L.]
- organizers for clothes and shoes
- comfortable walking shoes + business shoes for me

Things we still need:
- bigger fridge [my fridge is currently smaller than my little fridge I had at UW!! so sad]
- toaster oven [can't bake, roast or toast anything now]

Anyways, so yeah.. expenses expenses!!

Life in L?
extremely busy, esp this past 2-3 weeks. So many new faces, so many parties, so much beer. Seriously, I've have more beer or seen more beer consumption in this past month than I ever had in my entire life. :)
Haha... thats not the busy-ness I am complaining about. Well, not exactly complaining. I knew what I was getting myself into when I signed up for school. But with assignments due left and right, tons of pre-class readings, tons of club meetings, I don't have time for much more.
Maybe I just haven't had to read so much in so short a time, everyday for the last month. It takes a little getting used to.
I hope I have time for visiting guests! Yes - you're welcome to visit me, just let me know in advance!

Oh, for those of you for who this applies - Happy Belated Mid Autumn! I had my moon cakes and good chinese food with asian friends!
And I might not come on to blog for another while, so - Happy Cdn Thanksgiving!!
Cheers!!
And take care!

Crazy Busy

2007-07-08T20:16:00.001-07:00

Yes, its been a hectic 3 months. I have many side projects going on. It should be less now.
My life has changed quite a bit and will be changing more. I am now unemployed, which means no income, no shopping, nothing. So sad. There were so many sales going on in Sea.

I am going to miss Sea, esp all my friends. It was sad when I had to pack up and leave my place. I drove by a couple of times to view it while I could. Until I couldn't drive there anymore. My little mini. It hurts.
To all my friends in Sea, I love you guys and I will miss you dearly.

Gotta get my act together and start seriously with the next planning phase. I have put it off for a while, but I should get back on it. :)

=))

2007-04-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Happy busy.
4/8/2007.

I need someone to help me with shopping here. :)

I got the fever

2007-04-06T01:34:00.000-07:00

McPhee-ver!
Started off with listening to her "Over It" song on radio on the way home from work. I already mentioned she's pretty and her voice is quite good.
Came home and decided to youtube some of her live singing at american idol. She's really good. She's my favorite idol. Don't like Kelly Clarkson or any of the other contestants or winners from any idol season. Until Katherine.

I like her so much I am thinking of buying her CD. I only collect CDs for singers/groups that I really like.
:)

Books

2007-03-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

Moo just told me that Piggy got some Enid Blyton books. Of course I remember the Faraway Tree and saucepan man and moonface and silky. Starting from Grade 3, I got hooked onto reading books, mostly novels and I loved Enid Blyton, so I read all the Enid Blyton books in my school library, before I moved onto Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock.

Anyways, thinking of Enid Blyton made me search her up. How I loved the Five Find-Outers! They feel like my childhood friends. (No, I was not a lonely child with no friends. I just spent time reading about these kids). I wonder if I will enjoy the read again not that I am more grown up.

I did read some Agatha Christie books recently too. I love Hercule Poirot. Actually, one of my friends does too.

Piggy and I can stay up late in the night reading. We don't mind sacrificing sleep time to read "just a little more", which usually ends up being the whole book. ;)

Random stuff

2007-03-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

I watched TV yesterday, after a long break from TV. =D

Oh and talking about TV, I think Katherine McPhee is really pretty. I don't really watch American Idol. I never followed any of the seasons, but I know who she is. I think she looks sweet.

Got my taxes done this weekend. Its a relief. Took me a while to get this done, because I was a little confused and then I was checking out a couple different software packages.

It was actually really nice on Sunday; sunny and warm. I wanted to wash my car, but I forgot about it until 6 pm and I didn't want to get a cold. I hope next weekend is sunny. I want summer. Oh, talking about spring, the trees are in bloom. Beautiful pink trees with little light pink petals. I wonder if they are cherry blossoms.

I vegged and didn't do much this weekend. Feels good. I've been super duper busy the last couple of weekends and having time off feels so good.

Its been one month and still no words

2007-03-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

That phrase/sentence reminds me of the song Stan by Enimem. "Its been six months and still no word. I don't deserve it?"
I really liked his live performance with Elton for this song.

Back to me. So, yes it has been a while with nothing from me. I wouldn't be updating this today if one of my friends didn't ask me about it. Thanks, J!!

What have I been upto? Just really super busy. Did I mention that I am triple booked at work? heee..
maybe it is the season to be busy. Most people I know are really busy right now too.

Oh, I went and bought some cards today. Its quite fun to browse cards. I remember I enjoy browsing cards and I can stay there for quite a while. Of course, this was when I had more time. ^_*

I just saw my bridesmaid dress today... heeee. So excited. I didn't get to try it on, because my gf is in T. and with me being in Sea, I have her take pictures with the maid of honour trying it on. Its soooo pretty. I just hope I don't look fat in it. =p

Despite being super busy, there has been a lot of parties this month. I went to most and either skipped out early on some of them. I need to have fun too, once in a while.

Old is relative

2007-02-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

Haha.. I don't say that because I think I am getting old.
I was just wondering today about my parent's age.
I remember when I was a little kid and I was with my grandmother, I thought she was old. She had backaches and she had some greys and was a bit wrinkly. However, my parents were never old to me. They were my parents, always strong and there to take care of me. But today, as I was wondering about my dad's age, it struck me that he is getting old too. And he is very possibly not as fit as he used to be when he was younger. I mean dad used to carry stuff around, get this done and that done. But maybe I should not expect those things of him, not because he cannot do those now, but I don't want him to over-exert himself.
And I realized how funny my perception is.
Grandmothers are old and parents are not; except they are getting older.
Maybe I didn't think they were old because I was still in the frame of mind that I am young and I need my parents for things.

Take-away: Need to take care of my parents.

Fio yee yee

2007-02-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

I became fio yee yee in 1 week. I was fio yee yee, but I actually embodied it when I got called that last week. My little niece is SO cute and very easy to spoil, cos she is so cute. She has a lot of advantages. She points and I take her to the direction of her little pointy finger. She calls "fio yee yee", puts out her hands so I can carry her and I go get her. She looks down my shirts. Yes, she does, but she's really looking for a *bling* *bling* necklace.
She called out for me in her sleep. :D
Its bittersweet. I am happy she still remembers me, but sad that I miss her.

I miss my little piggy too. No more pinches, no more butt smacking. :(

And little T, my nephew is cute too. He's naughty though, but its ok. I only get the good parts of nieces and nephews. hehe..

Anyways, back from cruise. Don't want to be back. I miss the sunshine and the warmth.

On the positive side, cruise was fun. I'd like to have more time on ports, but nevertheless, it was fun. Wedding was beautiful. Very romantic beach wedding, very intimate. Can't wait for all the pictures to get loaded. heee..

Rain

2007-02-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

So, the korean drama I've been watching is Full House and the leading guy is Rain. He is soooo cute. I don't like some of the clothes he wears, but he is so cute. Of couse, I think it also has to do with his character in the mini-series, but cute cute.

He does thing in a wrong way, but he has the sweetest intention. haha.. and its so funny when he grins after he has made something go his way. Some of my friends like the other guy. Hm... not my type. Too stuffy. =p

Mini greetings

2007-02-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Not little greetings, but MINI.
I am starting to notice mini drivers waving, flashing at me on the roads, AGAIN. Maybe I just wasn't paying much attention the last year or so. Its pretty good, feels like a cozy mini community. =p

Started watching Full House, a korean drama. Pretty addictive. I like the two main characters. I like the characters they play. So sweet, so touching. :)
Yup, stayed up till 3 watching last night. hee..

Vac coming up soon. Can't wait to get off. I've been so busy lately, what with work, community, friends etc. I just need to veg.

No countdown

2007-01-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't hit the age where I want to stop counting down, but I also don't care to countdown. :)

I made pav bhaji!!! Yes, finally. I do like pav bhaji a lot and so when I went to the Indian store on Friday, I decided to pick up the pav bhaji masala and try out the recipe at the back. Not too difficult and turned out pretty good. Haha... I guess as long as there are potatoes with flavour, I'd be happy. =p

What was I doing at the Indian store? Well, actually I wanted to pick up a movie. I got reminded about how long it has been since my last Hindi movie and with the news about Shilpa Shetty and then Ash and Abhishek getting engaged, I wanted to watch a movie. I got "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" because Shahrukh was in it and the movie rental dude told me it is good. Did I like it? Yes and no. Its more my type of movie, without the extremely stupid jokes and it was more modern, however, I did not like some of the things the characters did. Later, I realized maybe I was a little harsh and maybe a bit judgemental. Maybe I should not impose my values on others and be more understanding of others. I know its just a movie, but still, things do cross my mind. :)

Yay, sun!

2007-01-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

Yes, I live in Sea, a land with lots of rain, gloomy and drizzly days. And the last week has been filled with snow, ice and gloom. But not today!
Today is one gorgeous day!
Its like spring, except its too early for spring, but I feel exuberant. And today is the first day since a while, when I did not have anything major plan, except for tonight. And I am not doing anything major (work or otherwise). Feels GOOD!!

Have a beautiful day, everyone!

Snow

2007-01-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

I do not miss the icy roads, but I do miss the pretty snow fall.
Yes, it is snowing here again. There is something wrong with the weather. Its not supposed to snow that much here. The snow falls and snow flakes look really beautiful though. Very soft. :)

I wish I can go out and play, but alas, I don't want to relapse into another cold. I'll just watch from my windows.

Wicked

2007-01-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Forgot to mention that I saw Wicked in London.
Got last minute tickets and sat in the very first row, albeit at the side. It was still REALLY good. Wicked is one of my favorite show, along with Phantom and Mamma Mia.
Both the main characters were extremely strong and you can see their expressions from the first row. loved it loved it.

Today, I re-learnt once again what it feels like to be walking on icy roads. It is not like T. here, as it doesn't snow that much generally and the snow does not stick around. But, we had quite a bit of snow lately and then its been really chilly after, so all the snow remained and the cold temperatures just freeze the melted water. Anyways, I had to walk, maybe 10 minutes and it feels strange. Feels like T. or W. actually. Walking slowly across the icy pavements with some cold breeze niping at your face. Actually, I found it amusing for the most part.

I hate stuffy nose. I remember hating it as a child and hating it as much now. Runny nose I can deal with, but not being able to breathe properly, argh! I guess I feel bad for people with breathing problems. I don't understand it, understand what could cause a blockage in your breathing or what could cause a fever. Grr... maybe I should research into it. Driving me crazy!!

ps. thanks, Na.

Travel Time

2007-01-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

Gosh, so much has happened since I last visited and posted. I remember thinking to myself that I need to post about my London and Milan trip in November. Now its January 2007 and I haven't even looked at my blog.

A brief update:
November
-Travelled to London, Milan
-Norris's ceiling collapse (it is not as bad as it sounds)
-jetlagged and crazy busy at work after

December
-Gift wrapping event
-Secret Santas
-Windstorm causes blackout for days
-Busy wrapping up work before holidays
-Holidays: TO, London, Barcelona, Paris

January
-Jetlagged, busy and sick
-Snowy and icy conditions outside

The weather has been crazy lately. I can't wait to get away to better weather. Next vacation, please!

The last 2 months sounds really compact. Its not like nothing else happened. In fact a lot happened, but when you're busy and you don't post, details eventually escape your mind.
OH!
Happy Belated New Year!
Any new year resolution? Yes. Be more patient. :)

Beef jerky

2006-11-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

Not your average, regular beef jerky. The only ones I like are the Hakka made ones. Oh, so yum yum... Gosh, I am drooling. I heard my mom's got some beef jerky. And I asked for some to be saved for me. I don't care if they get stale, I still want them. The junk food I miss. =)

When you have a car, you forget all about walking. That is what happened to me, but now, without a car, you understand what it is like to travel when its raining, what it is like to squeeze in during commute, what it is like to have to walk from here and there (as opposed to circling around for a parking spot).

I tried a Spanish restaurant yesterday. Pretty good. I think my mom and dad would have enjoyed it more. I am sure they would have loved the fish, shellfish in what is similar to a paella except without rice. I will need to try out indian food here, but I don't want to go to a nice fancy restaurant. I have this notion that fancy indian food is not authentically indian. Only in India, maybe. But even fancy indian hotels in india might tailor their food for foreign visitors and upper class looking for a more contemporary menu. I dunno. I like authentic food. I wonder where I can find hakka food here. There probably isn't as many selections as T.

Comparing washrooms

2006-11-21T07:53:00.000-08:00

Hah.. yes washrooms, or ladies room.
I really like having those thin paper toilet covers in the US. Pretty much all places in US have them, or maybe I am thinking Sea only. The covers are very nice, feel sanitory + cleaner, and it just flushes down the toilets. Ca doesn't have much of these covers, maybe in only 1 or 2 places.
UK has no covers, but the doors/walls of the washrooms are much better. More solid and full wall/door instead of just a stall. How important is this? hm... gives you some privacy, instead of the person next to you looking at your feet and hearing + smelling what they are doing. Hehe... grossed out yet?

On a different topic, I recently noticed that part of my hair which has been dyed is quite bad. I looked under sunlight at my hair. The part that has been dyed seems to be more frail, thin and weak. I need to stay away from colouring my hair. Perm is probably not good too.

I think I have been in US too long. Why? Because I look at words like organisation, analyse and they look strange. And when I look them up in the dictionary, it says organization and then organisation (British). What is used in Ca? I don't remember. =(

Where am I seeing all this? In UK. =)
Heading for Milan. =)

Relativity

2006-11-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

Almost everything is relative in life.
Example:
I am with some tall friends and I think "Oh, I am so short"
But when I am walking with some shorter people, I think "Hm... I feel pretty tall"

Even when I have to look at some numbers at work. Yes, million might seem like a big number, but is it that much compared to a billion?

I am just tossing out things now. I am tired because of lack of sleep. Why do I lack sleep? Green tea. I drink tea in the evening and I am screwed for the night. I feel like a zombie. *yawn*

Football cheer and volunteer

2006-11-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, I organized a group of NAAAP-ites to join NorthWest Harvest in collecting food and donations from SeaHawks fans. The fans were encouraged to bring food and/or donate for SeaHawks Tackle the Hunger food drive. The game starts at 1 pm and some people were lining up to go in at 10 am. It was pretty crazy.

It was a really fun experience. We had bins for food, small buckets for money and NorthWest Harvest picket-like signs. The fans were generous and our group collected a lot of food and money!! Yay!! Thanks to all the fans and to volunteers.

What I learnt:
- Seahawks fans are fun!! A lot of fans had their faces painted.
- Fans set up RV, trucks in parking lot early, have the TV running with previous game shows, bring out BBQ and its a family/friends event!
- Running upto people asking them for donations is not easy. :)
- Strategizing on where to position yourself and how to ask is important.

We then went for dimsum as a group. Having food after running around in the cold and rain, felt awesome!! :)

Ship gift

2006-11-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

I picked up my ship gift yesterday. It is a digital photo frame, which is pretty neat, since I did want a digital photo frame. I was pretty excited when I got it yesterday.

I took it out to play with it today. Its a 7-inch screen with a white plastic cover, with built in speakers! A 256 MB SD card and a remote control came with it. =) It plays photos (obviously), music (mp3, wma) and video (mpg, avi, divx). I have only tried the photo and music. I have seen one of my co-workers play a short video clip.

It boots up with an office screen. There is a slideshow, which is a photo with music in the background. I thought this was a cool feature, but unfortunately doesn't work that well. My music stopped halfway through my pictures! And when I play music, the speakers had some static noise. I think I will just stick with the basic functionality of the photo display.

Am I glad I got the pic frame? Heck ya!
Would I want some things to be better on it? Yes
- not plastic
- better display screen
- better sound quality
- slideshow to work

But you can't complain if you didn't pick it yourself! =p

Picture this

2006-11-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

A bare tree with a few golden leaves hanging at the base of the branches.
=)

I am addicted to shopping. I went shopping last Saturday and Sunday. I got myself a bubble skirt. And I finally got my pair of red shoes! Very cute! Now, I need to get a pair of short boots, or maybe tall, but with short heels, so I can actually walk for a whole day in them.
I want to get a new jacket too, but I don't want to spend that much money. I need more $$. =p

Flooding

2006-11-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Sea is experiencing what I'd call a mini-flash-flood. I don't think I have seen so much "heavy" rain in Sea before. And the roads are getting huge puddles of water. Rainy rainy Sea.

I love warm chocolate cake. Had it yesterday at a french restaurant. Yum yum... but didn't appreciate the bill. Heh!

Ooooh and I got my business card today! I've been working for a while and never really needed it, but now, a need arose. Someone actually asked me for one! So, I ordered it!

Office RTM-ed. Its an awesome version. New look and feel, new, smaller sized file type, cool new features. A lot of blood and sweat went into it. :)

On a slight, not so happy note, I realized my english grammar is quite bad. Apparently, I don't know my grammar rules and I cannot pin point the faults in a sentence. *sigh*. And my sudoku skills have been going down the hill. =(
I need to get my DS back and work on getting my brain up to speed!

News Words

2006-10-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

New words I learnt today.
1. Exemplify - show/set as example
2. altruism - practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
3. ubiquitous - existing or being everywhere
4. posit - to place or to assume
5. juxtapose - to place close together for comparison or contrast
6. sacralization - to make sacred

2006-10-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

Finally, T. has the traffic map(click me) for the highway. Its too bad they only show it for 401. I guess they have to start somewhere! I don't really like how it updates itself after long intervals. *sigh*. I am used to Sea's traffic page.

Anyways, watched 2 plays this week. Both were pretty interesting. One of them was a shakespeare play and the other is one at work. I liked the shakespeare one better, even though I did not really like all the loopholes in the story. However, I can hardly blame the directors or actors, since it is a shakespeare play and they kept close to the story.

I noticed there are all these cool stuff you can add to your google homepage and most of these are developed by users. Its quite interesting. I want to add a bunch of them, just to play around a bit, but I don't want to clutter my page. Also, I'd hate it if I need to log in. :)
Just played with the msn add-in (not good), the dictionary and wikipedia addins are simple. Accepts your entry and push you into the main site directly. Its a good shortcut.

I need to add something to the above clutter mentioned. I just played with it and I can add new tabs and organize my homepage. Though really, its homepageS. haha

Bad week

2006-10-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

I had a rough week last week. Everything just kept piling on and everyone was having problems. I was glad when the week came to an end. And just when I needed a relaxing weekend, I ended up with cramps. And my desktop won't boot up! What is going on?
Anyways, things got better as I walked out of the house and it was sunny outside. I felt a little ridiculous with my heavy sweaters, so I ran back in to change into something a little lighter, but still with a lot of layers.

I was diwali on Saturday and a friend of mine tells me they had fireworks in T. Did I mention I want to play fireworks sometime again? I miss the fireworks I played a lot with when I was a kid. Twice a year, at least. Those were the days! Haha... makes me sound old.

This weekend was a tri-bday wkend. Its tri in more than 1 sense. 3 bday parties - fri, sat, sun. On sun, it was for 3 different people, though I am really just friends with one.
I have 2 shows coming up this week. 2 shows to watch. I'm excited. =)

Electric scooter

2006-10-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the second consecutive day I saw a driver picking his nose from the rearview mirror, while on my way to work. Gross!!

To my highlight of the day: I was about to leave work, when I see this guy going out the same door as me with a little yellow electric scooter. You know what a scooter is right? Those little things with a handle, for your two hands and then a little area for you to stand on. Its like a skateboard with different wheels and a handle. Anyways, this one is an electric one and the first time I've seen it up close. While I was eyeing it, we struck up a conversation about if he can get home on it, how far it goes using 1 full battery power, when he suggested I try it. I didn't pretend to be shy. haha.. So, I took it for a little whiz. Its quite fun. The accelerator is the right knob (what is usually a right brake on a bicycle) and the left is the brake. It goes quite fast. I don't know if it goes as fast as the segway. (One of my old co-worker has a segway and I've been on that.) I think maybe its a little easier to balance on the scooter, even though I don't think you can fall off the segway unless you are trying really hard to intentionally fall. Maybe its because the scooter is closer to the ground, with smaller wheels and the handle is lower, all of which gave me a sense of security that I don't have far to fall. :)
Really happy to add a new riding experience into my collection. ^_*

And I think pumpkins are so cute. Only the cute ones of course; the nicely rounded ones which you can use to carve. And I am thoroughly impressed by the different types/shades/colour of gourds available now. I was thinking about buying them for decoration, but maybe its a waste of money. And multi-coloured corn looks so awesome. I wonder if they are for decor only or if I can really eat them. I think they can be eaten, right? Let me know.
I think I should learn how to make a pumpkin dish. Its pumpkin season and I am so tempted to buy one. Did you know that the pumpkin is a fruit? =)

mango

2006-10-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

I love the fruit and as of now, I love the store. It'll be unfair to say I will get all my stuff from there because I like a variety, but I have several pieces from the store now and I see a bag online that I'd love to get my hands on. Hehe.. I should visit the store again. So much for saving up!

I think I will want to visit Mango in Spain, so its a spanish line. I wonder if they have a different collection there and if the prices are a little cheaper. Heh! =)

I realized that I should get rid of some of the shoes I don't wear. I just keep collecting and collecting.

Heh, its very funny. I can hear this "lounge" music from the office opposite from mine. I don't know who is there, but ever since it was 4:30 or 5, the music has started. ^_^

Live Auction

2006-10-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

I went to my first live auction today at work and it was a really interesting experience. I am not sure how similar or different this is compared to a real auction, but it was nevertheless very fun. The person who was actually vocally calling out the price and trying to push the price higher, whats he called; an auctioneer? Anyways, he was REALLY good. He spoke so fast, I don't think I've ever met a person who spoke so fast in my entire life. And he adds these little comments in here and there, while trying to raise up the prices, its quite entertaining. Its funny to watch what gets the highest bidding prices. A bunch of them were quality time spent with big bosses. :)
All this for an excellent cause.
I even got a number. Its like a number assigned to you to identify who you are as a bidder. The number printed on a thick board like sheet of paper and there is a wooden handle. Think about those people on strike or picket-ing. Same idea, except a little smaller. I did not bid though. A lot of things were outside my price range, unfortunately.

What is going on?

2006-10-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

Why are there so many shootings in school these days?
What has school become? I don't get it.
Why is there so much violence in the world and is it targetted towards little innocent children? I don't know if I will find answers to these questions, which is disturbing.

Rear-ended

2006-10-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

I'm alright, but my car is a bit scratched up. It has got scratches and dents on the bumper, the reverse light is broken/smashed and the exhaust pipes are scratched. It sucks to be involved in an accident. Here is an account of the story.

I was driving along the right lane of the road and the traffic light ahead turns red. The cars in front of me stop. I stop. I hear tires screeching behind me and I look into my rearview mirror. I heard thud, thud, thud and then felt my car pushed forward a bit.
What happened? Four cars down, the car couldn't stop in time maybe he was speeding and didn't notice the cars in front of him were stopping.

Car 1 - pickup truck, that caused the collision.

Car 1 crashed Car 2
Car 2 crashed Car 3
Car 3 crashed Car 4
Car 4 crashed Car 5

Car 5 is my car. The car in front of me was unaffected. We wait for police and get everyone's information. Now, I am sending information to insurance, to report the accident and to get my car fixed up.

Not a good way to start a Monday morning. On the bright side, no one was hurt.

New Semi-Chapter

2006-10-01T00:49:00.000-07:00

Semi-chapter because its not a chapter, its a smaller change. I will use this time to develop myself. I need to grow professionally and also find out what else I am interested in doing next. I have less distraction now and so hopefully I can focus better.

Also, I need to be more involved in the community. I have stopped my mentor volunteering because work got so busy. I should sign up for some NAAAP board. What else? Maybe study something. Target date: before end of year.

I make aggressive goals, but I need to push myself. Lets see how this goes. Push me if I slack off.

An update of what has been going on:
1. Went to Vegas. It was hot and busy when we went. Ate lots of buffet, of course. Watched "O" - the stage was awesome. I was impressed.
2. Helping people move and clean out. Reminds me that I need to clean out some of the junk in my place too. No more buying new stuff, until I have used up remainders.
3. Extremely busy at work. Good thing is I am not working crazy hours like I was maybe a year or so ago.
4. Learnt how to make creme brulee. Its essentially made up of egg york, sugar and cream. All very fatty and high cholesterol. Talking about my cholesterol, I need to push down my cholesterol level, so I bought oatmeal.
5. Went clubbing after FOREVER. It was strange, because there were all these weirdos hanging around trying to dance with the girls and they are very thick skinned and insistent. Very annoying for the girls. I was too tired for siu yeh after. Makes me realize I am getting old and boring. hehe..
6. Went to watch a screening of an English movie, for free. At the theater (single theater, different from your normal theater), they sell alcohol, so we got some white wine. It was my first drinking alchohol at the movies and kinda weird. I think I was a little buzzed on half a glass. Good thing I was there for 2 hours, so I was good to drive back after.

Thats all I care to write right now.

Sick

2006-09-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

I caught some virus going around and was out of work for 2 days. I am still coughing my little lungs out at work and its not amusing. Seems like a lot of people are sick. There are at least 3 more co-workers of mine who are sick too. I just want to get better.

Whats new? Not much. I finally more or less finalized my travel plans for next Feb. But other than that, not too much. Its sad how things start becoming a blur once you are working and life is just zipping by you. Anyways, my life hasn't been too uneventful, I went to Vegas. It was alright. Not as fun as my first time there, but still far livelier than where I live.

Anyways, so back to my "life" reflection, its funny how the older you get, the less you understand about what makes you happy. As a kid, you know what makes you happy- playing, candies, pop, etc. But now, we know so much more about life, but we are no closer (some might say further) from knowing what makes us happy.

Calcutta + Puchkas

2006-08-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

There are some facts about Calcutta found in http://wikitravel.org/en/Calcutta that even I wasn't aware about. But the most interesting thing about the page, is under the "Do" section.
The last bullet says "Eat puchkas".
Then in the next section "Learn" right after that, it says "Eat puchkas only if you are a native".
haha..

http://www.schoolcircle.com/writenow/showcase/puchka.htm is an article written by a schoolboy about Puchkas. Makes me drool for puchkas now.

F/BF

2006-08-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

Once, a girlfriend of mine told me "Sometimes it is better to just have guys who want to be friends with you and not have a lot of guys like you".
Haha... you can interpret that anyway you like. PC, H or J.

Most of the time, its quite ok. Guys wanting to be more than friends. But sometimes, its quite annoying.
The thing that annoys me is when a guy is all nice, wanting to be friends with you and telling you "I care. I'll always be your friend.. yaddi yadda" and after a while of pursuing when he know its not gonna get anywhere, the guy justs does a roundabout and don't want to be friends, no contact, no nothing.
I guess I should be glad that I find out earlier about who are real friends and who just wanted a piece of me. Heh..

Not Impressed

2006-08-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

My blog broke on me. No one could view it and I certainly didn't have time to figure out what was wrong until now. I thought maybe all blogspot sites were down, but apparently it wasn't so. Turns out, blogger had a problem with my template. I made some minor changes to the template I use a long time ago and never updated it. Maybe its an out of date template that they do not support anymore, or there was a bug somewhere in the template.

Whatever it was, I am not happy that it broke on me without warning when it was working completely fine before.

Raspberries

2006-07-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

My adventure for this past weekend was raspberry picking. The farm was not too far away. It was a nice sunny day and I gathered up 3 boys to go raspberry picking with me. Turns out, raspberry picking is quite fun.
Things I realized during the picking:
-The ripe raspberries are darker in color and they are literally falling off the bush.
-Farmers get up to work early in the morning, because its really hot working under the sun.

I was so greedy, that I just wanted to get a lot of raspberries.
I had maybe 1 shallow basketfull of it. Apparently, I had 6 lbs of raspberries. Oh, it was cheap too. $1/lb.
Now, 6lbs seemed little to me when I was there. Why? Because people around me had baskets after baskets of raspberries.

Back at home, none of the boys really want to eat the raspberries. So, I ate and ate, but it was oh, so much. I even made a smoothie with them. 60-70% raspberrries and the remaining OJ and still there were so much raspberries left. Finally, I wash them all, dry them up a bit and proceed to ziploc them for freezing. The frozen ones can be used later for smoothies.
What I realized at home:
-The ripest raspberries at home gets a little to ripe and squishy, so ripe ones got squished by not so ripe ones
-The ripest ones were hardest to wash+dry.
-Even my little 6 lbs were too much. Maybe one day when I am out of frozen raspberries, I will wish I picked more.

Overall, raspberry picking is a pleasant experience. The berry picking is really not where the work lies. The work lies in cleaning and eating the berries.

Fanaa

2006-07-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

I just watched the movie "Fanaa" yesterday. Its pretty good, but its interesting to note that most terrorisms related Hindi movies are over Jammu-Kashmir. And now, today blasts occurred in Mumbai. Its kind of sad, all these wars being fought over land. I guess its a never ending battle: Jammu-Kashmir, Tibet, Israel vs Palestine

On a lighter note, Fanaa is a good movie. Kajol is back, but she looks a bit tired and maybe older, which she is. hehe..

This summer I have been on a movie rampage, I've seen almost all new releases out in theaters. I've watched numerous DVDs. Its good to catch up. But I'm wondering if I am becoming a couch potato. =p

Too busy

2006-06-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

Most people are busy in today's world and especially a lot of the people I know, because we're all working. But honestly, there are other things around you. There is more in this world.
How can someone be:
1. too busy to eat?
- lame b/c if you don't eat, you could be sick. if you don't ever eat, you could die. too busy?
2. too busy to say "thanks"?
- if its via email/IM/speech, it takes like 1 minute or less
3. too busy to say "no"?
- you'll always be too busy then

I guess I don't get people who skip meals because they are too busy. Its understandable only in circumstances involving ticking time-bombs or something extremely similar to it. =)

Stinking job

2006-06-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

No, I am not talking about me. I am talking about a sniffologist, who sniffs underarms of people for a living, to help companies come up with deoderant products. Haha... off the top of my head, I can name people who would think its one of the worst job ever.

Its funny that I should learn about a "sniffologist" now, because just the other day, I walked by a person with horrible BO and I gagged. Its a nasty smell and I don't know how a sniffologist takes it. I mean he/she will need to have a sensitive nose and to use a sensitive nose to smell foul smells, thats really something.

Lobster arms

2006-06-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

Thats what I have from being extremely sun-burned. Its the worst sunburned I've ever felt. It kinda stinks. From now, sunblock always and no more lying out there in the sun.

Now, only if all the sunlight was put into a better use, like collecting solar energy. Solar, wind, water generated energy. It seems everything that generates energy produces some heat energy due to kinetics. This by-product, heat, should really be re-used and I wonder how much of it is not being re-used and is contributing to global warming.

Dandelions

2006-05-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

I love that spring is here. I love the flowers blooming, the new clean, green, young leaves and the best part, the sun shows its face more now.
The other thing I notice this year is the crazy amount of feathery dandelion puffs floating around, on the roads. Not sure if there is as many in Canada or if there were always so many, but this year, I am just seeing tons of it.
Its kinda neat, though not so cool for those who are allergic.

Oh... I was eating sea-weed the other day when it occured to me that seaweed is just weed in the sea. But I have no idea what the different kinds are. I think the thin one you wrap sushi with are different that the ones you put into soup and quite different from those used in lotions, beauty products. I wonder if there is a kind of seaweed that can make you high as well.
haha...

Whoops

2006-05-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

I drove to work, picked up my lunch from the passenger side of my car and then went upto to my office. Maybe 5 mins later, 2 of my co-workers came to my office to tell me I left my car door on the passenger side open. I immediately ran down to lock my car up. Thank goodness my car stands out in my building. And hopefully, this will be the first and last time I leave my car door wide open.

Model employee or annoying server?

2006-05-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

I went to a coffee shop to get a drink and sit down to read. This relatively loud and chatty girl came to ask me what I wanted. Anyways, she was suggesting this and that. Plus, telling me it was $.50 to upgrade to bigger cup, and if I wanted a cookie with my drink. A good model employee I would say.
However, when I sat down not far from the counter to read, her voice just kept penetrating my space. It was high pitched and loud. It didn't help that she was constantly talking. I got annoyed and had to move to a far far corner of the shop. I mean, its not like she did anything wrong, but the noise was just getting to me. Maybe I was being super sensitive.

Here's a thought. Can a person really know everything? I mean there is so much information out there and I don't think its possible for one to fit it all in their heads. I know the mind is a powerful thing, but how much can your brain holds before you need to free up space to remember/learn other things. Plus, the time you need to absorb all information.
Can a computer hold all information then? Maybe if there is enough space and there better be a damn lot.

Gas price is so high. =(...
Just when you think it can't go higher, they prove you wrong. I went from paying $20+, to $30+ to $40+ for a tank. Crazy!

Careless driving

2006-05-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

I almost got crashed into last night. It was a scary experience.
I was almost home, making a left turn at the light. I know it was green for me, because the person on the right of the intersection had stopped. As I was turning, with half my car into the intersection, I see this car zooming in. Shocked, I braked and apparently, the driver in the other car just saw me and he braked too. But he was going to fast, he skidded a little to his left, away from my direction (thank goodness). He stopped, for barely 1 second and then took off.

Anyways, I have a rough picture drawn out to show you the positions.
A - my car
C - offending car
B - witness car (that stopped on red)
I have added the lights to show you right of way and traffic rules that applied during the time.

Blunt

2006-05-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Usually I'd talk about being blunt and to the point, but not now. I am talking about Mr James Blunt. I went to his concert a while ago. He is good live and even better doing a piano solo of "Goodbye my lover".

I think I am getting addicted to concerts of good singers.

Pay our dues

2006-05-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about the bird flu, its spread and how we are not equipped to handle a wide outbreak right now. It is funny how an article says "based on historical cycles, humans are DUE for a widespread influenza pandemic".
Its funny how we have scientists working and churning out all these medicines to help us prevent and cure some diseases but then we always have new types of emerging diseases. Its like we're always going to be one ill society, no matter how much we work towards getting better.
Well, it is not as gloomy as it sounds. We do have much better health care now. I mean at least we know the sickness we have, we do try to come up with a solution and we often do. It is a lot better than before.

Thai Sticky Rice

2006-04-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

I felt a sudden urge to make thai sticky rice so I decided to get the ingredients and try making it.
It turned out pretty good, for my first try.
Now, I need to get some mangos and coconut ice-cream and set it up as I get it from a restaurant. Muhahaha.

Next task, is the black sticky rice. Its not the same thing, except different color. Mango sticky rice is thick and not running, while black is sorta soupy.
I can't wait... Yes.. I know, my fatness is only going to increase, but oh, so yummy.

Everything in moderation

2006-04-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

You don't exercise and its bad for your health, you exercise too much and your body starts breaking.
You don't eat enough of something and you get sick from deficiency, you over-eat it and you have poisoning.
Its a balance and there's a tipping point, well, actually more like there is a "good" range. Hm.... reminds me of the book Tipping Point and no, Tipping point doesn't really have to do with this.

Anyways, my friend just went through a surgery. Hope he gets well soon. It sucks to be handicapped, even for a while.

Pretty Tulips

2006-04-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

We braved the rain and wind to go to the Tulip Festival. We marched across muddy waters in the blistering cold, but it was all worth it.
Take a look at some of the pictures a friend took. My fav is the single broken pink tulip in the mud. Very artistic and very inspiring.

I bought a bunch of flowers. Well, I originally wanted to Mother Teresa tulips, but they sold out on those really early, so I went with my second choice, Golden Apeldoorn. Here you can see the different tulips. Hm.. the pictures on this one does not do justice to Mother Teresa tulips. Its more white with a tinge of yellow instead of yellow with white as in this phamplet. :)
My tulips are in full bloom now. I should add more ice in the water, or maybe put them into my fridge, so they will stay in bloom a tad bit longer.
A friend bought the Catherine's Radiance. I wonder how her tulips are now.

Oh, I saw assorted pastel colored tulips in a vase in Whole Foods. They were absolutely beautiful.

Mixture of foods!

2006-03-22T15:09:00.000-08:00

I made taro with wings and beer. Turned out pretty good. Haha... its a funny good combination.

Ooooh.. Congrats to Ri!
Very excited and happy for you. I look forward to next year! hehe..
Wonder who's next.. hehe..

So, I have this squishy wrist rest in the shape of a relatively flat hippo on its tummy and the insides of the hippo has pink glow in the dark stars. The hippo itself has transparent covering or skin, so it pretty much appears a little pink and translucent. Anyways, anyone who comes to my office always looks at it and pokes the hippo. Haha.. and many people think its a pig. Just because its pink!

March is a month of b-days. Lots of food and dinners!! Good food, great company and empty pockets! hehe.. =p

Silly question and silly people

2006-03-16T15:14:00.000-08:00

I have a silly question: If I have expired multi-vitamin and I ingest those, is it going to boost my vitamin level or make me sick?

Onto silly people: If you put a message on your IM, such as a place, without a timeline, it probably means you're at that place, or you'll be there soon (with a countdown). If you put a place in your IM message for a couple of days and then follow it up with a "I'm not at that place", then you're most likely a silly person or a fake!

Tired

2006-03-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

I didn't do too much but I still feel tired.
Today was a really nice day, sunny and bright, so went to rollerblade and ended up biking a bit too. It was pretty fun, but turned out pretty chilly.
I should do my taxes soon. Haha... I sound so boring with nothing to say, but I am starting to realize that this is how things are most of the time. Its good to be a little boring sometimes, but its at boring times that you can get to relax a little.

Woohoo... Finally!

2006-03-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

I finally got my package. It was just a DVD. =)
hehehe... but so happy!

Stubborn

2006-03-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

I can be such a stubborn prick sometimes!

This is not a good week for me. Nothing has been going right.
Somedays, you just wish work would go away.

Hm.. and people are talking about saving for retirement. I understand we do need to save for that, but seriously, a bunch of us just started working. Aren't there other things to save for? I mean there's more than half our lives that needs to be lived before we hit retirement or retirement age. Imagine scraping every penny from now for the next 30 odd years, only to die as soon as you retire or maybe before that. I know, I am being grim and dark today. Why do you need so much money when you retire anyways? Because of health problems? If there's so many health problems, maybe its not worth it.
heh... nevermind me. I am just baffled by all this saving for retirement! People in developing 3rd world countries don't really have retirement plans and a lot of people barely have enough to live by on a daily basis. What happens to them when they get old? I guess they work. If you're working 40 years in your life already, whats 3-5 years more? I guess all I am saying is we'll probably still live even after you retire and didn't save as much.

Going postal!

2006-03-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

No, I am not going to stop email and all the nice things the internet offers. The snail mail has been driving me postal! I had something sent to me from Canada, twice. First was an express package. It took about a week and a half to get here. Next, was a simple mail. Why waste money on express, if its going to be slower than regular mail? Big mistake. Its been over 2 weeks with no sign of the mail.
I am convinced its the Canadian side thats slow. Please contradict me if you strongly believe it isn't so. So, why would I think its the Canada side?
I had something sent to me from US days *after* the Cdn mail got sent. It was ground service and supposed to take 3-7 days. I got it in 3.

Ok, so maybe its crossing the border that is what is taking it so long. Goodness!!
Its a neighbouring country. You can reach by land alone. People are allowed to move freely back and forth across the border for most parts (I'm talking about legal residents).
I don't know. Maybe there is tight security over mail right now. They need to scan every piece of paper crossing the border.

Still, I believe its Canada Post or maybe Canada and US post combined.
If you ship by UPS or FedEx, it doesn't amount to that much more (yes, compared with Canada Express mail) and it arrives much faster, with tracking number etc, to let you know whats going on. I am not trying to sell FedEx or UPS, but the delay is just crazy!

How to deal with people you don't like?

2006-02-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

I don't think I know anyone who likes everyone and has no problem with anyone at all.
So, how do you deal with people you don't like?
What if you don't want to be nasty to them?
Does ignoring work? Does ignoring mean you're running away from the problem?
Sorry if this offends people who likes everyone. I believe its human to not like everyone. So, if you like everyone, well, thats kind of in-human. Haha... just kidding.

Movie beef

2006-02-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

I was watching spider man the other day and the genetically altered spider which got out bit the boy and he became spiderman.
1. There were 15 genetically altered spiders (and no one else got bitten)
2. 1 escaped and bit spider man (how come it didn't bite other students/researchers)

Anyways, my point is, why is there only 1 spiderman?

I was going to boycott the new James Bond movie, by well, just not going to watch it in theaters and debate if I want to watch it on DVD. I am a 007 fan, but I can't believe they replaced Pierce Brosnan with an "ugh!" actor. I found out that there are other fans that are boycotting too and there was an article about it, about how the protest is several months late. And it is. Everyone was probably lazy like me, protesting silently to myself.

Back & sick!

2006-02-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

I'm back from my trip and now I am sick. So, I have been sleeping like a pig!
I hope I get wel soon.

Ready or not, here I come!

2006-01-24T22:40:00.000-08:00

Finally, its time for me to take a vacation!
Had to pack so much stuff. But it should be fun. More update after I get back!

Oooh... end on this note. Guys!! So different and difficult to understand. =p

Dependent on online planning

2006-01-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

I am well aware of the fact that I don't go looking for travel agencies to book my vacation, flights, hotels, etc anymore. I mean, I mostly travel in NA and even if I venture out to Europe, I can check for flights and hotels online.
Although for our Europe trip last year, we went through a travel agent, but I didn't meet or talk with travel agent myself, so I don't think I've had to go to a travel agent's office in 10 years.

So, the big hassle I just went through, trying to find a local tour in Asia, try to book a domestic flight in Asia, where you can book online only if you are a resident there.
Trying to find information, trying to communicate with them when we are on opposite ends of the earth, with their nights being my day and vice versa. It was a pain in the you-know-what.

I even had nightmares about forgetting to pack the stuff my mom got for my aunt and feeling as guilty as hell. Haha..
Anyways, now to make sure I actually got everything and get ready to leave soon.
heee heee..

I need a guy... travel partner

2006-01-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Why?
- to carry my bags
- for safety reasons

well, mainly for safety reasons.
Stupid tour plan blowing up on me.

MY 100th post!

2006-01-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

I just realized as I was about to add a post!
Wee!!! Congrats to me!
I thought this will die after a while, but glad that it didn't!

I came to write that I should work out more. I've known this for a while. I should work out and not just because of looks, although looks is the driving factor pushing me to the gym. hee..
But I'm such a lazy bum. Yes, I am. I should work out more because its healthy, its good for my heart. Hm... not that I do things that are good for me.
I need to get toned! My gluts, thighs, arms, abs.. lets see if I get motivated enough. Maybe I need a work-out partner to drag me. We'll see..

These days I have gotten into the habit of reading books again. Well, I don't read a lot yet, but I do read a little bit more than I did 6 mths ago. I still prefer novels but I am more willing to pick up other things too. I like flipping magazines. They aren't books but at least I do read them.

My trip is coming up soon. Should be fun. Hope I don't get sick. hehe..

PM

2006-01-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

PMs p*sses me off. Political BS and their own butt watching. Slick and slimy.

Getting with a girl

2006-01-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

Don't start of by saying "well, this other girl is better than you, but...... I'd like to go out with you".

Anyhoo, pretty good christmas and new year.
Didn't really buy christmas presents and I didn't really shop much. Instead, there were a lot of family dinners. Its kinda good, because with family, you're most most relaxed, even though you're running around a lot.

Went to watch fireworks for New Years at a park. It was cooold. I don't know if I'll be going again next year. The traffic getting outta there is insane!

I need to start making a list of things I need to get and start packing. Yikes. Its weird to go off to a different, not as developed country. You have to think about the food, water, sanitation, vaccinations, etc. But all that said, it should be fun. I think its just all the extra online warnings that's putting these alarm bells in my head. =)

I think I need to pick up on my reading and not just magazines. hehe...
Ooh and I can finally play my ipod in my car. ;)

Btw, I liked my New Year. Dinner made and nice table set up with flowers. Haha... even the mess in my house was cleaned a bit. heee..

You know, I think I need to be more relaxed this year. I mean things are going to happen that doesn't go my way and I am bound to get annoyed by somethings, but I'll try to not let it get to me as much. It was suggested to me that writing out feelings help gets it out of your system. While that is true, its weird having people read it though. I know I don't wanna be an open book. I think its great that people can be so open, but I don't know if I want to or if I can ever be at that stage.

New Year resolution? Work out? haha.. we'll see. :)

Faith

2005-12-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Its hard to have faith when things are going against you. But I guess thats when you need to have faith the most.
Maybe its karma. Its like if you haven't been good, you get no presents.
In that case, its not "unconditional", but its conditional on whether you're good or not.

Anyways, sometimes things just seem so pointless.

Curb my shopping!

2005-12-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, I can't shop anymore. I am spending more than I make. =(
ok, no christmas shopping for me.
No TV.
No more clothes.
No more boots and shoes.
No more window shopping.
Not for the next 3 mths anyways.

I need to re-evaluate my expenses.

Travel is $. I think I spent a lot of mula on flying back and forth these last couple of months. I still need to travel, but maybe not as much, travel on a budget and make the most out of it while I am there.
:)

Toe/Heel

2005-12-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

I've had quite a busy ride.
And I went boarding. Yes, I fell quite a bit, so buzz off. But it was pretty fun, until I got all sore the next day. haha..
My problem: I like speed a little too much.

Monday: 18!

Busy busy all this week too.
I had a slightly rough day today. But its ok. I will live it through.
:)

I can't believe...

2005-12-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

its snowing heavily here..
reminds me of the movie I watched recently, "Day after tomorrow"

I want to go snowboarding, or at least try it out for the second time, but its a freaking expensive sport. You need to rent the gear ($30) and lift tickets ($45). Thats at least $75 per trip and you freeze your butt in the cold too.
I didn't even add all the warm clothing you'd need yet. Those are 1 time investment, but its still money down. I mean I don't use my ski pants for anything else other than ski-ing.

Last year, when everyone was complaining that there was no snow and it was too warm, I was the one cheering internally and a bit externally. I don't care for snow much. I mean its pretty and all, but its cold!

Me ^___^

2005-11-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, I don't have much to write, but I am in a relatively good mood now, so I want to put it down. I think I have put in enough complainy blogs and I need to perk it up once in a while.

Does it mean I have nothing on my mind? Of course not.
But I'm just feeling more fluffy. hah..
=D

Hm.... maybe I have mood swings! hee hee... =p

Funny yet scary

2005-11-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

Bum too big for injection. The article talks about needles on the butt not being effective for obese women. Its actually gross and difficult for me to read about how they might need to increase the length of the needles.

But seriously, global warming and fattiness! I think we will be going through another evolution period soon.

You know its cold when ..

2005-11-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

The grass on the ground and the shrubs are covered with frost.
You use your warmest blanket and you still wake up cold.
You run the hot water for over 10 mins and it still feels just warm.
The weather reports of snow showers in Nov, when it really only snows 2-3 times a year at the place.

Maybe I brought back the snow from T.

Stuffed

2005-11-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

I am soooo stuffed.. I don't think I can do much right now.
Its actually a pretty horrible feeling. heh
Anyways, I bet I am going to gain weight by the time I leave.

Its soooo cold here in T. with snow and all. Brrr...
The windchill was crazy. I was cold just running from the car in the parking lot to a building. heh.. reminds me of why I don't like snowy winter and why I wanted to move to a warmer place.

I saw little V today. Soo cute and so active now. I must go back and play with her some more. Cutie little pie.. (don't ask me why people say pie, i just picked up the phrase).
:)

A little pampering goes a long way

2005-11-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

Its good to have all your fav food prepared for you, without you even asking for it and without having to do anything for it.
Am I spoiled? A little and loving every minute of it.

Hate drunk driving

2005-11-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a story I read. I don't know how true or real it is, but it touched me, so I will put it up.
Its not my story.

On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to go to the supermarket to buy the remaining of the gift I didn't manage to buy earlier.When I saw all the people there, I started to complain to myself:"It is going to take forever here and I still have so many other places to go..." Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year. How I wish I could just lie down,go to sleep and only wake up after it..."Nonetheless, I made my way to the toy section, and there I started to curse the prices, wondering if after all kids really play with such expensive toys.

While looking in the toy section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years old, pressing a doll against his chest.He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked so sad.I wondered who this doll was for. Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: 'Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?'
The old lady replied: 'You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.'
Then she asked him to stay there for 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand. Finally, I started to walk towards him and I asked him who he wanted to give this doll to. 'It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.'

I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to her after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly. 'No, Santa Claus cannot bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there.'His eyes were so sad while saying this. 'My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mummy will also go to see God very soon, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said:'I told daddy to tell mummy not to go yet. I asked him to wait until I came back from the supermarket.

Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me: 'I also want mummy to take this photo with her so that she will not forget me. I love my mummy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and took a few notes and said to the boy.'What if we checked again, just in case if you have enough money?'
'Ok' he said. 'I hope that I have enough.' I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it.There was enough for the doll, and even some left over. The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money'Then he looked at me and added: 'I asked yesterday before I went to sleep for God to make sure I have enough money to buy this doll so that mummy can give it to my sister. He heard me. I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mummy, but didn't dare to ask God too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and the white rose. You know, my mummy loves white roses '

A few minutes later, the old lady came back again and I left with my trolley.I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started.

I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.Then I remembered a local newspaper article 2 days ago, which mentioned of a drunk man in a truck who hit a car where there was one young lady and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady would not be able to get out of the coma. Was this the family of the little boy? Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young lady had passed away.
I couldn't stop myself and went to buy a bunch of white roses and I went to the mortuary where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wish before burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.
I left the place crying, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that this little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk man had taken all this away from him.

Blue ball

2005-11-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

http://blueballfixed.ytmnd.com/
haha.. this is sooo entertaining! :)

The Ys of life

2005-11-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

Things are not going exactly as planned, but then things usually don't go as planned.
But I am starting to accept more and look at alternatives. Maybe this is an opportunity for me to do something pretty different.

listening to sammi now.... forgot how much I like her.
she's good.

one of my friend said I need a more positive outlook on life. And I agree. I'll try looking at things in a better angle. if you find me not doing so good, give me a nudge. i'll appreciate it.

so, I've been planning vacation/travel.
I was thinking about
1. Barcelona (was planning on thx-giving, but thats not happening)
2. Kolkata (who's interested? lets go!!)

The tickets are pretty expensive. Maybe I should consider going to a travel agent and see if they can dig up something better for me. I already know a friend visiting. I am just trying to collect more people to go now. It should be fun! ^___^

F-A-T!

2005-11-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

I am... I am.. getting there.
I think I have to toss out one of my jeans.
Well, it still fits, but its like breaking.
I mean the jeans looks good and perfectly fine everywhere, except..
1. foot on my jeans (why? b/c i am too short, so I drag my jeans around)
2. near my butt (why? b/c i am getting fat and stretching out my jeans)

Haha.. this is my second pair of jeans I gotta toss out because its breaking apart near my hip area. hehe..

Well, at least its not my fav pair yet. :)
Its my second fav pair. *sigh*..
On the bright side, new jeans!!!

Forgot to eat

2005-11-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

I *never* forget to eat.
But today, I forgot I didn't have lunch and it was almost 3 pm before I remembered and it was not even hunger pangs that reminded me. But I was looking for some papers and stumbled across my leftovers.
It shows how swamped I have been or just how I had other things on my mind.
I'm surprised I didn't get cranky. Yes, I get hunger cranks!

I need a vacation.

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

Heee.... kids came to my place and I gave them candy. I'm so happy. Finally feels like its my home. ^___^

Listening to Andy now. I love Andy. His voice soothes me. NC knows it too. He plays Andy and it soothes my mood a lot of times. ^___^

Man, I made aloo kheera today, I added too much spice. Soo "laat". My mouth was literally on fire. I needed a cold drink and chocolate. Of course, the drink made me sooo cold and then I had to go turn up the heat. So finally I programmed my heat. =)

Monsoon

2005-10-31T00:51:00.000-08:00

One of my friends mentioned monsoon to me and it reminded me of monsoon days back home.

When I was a kid, it used to pour in the monsoon season, which lasts from July-Oct or so. My place used to get flooded. Its not a hurricane or anything, but the water level just rose and rose, usually happens at night, but also during the day. It had to do with bad sewage system and the water had nowhere to go. Plus, the fact that my place was kinda down the street with a slight slope did not help.

Anyways, when it rained, my grandma used to piggy back me to school. I had to wear uniform in school, but of course, you didn't want to get your uniforms wet, so I'd be in regular clothes, with uniforms packed and with my flip flop on. Once I get to school, I change in school into my uniform.

Of course, I also had to wade in the water a lot, esp when I got older and my grandma got older. Come to think of it, it was super duper gross. I mean, everything that got flooded out was garbage on the streets and trust me, there were lots AND stuff from the sewage.
Ugh, makes me want to puke now, but seriously, it was dirty. You can see the sh*t in the water. And I am not even joking. Pee, poo, spit, gross stuff, you name it, it was in the water.. gross gross.

ok, I think I have grossed everyone including myself out. I should stop. :)

Burning Early Morn Oil

2005-10-28T02:38:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I work all day until its really early in the morning. I end up being mentally tired but not able to fall asleep.
Worked till 1:30 and its about 2:40 now and I am blogging!
Just great!

I need to start hitting the gym. This stupid work life balance is giving me headaches.

On a slight brighter side, I got a new keyboard at work. And while its not the most ergonomic keyboard there is, it's a lot better than my old one. And my M and N are not mixed up. Haha... almost everyone who has touched my keyboard have gotten a little confused.

I still think a lot about wanting to travel, but I cannot live as vicariously anymore. I have even more bills to pay now. And I better not be late.

I don't think I am really thinking straight right now. Lack of sleep!

Stinking cramps

2005-10-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

I hate the cold and I hate the cramps.
Most people I know can stand the cold better than the heat. I thought so too before. But its soooo cold here that I have changed my mind. Its never hot enough anymore. I want heat, no more cold cold weather.

Tropical places seem sooo much more tempting to live in. But its also just as tempting for germs. Yes, hot, humid places are where a lot of diseases start.

Anyways, cramps go hand in hand with the cold. It usually gets a lot better when I am warm, so you see me, sitting in my office sometimes with a little fleece around me, or a small blanket lying here and there in my place. I even got a hot water bottle, for the cold days and now, an electric warmer. =)

Maybe I should move a bit south... with sun and more sun!!

I know global warming is sooo bad, but I can't help feeling a bit pleased that all places are going to a bit warmer. Of course, I didn't think about those desert places or places close to the equator. =(

Toxicity everywhere!

2005-10-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

Thats it. No more showers, no more bath for me.
Am I being dirty? No. I am trying to not get toxified.
How toxic is your bathroom and the products you are using?
Scary, scary, scary.

Is my water clean? Too clorinated? Not enough clorine? Germs swimming around?
I think I am being a little paranoid and carried away.
But if the products we use to clean ourselves are not safe, what the heck is safe?

Katrina, Rita, Wilma

2005-10-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

I used to wonder if and why hurricanes were given female names.
I found out, there are male names for hurricanes as well.

Then I wondered about how they assign names to hurricanes. Is it the first person who sees it?
Is it the town it first hits?
Apparently, there is a pre-approved list of names for hurricanes.
2005 Hurricane Names
So, we're on the last name now, Wilma. Yes, it goes alphabetically.
What happens if there is more hurricanes after Wilma? Is there a backup list? Do we start 2006 list?
Who assigns these names and keep them non-duplicated over the years?

Insomnia

2005-10-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted about medical news in a while. I like reading about the health sections.

Apparently studies show, people are starting to use a lot more sleeping aids. Women more so than men. And I definitely understand why.
Almost all guys I know fall asleep before their heads hit the pillow. They can probably even sleep while standing.
Actually, not all. I know 1 guy who had trouble sleeping, until recently.

Maybe women are more worry warts. And they tend to go over things in their heads at night. If I am pretty tired, I just sleep. But if there is something on my mind, I could toss and turn and toss and turn. Its no fun. I haven't started taking any sleeping meds yet. I don't want to be a druggie.

Age of Conflict

2005-10-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

I am in turmoil.
Maybe I am just really bad at living with ambiquity.

I really don't know what I want anymore.
I've been told that I am a very black and white person and I like extremes. Maybe I am a control freak and I want to know all my answers. I guess the more I am trying to find the answers and the more frustrated I get, the answers (if any) seems more elusive.

** deep breaths **

Funny radio commercial

2005-10-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

I get quite a kick out of funny TV or radio commercials.
This one I just heard yesterday. It goes somewhat like this.
.......
"you feel a sensation, something you're not familiar with... you realize your zipper is open and the sensation was that of a cool breeze.. you lunge to get your zipper up with as much speed as you can muster... you're now cut off the open sensation, the good feel... why can't you have the good breeze and open feel as long as your underwear is clean... mini cooper convertible.. open, cool sensation without the embarassment."

well, it was somewhat like that... so funny.

Losing tongue

2005-10-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well, not literally.
But I am forgetting my different languages and its not good.
I need to get my dictionaries and start reading up and brushing up on my languages. Almost feel like I am losing my roots.

ooh... was reading steph's blog today. she's crazy but sooo fun.

constructive conflicts - this is what one of my friends told me today. its interesting.

lemme put up a map.. brings back memories.

Rain rain go away!

2005-10-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

I had family visit me, but the whole time my family was here, it drizzled and poured and gloomed up. It was kind of depressing, as we weren't able to sight see well.

Ok, onto my topic of the day. Why do I not want to live in the city?
Its a long drive and the traffic kills me. I would not be able to drop by home and I'd probably die of stress attack and road rage. Of course, there is always carpool, but I like doing things on my own, set my own schedule. The roads never seem big enough or just enough roads. No idea why there are parts of the hwy when its just plain slow.
Do I think being able to walk around town and grab food and other stuff is worth living downtown? No way!
Plus, there's is no good metro system here.

I have been talking to people who do a lot of extra-curricular activities, who have a relatively balanced life outside work, people who have real hobbies and while its inspiring, it makes me wonder about what the heck am I doing? btw, did I mention I think I am going through a quarter life crisis?

On the brighter side of things, I went fishing last weekend. It was raining (boo) and as a result, cold. But it was pretty fun, maybe because I was running and splashing around in the water, haha.. Yes, we caught some salmon.

Back to my confused world.
Whats my passion?
Whats my talent?
Whats my mission?
Whats the point?
Am I a lost soul?
Why do I have so many questions and so few answers?
Am I kidding myself?

Btw, I really hate how these stupid online photo storing sites are deleting my pictures/shrinking my pictures. I don't trust them anymore. I better make backups.

TAG-ed

2005-09-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I got TAG-ed.
Worse, I can't believe I am following this TAG ritual.

Thought #1 I hate chain mails. Especially useless, annoying ones. And instead of forwarding it, I always delete it. Which is why I am surprised I am writing this.

Thought #2 Kids have great ambition. This is before they get jaded and cynical. I remember I wanted to be a teacher, pilot. I think I wanted to be something else every 6 months or so. I don't think I ever thought about how much each profession made.

Thought #3 When you are asked to think about anything, thats when you go "what should I think about" And when you are trying to tell yourself not to think so much, you end up thinking "don't think so much" over and over again. Freaking annoying and ironic.

Thought #4 Good tasting food are not as healthy, as food that tastes bland. Maybe its just a mind trick. The forbidden food, like oily fatty stuff, sweets, tastes yum yum.

Thought #5 I just went through a filtering, to decide what I need to put down. Some of the stuff, too personal, some other stuff, to related to what I just said, its almost like a continuation. If we were bold and fast enough to write down everything we think, we'd be tired for sure, but would we be happier?

ok, thats all.
TAG-ing - piglet, moo, ho_gary, sly, cc

Hee Hee..

2005-09-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

I got a new testimonial!
I looooove testimonials. Thx thx!

I had a huge list of to do things for this wkend and how much did I get done, not much at all.
I spent most of today, visiting places and going with friends to check out new houses.
Saw some really cool, spanking new places. Damn expensive as well. We saw a bunch of half a mil places. Its really nice, and we were kidding around how 6 of us should just get it and 2 peeps share 1 level. So, its like a condo/apt with 3 levels, each level has its own room, washroom and living room, with the kitchen on the main level only.
Its actually pretty depressing to look at those places, because it only makes you realize that you dont have the means.
Of course, these nice places are good for more than just 1 person.
I was talking to this dude on Sat nite, and he bought a place, with a drive of 35 mins to work, with no traffic, so with traffic it takes an hour or so, or a lot more if its rush hour.
I just think its crazy and the reason he bought it there, was cheaper for the space. A 4 bedroom with 1 person living in it only. Good thing is, he is getting it for investment purposes and he plans to sell it next year. Bad thing is, horrible traffic and it doesn't help that gas now costs an arm and a leg.

Anyways, can't compare. I am still busy trying to figure things out for myself. =)

I took a jager bomb last nite. It was nasty. I didnt know how it would taste like. I can't believe they mixed Red Bull with Jager. I had a slight after taste of cough syrup or something medicinally with the jager bomb. Yuck!

Went to the bookstore yesterday and happened to pick up this book, titled "20 something, 20 everything". It talks about the quarter-life crisis, faced by many of us. And specifically, it is speaking towards a female audience. It was actually pretty scary to be reading it and relate a lot to what is actually being shared by other people. It asks a lot of questions, which I still don't know answers to. I had to put it down, because I was almost scaring myself, with all those questions. I am thinking about picking the book up, and just coming to terms with what I want to get out of life now. :)

Interests

2005-09-22T00:23:00.000-07:00

Its sad to know that I don't do a lot of things outside of work.
I have a list of things I want to do and life I don't want to just pass by me, but I barely notice it slipping as I slouch over my desk.
I am debating about money vs career vs life.
I do want it all, but at what cost?

A lot of "I"s in this post, but I feel finding a balance is important to me. I am only stiffling myself by doing nothing. Not to mention all work and no life makes me a stressed out person. And stress hurts.

Plus, I am paying for my gym without using it. I should make use of my membership. Thats my goal for now.
Also, I want to pick up something else. Learning new things, make things, do little things I like. I miss all that, without realizing it until now.

Some of my friends are going back to school. I want to too, but not yet? Will I have trouble picking school up again?

........ er..... .......
memory lapse! thats all!

Wireless

2005-09-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Its good to have wireless connection. I am able to update my blog now, while I am waiting at the dealership for them to service my car. Why can't I take a loaner? Well, for one I don't want to drive back and drive here again. Its too far.

Anyways, so I have been able to do a lot of my email catching up using free wireless here. However, there is this girl who is also waiting for her car's service and she was flipping through a magazine. I move from the couch to a table, where I can put my laptop down so I can type properly and she also moves to sit somewhat behind me. I mean its a huge space and there are so many open seats. Heh.. I am sure she just decided to plop down there because of some interesting magazine, but still. =p

Not a lot new. I am trying out G Talk now. I have only IM-ed 1 person so far and haven't used the "call" feature yet, so its too early to give an opinion on that. Very simple so far. Maybe too simple? But I believe simplicity is important, because its all about simplicity for G products.

I should seriously start watching my finance but once you decide to watch what you spend, you feel like shopping all the more. Its really weird, but I haven't been shopping much lately, at least I don't think so. And now that I know I should watch my spendings, I just want to go shopping and getting stuff. Maybe its the stress. You know shopping is an awesome stress buster. But its only temporary. The stress comes back in greater dosage when bills appear.

I think I need a change. Change something. We'll see how things go.

Hollow

2005-08-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Whats the point? Whats the point?

*sigh*
piglet, i miss u.

Girl drama

2005-08-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I just don't understand some girls.
I'm not talking about little things either. I mean, sometimes, you really know a guy is bad for you. And I know it can be a 1 time mistake sometimes, but how do they trust so easily again?
Besides, why can't they be stronger? I mean, there are plenty of people out there, plenty of nice guys out there, some just need a bit of a kick in the butt!
This is category 1 of the girls I don't understand.

The other category, stand up for something. I mean how can you say "Lets not be together" and then do stuff? And go back and forth b/w guys! Hello, you give us a bad name and while I am all about equality, do as guys do, they gotta take the bad names with it too. Dogs and female dogs.

Sigh... I am being so mean. I don't understand. I try to put myself in their shoes, but its very damn difficult, I keep thinking "Of course I won't do this". Maybe "getting over" is easier said than done.
But seriously, someone please knock some sense into these girls.

It seems like a season of break-ups. A bunch of people I know broke up. Kind of sad, since I thought they seemed really cute.

yawn

2005-08-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

Booooreeeed and its not for lack of work. Quite the opposite actually, my plate is quite full, but I am getting sick of it.
I need a break/vacation.
Plus, I haven't been getting good sleep. Its not because I am sleeping late or anything either. Its just that I wake up tons of times. Broken sleep and having thoughts running wildly in your sleep is not a good thing.

Was going to do Boston. However, things didn't pan out. It would have been good to have a mini vacation, but I have personal stuff to take care of and having family visit. Plus, it'd have been good, if I could have just taken a day off instead of more.
Precious precious days.
People who don't take their vacation days and waste them because you cannot carry them over are crazy. Why would you do that?

I finally had my biriyani. Turned out pretty good, maybe add a little more salt and spice next time. A little bland and I should add a little less aloo. Hehe... it was no surprise my biriyani was the biriyani with most aloo I've ever had.

I think I should make use of my dentistry plan. Haven't gotten my teeth checked out in ages. Maybe I have some more cavities now, though I don't consume as much chocolates anymore, or maybe I am just fooling myself.

I feel like there is so many things to do, but my butt is sooo damn lazy. Just want to veg. Its a sign of aging. =(
Also, its very sad when there are all these little kiddies out with music and I think they have squeeky voices and no singing talent. I mean I use to listen to a bunch of those things before and they annoy me sometimes now. sad sad..

well, i went to play golf couple of times. I suck. Very inconsistent and not good swings. I need practice, but its tough.
hm... I should try hitting the gym more. Else, I am letting money get taken out from my pay every mth for nothing.

Work, here I come!