Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Christmas is over

So Christmas is over. I almost have to say, "good riddance!" I think I wrote about this before in my previous blog, but I've learned not to like Christmas anymore. The expenses, the crowds, the traffic, the lines. There is nothing merry about all of these. I hate to admit that I'm becoming a grinch. The pretty lights, the fragrant trees, the carols, the jolly old Santa -- they just don't cut it for me anymore. I wish that something would change this feeling so I can enjoy the holidays again, but nope. Not this year. Maybe next year it will be different.

I'm taking 7 days off of work these 2 weeks as vacation. Didn't go anywhere out of town but sure love the fact that I can sleep in everyday until 11am. Wake up, go to lunch, mope around, and then it's more moping around. No schedule, no thinking, and no work. In fact, I love this type of lifestyle so much that I'm already dreading going back to work next week. The thought of going back to work a few days from now is stressing me out. You know, that feeling you get when you know you have to do something, but you're trying sooo hard to procrastinate not to do it? Yep, that's what I'm feeling right now. I just know that eventually that dreadful day will come and I will be dragging my feet into the office. Well, I guess, until then, I should just savor the moment now!!

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Friday, December 16, 2005

Worker's Comp

I fell down yesterday evening as I was leaving off work. It is the only stretch of space that is not-carpeted and the only way out to the elevators. The janitor just finished mopping the floor and had pretty much left all the water and soap around the place. Despite the fact that the yellow "caution when wet" sign was up, and my every attempt to walk carefully, I still slipped and fell. I made a crashing noise that everyone who sat around the area came to see if I was ok. I was too embarrassed to admit that I fell so I said I "almost" fell and that I was fine. Low and behold, when I got home, my entire left side of the body became sore. My left thigh, which hit the floor the hardest, is now bruised and painful. My left arm, which I used to bear the brunt of the impact, is very sore. Throughout the whole night, I was unable to sleep on that side of my body, because as soon as I put any pressure onto my thigh and arm, I feel pain. I am also feeling a little of sensitivity in my lower back.

Today, when I came into the office, the first thing I did was to send an email to our facilities and safety coordinator, copied my boss and the head of HR. I told them that I fell and that the janitor should NOT be mopping the floor during those prime leaving time (between 5:30-6:30). I also suggested that he should dry the floor immediately, not just leave it and let it air dry. HR immediately opened a worker's comp claim for me and I was recommended to go see a doctor. I tried to make some appointments but unfortunately, was unable to get any today. I am actually very uncomfortable. It must have been a bad fall. I guess as we get older, our body just don't take falls well...

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Home at last

I am finally home, at least for a while. My recent hectic travel schedules really took a toll on me. I am physically tired and mentally strained. Traveling to Asia for 2 weeks, then come back for 2 weeks and then leave again to New York for another week is not my definition of fun. It's torture. I'm glad it's finally over. No more trips scheduled this year. I am looking forward to my normal routine again.
* * *

This weekend passed by very quickly. My husband and I are currently in the market for a new car and spent this Saturday at a car dealership. We're planning to get the 2006 Honda Civic since it has good gas mileage. If you didn't know already, I dread car shopping. I hate dealing with car salesmen. They all have the same old sales tactics and strategy. The price wasn't right, so we walked out. Why can't it just be easier? No new car yet, so the saga continues...

* * *
It's interesting to see where people you know have gone and what they've been up to. I logged onto Friendster recently and read updated profiles of my friends, and their friends, and friends of friends. Some got married, some have new careers, some have kids already. It's very nice to know that all of us have grown and changed from high school and from college. Everyone is just walking through their journey of life, phase-by-phase, and so am I.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Daylight Saving Time

We move our clocks back one hour today at 2:00am as Daylight Saving Time ends. That may be why today feel so long. I'm not sure, I woke up around 11:00am today, which is actually 10:00am. By the time I finished dinner tonight, it was only 7:00pm. I'm not sure what happened, and what is this Daylight Saving Time (DST) anyways? I did some researching on the web and this site that provided some interesting facts:
  • The main purpose of DST is to take advantage of the extended sunlight during Summer and save energy (we move 1 hour of daylight from the morning to the evening hour during the Summer)
  • Spring forward First Sunday of April, Fall back Last Sunday of October (both dates at 2:00am)
  • George W Bush recently expanded the period of DST to save energy and fuel. Starting 2007, DST begins earlier on the 2nd Sunday of March and ends 1st Sunday of November.
  • DST is not observed in Hawaii, Arizona, and the most Eastern Time Zone of Indiana.
  • World Wide, Japan is the only industrized country that have not introduced DST
  • U.S. Legislators had always wanted to move the end of DST to after Halloween so it's safer for children to go trick-or-treating (it will happen in 2007!)
  • Bar-goers lose 1 hour of drinking time when DST begins -- they need to stop at 1:00am! In Athens, Ohio, this actually caused riots!

Interesting...hope you enjoyed those little tibits of DST!

For those partying tomorrow for Halloween, HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Okinawa

Gorgeous weather today and I took the day off from work. Wasn't planning on going anywhere or doing anything special but just wanted to be out of the office for once. I'm physically tired from the 1-1/2 week long trip. I was working 12-hour days throughout if not more. I guess I already had the better end of the deal since some of my co-workers ended up working more than 18 hours per day. That's why I don't like to travel for business. People see it as a perk, but I knew it was never that glamorous.

I visited Okinawa (in Japan) for 2 days. Getting there was cruel. I had to take 3 flights: from SFO to Nagoya, Nagoya to Fukuoka, and then Fukuoka to Okinawa. Total time: 18 hours. It almost felt like I was flown to Siberia and back. It was tough but I made it through. By the time I got to Okinawa, it was 10:00pm so just in time for a good night's sleep! I have to admit that I didn't really "visit" Okinawa, because I didn't go anywhere other than our company's office, the store, and a local restaurant. I didn't visit anywhere else. We were shuttled to and from, so I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about this place. I heard that Okinawa has some nice beaches, oldest people, and beautiful temples. Nope, I didn't see any of that. The highlight was the local restaurant we went to where we did eat some very local Okinawan food, such as rare horse meat! Ok, no, I didn't any.... people who ate it said it tasted like chicken. Then again, everything exotic tastes like chicken.

I didn't take any of these pictures, but here are some pictures of Okinawa.

Beach on Sesoko Island (below)












Memorial to Akainko (below)

Monday, October 24, 2005

Business Class

Now I understand why flying on business class is so darn expensive. It's because you really get the bang for your buck. I've flown on these 13-hour international flights from SFO to HKG for more than 6 or 7 times in my lifetime already. Everytime, I dread the experience. I never can sleep, seats are cramped, food is nasty. Overall, I hate it. But this time for my meeting in Hong Kong, my company flew me on business class. I was, for the first time, able to fall asleep, and I ended up sleeping for 6-7 hours straight, uninterrupted. The seats move flat like beds. What a great feeling! It was by far the most pleasant flight. I woke up just in time for a quick meal, and before I knew it, the plane already started its decent. It felt like only 3-4 hours but in reality, I was on the plane for more than 12.

Besides the comfortable seats, business class service is impeccable because we had 4 flight attendants servicing the 20 of us. The 1:5 ratio allows the attendants to tend to minute details. Food is not only better where you had a menu choice, but it is actually served on China, drinks on glass stemware and usable silverware. The attendants offer a good selection of newspapers and magazines, good wine, and a goody bag filled with useful toilettries. I love those socks that look and feel like shoes, the blindfolds, the warm towels, the choice of OJ or champagne. I enjoy the On-demand movie channels. I love priority baggage claim, shorter check-in lines, airline lounges filled with snacks and drinks and comfortable, sleepable sofas. I like the ample overhead storage bins and the ability to embark and disembark the plane first. I like long flights that feel short.

AND! On my flight from Okinawa to Hong Kong, I even had a famous Hong Kong singer-celebrity sitting a few seats away from me.

I love flying business class.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Highway Robbery

My co-worker and I went to try out this new restaurant called Medicine Eat Station for lunch today. It's a new, posh/hip restaurant, located inside the Crocker Galleria in Downtown San Francisco. Their "niche" is to offer a healthy, vegetarian menu, inspired by the cooking of Zen Buddhist monks in Japan, dating back 500 years. Their motto: Food so healthy that it has historically been called by a Japanese word meaning 'medicine.' Today in Japan, this cuisine is called shojin, a word that means "working to better oneself." Bottom Line: BULLSHIT. The food is so bland and tasteless that I wonder if they even cooked or seasoned it.

I ordered one of the 5 "Foundation sets," which is their healthy, ultra-simple foundation for a meal. Again, BULLSHIT. They offered an "artisan tofu" which is nothing more than a square of uncooked tofu off a box (aka Vitasoy Tofu). Not even a peck of salt on it. Tasteless. Then I got 4 pieces of extremely small pickled turnip. Hurray. My main course was a bowl of Soba (buckwheat noodles) in a Shojin broth. Okay, instant noodle is a lot 100x better than this. The broth tasted more like hot water, and the noodles, well, very buckwheat. I feel like barfing when I ate it. I hate to diss food like this, because I was taught never to complain about food. But believe me, this is perhaps one of the worst meal I've ever had! Charge for this bland, favorless and unsavory meal: $8.95

But this is not the end of it... on the bottom of the menu itself, these words, "For convenience, a service charge of 17% is automatically added to your bill. No tipping is accepted. " BULLSHIT! Convenient for them! No, don't get me wrong, this is not your typical, add 18% for party more than 6, etc. This is 17% no matter what. It is sooo ridiculous!! The service is by no means impeccable, but we (a party of 2) were forced to pay this 17% to a waiter who didn't even fill up our glass of water or drop by to ask how we're doing. Now, this is highway robbery.

Needless to say, I will never go back there again... plus, I need to spread the word and let everyone I know how ridiculous this restaurant is. Food is horrible and overpriced. Service is poor to warrant the mandatory 17% charge. I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone, even to my worst enemy. Yes, it is THAT bad.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Worked out!

Work has been crazy for me lately, actually for everyone in my office. Today when I left the office at 7pm today, everyone in my near vacinity was still there. I really mean, everyone. I thought to myself, how pathetic was that?! The company is beginning to tick some nerves with the employees. Everyone is forced to take on more work, yet of course, not truly getting compensated for it. We lost 1 headcount in our department. The workload of this one individual who left got re-distributed among those remaining. That is just so typical. And then they ask us why we can't be on top of things?! How could we? I'll be leaving for a 1-1/2 week long trip next Wednesday. I'll be traveling to Hong Kong for a team meeting. Up until today, I was thinking that maybe this trip would be cancelled. Who knows? Maybe that's just me dreaming. I have so much to do to prepare for this trip, but I haven't done anything yet. Needless to say, I'm freaked out!

Saturday, October 01, 2005

New Weblog

I've decided to create a separate weblog to share my current experience with braces and eventually jaw surgery. It is going to be a long process so I don't want to bore you with the details on this stie. I'm going to keep this site to rant and share my thoughts on day-to-day things. If you're interested, the link to new website is on the side column.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Light at the End of the Tunnel

The orthrodontist tells me that the human body is always very good at adapting to new things. Even with foreign objects (i.e. braces) on my teeth, my mouth will eventually adjust and naturally build up the strength and endurance to withstand the discomfort. The amount of pain and discomfort that I experienced the past few days didn't seem like his statement was true at all. The metals of the braces have been constantly scratching against the inside walls of my mouth. It is very uncomfortable and at times even painful. Especially on Monday, I could barely talk because one naughty bracket keep on scratching against one side of my tongue. That really hurts. But today I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My mouth feels a lot better than yesterday. Sure, the insides are still scratched up, but at least it feels like my mouth is finally healing. So far, the experience with braces is not too bad. I feel like it is more inconvenient than painful. But I guess the inconvenience is actually forcing me to eat better and to maintain better dental hygiene. I brush, floss, and clean my teeth immediately after I eat. Food get stuck in between the brackets and wires so I have to make sure the food particles are all out. And because cleaning is such a hassle, I try not to eat any foods with high sugar content because they will cause cavities, which will more likely happen to people with braces. Overall, getting braces requires a lifestyle change, but it's good change.

Friday, September 16, 2005

A Pivotal Day

I have ugly crooked teeth and an improper bite. I knew this for a long time. It was obvious. But for financial reasons, my parents were unable to pay for braces when I was in middle school. I grew up always self-consciously hiding my bad teeth whenever possible. I never had the confidence to speak up in the classroom or in a group setting, afraid that people will see my crooked teeth. I never smiled with my teeth exposed either. Almost every picture I had up to college I took with my lips tightly sealed. On some of them, I looked like I was mad at someone or something. Despite my bad teeth and severe underbite, I never did anything about it. I couldn't, financially-- it was still very expensive to get orthodontic treatment. However, the thought of needing braces never escaped my mind.

When I turned 30 this year and one day took a long look at my teeth, I thought to myself, if I don't do something about them this year, I should just shut up, move on, and don't think about it again. For God's sake, I'm 30 this year. So my saga started back in June when I made my first initial consultation with an orthodontist. I found out that not only did I need braces, I would also need a jaw surgery to move my lower jaw back into alignment with the upper jaw. This is not new news to me. I knew that from conversations with various dentists my condition was not something that braces could correct alone. The jaw surgery is a big deal. I read up on this topic on the internet, and I was honestly quite scared about it. I still am scared. But I still wanted to move forward with getting braces. What gave me a little positive push was the fact that my health plan at Kaiser covered the jaw surgery procedure. I wouldn't have to pay anything for the surgery, which if not covered, could potentially cost $20,000-$30,000. Then things began to move along. I had to get molds and X-rays done. Meet with the Kaiser physicians, first with my primary care doctor to get a referral, and then with the oral surgeon. Extract one of my upper molars. Wait for the Kaiser authorization to go through. And then FINALLY, after 3 months since the initial visit, I was ready to put on my braces.

Today was the day I had my braces put on. A Pivotal Day in my life. After so many years, this has now become reality. I finally DID something about my teeth but I know this is only the beginning. I feel fine so far but I have been forewarned about the discomfort, the pain associated with this entire process. I am a big baby so I know it's going to be tough, but I am ready for it. I've already won half the battle. My determination is strong enough to withstand any obstacles that come my way!

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Pictures of the Past

I spent much of my time last week relocating my entire collection of photos from these old cheapy albums I bought many years ago to the more premium "archivial-quality" albums. The whole project started when I realized that some of my older stick-on albums are turning yellow on the side of the pages. Now, after being a scrapbook enthusiast since last year, I now know the definition of acid-free, pvc-free, and lignin-free papers. While the stick-on albums give you the flexibility of putting both vertical and horizontal pictures on the same page, they are harmful to the photos in the long haul. The stickiness of the pages attach onto the photos and can eventually do some ugly damage! Of course, these pictures are irreplaceable in many respects (i.e.I'm not good at keeping negatives!) Anyways, so that was how my entire project came about.

Honestly, I never knew I had THAT many pictures. My sister used to work in a photo-finishing store and has good access to printing out photos for free. The luxury of not having to pay for photofinishing (which can be very expensive) may be the result of me having so many pictures in the first place. I also attributed to the fact that whenever I go on trips, I go camera-crazy. And of course, back in the days of using 35mm film, 24, 36 pictures per roll get processed no matter what. Now, at least with digital photos, you can be selective in printing only a few here and there.

By the time I was done, 10 albums (each holding 300 pictures each) have been completely filled up. It's hard to imagine that I have that many pictures, but I guess I do. All the pictures (3,000 of them!) are all very precious to me. Going through the pictures gave me a chance to recollect and to remember the past... that particular point in life I was once at. They made me realize how far I've come and how much I had and have. They remind me of my childhood, my family and friends, my school and college years, my trips, my love, and most importantly, my journey in life. These pictures will forever be a memory of my past.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

where would YOU want to live?

Which city would you want to live in, if you had the urge to move somewhere and start a new life? And if you had to narrow down to an American city? I've always thought about New York in the past. But now that I've been there a few times, I really love San Francisco, and I'm glad I'm here where I am. Well, out of curiosity, I took this test online that tells you which American cities will fit you based on your answers. My results are below. The funniest thing is that New York remained on top and San Francisco didn't even make the list! Try it and check it out for yourself! The link is below.






American Cities That Best Fit You:



65% Honolulu

65% New York City

60% Chicago

55% Philadelphia

50% Atlanta


Monday, August 01, 2005

Trips

I just came back from a business trip/vacation last week. After 3 flights, 22 hours, I finally arrived from San Francisco to Saipan, a small island with the Marianas Islands. So you ask me what am I doing in Saipan? Honestly, I have never heard of Saipan until I work for my company. We have stores there. So, along with 3 other collegues, we travelled to Saipan for a store visit. We go once a year to our stores, for strategy meetings, for floor plan executions, and to foster relationships between Corporate and Store. This is a view outside my hotel room in the Hyatt. It's actually a beautiful island; but too bad I didn't get to enjoy this place leisurely.
We spent 2 days there...next to fly to Guam.

Guam is part of the U.S. territory, and for the most part, a major Japanese tourist destination. It also has a military base there. We spent about 3 days there; primarily in meetings and working in the office. I didn't take any pictures of Guam. Had a bad experience with getting my wake-up calls in Guam, which made me extremely paranoid for the most part. We had a brutual 6:00am flight from Guam to Hawaii. Because of the problems of the wake-up calls, we called each other just so we won't miss our flight.

Arriving in Hawaii was nice. We got there Friday night and I had pretty much the weekend free. Some of my collegues were working, and I felt kinda guilty for ditching them. But heck! I was in Hawaii! My husband flew in and we spent the weekend sunbathing in Waikiki Beach, and snorkeling in Hanauma Bay. This is the best snorkeling beach in all of Oahu. Beautiful coral reefs and tropical fishes.

The next 3 days were full working days for me. My husband hd the luxury of relaxing on the beach, surfing, and cruising along the Oahu coastline. He got a nice tan too.

After I was done with work, we ventured off to Kauai, an island north of Oahu. A little interesting fact is that Kauai was the island used for the aerial shot of Jurassic Park. Kauai is also known as the Garden Island, which if you remember the scene of Jurassic Park, you will understand why it's called that. Lots of greenery everywhere you go... that's because Kauai receives about 400 inches of rain a year. The weather there is unstable, and you will for sure run into some rain showers no matter what time of the year you go there.

We spent 2 days in Kauai. The first day we drove around the island, and veered off to private beaches wherever we run into one (which is almost everywhere!) There is only 1 main road around the island, so at any given point in time, you will see the same cars (mainly tourists) driving along the loop.


The second day we took a 4-hour Sunset cruise along the Na Pali coast. This is the western part of the island, not accessible by car. It's absolutely beautiful here! We saw many sea caves, waterfalls, and mountain ridges that define this 17-mile landscape. The scenery looked surreal...like a postcard picture. Along the cruise, we saw dolphins happily swimming close to the boat, riding the waves. They even playfully made jumps and flips. They made me appreciate dolphins in the wild, where they truly belong. They can enjoy the beauty and openness of the ocean, and have each other as company. We also saw a sea turtle, gliding up to the surface for a breath of fresh air. It swam gently and peacefully. These were some of the major highlights of our cruise.

And what is a Sunset cruise without a sunset?

Enjoy the Sunset in Kauai.

Monday, July 04, 2005


Happy 4th!

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Where are they?

This is what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) announced yesterday:

For the 63rd year in a row, the number of boys born in the United States outnumbered births of girls, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
In 2002, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 94,232 more boys were born than girls. Since 1940, an average of 91,685 more boys have been born each year, the agency said. That amounts to a total of 5,776,130 more male babies than females over the 63-year period. The agency said the more children a woman has, the more likely she is to give birth to an equal number of boys and girls. Chinese and Filipino mothers were most likely to give birth to more boys than girls, while non-Hispanic black and American-Indian mothers were most likely to have an equal number of infants of both sexes, the CDC said.


So my question is: Where are all these men?

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Turning 30 and what it means to me

So I'll be turning 30 this Friday... Yep, happy birthday to me. I really dread this birthday, because it's one of those years that becomes a turning point in life. It's like your 18th, or 21st birthday-type of year. Being 30 means you're no longer in your 20's, no matter where in the late 20's you are. It makes you remember the "old" times and refer to the 80's song as "oldies." It means checking off a different age group when filling out questionaires. It defines the difference between a Miss and a Madam. It makes you realize that you can't pull all-nighters anymore and that your little heart can't take those daredevil rollercoaster rides anymore. It also brings you into a totally different mindset in financial terms because now you find yourself paying attention to those Social Security debates because they start to mean something to you now...

The most scariest part of being 30 to me is that it means that my biological clock is ticking and I'm running out of excuses (and time) for not having a baby yet. I woke up in the middle of the night in sweat one day because I dreamt that I was pregnant. Yes, I have a fear in having babies. I have a fear to raising kids. I have a fear in the whole process. But yet, I know I have to do it, now sooner than later. Turning 30 is forcing me to stop procrastinating and to face my fear!

Saturday, April 30, 2005

The Common Cold

After my 2 year streak of being "cold-free," I have finally fallen ill to the common cold virus this past week. It all started off with a sore throat, which of course, being Chinese, I immediately thought the sore throat was a result of "hot air." I began my spree of eating and drinking anything that was classified as "cool" - melons, ice cream, ching-bo-leung, etc. But the sore throat quickly developed into a congested nose and a fever. It was then I realized that my strong immune system that protected me for the past 2 years lost its battle against the evil virus. The cough came and then more congestion. I missed 2 days of work, and I'm still trying to recover right now. The hope of being 100% well in the next day or so seems unlikely. I need to heal quickly because on Monday, I will be stepping into a plane, i.e. the best breeding ground for germs to spread. It will be a 5 hour flight to New York, which is a very long flight in my definition. I don't want to spread my germs to others nor do I want my weak immune system to engage in any more fights with other viruses. This is perhaps one of the worse colds I've had... symptoms acting in full-fledge and lastinglonger than usual!

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Desperate Housewives

I love every Sunday night's Desperate Housewives! The show has a plot that draws me in like a magnet, and every episode never fails to do just that. The storyline gets more and more interesting every Sunday. This is, by far, one of the best TV shows I've watched. If you are a fan of Desperate Housewives and have been missing a few ones here and there, watch the April 27th show, which is supposed to be a "recap" of all that has happened since the premiere. And boy, there are a lot that has happened! A lot of secrets have been revealed!!!

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Catching up

It's always a treat to meet up with an old friend once in a while and have a nice lunch to catch up. I met up with a college friend today and we talked non-stop throughout lunch. We gave updates on our lives, which remained pretty much status quo. We mentioned that every time we meet, which is about 2-3 times a year, life hasn't changed much since. There weren't any "dramatic" changes. We defined "dramatic" changes as:
  1. A new job
  2. A new love life (boyfriend, fiance, husband)
  3. A new dwelling (buying a house, moving)
  4. A new baby

So how do we end up talking for an entire hour if we've determined within seconds that our lives remained "same ol', same ol'?" Well, the joy of having 2 women together can be translated to talking about other people's dramatic changes. While it's politically-correct to catch up on each other's lives, it's much more interesting to catch up on the latest gossip!

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

I'm sad to announce that the watch department I currently handle at work is under the chopping block. Senior management thinks the department's brand line-up and price points are too "cheap" for the company's image. They want the cheapest watch that we offer to customers to be at least $200; so the $60 watches in my department just won't cut it. So there it goes. My department, my vendors, and most importantly, my bonus. Throughout the year, we work hard, long hours just so we can beat our sales targets and get our much-deserved bonus. So it's only 3 months into the year, and because of this decision made by Senior management, we are left in the cold. We are in the process of negotiating with the company to make some "exceptions" because this is simply unfair. Why should our team be punished for the Company's decision?

In addition to the bonus, the ultimate question is what will happen to me? I'm actually not too sure myself. If my entire department is to go away, will they eventually eliminate my position and lay me off? There is always this chance. Why keep that extra body and head count around? Hmmm....

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Cruise

My husband and I, along with my entire family just came back from a short cruise vacation we took this past week. This was my first cruise but I've heard quite a lot of things about cruises from friends and people who have gone before. Our port of call was in L.A. so we had to drive down there. It was no easy task to coordinate a trip for 18 people, ages ranging from 1 year old to 70. Thankfully, it was somehow managed and no major issues happened. The ship was a little bit aged and probably needed renovations, but overall, not too bad. The best part of the cruise was of course, the delicious, around-the-clock food. Dinners were of course the best --many times I ordered more than 1 appetitizer, more than 1 entree, and more than 1 dessert! :P

Our port stops included San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada. We visited the San Diego Zoo, kayaked on Catalina Island, and walked around Ensenada. This was definitely a good starter cruise because it was short and have 3 port stops to rest and be on land. I actually got a little uneasy when we sailed over choppy waters the first day. I never knew whether I get motion-sickness or not. I've been on speedboats before and have no problems but the rides were always less than 30 minutes short. I guess I was able to adapt on this cruise to the constant swaying.

So the week just zoomed by without me even realizing it. I'm now back in S.F. and am totally NOT looking forward to going back to work. I took a sneak preview of my work inbox and saw that I have 250 emails sitting there. :( Next week is going to be a long week for me, like always.

Spring Forward!
Monarch of the Seas

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Women Turning 30

Googi just forwarded me an email about CBS 60 Minutes Andy Rooney's discussion about women over 30. It reminded me of an old article I kept back from 1997, titled "30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She's 30." I ran across this article in the May 1997 issue of GlamourMagazine, thought it was interesting, so I decided to keep it. I figured, when the day comes that I turn 30, I will reflect on the list and see how it all relates to me. I was 22 at that time, so 30 seemed very far in the future. Well, what do you know? I'll be turning 30 this year!! Anyways, Googi's email made me dig this article back up from my storage bin and here I would like to share with you the List:

30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She's 30

Should have:
  1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you've come
  2. Enough money within your control to move out and rent a place on your own, even if you never want or need to
  3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or lover of your dreams wants to see you in an hour
  4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you're not ashamed to be seen carrying
  5. A youth you're content to move beyond
  6. A past juicy enough that you're looking forward to retelling it in your old age
  7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age - and enough money to fund it
  8. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra
  9. One friend who always make you laugh and one who lets you cry
  10. A good piece of furniture not previously own by anyone else in your family
  11. Eight matching plates, wineglasses and a recipe for a meal that will make your guests feel honored
  12. A resume that is not even the slightest bit padded
  13. A feeling of control over your destiny
  14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don't get better after 30
  15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better

Should know:

  1. How to fall in love without losing yourself
  2. How you feel about having kids
  3. How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship
  4. When to try harder and when to walk away
  5. How to kiss a man in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn't like to have happen next
  6. How to have a good time at a party you'd never choose to attend
  7. How to ask for what you want in a way that makes it most likely you'll get it
  8. That you can't change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents
  9. That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it's over
  10. What you would and wouldn't do for money or love
  11. How to live alone, even if you don't like to
  12. Who you can trust, who you can't and why you shouldn't take it personally
  13. Where to go when your soul needs soothing
  14. What you can and can't accomplish in a day, a month, a year
  15. Why they say life begins at 30

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Snow in the Big Apple

Just came back from yet another week-long business trip to the Big Apple. While Californians were enjoying spring-like weather, it was a whole different story in the East Coast. The temperatures were freezing! We had 50-mph wind gusts that made the temperature drop to a mere 15 degrees. Not 15 degrees C, 15 degrees F! Water literally froze! One day, it even snowed which gave the city a couple of inches. While it was a beautiful sight to see the snowflakes fall onto the ground, getting around the City was a nightmare. Along with the cold temperature, it was nearly impossible to catch a cab, the ground was super-duper slippery, stores closed early, traffic was a mess, and flights were delayed. People became short-tempered, viscious when fighting for cabs, etc. Overall, not a pretty scene! I was thinking to myself, this is why I love California, the Bay Area. It's truly beautiful here.

Saturday, February 26, 2005

My big bonus check

I have to admit that I am very happy with the big bonus I got this year from work. Actually, the bonus I got this year is for last year's performance so next year I'll get the bonus for this year's performance. Did I confuse you? Anyways, again, I am very happy. It is the most money I've ever got as a bonus since I started working in the corporate world. Hope it won't be true, but I'm afraid that this may be the most I will ever receive. Either way, I am glad to have the joy of getting such a big check in the mail. Of course, the true benefactor of the bonus is Uncle Sam. He doesn't even have to work for it. My hard-earned check got cut in half because of him. It's absurb.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

I'm done with 2 meetings, and have 1 more to go tomorrow. With those endless projects and ad-hoc assignments, I am thoroughly stressed out at work. It seems like the only time of the day I look at the clock, it's already 5:30pm. The day just zooms by without me even realizing it. I have too much to do with too little time. I really need a break. But you know what a break does to me? Create and pile up work, and then I suffer even more. Too bad my assistant is so lazy to do anything for me. She just does her work, status quo. If I don't ask, she doesn't do it. Even when I ask, it takes her a long time. That's why people stay at the same level where they are, even if it means 14 long years. *sigh*

I noticed that none of my fellow bloggers are blogging anymore. I wonder if anyone reads my blog? Too bad there isn't a guest counter on these pages, then I can check if I actually have loyal readers out there and who checks in. Either way, I still blog because this became my journal. I go through my past entries once in a while and it's still fun to re-read what I wrote... especially during a certain period of time, whether I was happy or sad. They're my thoughts, my feelings...

Monday, February 21, 2005


Rain on window
I did so little this 3-day weekend that I can barely remember what I did. I just remember sleeping late, and thus, waking up late. By the time I got out of bed, 1/2 the day has gone by. I love keeping my room really dark and sleeping in. For the past 3 days, I remember going out to eat lunch, and then hurrying back home. Didn't go anywhere else. The weather has been yucky, so it was actually nice to stay dry at home. I love listening to the rain when it hits the window. It only makes me feel more comfortable and warm. The best feeling was eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's in bed, watching TV and listening to the rain. It's a very cozy feeling.

To do nothing during the weekend is nice, and is actually a good compliment to my upcoming busy work week. I have several meetings lined up this week, which will take a lot of time away from my day-to-day workload. This will mean that I will get stressed by deadlines. Overall, not a good thing. I'm almost anxious to get these meetings over with...so I can get on with the other things. I hate being busy at work!

Friday, February 11, 2005

V-Day!

Valentine's Day is Feb 14, but who cares? What is the big deal? I walked around the mall today, and every store is dressed up with their pinks and reds. All that "fluff" disgusted me. If you haven't known this yet, Valentine's Day is purely a made-up Hallmark holiday... it is nothing more than a merchant's excuse & greed to jack up prices for that day. So why are roses and dinners 2x as expensive on Feb 14, than on Feb 13 or Feb 15 for that matter? It just doesn't make sense.

V-Day has always been my least favorite day. When I was a kid, my parents were too poor to buy me those cute, colorful Valentine cards to pass out to my classmates. So I already felt bad that I didn't have any cards to give away. The biggest agony, of course, was at the end of the day, how many of those cards did you receive. There was always some sort of unspoken competition among the kids to determine who was most popular in class. And if a boy selectively gives a girl a card (or vice versa), then of course, the endless teasing begins. As we grow older, V-day became worse. The holiday is so "in-your-face" that it makes all the single people out there just miserable. People can't even avoid it. Couples for some reason act especially lovey-dovey than normal on that day, which is supposed to make everyone else more comfortable?? Just case you're wondering, there will be no celebration with my husband this year. We will just go on with our regular daily routines. There will be no expensive dinners nor expensive flowers. Just a simple day wtih each other...and that's already enough.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Horoscope Believer

Yesterday was the start of the new year…it's also this time of the year that I like to read up my horoscopes for the upcoming year. My husband nags me not to take horoscopes too seriously. For the most part, I read it for entertainment; but lately, there has been a series of events that coincided with the horoscopes that I'm beginning to believe in them. So far, here are a couple of examples I've read about that actually came true:

This was my horoscope on Yahoo Astrology on February 2, 2005:

"Certain natives of this sign cannot progress in their career principally because of their inaptitude for public speaking; is it due to a lack of practice or lack of self-confidence? The solution will reside in the courage to undertake public speaking. Perhaps it is time for a class?"

The most freaky part was that very day at work, I attended a company-sponsored Presentation Skills seminar training class. I signed up for that class a couple of months before, so it was not because I read this piece of horoscope did I decide to attend the class. Coincidence? I think not!

So just today, a friend of mine forwarded me a link to my Year of the Rooster's horoscope by Feng-Shui master, Raymond Lo. In this article, it states that :

"For the Rabbit people, the clash against the rooster could also mean surgery, accidents involving breaking of neck or back."

So what happened yesterday? On Chinese New Year day? My husband and I went swing dancing... My husband got too anxious in showing off his new moves, he twisted me the wrong way during the dance. So guess what? My back got screwed up. It was sore the entire day today. Coincidence? I fear not!

I'll try to take these horoscopes I read with a grain of salt, but I'm beginning to wonder if there is some truth in them...Master Lo also said that I need to wear a dragon pendant to ward off bad omen this year. I better go find me a dragon pendant soon!!

Monday, February 07, 2005

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is right around the corner! It's only 2 days away. This coming week will most undoubtedly be occupied with gatherings and feasts. In fact, I just had my first CNY Eve dinner with my in-law yesterday. Of course, like every year, we always have more than enough dishes. For a group of 8, we had duck, chicken, roast pork, lobster, quail, soft shell crab, abalone and soup. There was enough food to feed a team of 20 football players. But I guess leftovers are welcomed, as they signify that the family will always have an abundance of food in the upcoming year. Little superstitions like these and playing around with sounds of words go a long way in Chinese culture.

A little early, but I wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! May Wealth, Health and Love be both around you all...

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Fresh New LOOK!

My Blogspot now has a brand-new look!! When I first started this blog about 1-1/2 years ago, there were only 3 templates to choose from. Now, there are at least 15. It's exciting to see my blogspot with a fresh new look. I tried to customize some of the settings, but realized I had to rely on my limited HTML knowledge to have some things changed. I wish they had something a little more easy to use.


Sunday, January 23, 2005

The Housing Market

So everyone seems to be talking about real estate nowadays...so often in fact it reminds me very much like 5 years ago when everyone talked about nothing other than the stock market. Back then, everyone had some sort of stake in the market, small or large, insider tips to growing companies, etc. Interesting... if the real estate market is anything like the stock market, I worry that eventually, the over-inflated housing bubble will burst.

So, my husband and I went to several open houses today in our neighborhood. Of course, houses are still extremely overpriced here. Obviously, those scientific reports that announced our area to be the worst earthquake and tsunami zones did little to affect the prices. We found out that for 1/2 million dollars, you can only get a small, 2-bed, 1 bath fixer-upper. Yep, a house that will probably require you to dump in at least tens of thousands to make it liveable. Any so-called "move-in" condition homes cost over $700k. We even stumbled into a couple of houses that were going for over $800k. Wow. amazing. I wonder how long is this housing market going to last? I'm curious....