Cartveyors

I love the fact that there are now escalators for shopping carts (branded name is called Cartveyors). It beats having to wait for the elevators to come, only to find them all full. I first saw them at the Target store in Berkeley and was very intrigued by them. Today I saw them again at Home Depot in Daly City.

The history behind it is that in the past, large retailers have traditionally located their businesses in large, single story buildings in the suburbs. The building requires 12 to 14 acres of land to provide enough space for the average 120,000 square foot store and sufficient parking. But now, many larger retailers are moving back into urban areas where property is more dense and expensive. Obviously space is precious so the retailers are forced to build multi-level stores. Because of this, there is a need to move both people and carts to multiple floors. Hence, the CARTVEYOR was invented!

Oscars

Tonight ABC is showing the 79th Academy Awards show, hosted by Ellen Degeneres. Here are the people I'm rooting for!

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Blood Diamond"
Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland" WINNER

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin - "Little Miss Sunshine" WINNER Guessed it right!

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Meryl Streep - "The Devil Wears Prada"
Helen Mirren - "The Queen" WINNER

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Abigail Breslin - "Little Miss Sunshine"
Jennifer Hudson - "Dreamgirls" WINNER

BEST PICTURE
"The Departed" WINNER Guessed it right!

DIRECTING
Martin Scorsese - "The Departed" WINNER Guessed it right!

SCREENPLAY - ORIGINAL
Michael Arndt - "Little Miss Sunshine" WINNER Guessed it right!

Let's see how many I get right?!
4 out of 7!

Mass Exodus

I am so depressed lately. I go back to work after a 6-week leave and the 3 people in my old team resigned for one reason or another. All of these deicisions were made independent of each other, but the timing is eerie. Including my move, there are 4 vacant positions within the immediate department. It is quite a scary thought. As always, I feel sad when I see people leave the company, even though it's always this time of the year that people tend to resign. First reason is that they've stayed until Dec 31 to fulfill the requirement to receive the previous year's bonus. Plus, outside companies already have their new payroll budgets finalized in Jan and will open positions up. So, there is a mass exodus lately. I don't like it a bit. This time, it's the worst because I am especially close to the people who are leaving.

I like steadiness and don't like changes. When people say that change is good, I disagree. It's not always the case. When things are going great, why change it? I am beginning to worry about further changes in our company. I wonder if other people will start to leave and more announcements be made. I heard that our senior VP might leave or get re-assign to another position. This will effect me personally because this person has watched me grow in this company and knows me, my performance, and track record. But if he leaves, I feel like I'll have to start over to prove myself. It's not that I want to be promoted, but there is a sense of continuity and stability there. I don't know, but it's really sad thinking about all the changes happpening lately... So people tell me, at the end of the day, it's just a job. It's all business, nothing personal. But the problem is that I get so emotionally attached to the people there. That's why I'll have such a hard time quitting this place, even though I know I'm currently overworked and underpaid. I've been there 7 years -- with the friendships I've made, it's not easy to just call it quits. Well, who knows? Maybe, just maybe, this day will eventually come...

So I return to work tomorrow after 6 weeks of medical leave. I didn't spend today any differently than I did for the past 6 weeks. Woke up at 10am, went out for lunch, roamed around running some errands, and then headed home, surfed the web, blogged. I am in the state of denial right now... and sad! I have to admit that I'm really going to miss this lifestyle -- the life of no worries, no stress, flexibility, and simply doing nothing! As boring as it sounds, it's a great change to my ever stressful job and long hours. I couldn't believe that 6 weeks went by so fast. But then again, time always go by fast. I can never say this often enough.

Tomorrow and the days ahead at work will be crazy. I will be returning to another department which means that I will have to re-learn processes and meet new people. I did not seek out this new position, but had been assigned to it. It happens when people go on leave for a period of time. Prior to the leave, I managed a good department. I like the team, the business, and the people I work with. So, it's hard to adjust to this change. I question whether this change will be for better or for worse. Wouldn't it be fantastic if people can tell the outcome before making a decision?? Then there would be no bad decisions.

My husband and I are moving along towards fixing our house. We've been planning that for the past 5 years. Right now, we plan to just add a bedroom and bathroom to our unfinished basement instead of extending the house out to the backyard or adding a third level. Those construction projects will be too costly and require a lot of work to obtain building permits from the City. I went to the Planning department this past Friday by myself and it was quite an experience. Despite long wait lines, people there were generally nice and helpful. I had zero architectural experience so I had a hard time answering questions they raised. But it was because I didn't have the Title 24 (Energy efficiency) report that they required so I didn't get the permit. Better luck next time! We hope to start construction during Spring.

Recycle & Reuse

Here is something I found interesting: A group of 10 environmentally-conscious friends, who called themselves, "The Compact" are going above and beyond normal recycling. They pledge to not buy anything new for a year. They vowed to reuse, reduce waste, and be anti-consumption for the better of the our Planet Earth. Of course, they have to exclude essential things such as food, toiletries like soap, shampoo underwear, etc. that fell under the categories of health and safety. But everything else, it was fair game.

Besides shopping at thrift stores and garage sales, the group also found that it was easy. There is a network of websites that offer freebies that others want to get rid of. Here are some of the websites where people post free things online. http://www.freecycle.org and http://www.garbagescout.com

They started the pledge for 2006 and it has been successful that the group is now continuing their commitment into 2007. They follow 2 basic principles, as posted on their Yahoo! Groups page.

#1 Don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)
#2 Borrow, barter, or buy used.

Honestly, I don't know if I myself can do this. It's hard not to buy anything...anyone want to take this challenge??

Happy 2007

Happy New Year, everyone! Another year... wow, where has time gone?

As tacky as it sounds, I wish that there would be world peace this year. I hope the government can finally come to their senses and withdraw from Iraq. America should mind our own business internationally and use our tax revenue to support programs domestically. How about free preschool programs or funds to improve our bridges and infrastructure?

Speaking of bridges, the Bay Bridge now costs $4 to cross. That's crazy. It was only as recent as 1997 we were still paying $1 to cross the bridge. Now fast forward 10 years, we are now paying $4. That's insane.

Brrrr.....

Is today COLD or what?

I'm back!

Dear Loyal readers,
Having survived surgery 9 days ago, I am now back on the blog scene. Recovering at home has been nice (sleeping in 'til 10 is always a blessing), but it can be also quite boring. The variety of activities available to me at this point are still limited. But Blogging is OK! So, here I am.

Haven't gone out to do Christmas shopping yet. I did buy for a couple of things on Amazon.com. To say the least, I am quite disappointed with the Navigation system on Amazon. I used their 1-click shopping, which is supposed to be easy and fast. But the prob is that they don't give you any indication that the item is bought. After 90 minutes, they then send you a confirmation email. So what happened? Because I didn't know that I actually "bought" the item, I went and bought it again!! Only until I receive 2 email confirmations for the same item did I know that I bought the item twice. I tried to go back to Amazon to cancel one of them. But nope! The system said that the item is now in shipping status and no cancellations are allowed. So of course, I received duplicate orders! I don't like navigating through Amazon. It's really not that easy (or maybe I'm just technically-dysfunctional). That 1-click shopping function of theirs suck!! Don't use it!!

Rome (HBO)

If you haven't seen Rome on HBO yet, rent it on DVD. The 1st season is out with a 6-disc collection. I was never a history buff, but I can't stop loving this show!! I can only describe this series with one word, "EXCELLENT !" Defiinitely one of my favorites, very enjoyable to watch. Beware though, it is a rated-R movie with excessive violence, nudity and sexual scenes...not really meant for kids. But the storytelling of ancient Roman history is incredible. You'll find it impossible not wanting to see more.

Anniversary

I have my braces on for exactly 1 year to the day. I can't say whether this is fast or slow. My teeth has straightened out considerably but I still have a long way to go. Hopefully, a year from now, it would be a better story.

Mochiko Chicken

Googi asked me for the recipe for Mochiko Chicken so I thought to share it with everyone as well. Mochiko refers to the mochiko flour used in the recipe. The flour looks very much like baking flour except it's whiter in color and finer in texture. It also has a slightly sweet taste to it. You can buy the mochiko flour is any major supermarket. Mochiko Chicken is a Japanese dish, and works very well as an appetitizer. It's delicious and very easy to make!


Ingredients:
2 lbs of chicken thigh or breast chopped into 2" cubes
5 TBSP mochiko flour
4 TBSP cornstarch
5 TBSP soysauce
4 TBSP sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 eggs (beaten)
1/4 cup green onion chopped
3 cloves crushed garlic
Oil for frying

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl (except for the oil) and add in chicken. Mix well and marinate chicken for 1 hour. Deep Fry marinated chicken in oil until golden-brown. Drain oil from chicken on paper towels and newspaper. Eat!

Super-easy Japanese Cucumber Salad

The weather is warm and you want to munch on some snacks while watching TV. What is better than chips and cookies is a quick, easy, refreshing and healthy cucumber salad! It is super-easy to make. Plus, it's cucumber season so they're selling like a dime each. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
5 Medium cucumbers (seeded)
2 tsps Salt
1/2 cup Lemon juice
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp MSG (optional)
1 tbsp White wine vinegar
2 tsps Sesame seeds (toasted)

Preparation:
1. Peel cucumbers lengthwise, leaving thin green stripes. Slice very thinly into a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Add salt and mix with hand until cucumber slices are quite limp. Set aside in fridge for 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix lemon juice, sugar, MSG and white wine vinegar. Transfer cucumbers to a strainer and squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the cucumbers. Discard salt water.
3. Add cucumbers to the lemon juice mixture. Ground the toasted sesame seeds and stir into the salad. Serve.

Comes out perfect each time. You can't go wrong with such a crowd-pleaser. ENJOY!

2006 World Cup

Having just been back from Hong Kong and Singapore, I inevitably caught the World Cup fever. Soccer (or as they call it football) is so big in Asia -- actually, it's big everywhere around in the world except for the U.S. People get so excited about the World Cup, since it only happens once every 4 years. Germany is hosting the games this year so people in Asia who want to watch the games Live must stay up at 3am! So you can guess how many "sick calls" employers get per day during the World Cup!

When you're in an environment that screams World Cup everywhere you turn, 24/7, you can't help but take a little interest in what's going on. So I watched the reruns whenever I have a moment. I don't even know all the rules -- just the basic ones. It is pretty exciting, but sometimes 3 hours can go by without even a single score! That can be frustrating. So, in case you're wondering, U.S. is out (no surprise). England, Germany, Portugal, and Argentina qualified for the quarter-finals. Other teams have yet to play to qualify. I do have a favorite team - England. That's because my favorite football player is Michael Owen. Forget David Beckham. Michael Owen is so much cuter! He's #10 on the field. Unfortunately, he injured himself during the game against Sweden and now he will not be playing in the World Cup games anymore. :(

Single gals - in case you're wondering ... Michael Owen is 27 but already married with 2 kids. He married his childhood sweetheart whom he met in Primary school (like when he was in 5 yrs old!) How adorable is that?!

Also in case you're wondering how I got to notice Michael Owen when I barely know any soccer ... He is the Ambassador (Advertising spokesperson) for a Swiss watch brand, Tissot. They designed a watch specially for him. #10. Limited Edition.

People Development

"People Development "- it's a term thrown out at us managers lately on a daily basis. What IS people development? It's our company's desperate attempt to get people in the organization properly trained, well-equipped with skills to get promoted and move to the next level. In recent months, our company is faced with a crisis: important positions left vacant for months. There is no one ready to be promoted. No one has the qualities and experience the position requires. A group of people think they are very qualified, but senior management thinks not. So, both HR and managers are getting the heat for not adequately developing their people. HR's so-called solution is to implement a myriad of training and development programs -- an overly-ambitious plan that is too much too late in my opinion. Developing people takes time; the programs might benefit the company some day, but it won't do a thing for today. The company is finally realizing that when they did those lay-offs 2-3 years ago (read Archive Blogs) and downsized the organization down to its core skeleton, they didn't take in account that there will be a time like now...hands tied because we simply don't have enough experienced people to do the job. It takes 5 seconds to let someone go, but at least 5 years to get someone trained enough to take on a managerial role and to understand the complexities of our company.

And by giving the us managers added pressure to develop our people overnight is not going to make things better. I, for one, am getting a little annoyed by the company's direction to implement so many programs that will do little, other than take up valuable time on real day-to-day job training. One of the programs launched recently include critiquing yourself on what is your weakness, share it with your supervisor and then come up with an objective in how to improve that weakness. Oooooookay... that's very useful. That will just pissed off people more like it!

What really pisses me off lately is the whole "increasing your profile with senior management," that is directly related to people development. I guess in order to be classified as being "developed" or "deserving of a promotion," one must increase his visibility and presence in front of senior management. This is getting too out of hand. It is no longer about being able to do your job anymore. It's not about getting things done anymore. It's about your presence, your visibility, your profile... and how all that sits with senior management. So, bottom line, you can be slacker or incompetent, but if you know how to talk the talk, walk the walk, you'll do just fine. It's ridiculous. I've seen hard workers leave because they don't get appreciated the way they should be. Dang it, one of them just might be me!

Wikipedia

I have a passion for useless fun-fact trivia - like what is the longest highway in America, why do we have daylight savings time and what on earth is Sudoku? These facts fill up memory space in my brain -- that may be why I have such bad memory for more important things! I guess I get curious when I run across things I've never heard about. So I go on the web and research on it. My recent favorite lunchtime hobby is reading random articles on Wikipedia. I love this site! It's by no means the authority on information, but it's a quick read fact-finder! You can also contribute by editing the pages and adding more information that you know about and willing to share with others.

Brokeback Mountain

Once you get over and see pass the nudity and some of the more intense homosexual acts in the movie, you will learn to LOVE this movie. The story is thought-provoking, mind-bloggling, and simply powerful. Pay close attention to every detail and you will notice there is a purpose for everything. This movie is full of symbolism and intriguing notations. Everyone did such a magnificent job telling this story of forbidden love...

If you're up for some after-the-movie discussions, email me!

Back Home

"No matter where I travel, or just how far I roam,
There's just no other place, quite as nice as home."

I'm finally home, after a 16-day trip to Switzerland. And boy it is wonderful to be back! Don't get me wrong, it's not like I didn't like Switzerland; the entire trip was a very enriching experience... a part of my journey that I will never forget. But being able to be home is a whole different ballgame. After the first week, I was already homesick and ready to come back. But I managed to stick it through! I tried my best to enjoy myself and made the most out of the time I spent there. Along the way, I've made some notes what I thought about Switzerland:

1. People here are generally nice. They are a lot nicer than I thought they would be. I guess I am drawing from the past experience I had with the French people in Montreal, Canada where everyone seems to have a staring problem. Here people still stare, but not as apparent. For the most part, people just mind their own business. Some of them are helpful and courteous. They do their best to help you.
2. Things are very clean. There’s no garbage anywhere. Even the public bathrooms are clean. The paid bathrooms in the train stations are exceptionally clean because they have janitors on site. Trains are older but still clean. People don’t litter, and they have janitors pick up any leftover newspapers and trash at every major stop.
3. There is a lot of graffiti. Somewhat ironic to the whole cleanliness deal. Every wall is marred by some sort of graffiti which is such a shame. I don’t know why there is so much graffiti here. I saw one guy actually spray-painting on a wall in broad daylight. Obviously, he’s not afraid to be caught.
4. They like to cook with high-cholestrol foods. Mayo, butter, chocolate and eggs -- in huge portions. The worst devil: Cheese Fondue. Fatty, but of course, tasty.
5. They are a big-on-dog country. Everywhere you go, people bring their dogs with them. I see dogs on buses, trains, in restaurants, everywhere. Most of them are so well trained. But it’s surprising to see so many of them in public places. That would never fly in San Francisco, even though SF is also a very dog-friendly city.
6. Things are very very expensive!! The starting rate of a taxi is 6.30CHF (which is about $4.15) That's more than NY! Vegetables at grocery stores are ridiciously priced. Everything from transportation costs to food to material necessities are so expensive. I wonder if people there make a lot of money. They must do, otherwise, everyone will be living in poverty.

These are the more interesting facts about Switzerland that I've observed during my time there. Until my next travels, I am glad to stay grounded for a while. There's nothing better than sleeping in my bed.

Interlaken, Switzerland

I played hookey from work today and journeyed off to Interlaken, located in the middle of Switzerland, between the lakes of Thun and Brienz. Interlaken is primarily famous for its ski slopes on the Alps with access to the lakes for non-skiiers. It is a 2 hour train ride from Neuchâtel to Interlaken, with a stop in Bern. It's also an expensive trip - tickets cost 78 CHF ($60 US) for round-trip... Despite the $ and the time, the trip is well worth it. The train ride is a sight-seeing experience on its own. Getting there is already half the fun. I was looking out the window on the train and enjoying miles and miles of green pastures, trees, the valley...and then just in a split second, snow-capped mountains appeared in front of the train. It was unreal! The mountains were so close and so pronounced. Very beautiful indeed! The Swiss Alps up close!

The train also swung around Lake Thun which had absolutely clear blue waters. More mountain ridges appear in the far background. Simply amazing! I also took a separate trip to Grindelwald, the ski center that also links to the remarkable Jungfrau Top of Europe ski slope. I didn't go to the Jungfrau because it would have taken 5 hours to get up there and I didn't have time. Interlaken is really meant for an outdoors escape... in the winter there is skiing, in the summer, there are a dozens of water-based activities. Although I didn't do any of these, it was still just as pleasant to enjoy the spectacular views.

This is random, but I had to share -- I just had one of THE BEST chocolate croissant. I bought it at, of all places, the Coop, which is Switzerland's version of Safeway. It has just the right amount of crunchiness, topped with bits of roasted hazelnut. The chocolate inside is mousse-like, smooth and creamy. Simply heavenly delicious! The ones we have in the States are nothing in comparsion... the pastry is usually oily and the chocolate is hard. The croissant here is soooo good!! Wish I could sneak some back to the U.S. without anyone knowing.

Neuchâtel, Switzerland

I took the train from Luzern to Neuchâtel yesterday, which was possibly the worst day to travel. It was snowing! The weather here is absolutely insane. The day before was beautiful, sunny, and clear. Then it just decided to snow! Worse than the snow was the fact that I had to change trains in-between with my 2 heavy luggage. There were no direct trains from Luzern to Neuchâtel!! I had 15 minutes to get off, dash to the right platform, and get on. I strategically sat near the doors, made sure I was ready 5 mins prior, etc. I have to say that the Swiss people here are genuinely nice people. Many of them offered and helped me with the luggage on and off the trains. I arrived in Neuchâtel, at the Beau-Rivage Hotel around 6pm. Neuchâtel is a small city in the west side of Switzerland and is known as the "Watch Valley." It is surrounded by smaller towns such as Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds where watches are manufactured. The population is mainly French-speaking. (Luzern is mainly German-speaking).


Neuchâtel

Today the weather was back to the beautiful, sunny and clear. How odd. I woke up around 10am, which is the first day ever that I got to sleep in and not have to wake up at ungodly hour. Casual day today, no work. I got a self-guided walking tour brochures from the front desk and journeyed off. I first stopped at a restaurant called Le Jura Brassie. I don't know the items in French, but I had the daily special which included a salad and the main entree was pork with a sausage inside. It was accompanied by zucchini with cheese and rice. Food was good. I followed the tour guide and was surprised how close things were. Along the way, a woman approached me and asked if I needed any help with directions. Again, I was pleasantly surprised that people here are very helpful and nice. I guess I has been skeptical because of my past negative experience in Montreal (Canada), which was my only exposure to anything close to European. I saw a lot of fountains. In fact, Neuchâtel is also known as the city of 140 fountains (some better-looking than others -- some are very plain looking).
Within 1 hour, the walking tour highlights were done. This is a very small town afterall. After my nice afternoon stroll, I stopped by a cafe and got myself a cup of cafe and a patisserie creme (coffee and chocolate cake). Tasted delicious and today was just the perfect day to people-watch and stay mellow...

Fountaine de la Justice

Luzern, Switzerland

After a 11 hour United flight from SFO to Frankfurt, Germany, my coworker and I land to find out that my connecting 2:15pm flight from Frankfurt to Zurich was canceled. Good thing we arrived early enough to quickly get onto the one leaving at 1:10pm. But that one was delayed and it was a bloody mess. By and by, we didn't leave Frankfurt until 2:30pm, which brings us back to almost the time of our original flight. We land in Zurich in 1/2 hour. We then had to carry all our luggage (heavy ones!) to the train station. By that time, we've met up with 2 more people who flew from Hamburg to Zurich and another 2 who took the Lufthansa flight from SFO. We all ended up at the same location, at the same time, taking the same train. It reminds me so much of Amazing Race, where 3 teams set out at different times and got onto different flights, but still back in the same game when at the train station.

We had to take a 1-hr long train from Zurich Airport to Luzern, where we will be staying 5 nights. Luzern is about 1 hour away from Basel, a city in Switzerland that attracts thousands of watch lovers, watch buyers, and watch makers with their Basel World Fair. The fair is what brought me to Switzerland. This fair is truly an amazing event. Very big scale! After a long day of meetings and a strained shoulder from carrying my bag filled with paperwork and reports, the first day is finally over! I have yet another full schedule of meetings tomorrow. Despite all this, I enjoyed a very nice authentic Swiss Fondue meal yesterday at this restaurant called Fritschi in Luzern. It was established in 1602!! Simply amazing! I really like Luzern. It's nice and quiet, and very picturesque. The population in this small town is 70,000 so there are less crowds and less traffic. But unfortunately I won't get a chance to explore this city!! The only thing I can, however, is to capture these pictures outside my hotel window. I have a corner suite in the hotel with a spectacular lake view. Here are 2 pics I took. Enjoy the beautiful Luzern.


Swiss Alps and Lake Luzern

RENT

Seasons of Love
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand moments so dear
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year
In daylight, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee,
In inches, in miles, in laughter in strife
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life
How about Love? how about love? how about love?
measure in love seasons of love, seasons of love
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand journeys to plan
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life of a woman or a man
In truth that she learned or in times that he cried
In the bridges he burned or the way that she died
Its time now to sing outthough the story never ends
Let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends
Opening song from Rent, the musical and the movie (2005). Just finished watching this on DVD. I never saw the Broadway show, so the movie was new to me. Interesting storyline -- unique plot. I'm so used to watching musicals that are older and set in more historical times like Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera. Nothing so modern and new. Fresh idea. I watched the special features and they did a story about the writer/composer, Jonathan Larson. I learned that Larson died the day before Rent's Opening Show at the age of 35, alone at his house from Marfan Syndrome. That was so sad because he had dedicated over 7 years in writing this play while waiting tables at a local diner because this was his passion, his dream. And he didn't even get find out whether this show was a success or not. (Of course this show was a huge hit). So Larson didn't get to enjoy the fame or recognition that he deserved for his work. Just soooo sad. His family used some of the profits from the show to start a Jonathan Larson foundation, which awards money to starving composers/writers who wait on tables, drive cabs, just to live to do what they enjoy most, so they too can fulfill their dreams. It is so inspiring.

Blockbuster Online

It's another wet and wild one out there today, so what better to do than to stay in the comfort of your own home, snuggle in your warmest blanket & enjoy a movie or 2 on your big screen TV? That's exactly my game plan this weekend. Ever since we joined Blockbuster.com, my husband and I have been watching movies, a lot of movies. I think we average about 4-5 movies a week. But that's because we haven't watched any for the past couple of years! I think the last movie we watched in the theater was "The Incredibles," back in Nov 2004 when we were in Wash DC with nothing better to do. Anyhow, you get the picture : haven't watched any movies in ages so there was a lot to catch up when we finally joined Blockbuster.com. It's this thing about monthly charge & unlimited rentals that make you want to watch & return as fast as you can so you can make it all worth the money.

We just finished watching the Johnny Cash's movie Walk the Line. Ok, sorry if I'm totally ignorant but I didn't really know who Johnny Cash is or was before this movie. His name sounds familiar but I had no clue. But now I know. I guess he was just as big of a star as Bob Dylan or Elvis Presley. I enjoyed the movie - both the acting and singing were good by both Jaoquin Pheonix and Resse Witherspoon. The love between Johnny Cash and June Carter was romanticized throughout the movie and also in real life. They were married for 25 years and that's probably very hard to come by in the showbiz world ... but I was still very disappointed to learn that Johnny Cash cheated on his first wife to be with June Carter. He left his first wife and his kids behind to be with June Carter. I didn't like that part... and no one seems to care about that!

Winter Olympics - Torino 2006

I love watching the Olympics although I am not normally a big sports fan. There is just something about the Olympics and the country-to-country competition that draws me in every night. These athletes train for years in their sport for only "that moment in time" to prove to the world that they are the best. What sets these athletes apart is the fact that they are not professional athletes -- they don't get paid for playing. They participate because they want to prove themselves. They participate because they love competition, they love their sport. I have so much respect for them -- it takes a lot of dedication.

The Olympics this year have a lot of new sport debuts this year such as the Snowboard Cross and the Snowboard Half Pike... all adaptations from the X Games. Very enjoyable to watch. These sports require a lot of training, skills and guts. For the most part, I like watching all the competitions, from Cross country skiing to Figure Skating. The only thing I just don't get is Curling. I really don't get it. What is the point of this "sport?" The players throw a stone onto the ice, trying to get the stone closest to the middle. Then the opponents use these broom-like equipment to brush the ice so the stone will lose its original projectory. Ok, so that is IT? This is a sport?! What the hell? Sorry if I offended all the Curling fans out there...all 20 of you. Curling is a game for fun and should not counted as a sport whatsoever.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

Bejeweled Anonymous

Ok, I admit it. I am addicted to Bejeweled. If you don't know what it is, it is a game that is very similar to Connect Four -- except it's more like connect three or more. You can switch the gems around and connect the three. They disappear and then the next row drops down. Some gems will automatically connect & disappear by themselves depending on where they're positioned. More gems drop down from the top and the screen is constantly full. You see that bar down on the bottom? Well, that' like your energy bar. When you are able to connect gems fast enough, the bar rises. When you've reached the bar fast enough, it wil go onto the next level. On the flip side, if you don't connect the gems fast enough, the energy bar decreases. The game is over if the energy bar is empty. You constantly have to find gems to connect or else you lose your energy bar. There is a time limit. The challenge is that you have to be quick -- both your eyes and fingers. It's actually a pretty stressful game -- which is ironic because I play this game to de-stress from work. Ok, back to my addiction. I am sooo addicted to this game. I can't get enough of it. I play at least 5-6 games whenever I turn on the computer. There's just a challenge to this game that keeps me on the edge. I guess it can be half mindless but half challenging. You should try it if you have nothing better to do. You can find it on Yahoo! Games. Just don't say I didn't warn you that this game is addicting.

** By the way, my highest level is Level 11. I passed Level 10 only once.

Bonus Calculator

Happy New Year! It's the first week back to work, and what is the first thing people do? Calculate what is their bonus!! The year ended and since our 2006 bonus is based on the 2005's results, everyone went straight to the report generator and whipped out their calculators and start crunching numbers. The bonus calculation is a complex tool on a spreadsheet but has been made easier by an Excel guru in our company. Just plug in the numbers and wah-la, it will split out your total %. Multiple the % by your annual salary and that is your dollar amount for the year's bonus!

Majority of the people work hard primarily for the bonus. But there are many times when you can work very hard but end up with a big fat ZERO for your bonus. Those are pretty depressing years. I had an EXCELLENT bonus year in 2005. For 2006, it is still VERY GOOD. I should be happy. I have one of the highest % among my peers. I have been lucky. I hope I remain lucky this year as well!! There is nothing more enjoyable than to receive some extra spending money!

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!!

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...

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.

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 !

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)

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

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.

Happy 4th!

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?

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!

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!

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!!!

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!

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....

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

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

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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.

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.

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...

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!

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.

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!!

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...

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.

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....

Happy New Year everyone! Good bye 2004!

My first entry in December and it's already the 22nd .. sorry, it's the combination of being busy and lazy at the same time. So I finally got my Christmas shopping done yesterday. I got smart this year... I went to the malls with gift ideas in mind so my only mission was to buy. I learned that only by doing that can I avoid aimlessly going to every single store, trying to find a decent gift for a decent price. That gets extremely tiring, and dangerous -- because chances are, I will end up finding something I end up buying for myself. But this year, nope. I targeted the selected stores, compared prices if allowable, and purchased. This cut my shopping time by at least 2/3.

So Christmas is only a couple of days away. To those who I won’t see anytime soon, have a Happy Holiday and a great new year!

Fundraisers

Christmas is here so you know what that means -- gift wrapper fundraisers! Have you ever been approached by someone asking you to buy these expensive $9-10/roll Christmas gift wrappers for a school fundraiser? I hate fundraisers, and I've been approached too many times that it's getting really annoying. There is this one woman at my workplace whose full-time job is to help her son fund-raise. I am honestly very sick and tired of her constant harrassment. Every 2-3 months, there is something: Candy bars for sale, magazine subscription drives, sponsorship to some spelling bee contest or a book-a-thon. Then of course, there is the annual gift wrap fundraiser -- don't ever forget about that. I think companies should ban employees from soliciting business from other fellow employees in the workplace.

I don't mind the occasional donation, but the practice has become too apparent and frequent that it has now become a pure annoyance. Being who I am, I never liked to say no to people asking for favors, especially from co-workers who you see everyday. But this year, I am able to put my foot down to end all of this misery. When I was approached this year (no surprise) to buy a gift wrap, I looked through the catalog out of courtesy and told her straight in the face, "You know, quite frankly, I still have the unopened rolls of gift wrap that I bought from the past 2 years. I don't need any of this stuff." I also let her know that I have nieces and nephews that have the same fundraisers, and that if I ever needed a roll of gift wrap or any chocolate tinboxes for that matter, I would probably buy it from them. After declining to her request, I think she got the picture, at least on my perspective. I think she realized that I don't appreciate the frequency of her requests. I am sure that many people around the workplace think the same way, but are probably too polite to say anything. Well, let them be, so they can continue to buy those rolls of expensive gift wraps year after year.

The Day after Thanksgiving

The radio is playing non-stop Christmas music. I guess Thanksgiving is officially over. Retailers and shoppers alike are gearing up for the holidays, if they haven't already done so 1 month ago. People say that the day after Thanksgiving is biggest shopping day of the year. I think it's because people hype about this day so much that mentally, they think they are getting extraordinarily good deals if they shop today. The media even called these good deals "door-busters" deals, describing how people line up before the opening of the store, just to get these early bird specials. I was just browsing through some of the ads yesterday and realized that some of the retailers' so-called "deals" are very much like deals that you often get throughout the year. So no need to wake up 5 in the morning trying to save an extra few bucks! It's probably something that you don't need anyways.

I find it funny that we often buy things not because we need them, but because they are so cheap that we can't possibly pass them by. My husband and I walked into Walgreen's just this morning and they had these Mega-king size Hershey chocolate bars for 50 cents each. They normally retail for $1.99 each. So what happens? We ended up walking out the door having bought 4 of them. No, not just 1 of them, but 4 in fact because the limit per coupon was 4. We are not even chocolate lovers! So, what exactly are we to do with 4 mega-king size chocoloate bars?! Any takers?

New York and Washington DC

Just came back from an extremely short vacation in Washington DC. My husband and I spent approximately 3 days in this city. I lived there 7 years ago for 3 months. Boy, have things changed since September 11! That's why this day can never be forgotten. It has forever changed our lives and America. Tourists are no longer allowed to visit and tour the White House, the Pentagon, and all enclosed federal buildings. On every corner of the block, tourists are now greeted by an uniformed person with a shotgun with steel barricades all around instead. It's sad to see how paranoid our nation's capital has become.

Before visiting DC, I was in New York on business for 1 week. This is my 4th time visiting this city, and I must admit that this city no longer charms me as it once did. When I went to NYC the first time many years ago, the hustle and bustle of the city intrigued and excited me. I loved the place and imagined myself moving and living there one day. But now my impression of NYC has changed from a fun, exciting and glamorous city to a place with too many rude people and extreme materialism. The past 2 trips showed me that in order to get anything done, you have to "show them the money!" To get a table at a restaurant, to hail a cab, or to get into a bar, all you need is money. Money, money can buy you everything. If you don't want to fork out the money, forget it -- all you will get is people being rude to you. And as you walk along 5th Ave and Manhattan, everyone and everything is branded. All this kinda made me sick.

I don't like this type of environment. I want to be in a place that if I walk around downtown with my sweater I bought from Ross, I won't feel like I'm being judged. I guess as I get older, how people see me is less important to me. I don't need to gain any concensus on how I should look or what I should wear. I am who I am, and I am glad that I have friends who do not judge people by the way they look.