Perspective From The Other Side

Westside rental sponsored a landlord seminar tonight. I been a renter for many years, so it was very interesting to hear about renting from the other side.

I now understand why collecting agencies are doing so well.

WTF!!!

Property value goes down, property tax goes up. That, my friends, makes no sense; but that's exactly what's happening (read more here).

Los Angeles Times announced that L.A. homeowners would get tax relief this year due to decrease in property value (read more here); alas, I am not one of the 128,000 homeowners.

Like all my neighbors, the value of my home been going steadily in the downward direction but my property tax bill for 2008 is 6.7% higher than that of 2007, WTF!!!

And of course, they have to make the appealing process more gruesome than it needs to be.

Shopping Time?

The good news out of this mess is all the stocks are at bargained prices. And since I am young, I can buy more stocks and wait for them to recover.

The bad news is this may not be the bottom yet, my retirement portfolio has dropped 25%, and I probably need a lot of liquor courage before pushing that "BUY" button.

What a Rip-Off!

The gas and electricity in my new apt are already on. But to transfer the accounts under my name, I have to pay a "Start Service Fee" to both companies; $19 to the Electric Company and $25 to the Gas Company. What a Rip-Off!

AT&T does not charge an activation fee for its dry-lube (no phone line) DSL service, but AT&T charge $79.99 for the DSL modem/router and $12.99 shipping fee. At least for AT&T, this is a one time charge. Supposedly, if I move in the future, I do not have to pay for the equipment again and can just re-use the modem/router.

First Meal at My New Home

Heated leftover pizza with a glass of Riesling! :)

How to Apartment Hunt?

Apartment hunting is a pain in the a**!!! My friends warned me it could take me weeks, if not months, to find a decent place within my small budget. Luckily, I had a lot of help; it took me one week to find my new home. :)

This post is intend for those that are looking for a new place and for my own future reference (when I forget what a pain it was to find a new place).

---------------------
Step 1: List your top priorities and must haves for the apartment (For me, it was safety, kitchen, and within 5 miles radius from work).

Step 2: Tell everyone you're looking and ask them to keep an eye out for you. I got many great advices that way.

Step 3: Drive around the areas you're considering. Watch out for "Vacancy" or "For Rent" sign. Don't be afraid to get lost because along the way, you may discover area that fits your needs. I ended up crossed out several recommended areas and my new apt is in area that was not part of the original consideration.

Step 4: Internet is your friend. I found my place via craigslist. And I found a cheaper alternative to westside rental: property management companies' websites.

Property management companies are better than paying services (like westside rental) since their job is to make sure their clients' rental properties stay full. Most of the companies have free rental list. You can also call them up and tell them you are looking for a place, they will point you to their own vacancies.

Below are lists of websites I used during my search.

For Safety:
http://lalife.com
(try find one that's high on both safety # and school #)
http://www.spotcrime.com/ca/los+angeles

For review of big complex:
http://www.apartmentratings.com/

For Search:
www.craigslist.com
http://www.ultimatela.com/apartmentrentals.htm
Classified section in all local newspapers

For L.A. neighborhood briefing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_neighborhoods

Things My Friends and I Do for Fun

The picture from previous entry was taken in Pasadena. Here's a video taken from there:


And here's a picture of wishing trees in the One Colorado Courtyard

Would You Like

Los Angeles,
my playground,
how I love thee.

More to come...

Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony

(from Yahoo!News)

This is the most amazing, spectacular, inspirational opening ceremony I ever watched!

This ceremony inspired me to
1) Learn more about the Chinese history,
2) Go visit Beijing again,
3) And maybe take a geography class (so I would recognize more nations, maybe even know the location of Gabon).

For the next 16 days, I will be watching a lot of television.

Mobile Update

First 2 picture are of the pizzas I made for brunch. I first brushed
the breads with olive oil, garlic, and oregano; then toasted them in
the oven. After the breads are toasted, spread on tomato sauce, then
add pepperoni, brie, and mint. Covered with fresh grated parmesan. Put
them back in the oven. It is ready when the cheese are melted. Yummy
pizza in 15 minutes.

The 3rd picture is of the bruise on my shin. I bruised the shin last
night when I fell from the balance board and landed on the roller. The
bruise is now about 2 inches in diameter.

All pictures taken with camera phones.

Shooting Stars

The most impressive meteor showers I ever see is the 2001 Leonids. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life!

According to wikipedia and this site, both Perseids and Lenoids will be very impressive. Unfortunately, both occur during 'school' nights and meteor showers are best seen in the middle of nowhere (so will have to go far from home). Still very tempted....

2008 Meteor Showers schedule
Perseids on August 12, morning
Leonids on November 17, morning

Testing - First Entry With Cellular Phone

It is so very nice waking up to this

Dream

I am a simple person so I usually slept through the night and not remembered my dreams. But this morning was different. I woke up remembering my dream and in my dream I knew I was dreaming.

The dream nightmare was so freaky and illogical that I knew what was going on made no logical sense; therefore I must be dreaming and was able to control myself from freaking out in the dream. But the nightmare did woke me up at 6 in the morning and left me feeling very disturb.

Anyone know how to interpret dreams?

Are You Going to Vote on June 3rd?

I was not until I read this:
The candidate is Bill Johnson. Under the name James O. Pace, he wrote the racial exclusion as a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution and a 1985 book supporting it. Under the name Daniel Johnson, he ran a losing race for Congress in Wyoming in 1989 with a Ku Klux Klan organizer as his campaign manager. As William Johnson, he ran a losing race for Congress in Arizona in 2006. He now may have found a race he can win, unless voters here find out who he is (More here from LA Times).

Isn't this so mess up? I find politic boring but I am going to vote just so his opponent (Bianco) has better chance of winning.

Hot, Hot Weekend

Despite spent way too much time on traffic school, I had a great weekend.

Saw an awesome movie (Iron Man rocks!), found a cool hang out place in Silver Lake, Found Silver Lake but couldn't get near it cuz of the fence, hung out with friends, did some research, found a new favorite restaurant near my home and went there twice this weekend.

What's Going On?

Nothing; really.
Also, a lot.

In many ways, things in 2008 are the same as they were in 2001.
But also in many ways, things in 2008 have changed or no longer exist since 2001.

A friend said life is more complicated as we grow older. Though I agree with her, I also wonder if the complication is the result of our own doings.

Totally Egotistical Blog Entry

These videos amused me.



Since all of these are sing by cute boys, I'll pretend they're singing to me. HAHAH....

My Name in Lyrics

My coworker said "Eyes Of Jenny" by "Sandy Coast" is very fitting of me and he's going to put it as my ring tone in his phone.

This 'inspired' me to google lyrics with my name and blog about it [since I've some down time due to my work laptop is still dead (I miss my work laptop and can't wait to get it back. I can't believe I'd feel this way either. Working without my own computer is incredibly frustrating and the downtime is only fun for a day)].

I was shocked to find so many songs with Jenny in it! This reminded me of one time a guy tried to pick me up using one of the Jenny songs (but I was too densed to realize that till much later).

I guess this is what happen when I am one of the every other girls that got named Jenny.

My First Youtube Video

This video is taken in 2003, Vancouver, Canada.

Mimosa is my favorite plant. When touched, Mimosa would folds its leaves inward and droops the stalk; it's as if they're shy. I love touching them.

The More The Better

I haven't print out any photos since 2005; even though I been meaning to print them outs. I took some time out tonight to went through pictures taken from 2006 to now and they brought back many good memories; Gawd! I looked so young in those pictures, I am glad I look older now.

Notes to self: Take more pictures of people (at the very least, take as many pictures of people as pictures of food).

Below is a picture taken from my favorite beach:


I don't know what are these plants but I thought they look like the Lorax Truffle Tree (below).


Don't these plants look exactly like the Lorax Truffle Tree from Dr. Seuss' book?

Instead of Surfing the Net this weekend

I learned how to juggle in one afternoon, went to a party and crashed another with the sole intention of stealing a bite of theSprinkle cupcake (totally worth the shame), got a huge group of friends together to bet on horse race, went to the beach and saw dolphins jump out of the ocean (super cool!).

I Have A Problem

I waste too much time online!

It's not much of an issue on weekends since I am usually busy doing something that's non-Internet related, but I spent way too much time online during week nights. What usually started out as a few minutes to unwind after a busy day of work often turned into several hours of web surfing and IMing.

As a way to prevent myself from becoming an Internet addict (assuming I am not one already), from now to Sunday 12pm, I am going to go cold turkey from IM, blogs (mostly reading), social network sites, and all purposeless websurfings.

Should I be Flatter or Punch Him in the Face?

"Tell me, why are Thai women so beautiful?"
-Comment from a random guy on the street in Thai Town

I Think I am Going to Puke :Q

Did you know that cod is filled with worms?

One of my favorite dishes is the black cod marinated in sake and miso, but after reading this thread, I am not sure when I'd want to eat cod (or sashimi/sushi) again :"(

Sometime, ignorance is bliss!

Focus on Now

Being a planner, it's unnatural for me to not plan/daydream about the future. Thus, I often have to remind myself to focus more on the present. Don't get me wrong, I don't want time to fly. And I think time is passing by too fast; I want it to slow down. But even on days such as thelazy Sunday, I can't help but to think about when I need to wake up and what I need to do tomorrow rather than just focus on what I am doing right at this moment. The only time I can really just focus on what I am doing at the moment is if I was engross in a TV shows/movie/book; but that's sort of like an escape. How do I just focus solely on now, the present, while doing other mundane activities?

I really like "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins. The first time I heard it, I almost cry. It's a great reminder to living the moment. Here's the video and the lyric:

You're Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins

She was starin out the window of their SUV
Complainin sayin I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money
And I'll make my own rules
Momma put the car in park out there in front of the school
And she kissed her head, and said
'I was just like you'
You're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In her one bedroom apartment
And her daddy stops by
He tells her it's a nice place
She says, 'It'll do for now'
Starts talkin' about babies, and buyin a house
Daddy shakes his head
And says baby just slow down
Cuz' you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this

Five years later there's a plumber
Workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin' one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
He says they don't bother me
I've got two babies of my own
One's thirty- six, one's twenty- three
Huh, it's hard to believe
But you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' miss this
Yeaahhhh... you're gonna' miss this...

I Win the Lotto, Now What?

On my daily drive to work, I would drive by the California Lotto billboard. This got me thinking, what should I do if I win? I know the common advice is to take the money and run, but why? Would I really end up with more money by taking the lump-sum instead of the annual payments?

Since I can be such a nerd, I created an excel spreadsheet that would calculate final take home pay (after tax) for any jackpot amount :) My calculation confirmed the common adage: Take the lump sum.

Here's a snapshot of the worksheet (click on the picture for larger size):

Vote

Consider the low voting turnout in United States, it always amazed me a little when I heard about people taking extreme/expensive measures just so they can vote. Elections in other countries seem more of a sacred event. It is such a stark contrast compare to that in the United States.

For example, recently Taiwan held its Presidential Election and there's tons of Media coverage on all these famous celebrities flying back to Taiwan just so they can submit their votes (I guess there is no absentee ballots in Taiwan). And I personally know friends' parents and relatives who took vacation days and flew back to Taiwan just so they could vote in this election.

It seem so crazy, consider in the States that many people don't even bother to vote. According to wikipedia, U.S. barely made 50% voting turnout while Australia voting turnout is at 95%.

Guitar Prodigy?

So good that you want to ask "is he really playing?"

Money Matter

I did my 2007 tax return today and am getting refunds(yay).

I changed my withholding allowance at the beginning of 2007. Thus, my federal refund is very small; which means I did a good job in estimating the withholding number (yay). However, for some reason, the change did not impact my state withholding as I am getting more back this year than last year (booo). I need to look into that.

Just out of curiosity, I checked my retirement portfolio today too. OMG!!! The percentage of the portfolio market value has decreased by double digit :"(. Since I only buy mutual funds, eventually they should bounce back but GAWD, it's so depressing looking amount getting smaller and smaller.

Logically, especially for long term investing, this is probably a great time going in and buy some stocks for sale.

Emotionally, WHAT IF THE COMPANY GO BANKRUPT OR IF THIS DEPRESSION LAST FOR 50+ YEARS???? :O

Random

I am more productive at home than at work. To get the most out of me (productivity wise), my boss should ask me to telecommute more often.

Hospitals are so depressing. In TV/movies, the patients in wheelchairs usually get push around in the hospital's garden or courtyard, but there are no garden or courtyards in the real-life hospitals. I really really dislike being in the hospital.

My ass is sore from sitting 5 hours straight (because I was so focus on work).

Getting old sucks; there are tons of 'recommended' (invasive) tests to be taken at 50+ yrs old. I am glad I am not that old yet.

I am craving green and healthy foods. Dark, bitter-sweet chocolate sounds good too.

I went to Kanpachi last night. I discovered I really like grill yellowtail collar but I really don't like matcha tea.

No work on Friday, YAY!

You Can't Change Who You Are

Interesting line I read today:

"Your inherent personality was developed by the time you were two years old."

=O

Internet

Because of internet, I am able to do research and find information in my PJ.

How did people live before internet?

Thanks to day light saving

I get to leave work while the sun is still up. *yay*

And surprisingly, the traffic is great today so I got home faster than usual.

Sally and I went to get massage at one of those foot massage places that popped all over town the last year. Even though the name is foot massage, it's an entire body massage (with the client fully clothed). There's no ambient whatsoever (everyone get massage in the same room, it's almost like a barber shop) but since I've sore muscles and need someone to knead it out, it's a great bargain!

And another thing to be grateful, and my hair feel so incredibly silky today!

Do You Want to be a millionaire?

Just solve one of the million prize problems from the Clay Mathematics Institute.

All prizes are still up for grab.

Freebies

We get a lot of freebies here. Free access to bathroom (have to pay in Europe), free water (not drinkable outside of US), free soda refills (rare outside of US), free napkins (have to bring your own in Asia).... And when it's our birthdays, we get free food from the merchants.

Today, my friend got free ice cream from Cuban Bistro; and the ice cream was good! :)

Daily gratitude: Grateful for living in the land of lots of freebies.

Think and Grow Rich

"Think and Grow Rich" is my commute entertainment for this week.

It's very inspiring. I like what I heard so far.

How Could I Not Love SoCal

It's February but it's over 70F today and I saw these beauties:

Capital One Challenge

Capital One sent me a letter that ask me to call 1-877-513-9959 to make my card better.

At first, I thought it was a scam but after reading some review on fatwallet, I called them up and requested an upgrade of the reward program. The best they can offer is an additional 25% bonus on the 1% cash back, which means Capital One would change the cash back from 1% to 1.25%. Better than nothing but still pretty lame.

Daily Gratitude: Hot Pot! Cold day + warm soup = happiness!

Library

Free entertainment for the road!

I love library!

Sometime the Best Things are Not Planned

Tire

On the way to work yesterday, the drivers on my right side kept pointing at me and then pointing back. The road I take to work is bumpy so I can't tell if my car is operate any differently.

Once I pulled over to the shoulder, I saw that the right rear tire is almost flat. I called "my mechanic" and he told me to pull into the nearest gas station (since there are usually repair shop next to it) and have a mechanic inspect and fix the leak if possible.

Just my luck, the gas station I went into is Arco and it didn't have a repair shop. However, the station has a air pump; so I filled the flat tire and inspected the tire for leak. I couldn't find any so I drove to work. I inspected the tire again during lunch and after work for signs of deflation and leak but the tire still looks good.

I don't know why the tire was almost flat but since the treads on the tire are already thinning out, I'll go buy new tires for my car.

Daily Gratitude: Kind drivers that took the time and effort to get me to notice the flat tire. The tire did not blew up in the middle of the road. The tire is still good enough to get me home and maybe a few more miles to get me to the tire center so I can replace all the tires.

Busy

My life (and probably most people's life) go through peaks and valleys. When I am at the peak, I crave for a moment to take a breather. When I am at the valley, I am so bored I would look for things to do.

I think right now I am at the peak.

Daily gratitude: Smooth (not a crazy) day.

Owie

I got my Tetanus booster shot today and now my arm hurts :(

According to this site, soreness or tenderness where the shot was given affect 1 out of 4. I guess I am part of that unlucky 25%.

A quick search on the internet shows that I am not alone and I can expect the soreness to continue hurting for the next few days, and the pain will be even more intense tomorrow or the day after. Great! :(

Massaging the shot area suppose to help. Anyone want to help me massage my arm?

Daily Gratitude: Not have Tetanus. And great girl friends!

So Much To Do

So little time.

I would like to stay awake then I would have more time. Too bad I feel absolutely sh*tty if I don't get at least 6 hours of sleep (which is about what I got on most nights. I need 7+ hours of beauty sleep to feel good.)

If I spend 8 hours per day on sleep, that leaves 16 hours for work and life. 11-14 hours per day are spend on work (include commute time), that leaves only 2-5 hours for social life and errands.

How can I get more free time?

Food

Being Chinese, eating is a very important part of my life. And living in LA, there are abundance of Chinese food available to me. Unfortunately, there are still no restaurant in this area that serve cuisine from the my birth region.

While web surfing today, I found a great blog entry with pictures of 福建 dishes click here to view.

Fairs

I love fairs! The food, the wine, the crowd, the freebies, the noise....



This morning, I took my grandmas to the Chinese New Year Parade and Festival. The Chinese New Year Parade has been going on for the last 17 years. I've a lot of memories of this parade. Today, I got some really cute handmade jeweleries at one of the festival stands :).

Late Meeting

I am so glad I don't have the usual early morning meeting today. It was nice not have to wake up before sunrise.

Friends

As we get older and older, our live get busier and busier. Even though many of my friends live in the same city, I haven't see a lot of them in awhile :(.

I've dinner with an old friend tonight. We haven't see much of each other after she got a new job & bf and I got busy with work. It was really fun catching up.

I hope work will slow down soon so I'd have more time for get togethers.

Most Boring Blog Ever ;)

I am grateful for many things right now.

I Was Very Grateful This Entire Weekend

Though I am sure you didn't notice, but I've to confess, I didn't blog this entire weekend.

I've good reason, I didn't have internet access because I was on a snowboard/ski trip. But I kept tab and stayed grateful :P

I went snowboarding for the first time this season and the condition was perfect! The temperature was close to 50F the whole weekend, so many of the boarders/skiiers were going down the slope with just long sleeve shirts. The condo was walking distance to the slope and the company were awesome.

Thus, I felt very bless this entire weekend; for the friends I've, the awesome food, the place we stayed, the awesome ski condition, the hot jacuzzi after a full day of boarding, the nap during the drive, the....

Good Morning

I woke up at 4AM today for work. Traffic was awesome. I got to work in half the time. Since it took me so little time to get to work, I stop by Krispy Kreme to pick up a dozen donut for the guys. And even with the stop, I still got to work earlier than usual. Maybe I should change my work schedule to 5AM-2PM, though I think it'd be a battle to not attend meetings that start after 1PM.

The lady at the Krispy Kreme forgot about me so I waited an extra minute or so. I didn't even realized I waited extra long but she was nice and gave me a dollar back. Good (and smart) customer service!

Teenager Pregnancy is No Laughing Matter

But "Juno" is surprisingly funny. Very enjoyable film.

Happy New Year!

Tomorrow we will enter the year of rat. In the spirit of welcoming in the new year, we look up Chinese Horoscope just for fun. Here's one of the site that provide readings for all zodiac signs.

According to this site, I should find someone born in the year of Tiger for business partner. My best love match is someone one year older than me, it'd be like "love at first sight." Other good match would be someone +/-4 years, +2 years, and same age. And I should avoid people who are +/-6 years because we are mortal enemies. Hahah...

Admiration

When I was in college, I couldn't wait to graduate so I could make enough money to do all those things I always wanted to do but couldn't in college due to lack of funding. My biggest aspiration back then was to try all the cool experiences that life offers (like backpacking through Europe, skydiving, eating weird food, etc). Thus, when I graduated and started making money, I set out to check off everything on my "dream-to-do" list. And within a few years, most of them have been checked off. Luckily, many of my friends shared my aspiration so I always thought this is the norm for people in their 20s.

However, in several recent conversations about various life experiences with new friends, I received looks of admiration and amazement. This is a very weird experience for me since I never see myself as someone who does a lot for my age. But in those conversations, I felt this sudden awareness of perhap I am not as normal as I thought I was.

Not Good

Doh! I forgot to blog yesterday; I broke my blog-everyday-resolution :"(

Lately, I been waking up at insane hours. Like tomorrow, I'll have to be up by 5am at the latest. I am not happy about that.

Lately, I been using the gym's jacuzzi and sauna. One of the reasons I am glad I've a gym membership.

Lemon Sugar Crepe

I feel like making something today but we don't have a lot of stuff in the fridge. We do have the basics like flours and sugar, so I make a batch of Lemon Sugar Crepe.

Simple and delicious!

Happiness is When

I get to sleep in :)

(I'll post something more substantial when I am not so sleepy)

TGIF

I been so busy with work lately that the only thing on my mind right now is THANK GOODNESS TOMORROW IS FRIDAY!

Please let me know if you got a way to make everyday into Saturday/Sunday.

California State Insurance Comissioner

After directly contacted Farmers numerous time to resolve their billing errors, I gave up and wrote a complaint letter. And thanks to DTC and the Farmers Insurance Sucks Group, I got the addresses for the Farmers CEO and the State Insurance Commissioner. Accordingly, I mailed out my complaint letter to them last week.

I heard nothing from the Farmers CEO. But today, I got a letter from the State Insurance Commissioner. The letter informed me that they're looking into it and I should heard back from them in a few weeks. Although I don't know what the result would be, the letter did made me feel a bit hopeful that there maybe justice for little people afterall.

Mail

Since I've moved all my communication online, the only kind of mails I get are bills and unwanted junk mails. I like to see my mail box empty.

Empty mail box = no bills = happy me

If I could, I would get rid of mail box.

Today my mail box was not empty. However, it made me happy :)

Unexpected post card from friends will be one of the few reasons I would keep the mail box.

Internet is Good/Evil?

Most people in my generation don't remember what our live is like without internet.

I think I'd be fine but internet is such integral part of my life now, I really don't know how I would be able to operate without it. For example, when my work computer died, I was pretty much useless for those hours. Furthermore, internet is also one of my main source of entertainment, news, research, and library.

In high school, I used to talk to friends on the phone. Nowaday, I keep in touch with most people over internet (email, IM, facebook, etc). Despite daily internet usage, virtual conversation just don't bring the same intimacy of a face-to-face conversation or phone conversation. Thus, if I could, I still prefer meeting up with friends.

Caution: internet makes it easier for people to keep in touch but if one rely solely on the internet, one will feel very alone.

Today's Gratitude: Internet!

Lazy Sunday

I am so glad today's Sunday. It's nice to sleep in.

Judging Judge

Thanks to my HS Academic Decathlon coach, I've the opportunity to volunteer as the interview judge for the Academic Decathlon Competition.

Since I used to compete, it was very interesting being on the other side. Seeing these kids reminded me of myself but also bring out the apparent fact that I've grown a lot since high school.

I am very impressed with many of these kids' performance. Many of these kids are probably only 16 years old but they are able to project their voice and speak with confidence and humor. Some of the kids are obviously quite shy and nervous, I can heard the uncertainty in their voice, which reminds me a bit of myself when I was in HS. I have to stop myself from wanting to comfort them and tell them they'll eventually grow up and be more confident with themselves. Some of the kids are quite ambitious. There's one that wants to be a president, another that wants to save her community, another that want to bring changes to the government, and another... I hope they'll keep their idealism alive as they experience obstacles in their live.

I've to give major kudos to all the Academic Decathlon coaches. Being a coach take a lot of time, dedication, and sacrifice. It's not something most people would undertake. Many of them (such as my coach) have been doing this for years. I don't know how they keep it going but I am very thankful for their dedication to teaching.

Long Day (Jan. 25)

Today is one of my longest days in a very long long time. Fortunately, today has been a very good day.

You know you woke up too early when you check out even before the hotel restaurant is open for breakfast. I woke up at 5AM today (someone should outlaw early morning meetings)! Since the restaurant is not open, I have to grab a cup of coffee and bagel from the espresso stand instead. After a quick breakfast and pick up my coworkers, we head to our Flight Test Training.

I can't believe how much fun I've in the Flight Test Training. This is definitely an atypical occurrence. I learned a lot of survival skills that will be very useful if accident happen on/with the plane. The physiological lesson reminded me a lot of my diving classes. We even get to play with some flight hardware. Very cool! Funny/interesting thing: A New Testament is part of some survival kit; so for Christians that survive an airplane crash, God is there with them ;P. The Flight Test Training is definitely the best work-related class I ever took.

Afterward, my coworker and I went to Daniel's Broiler for lunch. It was a beautiful day in Seattle. It was so sunny that when I look at it, I thought it's summer. But when I step outside, my whole body shivered because it's only 40F (COLD!). Thankfully, we got an indoor table that overlook the gorgeous union lake.

Since Daniel's Broiler is a famous steak house, we both got steak again. The steak here are very good (according to my coworker, the meat eater, the steak here is much better than 13 Coins'). I also got the lobster bisque (very delicious). It delighted me when they serve it by presenting a plate full of lobster chunks, then pour the bisque on top. We were both quite full but I still crave for something sweet and he doesn't want to be out-eat by a girl, so we shared a molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. The dessert was fantastic. Both of us can't help but to amaze that we ate AWESOME desserts (and heart-clogging steaks) on both days.

Since we got time to kill before the flight, I took him around Seattle and show him the tourist spots. When we got to the airport and went the security line, I got stuck for 20 minutes. The x-ray found metal in my luggage but after going through my stuff, they still couldn't figure out why. My stuff ended up gettting scan 5 times. At the end, they found my missing necklace (hahah). I was very happy!

I took a nap on the plane, which is good since I've dinner plan. Dinner was good and so was drinks. And now I am home, in bed, almost 3AM and my brain is fried so I am going to sleep because I've to wake up at 7am to volunteer.

Good night!

13 Coins*

*When I made the resolution to blog everyday, I forgot the little detail that I may not get Internet access everyday. Anyway, I wrote yesterday (1/24)'s blog down on paper instead so it's still all good. I guess from now on, if I don't have Internet access, I'll have to blog on paper first then transfer to online.

My coworker and I went to 13 Coins for dinner tonight. Though it's a bit pricey, I would go again because the food is decent, the portion is BIG, and most importantly, it's within walking distance to the hotel. We were hungry so we both ordered fillet Mignon. The steak was good but not exceptional. However, our dessert were awesome. He was extremely happy with his deep fried ice cream. I got the cream brulee (which come out in a BIG ramekin). The burnt caramel top was sweet and crunchy. The custard has the perfect amount of sweetness to it. It was the best cream brulee I ever had. I finished everything all by myself. And with a glass of yummy Riesling (from WA), I went to bed very happy!

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistants are often overlook but I bet without them, many offices would not operate effectively. The Admin for our department is awesome! In the mid morning today yesterday, I realized I have to book a trip for tomorrow later today and I need my boss' approval but he is N/A.

I told our Admin my need and obstacle. Half an hour later, I got the itinerary in my inbox (and now I am busy packing). Hence, today I am grateful for having this great Admin working with in our dept.

Stocks on Sale?

We all know that to make money in the stock market, we need to buy low, sell high! But how do we know if this is THE low?

One of my 2008 resolutions is to start investing. But with the Fed cutting rate and all these talks about recession, I are scared!

Is the market at the bottom already or is it going to go even lower? Should I buy more? Should I do nothing?

What to do? What to do?

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

I love Dr. Seuss; and I am amazed by his genius once again when my coworker shows me "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?"

You won't believe a children book can so accurately portrait the bureaucratic corporate world till you read this book. Here's an excerpt from "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?" :

Oh, the jobs people work at!
Out west, near Hawtch-Hawtch,
there’s a Hawtch-Hawtcher Bee-Watcher.
His job is to watch…
is to keep both his eyes on the lazy town bee.
A bee that is watched will work harder, you see.
Well…he watched and he watched.
But, in spite of his watch,
that bee didn’t work any harder. Not mawtch.
So then somebody said,
“Our old bee-watching man
just isn’t bee-watching as hard as he can.
He ought to be watched by another Hawtch-Hawtcher.
The thing that we need
is a Bee-Watcher-Watcher.”
WELL…
The Bee-Watcher Watcher watched the Bee-Watcher.
He didn’t watch well. So another Hawtch-Hawtcher
had to come in as a Watch-Watcher-Watcher.
And today all the Hawtchers who live in Hawtch-Hawtch
are watching on Watch-Watcher-Watchering-Watch,
Watch-Watching the Watcher who’s watching that bee.
You’re not a Hawtch-Hawtcher. You’re lucky you see.

Like all other Dr. Seuss' books, the story is great and the illusion is hilarious. If you've the chance, you should pick up a hard copy of "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?" I want a copy of this and all his books. When I've my own library, I want to include a collection of Dr. Seuss' Children's books.

So are you a Bee-Watcher or a Bee-Watcher Watcher or a Watch-Watcher-Watcher or...?

Groups

Thanks to Lifehacker, I spent tonight creating groups :)

Sexual Chemistry

In this month's issue, "Psychology Today" has an article on how scent may determine who we fall for and as well as our appeals to the opposite sex. Supposedly, we can smell those with different immunity system than our own and are attract to them.

I've heard of animals use pheromone to pick their mates and though it's plausible that human also pick their mates with pheromone, I don't think it's an accurate test anymore due to abundant usage of synthetic fragrance (shampoo, soap, lotion, perfume/cologne, etc).

Hm...maybe overuse of synthetic fragrance is one of the reason behind today's high divorce rate.

Today, I am Grateful For

a good hair day!

Logic vs Emotion

Logically, I know I've so much to be grateful for.

However, on some days such as today, I just don't feel it.

Logically, I know I've so much going for me but emotionally, I am not feeling it. Does this make any sense?

So today, I'll share this:


It's such funny video. It makes me smile.

California is Cold!

I am grateful for underground parking so I don't have to walk outside during cold nights like these.

Maybe I should move to somewhere closer to the equator.

Mad Money

One of the great perks of living in L.A. is watching movies before they're released to the public, for FREE! Movie ticket is at more than $10 bucks now, this is quite a saving!

I saw Mad Money tonight and recommend it to everyone that just want to have a good laugh. It's a chick flick but it's not like the typically chick flick because the movie plot does not revolve around love and heart breaks (so I think men will like it too).

It's coming out this Friday, go see it.

Farmers Insurance SUCKS!!!

I cancelled my insurance policy on time and yet I keep getting bills from them 3 months later. WTH!!!

I even faxed them declaration of insurance from my current policy and yet, I still get bills.

ARGH!!!

What is even more ridiculous is I requested a quote for one of our new car and Farmers send us a bill! And Farmers keep sending us bill even after I requested to cancel all my policies with them. WTF!!!

If you don't have Farmers, don't join. If you have, I hope you've better luck than me when trying to cancel!

"Farmer Insurance Sucks!"<---I wish I found this before I insured with them.

Gratitude of the day: My habits of documenting every conversation I have when it comes to bills.

Baby Steps

I do my work out with 8 lbs dumbbells now :)

Week 1 - 5 lbs

week 2 - 8 lbs

week 3 - did first half with 10 lbs, got tire, went back to 8 lbs for the second half

Settled!

Not sure where to go or what to do can be exciting, but only in certain situation. In the case of your car, it's always stressful.

I've to do a major tune up and all the dealers were quoting me $450, which is almost $200 more than the quotes I got from independent auto shops. However, I don't know which one of those auto shops is good. Luckily, I was chatting with my friend about it and she recommended her family's auto-mechanic to me.

The guy was quick (took only 2.5 hours. The dealers said the tune up would take an entire day) and afterward, he gave me detail breakdown of the tune up and expected maintenance needed in the upcoming years (which all concurred with what my brother told me). It's such a great feeling knowing I've a place to turn to now if I have car issues.

Thanks to my friend's recommendation, I finally found a good and honest auto shop!

Is It Wrong of Me for Wanting A Boyfriend?

Usually if I go shopping, I end up empty handed and a headache (if we stay longer than 2 hours. I got low tolerance for shopping.)

Probably because the stores are still having post Christmas sale, I found so many things I like at the price I like today. Both my friend and I ended up with bags and bags of stuff. That's when I really wish I have a boyfriend (who don't mind going to the mall with me), so he can carry all those bags for me. Hahah...

Where's the Gold Star for My Good Behavior?

This week, I worked out twice (1.5 hours each time), I swam once (0.5 hours), and Salsa dancing once (3 hours). If I keep this up, I know I'll be able to do one pull up.
I am proud of myself *pat self in the back.* ^_^

Maybe I am Working Too Much

Many people are still on vacation during first few weeks of the year, so I thought I would have it easy. Instead, I been working non-stop everyday.

Today my work computer decided to die. Hence, I was force to stop working for a few hours. Maybe my computer feel sorry for me or it's a sign from God(s) that I shouldn't be working so hard.

I don't have any plans for the weekend but I am glad it's coming. I need to re-charge.

Just Wondering

Now that I am more comfortable with swimming, I don't have to think of the movements and motions as much when I swim. Most of the time, it's almost second nature so my mind start to wander, with many random thoughts come and go.

One of the thoughts that come up during a recent swim session:

How do people with really bad eye sight and can't wear contacts swim?

Have you ever thought about?

Before Lasik, before eye contacts, how can people with bad eye sights able to see where they're going when they go swimming? If blind people are to swim, how do they know where they're going?

Daily gratitude: Grateful for my sights.

Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich

Do you always eat breakfast?

Do you know eating breakfast can help you lose weight?

If you usually don't eat breakfast, you should start today.

When I am short on time and want a warm and yummy breakfast, I would make a Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich.

Ingredients:
-Peanut Butter
-Banana
-2 Slices of bread

Direction:
Cut the banana into thin slices.
Put banana slices on one slice of the breads until all surface are cover with banana slices.
Put both slices of bread into the toaster and toast.
When the breads are toasted, spread peanut butter onto the other bread slice.
Put the the two slices of bread together and half it (for easier to put into the mouth).

Bon appetit!

Tahoe

Writing Daily Blog is Hard

So I'll just pick the thing/person that made me feel most grateful.

Today, my brother made me feel very grateful toward my parents. Because of their decision to go behind the government and illegally gave birth to another child, now I am blessed with a personal mechanic who take care of all my computer and car problems :P

Home

As much as I love joking about living in FOB-ville, I also love how it's full of many great (and cheap) restaurants. Last night I've an ass-burning-hot (but super yummy) SiChuan dinner and tonight I've a cool and healthy sushi dinner; all within 5 miles drive. It's awesome!

Warm and Cold

It's raining cats and dogs right now. I can hear the wind whistles as it blows the trees back and forth *phoo phoo phoo*. I can hear the raindrops hitting the cemented ground *pi da pi da pi da*.

It sounds so cold outside.

Thus, today, I am grateful for being inside a nice, warm home.

Not An Emotional Eater

It's only the 3rd days into the new year and I already have to force myself to eat dinner. Emotional Eaters are people who eat because of negative emotions. Well, I am the opposite.

When I am feeling the negative emotions (stressed, sad, anger, etc), I lose my appetite and don't feel like eating anything nor feel hungry. What do doctors call someone with my problem?

It's only the 3rd days into the new year and I am already having a tough time with my new year resolution of being more positive and grateful.

Today I am grateful for having a busy day at work.

First Day of Strength Training

Elaine and I started on our new year resolution of getting stronger.

Thanks to Internet, we got a great set of strength training routine, with step-by-step instructions and pictures for each move. And we took turn because we want to make sure we did the workout with the correct form. We started our strength training with the upper body exercises. We did three sets of Chest Presses, Triceps Kickbacks, Shoulder Front Raises and Lateral Raises.

Because it's the first day, we were very motivated so we also did one set of lower body exercises. I find doing the lower body exercises in correct form more difficult than doing the upper body exercises.

I did the workout with 5 lbs dumbbells. I tried the 8 lbs but I was hurting so I changed to the 5 lbs right away. I saw one guy lifting the 60 lbs dumbbells, my jaw literally dropped. I also tried chin up since I do have bicep muscles. As predicted, I am still not strong enough so I just hung onto the bar (maybe moved up 0.5").

New Year Eve

My friends and I went to Indian Restaurant for our New Year Eve dinner. The restaurant was packed last night. Fortunately we made reservation so we didn't have to wait.

Indian Restaurant is a typical Taiwanese beer house. Sitting there is like back in Taiwan. All you heard are Mandarin, with sprinkle of English and Taiwanese; there are even people playing drinking game. I don't know if it's because we waited an hour before we got our food or the food is actually good, but everything tasted delicious.

Here's a funny picture of Whitney and York with their pitcher of beer and the tenny-tiny beer cups.