3AM Eternal
It's a little like that feeling when you don't get enough sleep. There's a fog on everything. People seem to talk too fast. Or not loud enough.
But I'm getting enough sleep, and I'm still walking around in that haze. I'm walking in it all day long. It's enough sleep if you count the hours.
They are strange hours. A few hours here, a few hours there. I'm awake at strange hours. Some hours here, some hours there.
The worst is 3AM. No one is on at 3AM. Except that girl in Thailand.
May 19, 2005
Apr 30, 2005
Mar 10, 2005
Awash
Awash
I must admit, I've been feeling rather swamped lately. Days and weeks crawl by at work, a never ending river of tasks. I'm trying to take a break here an there, going hiking at Mt. Tamalpais, or snowboarding in Tahoe.
There are days when I wish I am a professional snowboard bum.
I feel like I'm perpetually trying to catch up. Maybe, one day, when I'm caught up with all the things I'm supposed to do, I can do something I want to do.
Some days I want to regress, absolve myself from all responsibility.
It has occurred to me, what if I don't finish the to-do list before I die? I guess theologically, that won't happen eh? At least not if you believe in divine sovereignty and all that.
Maybe I've just got the wrong list.
Feb 17, 2005
Feb 16, 2005
Feb 8, 2005
Dr. Amazon.com
or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Impulse Shopping
This story starts a little ways back in history, or perhaps a long ways back, depending on your perception of time. It was the year 2000, the Internet was a different place than it is now. DVDs were still somewhat novel, as was online shopping. There were scores of online DVD retailers, all selling at losses in order to ramp up volume. Amazon.com had jumped into the DVD space, selling deeply discounted movies. Once in a while, they'd make a mistake, people would find out about them, and post about it on forums where collectors and bargain hunters would congregate. One day, the The Insider was released on Amazon for the bargain basement price of $0. Being a fan of all films Michael Mann, I picked it up, for US$7.95 shipping, which worked out to just about CDN$10.
Fast forward 5 years to 2005. It's probably been 6 or 8 months since I've bought something online. I get ads in my email from sites like e*trade, buy.com and amazon.com on a semi-regular basis like lingering STDs from a one-night-stand you've long forgotten about. I normally delete them without looking, as you should. But this one said something about a new 2-disc edition of HEAT, which happens to be one of my all-time favourite movies. How did Amazon know? Because, as their email said, they've noticed that customers who bought "The Insider" also bought "HEAT", and now, I can get it at 25% off if I pre-order. YAY! I already have the DVD (I did mention it's one of my all-time favourites), but I certainly don't have the 2-disc edition). I click on the link in the email. And what do you know, the $20 (post discount) set can be had with Free Super Saver Shipping on orders of $25 or more.
You know that thing about alchoholism, where you can be clean and sober, but that one drink throws you back in the mess. Or maybe it's more like crack. You can't get away from that Free Super Saver Shipping. So you buy more. You search for that last $5 of useless stuff so you can save the $2.98 shipping. But like crack, Amazon doesn't let you off easy, they hook you with ads on the bottom of the page. So down there, striking its sexy little pose, is the 2-disc edition of "Collateral". My, isn't it easier to click on that than to hunt for some $5 item you don't want? C'mon, you know you want more Michael Mann, like you need a kick in the crotch from a talking bear.
So now, after about 5 minutes of seeing email, I've clicked into Amazon, past the shipping and credit card pages (they've remembered my address and my credit card #s, so I wouldn't have to stop to think before entering them again... they even have the now expired credit card I used when I lived in Waterloo and bought "The Insider"), and dropped $40 on 4 DVDs that I liked but had no intention of buying 6 minutes prior. I should just go back to e*trade and buy in to Amazon.com.
Oh, for the record, I haven't given the crack or one-night-stand things a shot yet, so I'm not actually speaking from experience. You'll have to forgive me for the artistic license, but given how boring my blogs have been lately, I figured I needed some sex, drugs and rock 'n roll to keep people coming back for more. Or maybe I should just put up links for you to places you can impulse shop.
or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Impulse Shopping
This story starts a little ways back in history, or perhaps a long ways back, depending on your perception of time. It was the year 2000, the Internet was a different place than it is now. DVDs were still somewhat novel, as was online shopping. There were scores of online DVD retailers, all selling at losses in order to ramp up volume. Amazon.com had jumped into the DVD space, selling deeply discounted movies. Once in a while, they'd make a mistake, people would find out about them, and post about it on forums where collectors and bargain hunters would congregate. One day, the The Insider was released on Amazon for the bargain basement price of $0. Being a fan of all films Michael Mann, I picked it up, for US$7.95 shipping, which worked out to just about CDN$10.
Fast forward 5 years to 2005. It's probably been 6 or 8 months since I've bought something online. I get ads in my email from sites like e*trade, buy.com and amazon.com on a semi-regular basis like lingering STDs from a one-night-stand you've long forgotten about. I normally delete them without looking, as you should. But this one said something about a new 2-disc edition of HEAT, which happens to be one of my all-time favourite movies. How did Amazon know? Because, as their email said, they've noticed that customers who bought "The Insider" also bought "HEAT", and now, I can get it at 25% off if I pre-order. YAY! I already have the DVD (I did mention it's one of my all-time favourites), but I certainly don't have the 2-disc edition). I click on the link in the email. And what do you know, the $20 (post discount) set can be had with Free Super Saver Shipping on orders of $25 or more.
You know that thing about alchoholism, where you can be clean and sober, but that one drink throws you back in the mess. Or maybe it's more like crack. You can't get away from that Free Super Saver Shipping. So you buy more. You search for that last $5 of useless stuff so you can save the $2.98 shipping. But like crack, Amazon doesn't let you off easy, they hook you with ads on the bottom of the page. So down there, striking its sexy little pose, is the 2-disc edition of "Collateral". My, isn't it easier to click on that than to hunt for some $5 item you don't want? C'mon, you know you want more Michael Mann, like you need a kick in the crotch from a talking bear.
So now, after about 5 minutes of seeing email, I've clicked into Amazon, past the shipping and credit card pages (they've remembered my address and my credit card #s, so I wouldn't have to stop to think before entering them again... they even have the now expired credit card I used when I lived in Waterloo and bought "The Insider"), and dropped $40 on 4 DVDs that I liked but had no intention of buying 6 minutes prior. I should just go back to e*trade and buy in to Amazon.com.
Oh, for the record, I haven't given the crack or one-night-stand things a shot yet, so I'm not actually speaking from experience. You'll have to forgive me for the artistic license, but given how boring my blogs have been lately, I figured I needed some sex, drugs and rock 'n roll to keep people coming back for more. Or maybe I should just put up links for you to places you can impulse shop.
Jan 28, 2005
Things that suck
Today I wasted a good four hours trying to figure out why my debug session died all of the sudden. The 1394 connection between my debugger machine and the debugee went all wonky, and all of the sudden, it took a minute or more to execute each instruction. It turned out I accidentally yanked the cable, which in turn pulled the 1394 PCI card partway out of its socket. It was in there far enough to somewhat work, but not properly.
Every once in a while, I come home from work at some nutty hour. I stop by the 24 hour Safeway and try to pick up some prepared food that's not too unhealthy sometimes. Sometimes I try the soy protein stuff, I don't know when I'll learn my lesson. I've tried chicken nuggets, buffalo wings, and breakfast links. None are any good, although at this point, I basically treat them as something chewy to eat bbq sauce with. Yum. Yuck. I'm not sure which. On the plus side, it's only $2 for dinner.
Today I wasted a good four hours trying to figure out why my debug session died all of the sudden. The 1394 connection between my debugger machine and the debugee went all wonky, and all of the sudden, it took a minute or more to execute each instruction. It turned out I accidentally yanked the cable, which in turn pulled the 1394 PCI card partway out of its socket. It was in there far enough to somewhat work, but not properly.
Every once in a while, I come home from work at some nutty hour. I stop by the 24 hour Safeway and try to pick up some prepared food that's not too unhealthy sometimes. Sometimes I try the soy protein stuff, I don't know when I'll learn my lesson. I've tried chicken nuggets, buffalo wings, and breakfast links. None are any good, although at this point, I basically treat them as something chewy to eat bbq sauce with. Yum. Yuck. I'm not sure which. On the plus side, it's only $2 for dinner.
Jan 25, 2005
Random
Yesterday, I went to the dentist. Now I've been using Onsite Dental for the past few years that I've been here. They have a Winnebago that drives to our campus twice a month. I just go there for an hour during work. My last appointment was supposed to be in August, and I didn't bother with that one, meaning that the previous appointment must have been last February, so it's been about a year. When I got there, it was a different dentist than the guy I've had for the last few years. In fact, he had also swapped with another dentist who treated me on my first visit. The story I got was that they take rotations to work for the military. It's too bad, by my third appointment with him I had figured out his name was Christian.
So I lost another dentist. But in return I got a new one. I haven't figured her name out yet, but it was the most painless cleaning ever. It crossed my mind whether she was actually cleaning my teeth, or merely scratching the surface. But it was much preferable to dentists who leave my gums in a bloody mess.
I was actually intending to blog about books and movies, but for now you'll have to be satisfied with the, er, exciting story of the new dentist.
Now, if you think this post should have been longer, you can make up for the time not spent reading it by playing Kingdom of Loathing.
Yesterday, I went to the dentist. Now I've been using Onsite Dental for the past few years that I've been here. They have a Winnebago that drives to our campus twice a month. I just go there for an hour during work. My last appointment was supposed to be in August, and I didn't bother with that one, meaning that the previous appointment must have been last February, so it's been about a year. When I got there, it was a different dentist than the guy I've had for the last few years. In fact, he had also swapped with another dentist who treated me on my first visit. The story I got was that they take rotations to work for the military. It's too bad, by my third appointment with him I had figured out his name was Christian.
So I lost another dentist. But in return I got a new one. I haven't figured her name out yet, but it was the most painless cleaning ever. It crossed my mind whether she was actually cleaning my teeth, or merely scratching the surface. But it was much preferable to dentists who leave my gums in a bloody mess.
I was actually intending to blog about books and movies, but for now you'll have to be satisfied with the, er, exciting story of the new dentist.
Now, if you think this post should have been longer, you can make up for the time not spent reading it by playing Kingdom of Loathing.
Jan 17, 2005
Steamed Bun
Steamed Bun
This is a test of the flickr blogging function.
The above shows the final moments of a steamed vegetable bun in Shanghai, moments before it was devoured ravenously by the photographer.
R.I.P.
Jan 10, 2005
Still Jet Lagged
I've been back for a week and I'm still jet lagged. Yay.
I missed church and slept in this morning. Until noon. I dragged myself out of bed, though I think I could have laid there a few hours more. Had lunch with two of the old crew. Went to work in the afternoon.
Now the reason I was working on Sunday afternoon, is that the past week has been totally unproductive, considering I've been getting into work in a daze, somewhat before noon if I was lucky. I think I landed with a flu, the first few days back sucked. Last Wednesday, the 5th, I woke up at 8am, pretty much incapacitated. I checked my email and decided to sleep in until 11. When I awoke, the sky was still dim. I checked my phone, which said 16:30. I needed to change the time zone back to PST. I checked my computer, it said 4:30 PM. I called in sick.
So the sick part is pretty much gone, except for the occasional sniffles and a lingering cough. I'm still awake at 4 AM though.
I finished Gabriel Garcia Marquez' 100 Years of Solitude on the flight to Hong Kong. I liked it a lot, I couldn't stop reading it to watch the Terminal or the Notebook, or the documentary on China that featured monkeys assaulting chinese people (at least, that's what it looked like, I didn't have the audio on). I liked it a lot last year. I like epic tragedies. This year however, I'm going to be positive, so I cannot like it so much anymore, though in the spirit of positivity, I highly recommend it.
I bought a copy of Garden State from this DVD store where the customers spoke German, French, Italian, English, and Shanghainese, hidden away at the back of a coffee shop in Shanghai. I was watching it last night, the video quality was excellent, until the third chapter from the end, where the disc was unreadable. I need to see the end of the movie before I can give it a review, but I'm pissed off at unscrupulous DVD pirates now.
I also finished Purpose Driven Life today. I'm not quite sure what all the hype was about, but I did think there were a few good chapters in there. I find most of these Christian living books rather uncompelling, in the "please, tell me something I didn't know" sense. If anything though, knowing and acting are two different things, and I often need the reminder to act what I know.
I've been back for a week and I'm still jet lagged. Yay.
I missed church and slept in this morning. Until noon. I dragged myself out of bed, though I think I could have laid there a few hours more. Had lunch with two of the old crew. Went to work in the afternoon.
Now the reason I was working on Sunday afternoon, is that the past week has been totally unproductive, considering I've been getting into work in a daze, somewhat before noon if I was lucky. I think I landed with a flu, the first few days back sucked. Last Wednesday, the 5th, I woke up at 8am, pretty much incapacitated. I checked my email and decided to sleep in until 11. When I awoke, the sky was still dim. I checked my phone, which said 16:30. I needed to change the time zone back to PST. I checked my computer, it said 4:30 PM. I called in sick.
So the sick part is pretty much gone, except for the occasional sniffles and a lingering cough. I'm still awake at 4 AM though.
I finished Gabriel Garcia Marquez' 100 Years of Solitude on the flight to Hong Kong. I liked it a lot, I couldn't stop reading it to watch the Terminal or the Notebook, or the documentary on China that featured monkeys assaulting chinese people (at least, that's what it looked like, I didn't have the audio on). I liked it a lot last year. I like epic tragedies. This year however, I'm going to be positive, so I cannot like it so much anymore, though in the spirit of positivity, I highly recommend it.
I bought a copy of Garden State from this DVD store where the customers spoke German, French, Italian, English, and Shanghainese, hidden away at the back of a coffee shop in Shanghai. I was watching it last night, the video quality was excellent, until the third chapter from the end, where the disc was unreadable. I need to see the end of the movie before I can give it a review, but I'm pissed off at unscrupulous DVD pirates now.
I also finished Purpose Driven Life today. I'm not quite sure what all the hype was about, but I did think there were a few good chapters in there. I find most of these Christian living books rather uncompelling, in the "please, tell me something I didn't know" sense. If anything though, knowing and acting are two different things, and I often need the reminder to act what I know.
Jan 7, 2005
Vacation
So the vacation was great, so great that I'm having a hard time kicking myself back into work mode. Or it could be the jetlag and flu I picked up on the way home. My sleeping patterns have been all shot for the past week.
When I was younger, trips to Hong Kong were pretty repetitive. I'd basically follow my parents around all day, every day, except maybe for the days I stayed home and watched TV. We'd have breakfast at home, and then maybe drop my Grandma and mom off to wash her hair. My dad might go to the factory to handle some business with my uncle or Grandfather. We'd have lunch, go shopping, tea at the Kowloon Club, maybe go shop some more, have dinner, go home watch some TV, go to bed. Something like that.
The last few trips have been pretty cool though. My Grandma gave me the keys and enough "lai see" for me to get around. I got a cell phone so I could call whenever I got lost, which wasn't too often. The MTR's incredibly efficient and easy to use, and the taxi's are actually not very expensive compared to North American taxis. I got to wander around on my own and hang out with friends from Toronto.
Times like these I wish I had more time to spend with old friends.
As luxurious as it was to have a maid do the laundry, having breakfast ready in the morning, and awesome food for every meal, part of me is glad to have full control of my laundry, a warm room (man, hong kong winter nights are cold, they don't seem to believe in insulation there) and the option of not eating like a pig is rather comforting now.
I was in Shanghai when I saw the news on CNN about tsunamis hitting Indonesia. At the time they were still reporting casualties in the thousands, which already seemed like a disaster. A few days later I was having dinner with my aunt and uncle and their friends, all parents of east coast prep school and Ivy League kids, talking about their friends who precariously escaped the flooding at Phuket, saying how fortunate we were to be dining at a nice restaurant in Hong Kong and not having to deal with the aftermath.
It's sometimes disturbing to think how life can be so great for some people, yet so dismal for others. I felt guilty that entire dinner, although no one else seemed to disturbed (although some of them were concerned about the waterfront real estate in Hong Kong). But at the same time, emotional socialism seems cruel at best. Should everyone constantly be downcast and mourning? After all every day, I'm sure somebody, somewhere is having an awful day.
So I think at any time, a day of mourning for some may be a day of celebration for others. One shouldn't be jealous of the other, for God gives and takes away. My New Year's resolution is to be positive for a year. So I think it's great that the Canadian government is matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross, but only until January 11th, so hurry!
Quick summary: I left California on December 17 (arriving in HK on December 18). Stayed in Hong Kong most of the time, but took a short trip to Shanghai from December 26 through 29. Stayed in Hong Kong after that until New Year's. I left Hong Kong January 2, stayed in Tokyo for 1 day, hosted by a Canadian friend and her Japanese students, who acted as our tour guides. Left Tokyo and arrived back in San Jose on January 3rd. Here's the trip photos.
So the vacation was great, so great that I'm having a hard time kicking myself back into work mode. Or it could be the jetlag and flu I picked up on the way home. My sleeping patterns have been all shot for the past week.
When I was younger, trips to Hong Kong were pretty repetitive. I'd basically follow my parents around all day, every day, except maybe for the days I stayed home and watched TV. We'd have breakfast at home, and then maybe drop my Grandma and mom off to wash her hair. My dad might go to the factory to handle some business with my uncle or Grandfather. We'd have lunch, go shopping, tea at the Kowloon Club, maybe go shop some more, have dinner, go home watch some TV, go to bed. Something like that.
The last few trips have been pretty cool though. My Grandma gave me the keys and enough "lai see" for me to get around. I got a cell phone so I could call whenever I got lost, which wasn't too often. The MTR's incredibly efficient and easy to use, and the taxi's are actually not very expensive compared to North American taxis. I got to wander around on my own and hang out with friends from Toronto.
Times like these I wish I had more time to spend with old friends.
As luxurious as it was to have a maid do the laundry, having breakfast ready in the morning, and awesome food for every meal, part of me is glad to have full control of my laundry, a warm room (man, hong kong winter nights are cold, they don't seem to believe in insulation there) and the option of not eating like a pig is rather comforting now.
I was in Shanghai when I saw the news on CNN about tsunamis hitting Indonesia. At the time they were still reporting casualties in the thousands, which already seemed like a disaster. A few days later I was having dinner with my aunt and uncle and their friends, all parents of east coast prep school and Ivy League kids, talking about their friends who precariously escaped the flooding at Phuket, saying how fortunate we were to be dining at a nice restaurant in Hong Kong and not having to deal with the aftermath.
It's sometimes disturbing to think how life can be so great for some people, yet so dismal for others. I felt guilty that entire dinner, although no one else seemed to disturbed (although some of them were concerned about the waterfront real estate in Hong Kong). But at the same time, emotional socialism seems cruel at best. Should everyone constantly be downcast and mourning? After all every day, I'm sure somebody, somewhere is having an awful day.
So I think at any time, a day of mourning for some may be a day of celebration for others. One shouldn't be jealous of the other, for God gives and takes away. My New Year's resolution is to be positive for a year. So I think it's great that the Canadian government is matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross, but only until January 11th, so hurry!
Quick summary: I left California on December 17 (arriving in HK on December 18). Stayed in Hong Kong most of the time, but took a short trip to Shanghai from December 26 through 29. Stayed in Hong Kong after that until New Year's. I left Hong Kong January 2, stayed in Tokyo for 1 day, hosted by a Canadian friend and her Japanese students, who acted as our tour guides. Left Tokyo and arrived back in San Jose on January 3rd. Here's the trip photos.
Dec 20, 2004
Dec 7, 2004
Nov 11, 2004
To Remember
I just noticed it was November 11th.
Back in the day, old men wearing suits and berets would be selling poppies for a nickel in the subway station. That's how you knew it was time, because people need reminders.
They don't celebrate Remembrance Day here. They've got Memorial Day, but that's earlier in the year, in May.
It's interesting how Rememberance Day is pegged in memory of the two world wars, in hopes that such a tragedy would not occur again. It's notable how significant Dieppe plays in Canada's military history. November 11 is a depressing day.
Memorial Day in contrast is a long weekend. Think Victoria Day in Canada. Now I think it's related to the timing, the onset of summer, but I wonder if the American losses are mostly glazed over by the history of victories.
Just a thought.
I wonder who will sell the poppies when we run out of old men.
I just noticed it was November 11th.
Back in the day, old men wearing suits and berets would be selling poppies for a nickel in the subway station. That's how you knew it was time, because people need reminders.
They don't celebrate Remembrance Day here. They've got Memorial Day, but that's earlier in the year, in May.
It's interesting how Rememberance Day is pegged in memory of the two world wars, in hopes that such a tragedy would not occur again. It's notable how significant Dieppe plays in Canada's military history. November 11 is a depressing day.
Memorial Day in contrast is a long weekend. Think Victoria Day in Canada. Now I think it's related to the timing, the onset of summer, but I wonder if the American losses are mostly glazed over by the history of victories.
Just a thought.
I wonder who will sell the poppies when we run out of old men.
Nov 6, 2004
26
I hate birthdays. They can end up being so incredibly depressing.
I had wanted to be a hermit this weekend. However friends had planned dinners (without my approval). I had wanted to just skip out, but I'm not one to take friends for granted.
On Thursday we had dinner at Julius' Castle, a little out of the way place near Coit Tower in San Francisco.
-tuna/salmon/seabass tartare
-duck liver pate with black truffles
-grilled lobster tail with black pepper
-crab ravioli with apple curry
-five spice grilled quail
-Molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato
All the food was mediocre. Everything was either mediocre or below par despite some promising menu descriptions. Apparently the restaurant is quite nice. Our table was in a rather old room with a decent view, but I suspect there was a nicer part of the restaurant that hosted a wedding banquet that evening. We didn't end up checking out the rest of the restaurant. However, because of the wedding, the valet took forever. They did give us free dessert to make up for it.
On Friday we had dinner at ABC Seafood in Milpitas. More like a feast.
- house soup
- Peking duck
- Mongolian beef
- black bean and pepper beef
- cashew chicken
- spinach with thousand year old and salted duck egg
- squid deep fried with salt and pepper
- steamed rock cod
- crab deep fried with chili, black bean and garlic
- peach shaped steamed buns with white lotus paste
- red bean soup
ABC tends to have decent food. We don't go too often, since it's rather expensive, but they usually do a good job with dim sum and big meals.
I spent Saturday at church, collecting cheques for the mission conference. Had leftovers for dinner, which isn't half as bad as it might sound, given what I ate the last two days. Saturday night we went to a bar where my friends knew the bartender. We all got free drinks, then headed back to their place for poker.
We played for a few hours, ending the evening with a three-way all in hand. I had a flush to the ace, beating out the flush to the queen. However, in my excitement I failed to notice two jacks on the board. I lost to the third guy, who held the other two jacks in his pocket. Note to self, must be more cautious.
Got new sheets.
I hate birthdays. They can end up being so incredibly depressing.
I had wanted to be a hermit this weekend. However friends had planned dinners (without my approval). I had wanted to just skip out, but I'm not one to take friends for granted.
On Thursday we had dinner at Julius' Castle, a little out of the way place near Coit Tower in San Francisco.
-tuna/salmon/seabass tartare
-duck liver pate with black truffles
-grilled lobster tail with black pepper
-crab ravioli with apple curry
-five spice grilled quail
-Molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato
All the food was mediocre. Everything was either mediocre or below par despite some promising menu descriptions. Apparently the restaurant is quite nice. Our table was in a rather old room with a decent view, but I suspect there was a nicer part of the restaurant that hosted a wedding banquet that evening. We didn't end up checking out the rest of the restaurant. However, because of the wedding, the valet took forever. They did give us free dessert to make up for it.
On Friday we had dinner at ABC Seafood in Milpitas. More like a feast.
- house soup
- Peking duck
- Mongolian beef
- black bean and pepper beef
- cashew chicken
- spinach with thousand year old and salted duck egg
- squid deep fried with salt and pepper
- steamed rock cod
- crab deep fried with chili, black bean and garlic
- peach shaped steamed buns with white lotus paste
- red bean soup
ABC tends to have decent food. We don't go too often, since it's rather expensive, but they usually do a good job with dim sum and big meals.
I spent Saturday at church, collecting cheques for the mission conference. Had leftovers for dinner, which isn't half as bad as it might sound, given what I ate the last two days. Saturday night we went to a bar where my friends knew the bartender. We all got free drinks, then headed back to their place for poker.
We played for a few hours, ending the evening with a three-way all in hand. I had a flush to the ace, beating out the flush to the queen. However, in my excitement I failed to notice two jacks on the board. I lost to the third guy, who held the other two jacks in his pocket. Note to self, must be more cautious.
Got new sheets.
Also got a new snowboard on clearance. I probably won't ride it, I got it more for decoration. The design suits me.
I hate birthdays because it's always a reminder of what you have yet to achieve, and this seems to get worse as I'm getting older. Perhaps it is a worldly mindset to desire achievements to boast about. It is so much easier to say "see, look what I have done", than to allow God to work in our lives, especially when the latter may take time and patience. Regardless, I still feel like I'm getting on, towards that dreaded settled life.
In the meantime, I remind myself how greatly blessed I am with friends. I think I'm being taken out for lunch after church tomorrow. Thank you, sincerely, to all my friends.
Nov 2, 2004
Oct 29, 2004
Maintenance Sucks
Spent last Saturday taking apart my motorcycle (managed to change the oil, the air filter and tighten my chain). There's still a bunch of things I have to do, but I think I'll take it to a mechanic. Also took the Camry in for the 90k mile service. Ended up costing $600. I think in 6 months time, it's going to be another few hundred for new tires and brakes.
Also went to a coworker's annual Halloween bash on Saturday night. Missed it last year, I think I was in Toronto. Here's some pics.
Spent last Saturday taking apart my motorcycle (managed to change the oil, the air filter and tighten my chain). There's still a bunch of things I have to do, but I think I'll take it to a mechanic. Also took the Camry in for the 90k mile service. Ended up costing $600. I think in 6 months time, it's going to be another few hundred for new tires and brakes.
Also went to a coworker's annual Halloween bash on Saturday night. Missed it last year, I think I was in Toronto. Here's some pics.
Oct 28, 2004
Non-Health Fair
Having an Employee Benefits Fair today, where the companies that offer employee services, and some that just advertise, come and promote their products. Everything from health care provider (it's not government provided health care here) to the onsite oil change and hair cut people (they offer services on site, but you still pay for it).
Anyways, it's somewhat branded as a wellness fair, but all I got out of it was a mini Jamba Juice, a Haagen Dazs bar (strawberry cheesecake), a bag of kettle corn (sweetened popcorn), and a bag of halloween candy.
Healthy living, here I come.
Having an Employee Benefits Fair today, where the companies that offer employee services, and some that just advertise, come and promote their products. Everything from health care provider (it's not government provided health care here) to the onsite oil change and hair cut people (they offer services on site, but you still pay for it).
Anyways, it's somewhat branded as a wellness fair, but all I got out of it was a mini Jamba Juice, a Haagen Dazs bar (strawberry cheesecake), a bag of kettle corn (sweetened popcorn), and a bag of halloween candy.
Healthy living, here I come.
Oct 27, 2004
Quote of the Day
"Most people don't come to church looking for God. Most people come to church running away from God, and looking for shelter"
Taken in the context of my intern class this week on Matthew 21:12-17.
"Most people don't come to church looking for God. Most people come to church running away from God, and looking for shelter"
Taken in the context of my intern class this week on Matthew 21:12-17.
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