last day of the decade

i started this decade as a 21 year-old and ending it as a 31 year-old.

this decade i graduated college and b-school, got engaged/married, got a cat, bought my dream car, bought a condo, got my dream job... and now am expecting our first child. there are a few other things that happened this decade as well but you get the point. it was definitely the decade of massive growing up and change.

next decade, there probably won't be as much change... my life has been pretty much settled, and it will be all devoted to raising our child(ren), and buying our first house. who knows what else God has in store for me... but we'll see.

man, this blog entry makes me feel real old.

DSLRs

wow. there is a whole world that i never knew about, yet lived in.

complaining

i don't know what it is, but when people complain a certain way, it really aggravates me. don't get me wrong, i'm a big complainer myself, but there if someone complains a certain way, it just really sets me off.

the problem is, i'm not quite sure what it exactly is or how to explain it. i thought a lot about it and i think it comes down to a few things:

1. excessiveness - when people go overboard on the complaining, whether it's complaining in an immature way, talking about it non-stop, or just going overboard in general, it tends to irk me.
2. i'm already in a bad mood - maybe i already know that something sucks, and i just don't want to hear it.
3. overly obvious - everyone knows it sucked, no use trying to beat a dead horse.

i guess it's ironic that i'm complaining about people complaining.

Reason #897 I love my husband

He said that if we have a girl, her middle name should be Heidi after my aunt. :)

My in-law relatives are... Hmm... The word escapes me. But it's the word where people are just too smart that it makes them socially awkward?

speaker of the house

apparently pelosi was allowed to get military flights home every week as a perk of being speaker. boehmer is going to continue to take commercial flights home. but i guess that begs the question - should the second person in line to be president get the military flights? reading about all the perks that you get as speaker of the house was certainly fascinating to me... i guess if you think about it, this person essentially runs congress, so of course there's a lot of responsibility, and perks that come along with it.

animated movies

i wish i was a writer for a animated cartoon... they're so creative...

google voice... not so impressive. aileen said it "sucks"

voicemail from aileen, per google voice:

Ohh, hey why don't you call me earlier and then hang on. Yeah. Also, google voice is messed up your voicemail and now says, Yeah, go ahead. Yeah driver you called, is notavailable yesterday. I'm professionals for recruiters another yeah and told him for you. Yeah I call you soon. See you soon. Bye Yang said, Yes sir bye. Yeah, Hi. Yeah I'm gonnago to bed now. Yeah if you come home soon, bye.

what she actually said:

maybe being a politician isn't so bad

with all the politics that go on in corporate america, why not try to be a real politician and have some real power to make a difference?

modern family is a hit

great tv series and definitely lives up to the hype. but i think i just realized why i don't like watching re-runs on DVDs. it's because there is so much other stuff out there that i haven't seen yet. if i spend time watching shows/movies i have already seen, i feel like i wasted time.

zurn, i hate you

automated zurn flushvalves and i do not get along. they have an automated flushvalve that has a sensor that is way too high, and it is a battle i always lose when i'm trying to wipe. 

zurn flushvalve... look how high that sucker is

not sure how most people wipe, but i always tilt to the left... and whenever i tilt, it activates the damn sensor and the toilet flushes. and zurn flushvalves, because they are industrial strength, have jets that spray water all over the place. that means, every time i wipe, i have to immediately stand up so my ass doesn't get wet with the toilet water. what's worse is that after i wipe, hear the flusher go off, jump out of the toilet seat and sit back down, the toilet seat is also wet from the splashing. so my butt is just wet all over the place.

so by the end of it all, i might as well have just rinsed my whole ass by shoving it into the toilet bowl. seriously - why make a flusher that's so high? what's the benefit? is it for guys who use the toilet for #1? then why have urinals in the bathroom too?

mcribs

are coming back this year, nationwide... first time since '94.

i'm an idiot, part 21

i'm so stupid.

the good wife

i'm a pretty horrible husband... i need to get my ass in gear.

my fair lady

attractive women who can be both silly and composed at the same time are something i admire quite a bit.

yet another cheesy post

yesterday's episode of grey's anatomy posed an interesting question: shouldn't love be enough to keep a couple together? idealistically, yes, but realistically, i don't think so. perfect love is when it's completely selfless and about the other person. yet, human depravity says that none of us are perfect but are in fact, full of sin, meaning that it's not about the other person. a lot of times, it's about the self first, then others, second.

i guess the real sad part is if only one person of the couple is about selflessness, the other can take full advantage of the fact and thus, the couple will probably survive.

c'mon me...

man... i talk to myself so much when i play. a little absurd.

the social network

just saw the movie and thought it was real interesting. made me want to read the book... but why do i care so much about some kid? feels like i'm just falling into the celebrity garbage gossip trap.

in my latest trip to boston, i had dinner with a good friend of mine who knew some people who knew zuckerberg while at harvard. my friend said he was generally known as a big a-hole, which is funny because that's how the movie described him as well. my friend hadn't even seen the movie yet.

pre-production

i always thought writers controlled the story for tv shows, but apparently there are people who develop plots and characters - and the writers fill in the rest. interesting.

Netflix

is the way to go. goodbye blockbuster.

mergers and acquisitions

you see it happen all the time in the airline industry... but it feels so new when it happens to you.

sports

i think i'm done following sports. can't take the frustrations anymore. maybe it's time i jumped onto the front-runner bandwagon.

wasting time

one of my biggest pet peeves is wasting time... and yet i do it so much. how do i motivate myself to do things that i know i have to do? how do i motivate others to do the same?

settlers of catan

this is a pretty intense and strategic game... i wonder if i'd like chess if i took it up again.

guilt

it's ironic when you start treating people poorly only because you feel guilty about something you've done to others.

super harvest moon tonight

first day of summer + full moon = awesome beauty.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/09/22/harvest.moon/index.html?hpt=T2

talented musicians

make me very emotional. i'm kinda pathetic that way.

facebook and birthday

pretty touched and very surprised by the fact that all these people wished me happy bday yesterday... 

wnba

so sad. atlanta's wnba team is in the FINALS. and nobody cares.

cold sores

wow. they really suck.

suicide

apparently there is a scale of 'self-respectfulness' for committing suicide. for instance, using a gun is 'higher' on the scale while jumping in front of a train is really low on the scale of self-respect.

improv actors

and i guess actors in general, just seem to have such a different personality on stage than in real life.

french laundry

was a little disappointing. was it really good? absolutely. was it amazing blow-your-socks-off? not so much. but was it worth going back and spending that much money? probably not. more details to come later, hopefully from aileen.

babies

the more i think about having kids, the more work that needs to be done comes in my mind. i realized yesterday that if we had a baby, then we would have to completely redo our 2nd bedroom. common sense for most... but not for me.

oh man

i get stomach problems after i eat my favorite foods... that sucks.

awesome quote... from a surprising source

“The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.” 

i thought that was an awesome quote. what was even more awesome was who said it. his name is tom bodett.

yes... the name does sound familar to you.

he's known as the voiceover for the motel 6 hotel chain commercials... 

"we'll leave the light on for you...i'm tom bodett."

he actually is an author and was on NPR's all things considered. sad that he's more known for motel 6 though.

padres

they have been in first place of their division (and league) for pretty much the whole season. now that september has come around, they have lost seven in a row. the giants are now 3.5 games back. if the pads don't make the playoffs... i may seriously just give up.

good days vs. bad days

to me, a good day means nothing went wrong and nobody yelled at me. shouldn't a good day mean that i had a victory or got something major accomplished? either way, i haven't had a good day in a long time.

johnny depp

seems like such a different person during interviews when compared to his wildly-off characters. i wonder what he's like in private?

frustration tolerance on red alert

why are my frustration levels going through the roof lately? i feel like i'm losing control over everything... maybe it's god's way of telling me that i never had control in the first place.

buzzwords

i am going to start and keep track of a list of buzzwords that are going to appeal to certain individuals in order to get what i want. sometimes, i feel it's that easy.

weekend trip

this trip to napa was one of the best and most fun trips i've had in a real long time. it really made up for china's lack of fun stuff. i just hope my silver oak makes it here in one piece!

can't wait to go back in a couple weeks. that's going to be real fun too.

1993 Silver Oak Napa Valley

nuff said.

napa vineyards

silver oak - awesome

hagafan - okay

andretti - okay

steak

one of my most favorite foods (if not the most favorite)... but for some reason... steak and my stomach don't get along lately.

passion

today i had dinner with a friend who recently started his own business. he gave up a very well-paying job ($200K+) to start a company about something he loved to do. he's so passionate about this business and what he wants to accomplish to help people, it's very humbling. it's all about passion for what you do that helps you succeed and bring more meaning to your life, and i'm a strong believer in that. sure, he's struggling a little bit financially, but he's happy in what he's doing and has the support of his family.

i heard richard branson speak last week and he said the exact same thing (not a very good speaker, by the way). if you do it just to make the quick buck, you're just wasting what little time you have in this world to make an impact. if you believe in something enough and devote enough time and energy to it, you'll be just fine.

very cliche, and very hard to follow, but all the more humbling and reminds me that i need to do what i'm passionate about. if i do it right and work hard at it, the rest will (hopefully) take care of itself.

friends

Nothing is more dangerous than a friend without discretion; even a prudent enemy is preferable.

Jean de La Fontaine

pickles

i love them so much... today, i dropped one on the floor in the office and still ate it.

same-sex marriage

these types of subjects are so difficult because there is no objective way of looking at it (unless you're God, of course).

attraction or deserved?

it seems that certain people, maybe all people, tend to be treated the same way from completely separate and different groups.

for example, i treat someone who i have known for decades a certain way. that someone is also treated the same way from a friend he/she just met a couple months ago. 

why is that? is it because that someone only befriends a certain type of person, or because that someone deserves to be treated that way?

what the heck am i trying to say?

watching what you say

i know that i need to be more careful of what i say, even if my intentions are good... but sometimes, people are just a bit too sensitive.

sleep and stomach issues

the first day i got back from China, i stayed up the whole day so i can be adjusted quickly. it seemed to work, but on Sunday night, aileen and i both could not sleep at all and woke up at 3am. today it's a little better at 5am. i do think i could  have slept through the whole night if aileen didn't wake me up due to her stomach issues, which i am also having.

toilet paper

toilet paper always seem so much more scrunched up towards the end of the roll. like someone dipped it in toilet water and it dried up.

patience

this may sound a little cocky, but during the whole china trip i kept imagining how different people would react in my situations... and my tolerance level and complaint rate i think is pretty good than most.

sleep habits

not sure what's going on with me but my sleep habits are changing quite a bit. i think it's the stress because i really don't know how to quiet my mind. i need to learn how to meditate i think. aileen can just fall asleep instantly (which is also not good, but something i wish i could do).

When in China... do as the Americans do

been quite a whirlwind trip the last couple weeks. honestly did not feel like vacation at all, mostly because we spent it with either my parents or aileen's parents the entire time. and that is quite an effort.


in any case, some quick musings from the last two weeks. 


- overall, my cousins from my side and aileen's side are super cool... would love to hang out with them more often.
- i didn't realize that i didn't see a cloud the whole time in beijing until we landed in qingdao. you can't even see two blocks without smog getting in the way.

- chinese people are extremely selfish and impatient. i'm glad that it's hard for them to enter the US.

- MIL is even weirder than i first thought. everything aileen complains about her was dead-on. she's like the most over-bearing yet not over-bearing MIL ever.  but i think it's worse that aileen does the exact same thing while simultaneously yelling at her mom about it.

- i will never again share a hotel room with a parent.

- just because i didn't get some status benefits, i was very upset. then i was even more upset knowing that i'm acting like my dad.

- chinese people sure like audi.

- MIL goes through one roll of TP a day!

- i'm going to be in sticker shock once i get back to the US.

- aileen's grandmother is extremely healthy for a 93 year old. i think aileen is going to live a very long time.

- i have to remind myself that the MIL grew up without a mom.

- i find aileen's chinese-speaking abiliity very sexy. made me want to speak korean... but not BE korean. big difference.

- i got approached by a prostitute in an elevator. she tried to follow me to my room. and i was definitely panicking on the inside.

- imported goods are so much more expensive in china. my tag watch is $3K. my S5 retails for 998K RMB, which is about $150K USD!!! a new iphone 3gs is $1K USD.

- chinese food consists of very little rice.

- people drink tsingtao beer like wine. it's served at room temperature and with wine glasses.

- chinese people are a lot nicer to you if they know you have a lot of money. doesn't matter if they are relatives, strangers, or anything else. i don't think it's as true for the US.

- tiannamen square riot picture of the student vs. the tank. i understand why it's such an impact now... a car actually stopped for a pedestrian.

- always check to see if the toilet flushes before using it.

- there are different tiers of counterfeit... the super cheap and the high-end (but still cheap).

- no matter how small (or large) you think the world is... it's still smaller.

my grandmother

i think i just saw her for the last time...

family

when i'm with extended family, it's weird how i automatically just give them the benefit of the doubt for anything and feel an instant bond like we've known each other for years... even though i've only met them a few times my entire life.

it's also real interesting how my dad's side of the family is the complete opposite of my mom's side. could not be any more different.

sympathy

working in the service business has made me a lot more sympathetic to servers in hotels, restaurants, etc... their job really sucks, and i know first hand how they get treated like crap sometimes. so that's why whenever my dad starts complaining or demanding something that he doesn't really deserve to get, i get really defensive about it. it's true, the more you complain and the bigger stink you create, the more you get. i know that first hand, especially since i give away so much as part of my job to customer complainers. but i hate that even my dad knows that and uses that to his might where it's just embarrassing. it's a stupid philosophy, and yet i still give in to it every time i get a letter or call or any other complaint.

packing

i learned today that:

1. my socks and boxers take up a LOT of room
2. i have 14 pairs of boxers. not sure if that is too little or too many, but thought it was interesting nonetheless. aileen now knows why she has to do laundry all the time.

buzz words

are key when you want someone to latch on to your idea. words that the other person can easily identify with and already have a positive image of.

Improv Everywhere

what a cool project!

www.improveverywhere.com

Nintendo Wii Fit

why do they use Panda heads on the soccer game on Wii Fit? seems rather cruel to kick a beheaded panda bear head at a soccer game.

zynga

i should have applied to work there years ago! they supposed got a $100-$200MM injection from Google as part of an initiative for a new social networking site.

toy story 3

so amazed on how creative people can be with such simple things and integrate the most mundane thing into such clever actions. using a cubby holes as jail cells for toys or a snack vending machine for a secret hideout.

humidity

i think it affects my stamina at a enormously exponential rate. i sweat so easily, 10 minutes into a set, i can barely grip the racquet because my hands are so sweaty.

IP addresses

ever wonder if there aren't enough IP addresses to go around? well, there aren't. there are actually different IP address versions, and the one we are on now is slated to run out by 2012. the new standard, IPv6, will hopefuly solve the problem indefinitely.

French Laundry

only serves lunch from 11-1pm and they only have 16 tables for the whole restaurant.

when aileen drinks

she becomes a whole other animal. and i love it!

wall street, the movie

kind of sad, but i know so many people who are just like the characters in 'wall street'... and the sad part is sometimes i get jealous of their success.

movies

they are an inferior goods. who knew, but makes perfect sense. during economic downturns, families will trade down sporting events for movies. when the economy does well, less people go to the movies because they can afford to go to sporting events for entertainment.

priorities

at what point do you put the other person's priorities in front of yours, even though it goes against your own personal high priorities?

people, part deux

if people change over the years... it's the way they look.

people

they just rarely never change. that's why you can get along with so many of the same people you always got along with, even after decades of no communication whatsoever.

Joel Restaurant/Brasserie

our favorite restaurant of all time... has closed. RIP Joel Restaurant.

craziness

why do i never just give up.

the dude abides

pretty good line.

Battle of New Orleans

Andrew Jackson lead the US in the War of 1812 to defeat the British, after the war officially ended (news traveled slow back then).

for the Brits:
casualties: almost 300
injuries: over 1200

for the US:
casualties: 13
injuries: 39

don't mess with Old Hickory!

moods

it's amazing how the simplest things make no sense if you're in a horrible mood, and how the hardest things make absolute sense (even if you don't really understand it) when you're in a great mood.

i guess the trick really is how to get people in a good mood, and then ask for what you want.

presidents and my stupidity

i like to read biographies of our Presidents. aileen says it's extremely boring, which i find ironic given who it's coming from (but i still love her!), but nonetheless, i find it quite fascinating.

so i started reading 'american lion' today, a biography about andrew jackson, and decided to give aileen a mini-quiz on who our first 8 presidents were:

me: do you know who our 6th president was?
aileen: no clue. jackson?
me: can you name our first 8 presidents?
aileen: washington... um.... adams?
me: oh my gosh. how embarrassing. you don't know who our second president is?
aileen: um... isn't it adams? i think?
me: oh. my. goodness. aileen. how could you not know our second president. please.

me berating her goes on for quite a while. i was so confident, especially given the fact that i read a biography about adams, that he was not the second president.

aileen: fine. then tell me.
me: washington, jefferson, adams, madison, monroe, adams, jackson, van buren.
aileen: ohhh... yeah, jefferson. i thought he was the third.
me: no way. second. can't believe you didn't know that. unbelievable. you are so un-american. you need to go back to first grade. i am SO going to embarrass you on tell everyone about this!

so after i continue reading, something hit me. like that feeling you just forgot something important back at the hotel room.

i thought to myself: "oh.... craaaap.....i think jefferson is our third..."

as soon as we had internet access on our plane, i went online and searched the order of our presidents. indeed, adams was #2. i was so embarrassed. after some debate on whether to correct aileen or to let her think i was right, i decied to wake aileen up, and then told her she was right. adams was our second president, and that i was super embarrassed for being so mean to her about it.

aileen: you can apologize to me now you know.
me: i am still so embarrassed... i am so sorry. i am so so so sorry.

i never thought it would be possible to see the look of revenge and bliss at the same time, but i saw it tonight.

aileen's wish... poof?

aileen's wish of having twins, so she can have two kids all at once, doesn't seem to be such a good idea anymore after we visited an old friend who has twins of her own. wow.

new idea

aileen thought of a brilliant idea that we may actually consider doing. need to do some research.

neo-futurists

very interesting theatre format.

attention

the ability to focus your attention away on certain tasks contributes to greater success in life.

chicago

love this city. epic restaurant was great.

bridges

never burn professional bridges. it's such a small small world.

conan o'brien

saw his live tour tonight, and gotta say, it was pretty awesome.

one of the best lines (from my bad memory): "i did not know until today that hooters headquarters is in atlanta! i am going to combine tbs and hooters together, and the south will rise again!"

triumph the dog was pretty funny too.

Perceived Racism

I feel like I’ve blogged about this before, but I can’t seem to find anything, so I’m going to write about it again. How much of racism is real vs. perceived? I know in some cases it’s obvious, but in other circumstances, how do you know someone is actually being racist and not just mean or rude? I guess I’ve been lucky, or maybe naive, but I don’t think I’ve ever been on the receiving end of racism (except for reverse-racism at the airport, of course). For example, at a fancy restaurant, if I’m seated slower than other people or at a bad table, I assume they had reservations, or it’s because I’m young or not dressed well, not because I’m Asian. At a nice store, if I’m not readily assisted by a sales associate, I assume they are just lazy or rude, or again, because I’m young or not well dressed, not because I’m Asian. Again, I understand if it’s overt – like someone saying “I hate you because you’re slanty eyed” or “you can’t come here because you’re yellow” – but I’m talking about more subtle situations – like the ones mentioned above. Some would assume they are being discriminated against. So my question is how much of racism is really just perception?

playing guitar

trying to pick it back up again. forgot how easy it is to learn today's top pop songs... just 4 chords and that's it. unless you're trying to play the oldies or alternative, then i'm screwed (except for the beatles).

blockbuster queue

again. i need to change the password for blockbuster queues so aileen can't access it.

my car

whenever i pull up to valet, i noticed that people seem more than curious to see who is coming out of my car. then there is the look of either confusion or disappointment when they see who it is.

shaun's

went to shaun's for dinner tonight and aileen finally got to try the infamous crab cakes. she claimed it was better than the new joel, but not better than the old joel.

what did i learn today?

nothing.

french calendar

this thing seriously has some crystal ball potential. today's phrase was "are you sick" (or something close to that) and once again, it was 100% relevant. aileen missed work today because she is sick. i need to start reading ahead. maybe one day, it will say "buy stocks today" or "congratulations, you're a dad."

glee

i think the reason why i like this show so much is because it wants me to get back into music.

BP oil spill

would there really have been any difference to people's reactions to BP's efforts to contain the spill, as well as people's reactions to the government, no matter how hard they tried? people like to criticize so much, including the press, i feel like that's all we would have heard no matter what. i'm sure BP is doing a lot more good than they are getting credit for... well, i hope at least.

relaxation

i need to learn how to relax more, including deep breathing.

interesting article about self-control

http://www.fastcompany.com/video/why-change-is-so-hard-self-control-is-exhaustible

"self-control is an exhaustible resource...This helps to explain why, after a long hard day at the office, we’re more likely to snap at our spouses or have one drink too many—we’ve depleted our self-control.

And here’s why this matters for change: In almost all change situations, you’re substituting new, unfamiliar behaviors for old, comfortable ones, and that burns self-control. Let’s say I present a new morning routine to you that specifies how you’ll shower and brush your teeth. You’ll understand it and you might even agree with my process. But to pull it off, you’ll have to supervise yourself very carefully. Every fiber of your being will want to go back to the old way of doing things. Inevitably, you’ll slip. And if I were uncharitable, I’d see you going back to the old way and I’d say, You’re so lazy. Why can’t you just change?

This brings us back to the point I promised I’d make: That what looks like laziness is often exhaustion. Change wears people out—even well-intentioned people will simply run out of fuel."

rent a cop

today, after eating dinner with my coworkers, we went to baskin-robbins to get ice cream. pulling into the parking lot, we saw a black man immediately drop his things and make a mad dash deeper into the crowded lot. about a minute later, coming out of my car, we saw a security guard (a young white guy) and the black man escorting another ragged-looking black man by the arms. he had stolen something from one of the nearby stores and they caught him as he tried to escape. the thief looked incredibly sad and destitute. i couldn't help but feel bad for him. 

as they were walking they were mumbling some words to each other, and i couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but all of a sudden the security guard slapped the thief real hard on his bare stomach. sounded just like a belly flop, and you could definitely hear it loud and clear. not sure where in the rent-a-cop manual it says to slap the suspect on their bare stomach for no good reason, but it definitely got the guy to shut up. it was certainly uncalled for.

they threw the guy on to the sidewalk, where there was now a crowd just watching them, and the thief just laid on the concrete, curled up on his side, and closed his eyes. his face was the quintessential picture of hopelessness. 

in all likelihood, he was probably a homeless man who just wanted some money for food (or money for drugs, depending on your worldview). and as the cops arrived, searched and arrested him, which took an unusually long time considering we were literally across the street from the city's police headquarters, the man didn't say a word or move a muscle. it was probably one of the lowest points in his sad life. in the meantime, the security guard was just towering over him, chest puffed up and ego spraying everywhere, like he conquered mt. everest or took down a bull. ironically, that was probably one of the highest points in the security guard's life.

after we were done rubber necking and eating our ice cream, we went back to our luxury cars and drove to our nice luxury condos, driving right past the homeless thief and the hourly-wage rent-a-cop. without a care in the world.

not quite sure what i learned from that experience, but thought i shouldn't forget it.

trickle-down behavior

it's interesting to see how the behavior of your boss' boss rubs off on his direct reports. even the little nuances you wouldn't even think twice about in meetings are picked up.

i hope i don't pick up any bad habits from my boss... but i probably already have.

oil spill + hurricanes

so this oil spill combined with the hurricanes can both hurt and help the environment. it will help disperse the oil, but spread it over a greater area as well. some people even say that if the hurricane is bad enough, it would spill over the levees and cover NOLA with oil.

crazy.

my only hope is that it doesn't have a huge impact on the economy and turn this into another case of political infighting... oh wait... too late.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704875604575280060952593860.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTWhatsNews

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/06/01/holder.gulf.spill/index.html?hpt=T1

building parking structures

saw a natgeo documentary on how a 28-story parking structure was built, and it was quite fascinating. they tried this new method where they built up AND down at the same time in order to save time. very cool!

church today

sermon today (trinity grace church in NYC) was quite good. it was about how people treat each other - what people in general do today, and what we should be doing instead. today, people compare and condemn each other. the first thing we do when we meet someone is make an opinion, then use fact to solidify any opinions,  and then emotion to build the relationship. that is where people usually stop. they don't move to vulnerability, then compassion and then finally brotherly love. it is the last three things that one needs to build a true relationship with another. and it is only on the last phase where you can GENTLY encourage people to do good and to support each other. 

key word here is "gently," because often times, we end up telling our loved ones to change their behavior by forcing down their throats. that only starts a vicious cycle of us telling them to "try harder" -> which leads to the person feeling "guilt" -> then eventually "failure" and then starting all over at "try harder" (there are four steps in total but i can't remember them all). 

the key is to gently nudge the person in the right direction, where it is done in a timely manner and a gradual change (as a reminder, you should be doing this once you have reached the love stage of getting to know someone, not the opinion/fact phase). and this is where i fail miserably. a lot of times, i literally tell others to "try harder" and just try to force change without taking into consideration that it will only fail. i need to be gentler, i need to show more love, and i need to do it to myself as well.

there's a lot more to the sermon that i don't remember and did not mention, but i figured i would write this out now before i forget everything else.

glee cast

they can really sing. like... really sing.

funny but disgusting line i heard today

"she's so hot, i would eat the corn from her poo."

First Earth Army Battalion

wow. very weird... the US Army sounds pretty innovative (and desperate).

http://www.firstearthbattalion.org/?q=node/125

tangents

they absolutely drive me crazy, especially when in a meeting. i hate HATE HATE them.

different people

want different things. trying to figure out each person's wants and needs is such a chore.

lessons from lincoln

thought this was pretty cool:
http://www.dumblittleman.com/2010/05/7-must-read-life-lessons-from-abraham.html



“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”
"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
“That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.”
“Reputation is like fine china, once broken it's very hard to repair.”
“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
“The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can…”

babies

babies can handle those automatic rockers at pretty high speeds. just like the viking rides at six flags.

the cheetah

not very good.

once again

my daily french phrase desk calendar predicts the future.

today's lesson: on dirait qu'il va pleuvoir... it looks like it might rain.

Gmail

don't ever get your gmail account hacked in to (not sure how you can prevent this). google's customer service is absofreakinglutely atrocious.

treating burns

the first you DON'T do is put ice on it. otherwise it rubs off your burn and exposes your second layer. ouch.

miyazaki movies

why are they so bad when dubbed with english, but so cute when you read the subtitles. is it just more acceptable to have japanese voices be so cute and english voices not?

Glee

just saw clips of them performing live on youtube, and have to admit, i'm quite impressed.

feeding animals at the atlanta zoo

at the atlanta zoo, they only eat apples... and the lions eat tiny pieces of ground meat... how boring.

belongs on the food blog but...

Alma de Cuba in Philly... amazing.

I miss my husband. Haven't really seen or talked with him all week.

The Dad's Garage board is probably the best board in the arts world.

Why do people micromanage so much

face problems

for me, they always occur all at once.

the taste of steak

according to a WSJ article today, the taste of steak is NOT determined by the fat or marbling. it's still a mystery what makes good steak taste good, but a lot of it has to do with what they eat, weight and age at time of slaughter. safe bet is to go with british or wagyu beef.

SNL

one subtle but noticeable difference between the older generation (as in, 90's and early 2000's) of the SNL cast and the current one is the reliance on cue cards. the older generation seemed to know their lines well enough to not have to blatantly read off cue cards the whole skit, never really making eye contact. the new generation only looks at cue cards.

what a boring lesson i learned today.

good quote

The downhill path is easy, but there's no turning back. - Christina Georgina Rossetti

change

aileen worked hard to get me to this point, but has managed to get me to eat and ENJOY fish, and WEAR contacts.


if that's not proof that people can change, i don't know what is.

cinco de mayo

what a big crowd this day draws at our building...random.

sunglasses

they all look pretty much the same to me, but when you find a cool pair and try them on, none of them look right. maybe it's because asians have no bridges on their nose.


same goes for watches. i think with asians, it's the small wrists.

pens

who know that so much craftsmanship can go into a simple ball point pen? and why am i a sucker for it?

filming car scenes in movies

saw a movie shoot from our condo today. not sure which movie. the scene was a car chase (we think). the coolest part though was the use of a porsche cayenne turbo modified to be a moving movie camera. it looked so freakin cool.... aileen will post pics of it later (got it aileen?).

in the meantime, here's a link to the company that makes it. pursuit systems. so awesome.

people changing with windows open

old people don't give a crap about it.

state legislation

i think i have the most interest in state legislation as opposed to city or federal... it's close enough where it has a direct and immediate impact and your representatives are much more accessible (like city council) and big enough to get the attention of the citizens. or so i think.

cool quote

nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. - maria robinson

fighting over the remote... in different cities

so weird knowing that my wife and i can still fight over the remote over our TV, even though we are in completely different cities. all thanks to sony's version of slingbox, locationfree.

Luma

I am in Orlando for a conference, and Andy joined me for the weekend. We decided to go to Luma (a Concentrics restaurant in Winter Park) for dinner on Saturday night, and it was amazing! The decor was nice (with very unique restrooms), the service was great (our waiter, Sean, was really friendly and made excellent recommendations), and the food was incredible. The Pacific Halibut T-Bone was the best fish I have ever had (so light and fluffy)! Luma is our new favorite restaurant (a very close second to Joel). It is definitely the best Concentrics restaurant (much better than all the Atlanta ones). We will definitely go back whenever we are in the Orlando/Winer Park area.

Reading by the pool :)

aileen's camera

takes real good pictures!

Quote of the decade from my lovely wife: "when I'm pregnant, will you not drink with me for nine months?" I wish I took a picture of her face when I laughed insanely loud at the restaurant.

wavee.com

very very interesting concept... i just spent $60 just for the right to bid on their items. $60!!!!

i wonder how i could use decision economics to maximize the site.

nosebleeds

whenever my lips get dry and chapped, i really have to remember to take extra care of nose... I CAN'T FORGET THIS.

Wow...

Intern to Director in 6 years. Pretty impressive!

nfl draft

what an experience! not quite the spectacle as i expected but still a very cool experience nonetheless.

eating

no matter how you control it, you can't fight off a souffle.

promotions

i don't feel real different after getting promoted... but maybe it's everyone else that does?

happy 420 day

not quite sure if i learned anything today

bachelor parties

if there is anything that you know has a limited quantity and only gets harder with age, it's bachelor parties. i can't drink as much as i used to, stay out late as i used to, and have the energy to keep going as i used to, but the more you go to these things, you realize how valuable these things are... you have such limited time in your adult life to spend with all your closest friends for a weekend and have a valid excuse to act like an idiot at the same time.

corks and wine

i've been collecting through the years a special collection of wine i only use for special purposes. most of these are my favorite - silver oak. well, i told myself that if a certain event happened, i'm going to open my oldest silver oak (2001 napa) to celebrate... and yesterday, that event happened. so while we were at dinner, we let the wine decant and finally took a sip of the wine.

my first reaction... "hm." 

aileen's first reaction... "hm."

it definitely wasn't as good as it should be... and my first thought was maybe my palate wasn't clean enough... 

so i tried again... "weird."

the wine definitely didn't go bad, but it wasn't super good either...

we debated for a long time whether to call the sommelier and get his opinion. ultimately, we decided it was best to know for sure, so we wouldn't always wonder if the bottle had gone bad or if it was just us. so the sommelier tried it and said that our wine had been slightly 'corked.' 

my reaction... "##$*&!!!!"

if your wine has been corked, it means that something happened during the bottling process or the cork had gone bad, allowing air and TCA to get into the bottle (i think that's what it means at least). that makes the wine taste less than optimal, and depending on how bad it's been contaminated, still OK to drink. the bottom of the cork was wet, which means i at least stored it in the proper position and i had also kept it in a dark place, so the sommelier concluded that the cork had just gone bad. it was very slight, according to the sommelier, and that he actually would have still served it. we could tell because we knew what to expect.

SO... we decided to just push through and finish the wine (it should be noted that aileen had 1 glass). but it definitely is a bittersweet way of celebrating the big day. at least the sommelier was impressed that we could tell that the wine was very slightly corked.

commendations

i need to give them more... it's so easy to take for granted how hard people work for you as a norm, and it's so easy to forget that people who feel unrecognized start to go down a slippery slope.

I just wanted to say, I am so proud of my husband. that is all. :)

organizational change

it is such a struggle... for so many reasons... people just using the opportunity to get politically ahead, throw others under the bus, etc... no wonder why consultants get paid a lot of money for it. everyone can blame the evil 3rd party.

artichokes

never had an artichoke until tonight... the only time i had an artichoke was in spinach and artichoke dip from houston's. man, those things are good. but like a crab (which i really don't like to eat), so much shell for so little meat.

i wonder how healthy artichokes are for you? why yes... yes they are.

john cusack

he's a tall guy... 6'2

stages of learning and enduring success

the five stages of learning
0 - arrogance: are you a 'knower' or a 'learner' when being taught something?
1 - insight: realizing that you just learned something new
2 - action - taking action on your learnings
3 - reliability - repeatedly acting on it
4 - sponsorship - being able to serve as a model of the learnings

the four qualities of enduring success
1. happiness
2. achievement
3. significance
4. legacy

all four need to be balanced in your life; you can channel your energy into one, but you can't ignore the other three. this is the 'paradigm of limitation.'

on a side note: i got my first standing ovation today after giving a speech... :)

work niceness

it's nice to know that people at work actually do care about me and think that i do a good job... kinda weird to think of it that way given that at my last job, i was completely horrible. just another example of the old adage, you don't know what you have until you lose it.

life decisions

so obvious, but it's so easy to give out advice to people who are in big or tough situations... but once you're in the exact same position, it's real hard to take your own advice.

playing tennis

i play a lot better when i'm just nonchalant about it... maybe trying too hard is detrimental to me?

habits

good habits die easily while bad habits die hard.

Churches

incredible how churches have changed along with technology. today, we went to easter service where the entire sermon was taped earlier in the day, and broadcast on a large HD screen. it was quite a production with the live band, laser lights, very fancy camera-work, etc. some would say that the church shouldn't be spending money on such elaborate things, but i disagree... no matter who you are, you have to cater to your audience. if that's how they respond best to your product, that's what you should do... but up to a certain point of course.

golf

extremely frustrating sport... mostly because there are so many things that can go wrong but you only have one shot to do it. even after taking lessons on a regular basis for so long, i still suck. extremely frustrating.

know thyself

strengths and weaknesses... when it comes to work, i have a pretty strong set of strengths and a not so bad set of weaknesses. that's what a psychologist told me today.

i will list them out later.

big decisions

time to step up and make some.

understanding the other perspective

it's never easy to try and guess. you just need to ask.

my tennis playing ability

i tend to mirror my opponent's playing skills... if my opponent stinks, i stink. if my opponent is good, i play well. why can't i just play to my best potential no matter what?

clenching my jaw

i clench my jaw a lot when i'm awake. i don't even realize it until i move my mouth and all of a sudden my jaw muscles are sore.

not knowing the answer

whenever i don't know the answer to question in a situation when i am expected to, i need to learn how to think clearly and not panic.

executives and trust

do executives who have don't trust people start out that way? or is it because all the political battles over the years that they have to fight on a daily basis that makes them trust people less?

cyclobenzaprine

is awesome stuff... my neck and shoulders are still a little tight, but definitely a lot better than they have been in a long time. and after taking it, i get so hiiiiiigh.

o luck... where art thou

everyone thinks they have the worst luck. i am no exception. the day that i thought nobody was going to bother me, my email and cell phone blew up. it was the worst time possible of course, and i couldn't return any emails or phone calls. when i finally got home and had time to return all the urgent emails/phone calls, our network went down so now i can't access anything. 

a lot of times i wonder... do i suffer now because i am paying for something bad i did? or does this mean i have something good coming my way?

resume paper

not always so easy to find. the office supplies stores close at 7pm and you'd think even target would have plenty of it. but nope.

buying groceries

never really occurred to me until today but whenever i go grocery shopping at the asian supermarket, i only buy korean items - or items that my mom usually buys. there are thousands of non-korean sauces that are probably just as good, if not better. this realization came when wayne went to hmart and his stuff was full of the chinese items that i don't even look twice at, and our stuff was full of the korean items that he doesn't even look twice at.

learning Chinese

what's the proper way to learn a language? to learn all the colloquial phrases to makes it seem like you are well-versed in their language and culture, or to learn the proper grammar first so that people will be able to tell for sure that you are not from there but yet know the right way to speak?

coaching common sense

is that possible? can people be taught common sense or is it just innate?

mean people

i think people are mean only because they are insecure. i'm talking real mean... purposely hurtful to other people. some people just handle it differently.

clarity

one of the five rules of motivating employees is to be clear. but what if 'clarity' means that everything has to be in writing as opposed to simply saying in person, "i need this by wednesday afternoon"? how frustrating is that?

opinions

they change too easily sometimes. i just wish i knew the trick to make it change in my favor all the time.

I need to keep answers concise as possible

concentration and mental toughness

that's what it's all about. i need to learn how to focus myself better.

the chinese language is racist

saying "that is slow" in Chinese sounds downright racist from the perspective of someone who speaks English.

working out every day

it really does help you build muscles... slowly but surely. even if you're fat.

decisioning

forcing yourself into a situation where you have to make a life-changing decision really makes you figure out your priorities in life.

the relativity of money

an amount of money that was more of an afterthought to one (whether personal or organizational money) has the potential to make a huge difference to another (whether personal or organizational). even if they don't really need the money.

small business consulting

i'd love to help local businesses with their business.that'd be real fun.

job titles

they're only important outside your company, not inside.

aileen's tastes

i think i always knew this, but today pretty much confirmed that i know aileen's taste in stuff. today, we went to the mall so aileen could go to the limited, express and sephora. i was incredibly bored, so i walked into burberry. not only was i able to pick out the three purses in the whole store that aileen would like, i knew exactly what she wouldn't like about each of them. i should be a personal shopper.

publix

sells custom meat cuts.

boys

regardless of background, we all go through the same thing.

beverage distribution business

is a pretty profitable business with huge margins... who knew.

girl scout cookies

they come from two different bakeries and depending on where you live, have different names for the same cookie, or completely different cookie options.

thin mints are also the 2nd highest branded cookie sold, despite only being sold 3 months of the year. number one? oreo's.

when it rains

it really does pour. life really does come in doses... or is it just that we only recognize and remember the coincidences?

(what?)

usefulness of Twitter

trying to play my video game, i could not connect to the network. i wasn't sure if there was a problem with my system, internet or if the playstation network was down... so i decided to search twitter and see if other people were going through with it... and every 5 seconds or so, people would post that they could not log on and also show the same error code i was getting.

the very first time i found anything useful or something i cared about on Twitter.

my tennis skills

have diminished quite dramatically.

police foundations

if you put the sticker on the car after you give, they actually do help when you get pulled over... ex-deputy chief just told me.

National Pride

I have to admit that I was not rooting for Yuna Kim. Not because she wasn’t great, but because so many Korean-Americans were so passionately supporting her. Let me clarify. I have no problem with Koreans living in the US rooting for her. But it doesn’t seem right to me that Koreans born in the US were rooting for her and not the American skaters. I know it’s just a personal problem that I have, but I really dislike when ABCs or ABKs (is that a term?) just think of themselves as Chinese or Korean. You are American too! It’s fine to have national pride for your parents’ home country, but you should have some pride for your home country as well. That’s right, China and Korea are your parents’ home country; the USA is your home country. Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent. Back to figure skating.

Yuna Kim was expected to win. She was under enormous pressure. The weight of her whole country was on her shoulders. She had to win a Gold medal. If she didn’t, she would lose all of her supporters and sponsorships. Okay, I have three issues with that:
1) South Korea had never won a medal in figure skating. Why would Silver or Bronze not be good enough? Why must it be first place or nothing for Asians?
2) Regardless of whether she won Gold, she is an amazing skater. Why would she lose all her sponsorships (see #1)? And even if she lost all of her sponsorships, boohoo, she is a millionaire. She has already made $8 million in endorsements!
3) Even if she became a disappointment to her country (again, see #1), her home may be in Korea, but she lives and trains in Toronto. She could just stay in Canada permanently. I don’t remember the exact statistics, but I think it’s something like 60% of Olympic athletes train in the US or Canada, and about 40% stay here and never return to their home country after the Olympics.

After watching the short program on Tuesday night, Americans Mirai Nagasu and Rachael Flatt were great, but Yuna Kim, Mao Asado, and Joannie Rochette were clearly the best. By the way, why was Yuna Kim called Kim Yu-na, while Mao Asado was called Mao Asado? Isn’t Mao her first name and Asado her last name? Shouldn’t they consistently put last names first for all Asians or just stick with first names first for everyone? Another random question – I wonder if Japanese Americans were rooting for Mao Asado, who is Japanese, or Mirai Nagasu, who is Japanese American. Probably Mao Asado since Asians like to root for winners and not the underdogs. On the same note, I wonder if countries with Olympians that aren’t actually from that country still feel national pride. For example, the ice dancing pair, Chris and Cathy Reed, are American, but competed for Japan. Their sister, Allison, competed for the Georgian team, but has never even been to the country of Georgia before.

Anyway, during the free skate on Thursday night, Yuna Kim’s performance was perfect - technically and artistically. While other skaters slowed down as they approached their jumps to steady themselves, she threw herself into them at full speed, yet touched down with such lightness. Her skating, connecting steps, footwork, and combination spins were beautiful. She was the obvious winner and got a ridiculous score. You could really see that the large weight had been lifted off through her smiles and tears. Mao Asada had to skate next and try to top that. She was close, but then she stumbled on some ice going into a triple and was forced to cut it to a single. It didn’t seem fair, but I guess that’s life. You could tell she wasn’t satisfied with her performance. She didn’t even crack a smile when they announced she was in second place.

Joannie Rochette was next. Her mom died of a heart attack four days before the competition. She decided to go ahead and compete. She was very emotional, but skated passionately, and was truly the picture of courage. Finally, it was Mirai Nagasu’s turn. She was great, but definitely not at the same level as Yuna or Mao. I think she could be a star in 4 years. Although this would be the first time the US didn’t medal since the 1960s, I was glad Mirai didn't surpass Joannie. How could you not root for Joannie? She deserved to medal. Yuna was so cute on the podium. She absolutely deserved to win, and I was definitely happy for her. But I dreaded seeing all of the facebook posts that would say "we won!!!" In the words of Andy during another Olympic event, "WE won?! Who’s WE?! THEY won. WE got second." Go team USA! :-P

Innovation

It's all relative. In health care, we think having electronic medical records is so innovative, but it's really not. We can use ATM cards in any bank machine in the world and withdraw cash, yet we can't go to another hospital and access our health records.

Learned a lot today from LEAD...

good quotes:
- turning point of a leader is when he stops saying "we should do something about that" to "I'm going to do something about that."
- "passion and action" - Lisa Borders

i  really need to find what i am passionate about in the community and go all in. right now, i'm really leaning towards helping small businesses...

South Korea

i like how they rally around their own... but i think they do it a little too much.

something about my wife... that i have to re-learn all the time

she isn't a team player

political agendas in the work place

is there any way to separate personal political agendas from doing what's best for your company? is this possible?

getting past the plateau

this is going to sound a bit conceited but when it comes to things that involves some type of skill, i would say i'm above average and have a pretty quick learning curve. for example, i would say i'm pretty decent in tennis and probably better than most people. i would also say i'm better than most at video games, musical instruments and sports. maybe even typing.

(sidenote: sounds real cocky, i know... but i should also mention that i am really horrible at more things than i am good at... like dancing. i really suck at dancing. and cooking.)

however, no matter how much time i spend on one thing, whether it is tennis or video games, i reach a plateau that i cannot seem to surpass. it's like the tortoise and the hare. i have an all out sprint and out in front, but as time passes, i'm just in the middle of the pack. i feel like i just don't have what it takes to be at the very top. i feel like i'll always be just "good enough."

Blocking

Andy and I are taking an improv class, where we are learning about the basics of improv and group dynamics. It is definitely out of my comfort zone, but I have to admit, it is actually pretty fun. A couple weeks ago we learned about "blocking," which is saying no to someone's idea or denying what they are trying to put forward. Here are some examples:

A: Let's go for a swim!
B: No, I hate swimming.

A: Let's go for a swim!
B: We can't, the pool is empty.

A: Look at my new pet rabbit!
B: Rabbits are stupid.

A: Look at my new pet rabbit!
B: That's not a rabbit. That's a pig.

They are kind of funny, but it shuts down possibilities and prevents the scene from advancing. We practiced doing some blocking scenes and I was really good at it. Andy realized that I am a natural "blocker." He always knew that saying no comes easily to me, but loves having a term to put with it now. Haha!

At the end of every class we play a "99 ___ walk into a bar" game. Here are some good ones I came up with (after class):

99 cars walk into a bar.
The bartender says, "You're just an accident waiting to happen."

99 meals walk into a bar.
The bartender asks, "Why are you all smiling?"
The meals say, "Because we're happy meals!"

99 straws walk into a bar.
The bartender says, "You suck!"

french phrase of the day calendar

my french phrase of the day calendar is actually pretty darn accurate.kinda scary actually.

today's phrase: j'ai un mal de tete terrible (i have a terrible headache).

leadership

in all my previous companies, i never really cared who the executives were and what they did. all i knew was i got a paycheck for doing my job. i couldn't even tell you their names right now. i never understood why my fellow coworkers would always want to attend company town hall meetings and cared so much about what our leadership did. all of a sudden i care and not sure why.

Color Trends

I am taking an interior design class to learn the basics of furniture placement, use of color, texture, lighting, etc. Last week our instructor told us about the Color Marketing Group.

Ever wonder why every other car you saw in the '90s was silver? Or why your parents had an avocado green refrigerator in the '60s? Or why hotel rooms were mauve in the '80s? Well, you can thank--or blame--the Color Marketing Group, a 1,700-member international, Virginia-based, association that has dictated color trends since 1962.

The organization has semi-annual conferences where they forecast color trends up to 3 years in advance for all color-related consumer products and services. Factors that influence the direction of color range from social issues to politics, the environment, or the economy:

• In the late '90s/early '00s, colors and design were very bright, modern, and contemporary.
• After 9/11, there was a turn back to warmer and more traditional looks and colors of browns and beige.
• In 2003-2005, blues and turquoises became popular because they were calming and relaxing.
• In 2005-2007, reds, oranges, and yellows were big because the upcoming 2008 Olympics in Beijing and growing economy in India drew people to “ethnic brights.”
• In 2007-2009, greens were popular as people became more environmentally conscious and eco-friendly. The colors ranged from earthy green to lime to dark forest green.

Now grays are the hot color for 2010. Due to the volatile economy, the general consensus is that the safe color is neutral. However, slate and charcoal grays are the new neutrals. Browns and beige are out. Colors are heading back to modern and contemporary, but mixing with colors and styles that recall simpler times. Pops of color are being added as a pick-me-up. From pewter to ash, grays are getting put together with splashes of pinks, blues, and violets. Grayish purples are really popular this year.

Isn’t it crazy how much power one organization has over all industries, including fashion, textiles, home furnishings, interior design, graphic design, and even car manufacturers?!

South Koreans and Speed Skating

Koreans are real good at speed skating... but why that sport? so random.

being a boss

means you have to manage your time even more diligently and have no way out of dealing with office drama.

Deep Thoughts

Our blog title was inspired by "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey" and "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley" from SNL. While Andy will be posting daily lessons-learned, I will only be posting significant (or interesting, random, silly) thoughts and observations. Here are some of my favorite Jack Handey quotes:

• Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes.
• Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling.
• Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis.
• I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.
• I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas.
• If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."
• If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
• If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real grenade at them.
• It's true that every time you hear a bell, an angel gets its wings. But what they don't tell you is that every time you hear a mouse trap snap, an angel gets set on fire.
• Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
• Somebody told me it was frightening how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around the campfire and nobody got scared.
• Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door.
• Sometimes when I feel like killing someone, I do a little trick to calm myself down. I'll go over to the persons house and ring the doorbell. When the person comes to the door, I'm gone, but you know what I've left on the porch? A jack-o-lantern with a knife stuck in the side of it's head with a note that says "You." After that I usually feel a lot better, and no harm done.
• To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.
• To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kind of scary. I've wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.
• To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" You can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."
• Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny.
• Whenever you read a good book, it's like the author is right there, in the room talking to you, which is why I don't like to read good books.
• When I was a kid my favorite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school we'd all go play in his cave, and every once in a while he would eat one of us. It wasn't until later that I found out that Uncle Caveman was a bear.
• You know what would make a good story? Something about a clown who make people happy, but inside he's real sad. Also, he has severe diarrhea.

defragging computers

trying to defrag a computer is very time consuming, mostly because my pst files are over 10GB... and i have 3 of them. compacting a pst file is the same as defragging it...same thing, different terminology.

the purpose driven blog

i had a thought the other day... that i should really start recording realizations. i hate learning them over and over again, only to find myself no wiser or better. so i have decided to make a commitment to myself and, as i overheard on MARTA yesterday, "learn something new everyday." i am going to attempt to learn something new every day, and log it in this blog. it could be as small as learning how to say "shoes" in chinese or something life changing. who knows what will become of this, but at least i will try.

fair warning: some of the stuff is going to be incredibly stupid and obvious.