herro...

happenings

2010-09-02T16:59:00.005-07:00

wow a lot has happened. I am engaged as of May 2010. he had the most romatic proposal at point lobos in carmel. we were at china beach when he got down on his knees on the narrow, dirty, overgrown stairs leading down to a white sand beach with baby seals! it took me a good 30 seconds AFTER the ring was on my finger for it to register. I was too busy being perturbed that his nice slacks were getting dirty and wondering why he was kneeling. haha.

yesterday he picked up the keys for our first house together. yes, i know, we are not married yet! i do not plan to move in until after the wedding in Feb. :) however we ate our first dinner out of plastic containers while sitting on the deck overlooking the garden and koi pond. later that evening we did our first home improvement task and tore down the cabinets in the laundry room since the new washer dryer will be too tall. (we bought a fancy front load system. ) yay!!!

life is good. very very good. well worth the wait. :)

roses

2009-10-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

i got roses today just because i make him smile. he makes me smile too. :O)

it's the little things he does

2009-08-13T11:37:00.003-07:00

things i notice that make me smile:

he always opens the car door for me
when we go running, he runs on the side which has traffic so i am "safe"
he plans the whole weekend - hotel, car, flight before i even have the chance to think about it
he remembers my favorite things even though i mention it only once
he laughs at my quirks and loves them
he laughs at my corny jokes
he not only happily attends my family dinner, but he socializes with everyone and he thanks me for inviting him
he kisses me multiple times in the middle of the night while we are sleeping
he txts me good morning
he brags to his friends and family about me because he is so proud of my accomplishments
he isn't daunted by my critical parents
he tells me i'm beautiful and amazing...all the time
when we drive, he holds my hand
he also kisses me on the hand...randomly
he loves watching me laugh so much that he rewinds the movie just to see me laugh again
he gives me massages even when i don't ask for one
he loves his dog and treats her like a princess
he loves his family and calls them often
he cooks breakfast for me
he loves my cooking so much he ate his whole huge plate of food and polished off the his friend's plate too
he brings me water whenever he thinks i'm thirsty - i don't have to ask
he notices i'm not drinking the water because the cap is on and my hands are full so he opens the bottle for me
he tells me to sit and relax while he takes care of things
he loves to do things i've never done and it makes him visibly happy to find something novel to do

=)=)=)

hugs and sneakers

2009-02-23T13:11:00.003-08:00

hug it out

after watching an episode of gray's anatomy streaming online, it got me remembering about something i had read a long time ago. basically one of the characters was freaking out and needed someone to hug her to calm her down. she explained the physiological reaction which started with hugs - which would eventually lower her heart rate and reduce her hyper ventilation.

when i was little i read the same information and every day after my dad came back from work i would give him a big bear hug in hopes it would make him healthier and live longer. asian dads are not always the huggy type ;) my mom however loooooves hugs. she will give bear hugs randomly at any hour of the day, any time she sees one of her kids or hubby. even though i like to give hugs just because...it somehow motivates me to give good hugs not only to family but also to friends after learning about the increased oxcytocin. fun fact about me - i consciously make an effort to give good hugs when i say goodbye to friends and family. don't be alarmed if i squeeze you tightly. haha.

more fun facts about me? i have an illogical addiction to discounts. they make me very happy. i bought running shoes recently - orig price $168. but i got them for $89 after a sale and an additional $10 off coupon. sure there were other shoes which were discounted 30% and would mean only $60 out of pocket - asics and new balance - good running shoes. however i like to be able to say I got more than 50% off. when i went running with the new shoes, it made my shins hurt a little. but i was determined to keep the shoes since i got such a good deal! so i ran again - and it seems they hurt less as they get more broken in. haha. yay! i love it when my determination pays off. haha.

one last fun fact about me? i lose my voice a lot because i can't stop talking. i talk so much that sometimes i get a sore throat. i continue talking even with the sore throat, and then i lose my voice. i can't shut up! thank goodness for the internet to allow me to release my thoughts other than verbally.

jook cook welcomes the year of the ox!

2009-01-26T00:00:00.002-08:00

happy chinese new year everyone! lots of fun things in the next few weeks to bring in the new year. more about those later. but first! jook!

yesterday we had a jook cook off at diana's house. ohhh man what a throw down! my opponent - dave. master of all things flavorwave. his culinary genius is astounding - evident by his knowledge of seasonings, meats, and his dedication to pastrami. (a brick of pastrami was carefully walked across the brooklyn bridge because of a transportation strike and flown all the way back to california. yeah...hardcore. it was pastrami from katz deli. i really need to try it sometime.) i learned that i was using ginger that was too young and about the differences in flavor depending on which part of the ginger root you use.

mine was the traditional cantonese style pei dan and pork jook. I used the special pot in which you bring it to a boil for 15 min and then transfer it to another case to slow cook. pork was marinated in soy sauce, salt and a little white pepper. added very thin slices of ginger to the jook. also brought some spicy scallops and green onions to put on top. dave made an abalone jook made with chicken stock. he was supposed to make the jook taiwan style with previously cooked rice. however diana misunderstood a text message and there was no premade rice. haha. btw the lack of cooked rice then started a poll to decipher said text message. i remained impartial.

jen made awesome snickerdoodles which we topped with vanilla ice cream right outta the oven. dave also made some mackerel in the flavorwave oven seasoned with salt and chili. all yummm.

was a fun evening full of good food and great chat...helped along by wine and vodka tonics. haha. i fell asleep before 11.

pics to follow

it's been a while

2009-01-06T09:02:00.006-08:00

i know it's been a while. been too busy to post. also sometimes i feel i can't be truly candid on here. but i suppose i should give some updates.

been at the new job for a few months now. love the job but at times it's definitely challenging. it's all about influencing without authority and utilizing interpersonal skills. i still feel like i really haven't been able to really dig into it, but i need to push myself to take those extra steps. i have a book elaine bought me on some of the finer points of investment M&A and venture capital which i still have to finish reading. it's been a great experience meeting with some of the top vc's and banks. still more to go! i'm really excited about getting the opportunity to "look under the hood" and see what goes on behind the scenes. it's an opportunity of a lifetime that i've been given and i'm thankful each day that i was so fortunate. *happy*

yogurt shop is still up and running, but less time to put there now and really hard to balance everything i want to do. been lucky elaine has been able to put in a lot more time. but i feel like the first year i put in a lot since i was there every day almost. although, so was she. maybe i just don't have as much energy? i'm getting lazy about it. need to change that.

went to HK for cousin's wedding, had an awesome time. people keep asking what i did there, expecting to hear tons of stories of fun parties, eating, etc. actually the best part was just hanging out with my cousins, aunt and uncles, my grandpa, and just seeing how they are day to day. everyone is getting older, priorities have changed. i see how my cousin and his new wife love eachother and how each day they still have to deal with all the distractions of daily life, living together. they realized that you have to get married when the relationship is at a high point. when that moment has passed, it's different. i see how goo ma and goo jeung cherish eachother more now that they are older. goo jieh is happier now and sad to see her daughter engaged only because that means she will be staying in toronto and not moving back to HK. she's engaged to a doctor so i'm assuming that goo jieh approves of her fiance. however from what i'm told, fiance's family is difficult to get along with since they are not very easy going and extremely particular. grandpa seems lonelier and keeps telling me that a simple lifestyle is better because when you work too much, you worry too much. he seems like he wishes things were different, however if put in the same situations again, he would have made the same decisions because he believed they were right. i completely understand how he feels. i've made decisions in my life too which might not have ended up right, but at the time i would not have changed my decision.

fitness: went on a 2 hour high intensity hike and also went running in HK. then i got sick. doh. went on a date saturday and as part of the date we went to work out at the gym in four seasons. great gym! kinda funny that i ended up at a gym during a date, but oh well! haven't been since saturday but will go gymming wednesday. i want to push myself harder to watch my diet to really see results. for the past few years, i'm just at equilibrium. i don't really gain but i don't really lose either.

love life...well i've been meeting people. i still talk to L though as friends. many times i find myself thinking - this guy and that guy, although they are fine, they are not as cute, funny, driven as L. but, i also know i'm remembering my feelings for L at happier times. when i think of the last few months of out relationship, i still remember how unhappy i was the day we broke up. it makes me sad that i was so happy with him but just seems like some things were not a match. things that seemingly were small, but over time they are big things. in observing my relatives, i can see how all my mom's words are right. it's important not only to choose the person, but the family and upbringing make a huge difference when over 20-30 years. i hate that my mom is right. and it's difficult because the feelings i had overshadowed L's list of traits by far. it's not everyday i fall in love.

but...in meeting all the new people lately, it's hard to find that perfect person. the people i'm attracted to and have the most chemistry with are not the same people that have the best "list" for a future husband.

*sigh*

murray

2008-11-05T08:22:00.003-08:00

there was a boy i had a HUGE crush on when i was in 7th and 8th grade. murray. i just found him on facebook because there have been a bunch of st. andrews connections there recently. he's so not cute anymore! he looks so....average and fat.

there were two other girls i found also, i had thought they were my friends but they ditched me at great america and i was so sad i was crying. now they look old and are stay at home moms. boy, i'm really glad people still ask me what college i go to when i dress down. i was so traumatized back then by those girls. but i have to say, that experience changed how i view the world. i try to include everyone i know in anything i plan - even the quiet ones.

i'm supposed to meet up with one of the "popular" boys for lunch. he has a family of 4 kids now. FOUR!!! i doubt he will recognize me. i was so nerdy and quiet back then!

fun fact number 1

2008-11-03T09:33:00.001-08:00

i will be going to the Palace hotel in NYC for a conference. Coincidentally, this is the same location where Gossip Girl is filmed. Maybe I will run into Serena! I'm such a grown up.

good video

2008-11-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

aching

2008-11-02T01:59:00.002-07:00

i want to fall in love again. i wonder if i will feel what it did before. sometimes my heart aches for how I used to feel...
today was just one of those days.

changes

2008-10-20T09:47:00.002-07:00

so many changes lately.

hunny and i broke up. after 5 years, just decided that we weren't right for eachother. it's not an angry break up, but one done out of love for eachother and respect for eachother. we are still and will always remain good friends. it's definitely a huge change for the both of us. but i have no doubts that both of us will find happiness again.

i am no longer working at wellsphere and am now working at another start up in fremont. financially it just made more sense, especially in today's market. it's crazy all the financial things that have been going on. such large companies with financial geniuses are having so much trouble.

things were crazy for a little while since i had just broken up and had quit my job to focus on finding something else fulltime. i was extremely fortunate and lucky to find something so fast and started within a couple weeks at the new job with much better pay and benefits.

love love love the new job. i'm basically acting as an extention of the CEO to manage all the departments. there is a lot detail to what i'm doing, but it's confidential. ;) mainly i love it because i get to boss people around and they have to listen to me. haha. it's a fun challenge working at the new company though. so much needs to be done and so much learning of a new type of product for me. it's a medical device that involves hardware and software. i can't say enough how fortunate i am to work here. great people and great job!

ok off to a staff meeting. more to come later

palin

2008-10-06T23:04:00.001-07:00

she's such an idiot. i don't get why everyone loves her. every time i hear her speaking, i'm shocked at just how stupid she is!

big changes

2008-09-23T18:17:00.001-07:00

some big changes happening this month.

i need chocolate.

these two are not related.

my failing memory

2008-09-19T10:28:00.004-07:00

ohhhh i remember what i did for new years now. DUH! a flip back on the blog showed pics of teddio's party! fun times....

odd things about me

2008-09-19T10:28:00.002-07:00

i got this from cindy! and since i actually have the day off today to do something other than work and go to the shop, i'm actually going to fill it out. ahhh it's good to have free time again.

Okay - Copy the body of this meme, paste it into a new post, FILL IT OUT with your own answers and pass it on! Learn 44 things about your friends, and let them learn 44 things about you!

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? eh not really
2. Do you own a gun? guns are bad. no
3. What’s your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee shop? i concur with cindy - UCLA - iced cappuccino royale. or else hazelnut lattes
4. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? not really
5. What do you think of hot dogs? yum. wrap it with bacon and grilled onions on top. mmmmmmmmm
6. Favorite Christmas song? silent night
7. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? soy milk
8. Can you do push ups? girl ones - yeah many. guy ones - yeah but slowly
9. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? diamond earrings i got from my grandmother. the diamonds come from a bracelet she used to have. each grandchild was given a few diamonds to make either earrings or a ring with. i never take them off.
10. Favorite hobby? sleeping. which is ironic since i don't get to do that much these days. except for today which is why i'm in a much better mood.
11. Do you have A.D.D.? yeah totally
12. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? my sensitive skin that is always freaking out. like right now, i have a ton of zits from all the stress! argh
13. Middle name? yuen
14. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
i need to take a call at 11, i'm hungry, i need to work out today.
15. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? milk tea, water, juice
16. Current worry right now? Am I going to make the right decision.
17. Current hate right now? stress
18. Favorite place to be? lying in bed on a weekend morning with no worries
19. How did you bring in the New Year? wow i must be getting too old. i really don't remember.
20. Do you like to travel? of course! who doesn't?
21. Name three people who will complete this? you, you and you
22. Do you own slippers? yeah - my feet get cold in the winter
23. What color shirt are you wearing? blue swurl.com shirt. yeah!
24. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? nah - slippery and not cuddly and soft
25. Can you whistle? kinda
26. Favorite color(s)? blue but i've been favoring lavender lately
27. Would you be a pirate? no, they look like they smell bad.
28. What songs do you sing in the shower? i don't really sing in the shower. i'm a horrible singer, i'll break the glass.
29. Favorite girl’s name? isabelle
30. Favorite boy’s name? isaac
31. What’s in your pocket right now? my phone and some lipgloss
32. Last thing that made you laugh? "it smells like roses"
33. Best bed sheets as a child? don't remember
34. Worst injury you’ve ever had? torn ligament in my knee
35. Do you love where you live? love it
36. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3
37. Who is your loudest friend? erik my best friend from bschool. he's from long island.
38. How many pets do you have? One kind of. but he's not really mine. but i wish he were if i had the time. grizzly!
39. Does someone have a crush on you? probably not.
40. What is your favorite book? i have many. currently the one i've been thinking about is tuesdays with morrie.
41. What is your favorite candy? rich milk chocolate. the swiss stuff. none of that hersheys stuff.
42. Favorite Sports Team? go bruins!
43. What were you doing 12 AM last night? talking with my family and laughing.
44. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? ahhhhhhh. i haven't been able to sleep in for months.

Wellsphere

2008-09-11T17:23:00.003-07:00

launch!

Health Knowledge Made Personal

take some time

2008-09-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

take some time to remember those who passed on 9/11

window spy part 2

2008-09-11T17:21:00.001-07:00

it's a red thong today. he's getting quite crispy...

window spy

2008-08-15T17:20:00.002-07:00

out of my window i spy
a bright blue thong wearing
sun tanning guy!

i took a video with my phone but it's so fuzzy he looks naked since his thong is so minuscule. haha. i'm sure he will tan once more when i have my camera with me. too funny. i mean, cmon! what kind of guy wants to sit on the rooftop of a building, in a thong, to suntan?

oh fyi, i'm helping out a start up in san mateo with some marketing. so i'm on the top floor of the wamu building off of el camino and 92. ;) we are working on a new launch, i'll post the link once launched! stay tuned for some exciting stuff...

this looks both fun and painful at the same time

2008-07-30T13:54:00.001-07:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Cozumel

2008-07-17T21:52:00.005-07:00

belated vacation post. we had to go to cozumel for a wedding so we turned it into a vacation. much needed since we've been so busy with hunny working and studying and me being busy with the shop.

we stayed at the wyndham hotel. i loved the white contemporary look and feel of the place. however the food was lacking and our room smelled of B.O. so...i give it three stars out of 5. liked the pool and the beach though.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

the view of the beach in downtown cozumel just after the sun went down.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

the married couple diana and ben. check out the fly white suits! it's always so nice to see a couple so in love...

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

we're smiling as we're being eaten alive by mosquitos. literally, in the 30 minutes from the grass to the dinner, i got bitten at least 30 times. i had 20 bites on my legs alone.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

fresh conch ceviche - one of my culinary highlights! and only 10 bux!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

supermodel sighting. sooo sexy. haha

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

snorkeling! and testing out just how waterproof my olympus is.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

big fat fish - the biggest, fattest fish i have ever seen in the "wild". i wonder if it's good to eat.... hahah.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

we made the rookie mistake of being suckered into a timeshare presentation. the airport people asked us if we needed a cab, we said yes, and he sends us to some travel coordination person. so we thought... hrm kinda weird we have to go to someone to get a cab. she then proceeds to tell us she's with the airport and is helping mexico to get more tourists to see the cancun side. so she can offer us discounted rates. we wanted to go see tolum and play with some dolphins. so we thought, sure, why not! and she gave it to us for 70 bux also! good deal right? wrong! we ended up talking with various sales people from 10 until 4 and wasted a whole day. just when they would say they were going to let us go, we hear another sales pitch. tolum was closed and we didn't even make it to the dolphins the next day because we were busy checking out the rest of the island. oh well. we got cash, a free car rental and ended up getting a small 5 year timeshare which also came with a free cruise. the timeshare looked pretty nice...

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

scrobbling fantabulously

2008-07-17T21:39:00.002-07:00

i love last.fm! music plays such a big part in my life. listening to specific songs will greatly influence my mood. i love this site/application. it's able to detect my itunes library and make me recommendations based on other people with similar playlists. i'm discovering a lot of new artists this way. the creators were very good and figuring out how people listen to music. and they are also able to monetize in such a way that generates revenue because users truly see the value.

normally i would get new music from friends or just check out the billboards charts. however this limits me to only popular music. however i actually do like a lot of random music - indie, guitar bands, new wave, classical, folk, things that just aren't as common. rather than get music from friends, i like how last.fm will create playlists based on others with similar musical tastes. therefore eliminating the need to find friends with similar musical tastes to trade music. also, to be able to purchase songs from amazon - genius move to overtake itunes. i am definitely one of those people that need instant gratification when it comes to music. (well when it comes to most things actually.) oh so tempting to just purchase a song i really like with a click of a button!

i read the last.fm blog and found out that there was a previously older interface and that users want to go back to the old UI. would have been interesting to compare the two. as it is right now, i had a little trouble figuring out what i can do on the app versus what i can do on my internet profile. but now i get it after about 20 minutes of poking around. still need to poke around a little more to find all the cool little secrets. :) my only request would be to add a feature to allow me to play all the tracks on a particular album or from a particular artist.

i heart last.fm. well done!

music!

2008-07-09T15:58:00.002-07:00

last.fm

tres cool

man, i must be hiding under a rock! how is it that i'm the last to know bout this?

sales guy versus web dude

2008-07-02T23:07:00.001-07:00

apache! hahah. ah i remember the days when i was the one restarting stupid apache.

when it rains it pours

2008-07-02T22:59:00.003-07:00

wow i'm just brimming with blog posts today aren't i?

funny conversations my bro had with my grandma.

po po: guess how old i am
bro: i dunno grandma, 21?
po po: hehehe...nooooo. i'm older!
bro: really? 30 maybe?
po po: hehehe...noooo i'm much older! mom dyed my hair so i look young. but it's really white underneath!
bro: ohhhh! so you're 50?
po po: noooo older!
bro: 60? 70? 80?
po po: older!
bro: 87?
po po: older!
bro: 88?
po po: hehehe...yes!
bro: sheesh grandma, you look like you're 21.
po po: that's why i love you.

haha. she said all this in english also! (she mostly speaks shanghainese and cantonese)

bro says to mom: mom! i'm going to go chill at brian's place!
mom: what? i didn't hear you. where are you going?
po po: he said he's going to chill at his peng you's (friend's) house

haha...my grandma knows what "chill" means!

working on my fitness

2008-07-02T18:16:00.002-07:00

so with my yogurt and cupcake diet, i've lost weight! mostly because yogurt has protein and doesn't have fat. so i don't feel hungry enough to eat a full lunch later on. as for cupcakes, well i don't really stick to eating one of those a day. hehe.

i've been doing the usual spinning and general gymming but i haven't been as hard core about it as i used to. i noticed last night when i went to do a 24 hour set class.

my butt hurts when i walk...

it's just a feeling

2008-07-02T18:11:00.002-07:00

i've been known to have lists for everything. what i want in a school, what i want in a job, what i want in a bf, what i want in a marriage.

what i've noticed is that even with all these lists, i tend to go with a feeling. whatever feels right isn't always what's on my lists.

lately i've been feeling like what i thought i wanted isn't what i really want at all.

maybe it's like thousand year old egg. i hated eating it as a kid. but i really like it now.

long time no blog! 24 hour fitness

2008-07-02T17:53:00.004-07:00

yes yes i know, i've been neglecting my blog! so i have a few entries that i've been meaning to write about. get ready for some reading material! haha

so recently elaine got a gym membership at 24 hour. apparently they are having a new high end gym coming in mountain view - similar to club one and equinox. elaine got a membership for 700 something for three years and a renewal fee of 99 a year afterwards. so cheap! especially considering i got mine for 600 something and 49 a year afterwards. so then i go in to see if i can add this new super duper gym membership. the guy who was all nice to elaine and trying so hard to get her business had a complete attitude change and just simply didn't seem like he wanted my business at all. instead he blamed it on 24 hour's crazy promotions which expire at a moment's notice!

well the new gym will open in a few months. i was quoted that i had to pay $20 a month extra if i want to join the super duper gym. i don't really think this is a great deal since elaine heard a friend of hers could have added the super duper gym for 7 dollars a month.

we were wondering...why all of a sudden this personality difference? then i remembered. it was july 1st. elaine was in at the end of the month and i'm at the very beginning of the month. it's amazing what end of the month quotas do for sales people.

also, i'm not sure i'll join this super duper gym anyways since i work out everywhere. arques, hillsdale, cottle, saratoga, fremont, san mateo, san carlos. i've been to quite a few 24 hour gyms.

my favs?
cottle is huge, nice, clean and well lit. it's close to my house but it's far from everything else. cottle also has the cutest boys. in case you were wondering. haha. hey...whatever gets me to the gym.

saratoga is small, stuffy but has the essentials. not my favorite but it's the one that a lot of my friends work out in.

fremont is the gym i'm most comfortable at. it has all the machines and weights i normally use, isn't that crowded (of course I go there only on off times). it's not the cleanest but it's pretty good. meaning I won't hop around on one foot while i switch shoes because i'm not afraid to touch the floor.

i'm curious to see what the new gym has...

pensive

2008-06-02T01:13:00.003-07:00

many good ideas aren't successful. need the right idea, at the right time. B1 is changing...

it's not what you say, it's what you do

2008-04-25T13:53:00.003-07:00

i got this piece of advice (among many) from the last lecture - google last lecture and cmu, you will find it.

he heard this advice from an admin at cmu. basically she had guys all figured out. ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.

i completely agree. effort counts.

time to get a new phone

2008-04-20T21:20:00.002-07:00

my 2 year contract has expired on at&t and it's time for a new gadget!

iphone, samsung blackjack, bb curve, or keep things status quo and just get a regular phone as i wait for either the next gen iphone or the google phone.

i've been waiting for the next gen iphone for what seems like an eternity. however, once it's out, i think it'll be too expensive and my chinese cheap genes will prevail. so that's out for now.

but will that mean the regular iphone will reduce in price? hrmmmm
i love the look and feel of the iphone. but in all actuality, i don't text or surf the web on the phone as much as i talk. and with all that talking, i drop my phone a lot. i would be miserable if i dropped the iphone and it broke.

the samsung blackjack is available on amazon for -$50. that means after purchasing the phone, i will have an extra 50 dollars in my pocket! chinese cheap genes rejoice! however...not so fast. with the smart phone also has to come a data plan. that means spending extra money each month which i don't want to spend. however with the amount i've been talking, it will probably end up being the same. blah.

bb curve is also available on amazon for -$25. not as good as the blackjack in terms of deal but still a good deal nonetheless. however again, still need to get the data plan.

status quo - free phone, better plan, spend no extra money. but...no upgrade other than a new phone. geek genes pout.

atonement and juno

2008-04-20T19:58:00.003-07:00

caught up on some movie watching this weekend.

loved loved loved the movie juno. ellen page didn't disappoint and it was the right mixture of comedy, multi dimensional characters, and quirkiness. i don't know why but i loved the movie's vocabulary including all the made up words. hilarity! hearing certain lines of the movie in my head just makes me laugh. "why so morose my puffy version of junebug?" hahaha

as a more serious movie, i watched atonement. i loved pride and prejudice so this movie was definitely a must see for me. the casting was perfect. i especially liked the character robby. he was also the same actor from the children of dune. i loved that mini-series on tv. as a kid, i read the dune books and watched the movie multiple times. intensity is so attractive in a person. their circumstances were heart wrenching made for a very captivating romance. however, no matter how captivating, i'm certainly glad it wasn't me.

hooray for watching movies on satellite.

ellen page

2008-04-18T16:51:00.002-07:00

i really liked her in hard candy - her performance was extremely chilling and her talent for acting was really apparent. juno is finally out on dvd and i really want to watch it! i also noticed she's in the new movie smart people.

so many movies to watch. :)

say what you need to say

2008-04-18T16:17:00.004-07:00

i heart john mayer's new song.

i need to teach myself how to play this song...

pics of the remodel!

2008-04-09T08:37:00.002-07:00

ugh

2008-03-26T09:51:00.001-07:00

oh how i am disliking the remodeling process right now! it will take me a very very long time to look at paint again after this.

rush rush

2008-03-04T12:45:00.002-08:00

remodeling should be starting in only a couple weeks! aiyah! i'm excited to see how it turns out. we found an awesome contractor to do custom cabinets, floors, and granite counters. with our design ideas, it should look tres chic!

*rush rush*

wish to be released

2008-02-26T13:09:00.003-08:00

i know what i want to be released from. i wish to be released from the ties that bind me to your mistakes. take control of your own life, you're not a kid anymore. every time you make a mistake, i get a call telling me it's my fault. even if i'm hundreds of miles away. you think you love them, but you're killing them.

i'm flying

2008-02-22T16:31:00.004-08:00

a couple nights ago i had another dream that i was flying. i have these dreams quite often. however most of the time when i'm flying, it takes great effort and concentration to fly. this time it was effortless and i could go as high and as fast as i wanted. i read that normally only children have dreams in which they are flying. i also find that when i'm dreaming that i'm flying, i like to see how high and how fast i can go. i'm never scared at all. every once in a while i fly so high that i get lost. but i'm not normally scared, it's more of an "oops i flew too high" feeling.

i just googled the whole flying dream thing and the results were that i'm supposed to be feeling released from something. maybe this is true since i flew faster and higher and it took much less effort than normal. but what am i released from? not really sure.

there is also a group that discusses their flying dreams online. it's called fly by night and considers dream flying a sport. hahah...maybe that's why i fly so often in my dreams. it's really fun!

competition

2008-02-20T13:13:00.002-08:00

competition is moving in down the street. we are still in the process of remodeling B2, but it's a lot of work. it's really hard to work on it after i've spent a full day at the shop. we also did some recent hiring and so we have to train the new hires and get them up to speed. employees have been getting sick however due to the flu which has been going around. so hopefully this flu season passes fast!

i'm still working on B1, albeit slowly. now that we have more help, i've been doing more research and chatting with others in the industry. i need it to keep my sanity also because i need to be reading science and researching new ideas. sometimes i have to say, it seems like it's a long road to success for the idea i have. but then, i'm sure all the big names of today thought so also. i need to remind myself, it doesn't just take a few months for this type of a product. in the meantime, i'm looking at the competition for B1 as well, i still don't think anyone else has hit it on the nail. however i really want to spend more time working on this. i've been spending time every nite, but it's only a couple hours a day.

i need more time in a day.

almaden is on street view!

2008-02-14T15:30:00.001-08:00

as i was driving on grimley right next to my house, i saw the google street view car drive by! i am officially not in the boonies now since we are on google maps street view! haha. i wonder if you would be able to zoom in on my silly grinning face.

happy valentines day!

2008-02-14T14:16:00.002-08:00

i love getting flowers. i know it's a waste of money, i know they will die, i know i'm bad with changing the water so they last longer. i don't care, i just love getting flowers! hunny sent me a bouquet of stargazers. they are just a bunch of buds right now but i'm sure they will bloom soon.

valentines day is my favorite day. of course it would be for such a sappy sap like me. but it didn't used to be this way. in high school people would pay a dollar for valentine flowers to be delivered to your classroom. they were only carnations and nothing fancy, but i always wanted to get one! each and every time the delivery person was at the door, i would hope and hope one of the flowers would be for me. when i finally did get flowers, they were from my friends and not from a boy. not that i didn't love my friends for sending them to me, but i so wanted to get a flower from a boy! of course it could have helped if i actually talked to boys at the time...i was scared of talking to boys.

sigh...i'm so glad i'm not in high school anymore. and i'm so glad i finally had a bf in college! and i'm so glad hunny always sends me flowers on special days. :) lemonade hunny

google's streetview

2008-02-05T12:31:00.001-08:00

check out this video that shows google's streetview capabilities! creepy! hahah

pillow fight club

2008-02-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

hilarity! this looks sooooo fun!

don't panic

2008-01-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

i don't know why this is so funny to me. but it is...haha

when things start freaking out on your PC, hit the panic button.
hahaha.

then get a mac.

incompetence at kinko's

2008-01-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

why does it take you so long to figure out what to do with my psd file mr. kinko's guy? why is it so hard to figure out how to create a sign that is 4 by 12 inches? why does it take you over an HOUR to do this?!!! why oh why??!!

last time i went i spent 2 hours. this time - after spending 30 minutes of him giving me excuses that he's running behind and doesn't have time to do my small signs - i ended up just learning how to do it myself in the self help station. it's not as good quality compared to the industrial strength laminating machine that they had but it saved me probably an hour of hassling with stupid kinko's guy. ugh.....

the trials and tribulations of a yogurt shop

2008-01-23T14:01:00.001-08:00

we've operated for about a month and a half now. here are some of the things we've experienced.

hiring good people is hard. i always feel bad firing someone, but sometimes it just needs to be done because keeping the person is causing me so much trouble. sometimes people can have the best intentions and are honest and diligent, but as an employee, they just don't do things the right way and are too forgetful.

it's too easy to get caught up in the operational details and lose focus on the big picture. there are still many items that need to be completed for our transformation and there is never enough time in the day to attend to everything.

yogurt machines are complicated and tough to work with at first.

things always take longer than you think they will.

things always take longer than you think they will - that just needed to be repeated because its probably the most important.

in terms of our progress, there are many good things that have happened. we've had some really great hires that are turning out well for us. people are starting to recognize our tart flavor and will come in and immediately order tart or mango tart without even looking at the other flavors. They also immediately order a topping. slowly through word of mouth and some internet advertising people are hearing about us. lastly, i'm most thankful for my business partner. we work really well together and are normally on the same page with decision making.

as it stands right now, remodeling will have to pushed into feb because plans will not be completed in time. i wish that would happen faster...

stronger! daft punk

2008-01-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

wikipedia and will power

2008-01-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

these two things are not related. but right now i was chatting with irene and she said she was looking up fred astaire on wikipedia. made me wonder, who verifies information on wikipedia? i mean, i know it gets verified and i know citations need to be provided. however sometimes there are entries in which it says "citation needed". so who are these information verification people? and how do they get paid? i don't see any form of revenue from advertisements on the site.

will power, i need to get back on the wagon to work out again. since the shop, i've slacked off. mostly because during the day i forget to eat lunch and by the time elaine takes over the shop, i'm starving and don't have the energy to go gymming. sometimes i'd eat dinner with her and then i feel too full to go gymming. i really don't like to go gymming after i eat because i just don't feel that great and generally don't go all out and push myself on a full stomach. however i'm trying to do better. i gymmed friday and sat as well as today. cardio, abs and weights. want to get that rockin' bod by summertime. i don't know how all those celebs are able to get fit so quickly after childbirth. i mean, you gain so much weight! i wonder if i'd be able to get back to my original shape after a baby.

i'm also in need of will power right now to resist eating any more chocolate covered blueberries. mmmmmm blueberries. mmmmm blueberry cereal. my fav cereal is blueberry morning by post. mmmmm resist having a bowl of cereal right now. what's going on with me? i'm not pmsing so why am i craving foods? strangely enough i was craving swedish fish candy earlier today because i was talking to elaine about it.

hunny is bumping up the studying for part 2 of his certification exam and is studying at least 4 hours every day now. i have never had the will power that he has and would normally just freak out and cram the month beforehand. it's a quality i really admire in him, his super strong will power.

a little cuteness for you

2008-01-04T13:02:00.001-08:00

caution, cute overload

grizzly chung after i gave him a bath

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my lovely nephew lucas! he loves his grandpa

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ring in the new years at teddio's

2008-01-03T23:12:00.000-08:00

finally got to check out teddio's new pad. i tried making my macaroni and cheese again but it's not very good when it's not nice and hot. this time i also added some truffle oil. twas good fun and the perfect place to party. diana and elaine also came out to join the party. a bunch of fellow bruins were there, people we have known for a long long time and are completely comfortable with. good times.

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diana is busting out the bubbly

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ted's new years disguise

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happy business partners!

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blue steel

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i have a twin! jennie's license looks more like me than my license!

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whaddya think, do we look alike?

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visit from the dwyers

2007-12-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

cousins came up to visit from LA. always love kidding around with uncle mike, auntie anna, and the boys - tim, john and paul. uncle mike was soooooooo great and helped fix a machine at the store. whew! saved us so much money! my dad also learned from him and now he's able to help me fix the machines at the shop (they are such a pain). while the cousins were here paul decided to shave his head and had a mohawk for a few minutes to freak everyone out. then he shaved it all off except for a little tuft of bangs. haha. however after family protest, he did shave off everything - including the tuft. got to have some time with the boys when hunny and i took tim, john and paul to go see I am Legend. ok...so i didn't know it was a zombie movie! but it was still good. we were also able to meet up with my uncle raymond and his family for dim sum. amazingly enough the entire family made it out! too bad ryan, michelle and lucas were not there, otherwise the sit family would have been complete. i'm really glad the entire lee family was able to make it out. these days it gets harder and harder to have everyone together in one place.

paul got a haircut

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yum yum dim sum

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godiva chocolates

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merry xmas!

2007-12-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

merry xmas and happy holidays everyone!

STIRR holiday soiree at the merchant exchange building

2007-12-20T22:50:00.000-08:00

a swanky, classy affair filled with good food, dancing, a live band and a whole bunch of good times due to a wonderful wine sponsor. hehe. jon and kris came out to help out, along with elaine and her new guy, as well as cmu friends and friends of friends. something like 350 in attendance and put together in about 2 weeks. weeeee! go stirr! sanford is DA BOMB.

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funny larry is a character

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pic of the room before all the people got there

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jon and kris!

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food

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fancy bar

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dancing feet!

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most wonderful birthday

2007-12-15T18:04:00.000-08:00

i was feeling a little down about my bday since i was getting one year older. i remember when i was younger, i'd look forward to getting older. now it's completely reversed! however my awesome friends and family made me completely forget about feeling down. diana organized dinner at Alexander's and it was AWESOME! it truly was the one of the best dinners! however i'm not sure if i will get the same dinner if i return. hah. DC knew the owner, I knew him through the connection of his architect, and diana had gotten the same person waiting on us as her previous dinner there. therefore we got free cocktails, special treatment, free champagne and a plethora of little tasters - amuse bouche, palate cleansers, tiny dessert cups. fabulous! me, hunny and will shared the 2lb rib eye and a whole bunch of other sides - squash, truffled macaroni and cheese, spinach and truffle fries. mmmmmm. after all the food and dessert, we also had the sassy apply cotton candy! yummmmm! i LOVe cotton candy! i always get it when i see it being sold. and the apple taste was sooooo much better than the other blue and pink kinds! and THEN afterwards cindy planned an AWESOME gathering at santana row. just close friends, nothing too crazy - just how i wanted it. although unfortunately dinner lasted so long - from 9 until 11:30 and some people left before I was able to get to Sino. sorry!! i had no idea dinner was going to last that long! nor did i have any idea that Sino did last call at 11:30. sux! but it's was ok since we migrated over to vbar where i had more drinks and just had a great time hanging out with good friends. :) couldn't have asked for anything better. it was a perfect nite!

and THEN hunny surprised me and took me to Gary Danko on Monday - the day of my real bday. he was so sneaky, told me that we were going to my fav restaurant - the House. i kinda knew something was up but didn't think too much about it. my hints were - he took baby number 2. (he never drives baby number 2 to the city! it stays in the garage!) he knows i'm awful with directions so he parked and said we had to walk over a hill. i knew the House was not near any water areas so i thought this was strange. He also told me to wear a dress, but i thought this was because he maybe had something planned after dinner. as we were walking and talking, all of a sudden he turns and stops. i walked right into him because i didn't know he was planning on stopping. and what do my eyes see? Gary Danko's sign! this is my first time there. sooooooo yummmmm. and sooooo fancy! i had some tissue i used in the bathroom and i didn't know what to do with it! i almost stuck it back into my purse because everything was so spotless i didn't want to mess up anything. i threw the tissue into what i thought was the garbage can - a wooden box like thing with what looked like a marble bottom. there was even a special hook to hang my purse so it didn't get in the way. dinner started with a potato truffle amuse bouche. The rest of my menu is as follows.

Risotto with Lobster, Rock Shrimp, Fall Root Vegetables and Sage Oil
Roast Maine Lobster with Yellow Chanterelle Mushrooms
Quail Stuffed with Porcini and Foie Gras with Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts and Pomegranate Gastrique
Baked Chocolate SoufflÈ with Two Sauces
Wine - it was so superb that i had the waiter write it down for me so it can me MY wine. However i will have to post the name later because i forgot what it's called. hehe.

i loved th lobster risotto appetizer. YUM! loved the flavor and the little rock shrimp it had in it also. for the roast lobster i wanted to lick up all the puree it came with - but i didn't. ;) also loved loved loved the quail i had. the flavors were so rich and i even liked the pomegranate - i normally have a rule - no fruits with my meats! my souffle was delish with the two sauces. since there were two sauces - one was chocolate and one was sort of creamy - it was not overly sweet and tasted just right. hunny's dessert was also really good too! we both were intrigued by the fact that it had different stages of taste. first you taste coffee, then vanilla, then salt from the vanilla salt. i'm not nearly good enough with words to describe the dinner. imagine an orgasm in your mouth and that would be about it. haha.

i'm hungry now...

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oh so happy

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starting to get the hang of things

2007-12-13T19:21:00.001-08:00

so after 1.5 weeks, we are just starting to get the hang of things. finally configured the credit card system and set up internet access so we can view the store over the internet from the cameras we have set up. so many little things to figure out. it's not figuring out what to do, but figuring out what the most efficient way of doing what we need to get done. we also interviewed this really good girl, but she might get an offer somewhere else! :( but we are still hoping we can get her so i'll keep following up with her. hehe.

some people have started becoming regulars and we recognize them by name. now that i have figured out the most comfortable shoes, my feet don't hurt so much anymore. we got some great advice from uncle johnny and are hyped about some of his suggestions. i really can't wait until this place is exactly how we want it!

hard work

2007-12-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

i'm sitting in the yogurt shop now. our first day of biz was saturday and we have not even finished one week yet. however i've now learned to fully clean and assemble a yogurt machine all by myself if i have to. those darn things are more complicated than u think! one was making a funny noise yesterday and totally freaked me out. luckily once we took it apart and put it together again it worked. visitors are starting to come by now. yay! thanks for your support! it totally makes my day to get a familiar face as a visitor.

this is definitely much harder work than i thought it would be. it's pretty hard to be at the shop so long. the last couple of days we had to clean the machines so i was here from 10am until 11:30. ugh. my feet were hurting so much. i'm not used to this manual labor! although i do get some perks - i get my feet massaged by hunny when i get home. ahhhh......feels soooooo goooooood. my whole fam has also been super supportive. i know i'm totally spoiled by them and am grateful because i'm just so tired by the time i get home. although with all this work, one thing i noticed is i don't eat as much as i normally do. the last few days i ate oatmeal for breakfast - about half a bowl, then a banana or some yogurt for lunch, then dinner is some home food that was packed up. so i don't eat a real substantial meal until dinner time. however i find that i'm not super hungry during the day. weird.

anyhow, it's not very busy obviously since it's been cold out. come visit me!

hilarious bubble video

2007-12-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

and to validate my geekhood - i'm familiar with all the companies and terms they threw out. in fact, many of the founders came to stirr when they first started. it's pretty cool to see familiar names!

What's B2?

2007-11-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

drum roll please.....

B2 is going to be a frozen yogurt shop located in downtown mountain view right at the corner of castro and church (on castro - next to le boulanger). we love the location because we hang out in MV all the time. elaine and i are purchasing an existing business and putting our MBA's to work to improve the business. we will be serving various flavors of both tart/refreshing frozen yogurt (pinkberry) and sweet/creamy frozen yogurt as well as ice cream, cupcakes and organic coffee/tea. We won't have a grand opening until we are done with all our cosmetic improvements - therefore not until february or march. however, we will be testing some of our formulas before the grand opening so feel free to drop on by and tell us what you think. we will be continuing current operations and our first day of business is tomorrow! Dec 1!

the vision is to make this store profitable and open up 2-3 other sister stores. we would also be interested if anyone wanted to franchise.

this is definitely a work in progress, elaine and i are doing this for the very first time and still have a lot to learn. please be patient with us while we learn the ropes! we hope we don't disappoint you guys.

lists

2007-11-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

-launching B2 this friday. it will be a slow launch and not hugely public until about march. this is because we want to get all the kinks worked out before we become public. but since mostly only friends and fam read this, i'll be unveiling B2 friday.
-B2 inventory, insurance, internet, supplies
-STIRR holiday party. last year we had almost 500 attendees. this year i've haven't had as much time to help plan. need to add emails for invites. this year's event will be in a couple weeks. yikes!
-still working on formulation for B1. found another product i want to focus on. need to order raw materials
- find time to do my 4 times a week gymming
-driving at the infineon raceway saturday for the audi event. yay!!
-friday poker maybe at jack's with elaine.
-email back all the people i've been meaning to email back. =P
-attend training class tomorrow - all day - ugh.

oh and i totally forgot about posting about thanksgiving weekend! well this week and last week has been a blur since we are getting things ready for B2. had tday dinner with hunny's fam since my parents when to hawaii for a vacation. we are not huge on turkey day. every day is an opportunity to feast at our house. that's why we're such a chubby family. hehe. i was able to get in some gymming though. wednesday i gymmed - cardio and weights. thursday hunny and i ran around lake elizabeth before all the turkey eating. friday we ordered in pizza and went out to the city for hunny's friend paul's bday at etiquette lounge and had tons of fun! we also went with his bro hyman and hyman's gf priscilla. hyman asked us how we still have so much fun dancing together at a club - he thinks it's boring to go to a club unless you're single if you're a guy. however hunny and i have tons of fun goofing off - sometimes dancing silly, sometimes just enjoying a good song. twas great fun! saturday i went home after lunch to hang out with my parents. however they had been shopping most of the day, were home for just a few seconds before they went off to a party. i was a loser and hung out at home by myself saturday nite! haha. well it was my own doing since i didn't listen to hunny's urgings for me to spend the day and evening with him instead. i didn't want to drive all the way back to his house and decided to spend the evening in since i had to wake up early the next day. sunday sunday both hunny and i had work to do. booo for working on sundays.

entrepreneurial camaraderie

2007-11-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

jeff has just launched his next start up - shutterbudd.com. he also just moved into his free office space in emeryville. yup - free! basically he used to go to cal with the founder the founder of gx media who was also the CTO of gamers.com. Gamers.com was purchased and just spun off another company called lithium which has been funded an A round. anyways, since lithium has a large office space now which has not yet been filled, they offered up some space for jeff's company since shutterbudd only has 3 people. and what did gamer.com guy say to jeff after he gave him some office space? oh, if he needs any servers, he has some old servers for him to use. and why did he help jeff out with such generosity? because "we've all been there."

way cool. this is why i like hanging out with entrepreneurs.

send a foster child to school

2007-11-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

a young teenage girl just asked me for money to send her to school because she is a foster child. in order for her to be eligible for the cash, she has to maintain a 2.0. if she doesn't, i get my money back. just a 2.0? i'm sorry but i can't support that. i was not one of those people who had it easy in school, i always had to study my butt off. i never cut school in high school, i never went out before an exam in college. i still never went out before an exam in grad school. and no, my gpa was not spectacular, but it was good enough to get me where i need to go. it takes barely any effort to make a 2.0 - and you want me to give you money for that? in addition, there are scholarship and state grant programs for foster kids. of course i know i am lucky to have my parents support me for school. however i also knew so many people in undergrad and grad school who got scholarship, grants, financial aid, student loans - there are so many ways to get yourself to college and even grad school if you really want it. i got student loans also for grad school, take advantage of the low interest rates!

and - she is out on a school night! she should be home studying and aiming for at LEAST a 3.5 instead of a measly 2.0. plus, how is she going to raise enough money going door to door like this. i'm sure there are more effective ways of earning money. and her pitch was horrible too - just something she rehearsed so much and she just let the words fall out of her mouth so quickly i couldn't even understand most of what she said because she seemed like she just wanted to get through as many houses as possible.

i told her to study harder and get a 3.5. is that mean? i can't help it! a 2.0? cmon!

are you right brained or left brained?

2007-11-15T00:00:00.001-08:00

i'm right brained. but i can switch to being left brained if i think about it.

CHECK IT OUT

i'm all better!

2007-11-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

dear gentle readers - i am now well and no longer sick! just thought i'd update you. ;)

happy now jyan?

never as fast as i expect it to be

2007-11-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

one thing i'm definitely learning for business transactions. there are so many other parties that end up being involved, things just take much longer than i expect due to other lagging for a day or so. those days of lagging get added to other people's days of lagging and then pushes out the date. therefore our date may be pushed into next month, but I suppose it's ok since it wouldn't make a huge impact for us. excited and scared at the same time. but we'll have a holiday launch party for close friends only next month. :) don't worry, my dear readers, you are invited!

run mel run!

2007-11-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

pic from the half marathon. u can see my overpronation. haha, more pics are on dropshots...

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still sick

2007-11-07T15:02:00.001-08:00

last weekend i thought i was getting better and went gymming on saturday. bad idea. i think while at the gym i either must have stressed out my lungs or i caught something else. this sucks. i've been waking myself up at night coughing and wheezing and sneezing and all sorts of blech. it was worst monday nite i think. i blame stupid pittsburgh for messing up my lungs. my stupid allergy to the mold or whatever is in falling leaves made my lungs inflamed, my asthma worse and just makes things so inconvenient to stay healthy! of course things are my fault also. i should have known better and gone to the doctor earlier instead of waiting until i was wheezing from just walking to class. me ignoring my condition made it even worse. i think that i just didn't want to believe i really have asthma. i mean, to me, allergy induced asthma isn't like i really have it. just get rid of the allergens and i'm fine! as a result of my denial, i was coughing for more than a month last year just before the rock and roll half marathon and i couldn't run! my lungs were just taking so long to heal from a cold and i really shouldn't have gone running when i was still healing. it always makes it worse - when will i learn?

this time i am really resting. even though i know i have the energy to go work out, i have not gone to the gym at all. the thought of hitting those spinning classes monday and today also crossed my mind - maybe if i just take it easy and don't turn the knob so high. but i didn't go because i know that if i'm at the gym i like to work out hard and turn the knob high enough to really get me sweating.

so this week i spent it drinking bowl after bowl of good chinese soup. literally my parents said each drop was precious and they didn't even let our beloved auntie linda drink the soup meant to heal me! today's soup has quail and abalone in it. we don't mess around with our soups! my dad takes great pleasure in healing me. currently i've been doing steroidal inhalers to bring down the inflammation. two puffs twice a day. also albuterol to clear the lungs. also popping all my vitamins (multi, calcium supplemnts) and also adding in chinese medicine pills. i'm also confined to my bedroom with my laptop and the ion airfilter that hunny gave me on. each day my dad asks if i feel better and yes, each day i do feel better since i'm resting. i think it's still so cute that after all these years he still likes to heal me. i guess it makes sense since he used to be a pharmacist and everything. haha. hopefully i'll be good to go for next week and be back to gymming and running.

on the flip side, i've been losing weight due to loss of muscle mass from the inactivity. darn it! i run a half marathon and i gain weight. i sit on my ass and do nothing, i lose weight! of course biologically i know the reasons why. muscle weighs more than fat, if i'm gaining muscle then i'm going to gain weight. i'm just complaining...i hate being shut up indoors and i hate being sick.

i think this time i'm sticking with the resting though. hunny and i had visited his grandmother in the hospital. she's there often because she's been smoking since she was 13 and has emphysema. each breath she takes just seems like such a struggle. but she still can't quit smoking! anyways, it made me wonder - having emphysema must feel like you have one huge asthma attack. that would be horrible! then my dad told me that if i keep coughing and wheezing and don't heal myself, i could have emphysema later on in life! scary, i didn't know that! so i'm going to be really good about taking care of myself now.

i'm sick

2007-11-01T11:08:00.001-07:00

i have a sore throat. boooo. i hate it when i don't feel 100%. there are so many things i need to do!

earthquake!

2007-10-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

the earthquake hit just as we were preparing for negotiations. elaine freaked out because it was the first large earthquake she ever felt since she is from seattle. it lasted a little longer than i thought it would, but i generally find earthquakes kinda fun and exciting as long as nobody gets hurt and nothing breaks.

we met up for negotiation at 8:30. at first we were nervous about the friend she brought because we didn't know her. it turned out that we were very glad she was there because she kept the conversation focused and she was very fair. in the end we talked from 8:30 until 12:30 and all the papers are signed! so now the clock starts ticking with all the paperwork that needs to happen, but after the agreement was signed yesterday, everything should be ok unless something weird pops up. yay!!! B2 will be here soon.

fun weekend

2007-10-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

had a really fun weekend hanging out with JF.PC and DL. now i'm tired. haha. luckily we had the forethought to get ourselves on good guest lists and didn't have to wait in lines at all. that was definitely a great perk of the weekend. however i think the best part was all the talking we did while eating, waiting, etc. listening to girl crazy boys is always entertaining. haha. now i need to go gymming today to make up for not gymming all weekend. blah...chubby!

closing the deal

2007-10-30T12:34:00.001-07:00

today after going back and forth and involving a lawyer - we are meeting to try to sign final papers and close the deal...again. i hope it goes much better than last time. i'm both excited and anxious. negotiations can be tough - have to be prepared to be super nice or super tough. it's especially complicated since it seems the opposite party has quite a lot of emotion involved.

Founder's Table

2007-10-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Being one of the organizers for STIRR, in addition to helping with the mixers i also started organizing dinners for Founder's Table. It's an invite only dinner for founders to share war stories - funding, problematic issues, workflow fixes, technology, etc. One of last week's attendees - Loic Le Meur - recorded a video to post on the event. He's a serial entrepreneur and you have probably heard of his company six apart - they did Vox.com. he has done many others including RapidSite, B2L and most recently is the CTO of Seesmic.

check out the clip. it totally encompasses how life feels like in silly valley. he even rides into work on a bike. :D he discusses his experience at founder's table and shows sanford - one of the founders and someone i talk with all the time for organizing - as he explains what founder's table is about. later in the video he also talks about linking conversations with media - something my bro ryan has done with dropshots and something related which i want to do for B1.

socal is on fire!

2007-10-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

crazy! i've never seen so many fires in so many cities. i called my bro and it turned out they had to evacuate - but the fire passed their area and now they are ok. auntie anna, uncle mike and the cousins are ok also. scary!

*edit* i just found out Jyan's parents house is in the burn area. or right on the border of it on the map. hopefully it was one of the houses saved. send their family your good thoughts...

*edit again* Jyan's parents house was saved! i think all your good thoughts helped! thanks!!

go bruins!

2007-10-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

to all the cal fans.

neener neener neener. ahaha. bruins rule!

ah that was satisfying.

bodyworlds

2007-10-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

this weekend hunny took me to go see the bodyworlds exhibit in downtown SJ. i had wanted to see this exhibit but didn't know it was in town! they didn't allow us to take pictures of course so you will have to go search online for pics. we had met up with hunny's friends allen and lisa to first at the museum. when hunny first told me we were going to the museum, i didn't believe him since he doesn't like going to museums that much. he goes with me because i like them but he gets bored after a while. so i thought when he said we were going to a museum that it was some sort of new restaurant or something. haha. but then he said we were going there at 4 and then dinner afterwards. i didn't find out it was bodyworlds until we were walking up to the museum.

i had some hesitation in seeing the exhibit at first because i have a very active imagination and i often get nightmares at night from things i've seen because my brain just goes crazy with images. even if those things weren't initially that scary, but my mind turns them into scary things. because the art exhibit displays real human bodies, i knew i would feel both interest in looking at all the nerves, muscles, etc as well as feel a slight fear i would get nightmares. the exhibit was amazing. it was really cool to see how he displayed movement in inanimate objects so well. also the displays pushed my visual limits and allowed me to see something beautiful in what some people could argue was possibly grotesque. i saw a lot of parents brought their kids, so the kids could get a good biology and anatomy lesson. quite a few of the bodies had gray lungs from smoking, with one display focusing only on the difference between healthy lungs, smoker's lungs, and coal miner lungs. as i was standing there, a dad was showing the lungs to his son - "see, that's what happens to your lungs if you smoke" i thought it was pretty cool that the displays were so educational. we saw everything from the nervous system, circulatory system, renal system to the reproductive system. i'm always in amazement at all the complex emotions art can draw from you. i highly recommend you go see this exhibit before it leaves the bay area.

i tried to get my parents to go but they are afraid of seeing dead people. you just have to get over that part...it's really beautiful and a one-of-a-kind experience.

chocolate

2007-10-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

i've been looking for this song for a while and didn't know the title or artist. i randomly stumbled upon it on youtube. :)

i'm yours

2007-10-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

love this song by jason mraz. i'm also a sucker for clark and lana. maybe it's the whole he had feelings for her and she had feelings for him but they kept it secret because they thought it wouldn't make sense. similar to joey and dawson on dawson's creek. anyways, here's a video that combined the song i like with clips from smallville. i'm such an adolescent...i know. i would post the video here but the embedding function is disabled. i even tried to just manually embed the video and the clip shows as unavailable. i suppose youtube is getting better at preventing videos to be posted without consent. anyways...here it is.

CLICK ME

wolverine healing powers

2007-10-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

yesterday i went spinning for the first time after the run. i actually didn't really feel any muscle fatigue or soreness at all as i was pedaling! i was surprised because i was expecting to have to take it easy for a week after the run. instead i pretty much woke up without any soreness at all yesterday.

sunday - blisters and barely hobbling around after the run. long ass walk to the parking lot afterwards.
monday - woke up really sore, but could still walk. stretched a lot and popped 5 advil throughout the day.
tuesday - still a little sore, stretched some more and did a lot of walking around that day.
wednesday - all good! blisters are 99% gone. although i think i'm going to end up losing a nail on my right foot due to a blister forming right under the nail. :( i hate having unpretty feet. luckily it's not my big toe.

next time i run, i need to get better socks to wick away moisture and lock lace my shoes. hopefully that will solve my problems and no more unpretty feet!

if you're publicly posting something business related, learn to spell!

2007-10-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

i'm reading through business listings as backup deals for B2. Sheesh, why are so many Realtors so stupid? I see stupid spelling mistakes galore. granted i'm sure my spelling and grammar on this blog are not always perfect, but then again, this blog is not really meant to be anything formal and business related.

examples:

"your" instead of you're
"Located A Few Steps Above Street Level At The Base Of A Large Loft Complex, This Well Designed Restaurant/Cafe Serves Breakfast, Lunch And Dinner. The Location Is Literally Surrounded By Plenty Of Existing And Upcoming Residential Condo/Loft Units. High Ceilings With Patio Seating. Compact, Yet Fully Equipped Kitchen. It Is One Of The Most Neighborly Spots In The Immediate Area. It Feels Like A Place For People Who Live There. It Has A Solid Amount Of Repeat Clientèle. The Restaurant Is Not Open During The Evenings, But Can Be. The Location May Have Potential As A Wine Bar As Well." - because every word needs to be capitalized...really.
"The Kitchen Is A Must, Must, Must See With 6 Foot Hood, Doe Mixers, Pizza Oven, Big Preparation Area, Etc." - i think they mean dough mixers...because who likes mixed female deer?

and the list could go on but i won't bore you. i also read patrick.net and there are whole threads dedicated on how stupid bay area real estate agents can be. all because real estate is an industry that requires very little talent and education to be lucrative. what gets me most is also these people are sometimes completely ignorant to their stupidity. for example i've told some people in real estate that i think the market still has room to go down. you know the response? "well my company released a paper to the employees saying it was all media hype and there is no slow down in real estate".....right.

mind you, i also know many smart and very able minded real estate agents. however i have to say, it's not the majority.

ok stupid, pointless rant is over. i'm obviously pmsing today since i'm getting so annoyed with stupid things. gimme some chocolate!

rock n roll running

2007-10-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

i ran the san jose rock n roll half marathon on sunday thanks to my friend john convincing me to run with no training. "oh it's easy, you'll have no problem running it". turned out i was really glad i ran! the night before i was really anxious however. i went to bed at 10:30 but couldn't get to sleep until about 12:30. even when i was sleeping, i had stressful dreams which didn't let me have a good sleep. i didn't even need my second alarm to wake me up at 5:45AM. it was extremely cold to be in work out clothes also. i was shivering even after i put on a light fleece and a heavier fleece. the longest i've ever run would probably be around 7-8 miles so i had about a 20% feeling that i wouldn't finish. i was definitely regretting my decision to run when i was sitting in my car waiting for john to arrive with my bib and watching all these really intense looking runner types walk past me. the guy parked in front of me had a team in training license plate and was putting on this water bottle belt. very hard core...

however once i got in place next to runners and the sun was shining, things felt better. i was getting warmed up and starting to get excited with all the people next to me. i remember what cindy told me and tried to start out slow so that i made sure to have enough energy for the whole race. in retrospect i think i was a little too conservative and could have gone faster in the beginning. the pain hit me around mile 10 or 11. the blisters on my toes were really getting uncomfortable and my legs felt like huge logs i was dragging along with me. but the funny thing was it hurt more to stop and start than it did to just keep on running. so i kept on running. with all the mommies and daddies and grandmas. haha. it was seriously a hit to the pride to see a grandma running right next to me. i don't think my joints would be able to move very well at that age. of course she was a very fit grandma, but still. i felt both admiration for her ability to run and distain for myself that i'm not much better than a grandma. still, i'm very glad i completed the race, it was really a rush to run that last mile and sprint the last 200 straightaway. i felt very proud to take a picture holding up my medal - i just need to find where i can get that picture. =P john was right, it was a great first race to do. the sun was shining and plenty of people were cheering which really did lift my spirits and pushed me on when i wanted to stop. afterwards john, his gf rainbow and i pigged out on dimsum which was a great reward also. yay hawgow! i was disappointed to learn i didn't break 2:30. next time i will...

my total running info:
Place Overall: 6269 out of 8787
Women: 2876 out of 4802
FINISH: 2:34:50 pace: 11:49
5k: 32:57 pace: 10:37
10K: 1:08:06 pace: 10:58
10Mile: 1:54:29 pace: 11:27
Chip Time: 2:34:50
Gun Time: 2:39:21

soul food

2007-10-15T11:18:00.001-07:00

friday was a cook at home day and chill. i tried out making fried chicken and cheese and macaroni. here's what i did.

fried chicken:
i first marinated the chicken in salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper. then, just before frying, i covered the chicken with flour which was seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. i then fried the chicken in light olive oil until brown and then stuck the chicken in the oven which was already preheated at 400 degrees - baked chicken for 35 min.

for the macaroni and cheese:
i used sharp white cheddar instead of regular cheddar
boiled the macaroni elbows until al dente
melted butter in a pot and then mixed in a little flour until slightly thick
add in salt, pepper and dijon mustard
mix in the boiled macaroni and cheese
mix until all the cheese is melted
place the melty mixture in a pyrex pan, sprinkle the top with a little extra cheese, (mozzarella and sharp white cheddar)
bake in a pan for 20min, broil on high for 3-4 minutes to get that nice brown crust on top.

everything turned out pretty well, the chicken was tasty and juicy. although i wish i had added less salt to the macaroni since the cheese was pretty tasty already.

we ate everything with a whole bunch of spinach salad. i liked the macaroni a lot since i don't like the american kraft style where it's all mushy. i like it better with a crust of good cheese and not super creamy.

we also watched knocked up finally - really funny movie but not as funny as 40 year old virgin. still though it was funny and i found it interesting that i was so disgusted by the "dad" in the first part of the movie but i grew to like him in the second part of the movie. his man boobs were still gross though...

starbuck

2007-10-11T01:36:00.000-07:00

bsg's starbuck is on bionic woman. coooooollllll.......

lifecasting

2007-10-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

so when i first met justin kan at a stirr event and he showed me his idea for a new company, i must admit, i was not sold. i thought his idea was totally going to flop. not that he wasn't a possibly interesting guy i would want to watch, maybe i was just turned off by his extremely bad breath (seriously, halitosis!), but i also doubted anyone would want to carry around a backpack battery pack and wear a camera on their heads 24/7. it's really cumbersome and as soon as he told me that i was being broadcasted, i instantly moved to his side so i couldn't easily be seen online. i figured, if that's my gut reaction - to move away from the camera - can't be a good thing because viewers will have nothing interesting to see.

however the company has done an interesting job and is starting to become popular. kind of like youtube but a little better. it takes commenting to a new level because it's real time and you can see the subject you are viewing interacting with others online. i'm especially interested in online commenting interactions due to B1 - i want to implement a similar idea to a niche market. however my initial evaluation for B1 is that live commenting is not really necessary for what i want to do. u know how the saying goes - keep it simple stupid.

i digress...

back to justin.tv. it's seemed to have taken off since it opened up to allow other broadcasters. i like that you can post events live, and i like that anyone with a webcam can start broadcasting. it is addictive - similar to how so many are addicted to reality tv, myself included.

if i were allowed to add to the feature list, this is what i would add.
1) for the archived video clips - i have a tendency to peruse those first before i try to watch the subject live to see if i would be interested in watching a live feed. it would be nice if the chats were recorded and displayed concurrently with archived clips.
2) it would also be nice if users could be visually identified with more than just an icon. for example - if some user's comments were mostly perverted, i want a flag to tell me there is a perv present. because i'd rather block those people immediately. that way it keeps the conversation a lot more interesting that just "show me your boobs" over and over and over. 3) also, they should try to think of other ways of monetizing other than sponsors who are willing to pay individual lifecasters. perhaps there is a way to do an adsense for videos? with some of the things riya.com is doing with sensing text on videos, i'm sure it's quite possible eventually to have an audio filter pick up on spoken words and then display ads in response. for example, you hear someone say -" let's go grab a beer!" then you see a link to heineken pop up on the side bar. ads remain there for a minute. you heard it here first! i will expect my check in the mail when this becomes popular. hah

that's all i have for now, i'm sure i'll think of more later.

btw i'm totally over what happened yesterday, meaning i'm not mad anymore. however doesn't mean i'm letting him get away with it.

rollercoaster day

2007-10-09T01:49:00.000-07:00

having a rollercoaster of a day. we trusted you, you were dishonest. everything went south from there. this is business, not preschool. your conduct was absolutely THE worst i have ever seen from a human being.

we don't get mad - we get even.

dishonest people people need to be taught a lesson.

craigslist hilarity

2007-10-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Craigslist Meets WallStreet…Classic
What a classic answer…..

from an NYC 25 year old attractive girl:

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy.
I’m not from New York . I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 432279810

THE ANSWER
Dear Pers-431649184:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.
Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a crappy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful”
as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way.
Classic “pump and dump.”
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

entrepreneurial spirit

2007-10-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

so many people i know are starting their own things nowadays. it's exciting to have so many people to relate to! it also adds a sense of urgency. i need to get things going NOW!!! i'm very impatient when it comes to having my visions come into reality. i need to learn to filter that impatience. although i do have action plans, they never happen as quickly as I imagine them to.

medium to do list:
complete research on CMS systems and start designing the web page
complete market research
fine tune marketing plan
complete formulations for B2 by end of Oct.
complete formulations for B1 first set by mid Nov.

As competition is coming in, i am thankful for certain things to have worked out the way they have. we have a nice barrier of entry for others. however the deal is not official yet and i am trying to push for it.

short to do list:
get supplier straightened
agree finally on a name for B2
negotiate C-items (use other suppliers as a comparison)
purchase more raw materials for testing
meet with doc again
finish marketing reading materials
kick the chemist

crystal ball

2007-10-01T12:51:00.001-07:00

i predict there will be a touchpad iphone the size of the nano.

pics

2007-09-26T01:24:00.000-07:00

where does the time go

2007-09-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

haven't had much time to blog lately. i still need to upload pics i took on my camera. hrm what's happened. went to circa with ted, patrick, diana, alan and hunny since patrick was visiting from pland. that was a cool place, never been there. went to see sandra get married! she was beautiful! and the location was very elegant and the food was good. one thing i really liked about the restaurant, it was classy enough to have speakers built into the ceilings and had a nice dance floor. however we were too tired to do any dancing and headed out shortly after dinner was over. also i saw next to a bunch of bruins which is always good. haha. a lot of people who were old classmates of TC's from ucla. also sat next to a really good food consultant who's family company does extremely well. his dad knows the owner of ranch 99 - let me just say, sometimes what makes business sense is not the most obvious - the trick is, who sees the opportunity first.

we also had a meeting regarding B2 - still haven't heard anything yet but things are still moving along - albeit slowly. I've also been doing a lot of market research for B1, i think it's time i just crack down on myself and start building the website. luckily jeff has offered to help me since he's learned how to do things so much more efficiently after tastebudd.

this past weekend was hunny's dad's bday and we went to koi palace. OMG SUCH GOOD FOOD. i'd forgotten how good that restaurant is. we had crab with most of the meat sauteed with eggwhites, quail, lobster in garlic sauce, sweet and sour pork spare ribs, ox tail cooked in chinese pumpkin, pea sprouts (dow mui), dried scallop and egg white fried rice, steamed rock cod and some good wine. i was soooooo full. i really need to take my parents there to have the quail and crab. friday night we met up with hunny's old coworker dan who was here on work from virginia. he works for salesforce.com. they talked mostly of all the great people they used to work with. it seems that their old company hired some really good people back in the day, however once the economy got better, everyone left for higher paying jobs. they both really love their new jobs because rather than being the most technical people at the company, they are now constantly challenged by amazingly intelligent coworkers to learn new skills and keep themselves sharp. i like a man who enjoys challenges. ;)

question of the day - will oracle buy salesforce?

my random playlist

2007-09-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

listening to ...
bananarama
anything box
oakenfold
snow patrol
kanye west

i love the lyrics to this song...

"i'd do anything for a klondike" hahahah

robotech!

2007-09-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

after watching transformers , i thought - hey wouldn't it be so cool if robotech was a movie? i just read that there IS going to be a robotech movie! and tobey maguire is going to be in it!

i heart adium

2007-09-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

i've been having trouble with my third party chat app fire which i use for my powerbook. when i look for new updates on the site, i see that they are discontinuing new updates! poop! the reason was because their developers were lacking in time, since they probably have fulltime jobs and program fire as a side thing. turns out two of the developers work for adium which is another third party im app. nice! i've downloaded it and it has all the things i thought fire and ichat was lacking. i can log onto more than one aim sn at a time, i can incorporate gmail chat, i have tabbed windows and i can keep a transcript of all my conversations. nice! so if you have a mac, check out adium! plus they have this really cool green duck icon. haha

working weekend

2007-09-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

hunny passed his exam! woo hoo!! so to celebrate had a date nite! we went to my fav restaurant - the house - in sf and then watched a movie in the new theater. guess what jyan - i was good and i didn't order the sea bass! instead i had one of their specials and ordered the rack of lamb. it was tasty, although i liked the lamb better at the restaurant we went to for diana's bday in menlo park. it was more simply prepared - just light spices. although the sauces went very well with the house's lamb, i think i still prefer lamb with just salt, pepper and rosemary.

saturday morning we went to check out the location of B2 with hunny's dad. he seemed to like the location a lot and also suggested some places to purchase equipment. after that we went to kaylee's bday picnic at lake elizabeth. little kaylee is now 1! she's so cute. but the poor girl rubbed some cake frosting on her face and broke out in hives! what's so toxic in cake frosting that would make someone break out like that?

sunday elaine and i met up to do some work. we checked out different souces to purchase materials for the biz. some things can be so hard to find! we got so frustrated at one point (and sleepy from food coma) so we went to get our toes done. my first pedicure in my whole entire life. haha. i was pretty entralled with the person doing my toes and observed her every move. my opinion? well i don't think i was missing out on much. although my toes are very pretty and tidy, i don't think anyone would really know the difference if i just painted them myself. however it does seem the nail polish they use holds up better and doesn't chip. therefore, if i ever do this again, i'll get something which won't be as noticeable if my nails grow out. also something that is hard for me to do at home - like a french manicure or something. but eh, it's good i went at least once so i don't feel so lame when other people are talking about these types of things. anyhow i'm glad elaine and i had our talks about the biz. i'm very glad we are focused on the same things and can be honest with eachother.

leland dinner

2007-09-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

had dinner with leland folks at gumbo jumbo last friday. dinner lasted from 7:30 until 11!! we've all known eachother for more than 10 years so all kinds of things come out of our mouths when we get together. of course many things are top secret and thus shall not be discussed on this blog. haha. i will give you the general gist of things however. whenever we get together we go around the table to discuss everyone's relationships status of course. talked about serious stuff then stupid stuff. we had no idea all of us liked so many useless tv reality shows. of course conversations were helped along since we knew the owner and she kept giving us bottles of wine and delish dessrts!. i think we should designate gumbo jumbo as our leland dinner location all the time. hehe. only next time, i will order the crayfish to be mild garlic instead of medium. we drank sooo much water that we all had to keep going to the restroom! haha

mtv vma's

2007-09-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

britney's performance sucked in comparison to everyone else's. people say it's because she broke her heel, she was nervous, blah blah. but she's been performing since she was little, what's there to be nervous about? she just lacked energy and looked like she didn't care and didn't give it her all.

on the otherhand, all the other performers rocked! i loved the concept of having separate party rooms for different genre's. it allowed for much more performing and less talking. at the same time people in the rooms still got to watch the entire performance when the show would cut to another announcement. also the smaller format really gave the crowd the ability to get into the music and allowed the performers to feed of the crowd's energy and excitement.

i really don't understand why kanye was so upset about being put into a suite. i thought his performance rocked, the party in the suite looked unbelievably fun and full of energy. he got more songs to be played and as a result i will now get all his new songs. really i thought those suite parties were just as amazing as the performances on the large stage. i loved the diversity that the suite format provided since i got kind of tired of watching the same old award shows where you see a lot of people sitting down instead of rocking out to the music like they should be! so kanye, chill out! i loved your performance!

every performance was just really SO good. chris brown's was really good, however my favorite would have to be alicia key's performance - especially when she started singing freedom. justin timberlake's was also completely awesome. i kinda want to see him in concert again after watching the show. haha. britney must feel so bad her ex rocked the show while she sucked.

ok i'm mean. i'll stop bashing now...

safari 3.0.3 beta

2007-09-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

my impatience has led me to switch back to safari. it now has some of the things that i liked about firefox - tabs, a lot faster, extensions (albeit only for PC's). one thing i miss, i miss the Back option arrow which allows me to scroll down the list of previous pages i had already navigated to so i don't have to go Back one by one to get to the page i want. please apple - that would be a great feature for you to add! safari beta loads much faster than IE or firefox. there is another nifty feature to allow me to expand any text field i am typing in. so i have more room to see what i typed! also firefox 2.0 was having some really annoying flash bugs. ugh - cmon mozilla!

pavarotti passed away

2007-09-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

so sad... pavarotti, the opera singer, passed away. i started liking opera since college during my opera classes as a musicology minor. rest in peace pavarotti, we'll miss you...

quick recap

2007-09-05T19:47:00.001-07:00

so i've been too busy and haven't been able to recap the weekend and the past week. here it is, quick and dirty. haha

-friday had a bunch of meetings. meeting number one went great since now i will have an important part of the puzzle for B1. meeting number two was food tasting and negotiations for STIRR. went ok, kinda rushed. meeting number three went a long time - met with family friend of a friend who had advice on B2. we stayed to have an early dinner with him at shanghai 1930. yummy yummy food - especially the banana and ice cream dessert! elaine said it was the best dessrt she's ever had! friday nite hung out with bro, bro's wife michelle and their baby lucas.

-saturday - woke up really really really early at 7:30 because lucas was up - which meant ryan and michelle were both up. i was sleeping on the couch because i wanted grandma to take my bed. later that day i got roasted at the ucla stanford game. met up with diana, yoshi, leon, gary and henry. also bumped into old floormates from my days in Sproul Hall at ucla! what a coinkydink they sat right behind us! ucla won - of course. hehe. saturday nite i went over to see hunny and just stayed in.

-sunday was a pancake breakfast at original pancake house. i had the eggs micheal with chocolate chip pancakes. then i gave grizzly a bath and met up with elaine to do some work. i got back to hunny's house in time for dinner with the parents. watched The Hills with hunny's little cousins theresa and anna. heidi and spencer are sooooo annoying! but so entertaining to watch. i wish she didn't get a boob job...she looked so much better without it. what's with really pretty girls getting really big boob jobs? ruined!

and i can't stop now

2007-09-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

there was this good song that played in the middle of spinning class. it has the lyrics

"and i can't stop now....no i can't stop now"

hearing the song got me going and so now i'm trying to find out who sings it. i can't find it! and yet the song is stuck in my head.

i heard there is a song search engine that you can sing your song and it will find it. i wonder if it's out of alpha version yet.

what's in a name

2007-09-05T19:42:00.001-07:00

i have a name for B1! and we have been thinking about a name for B2 for a month. still don't have anything.

sometimes it just comes to you...sometimes it doesn't

ugh