Monday, October 31, 2005

Kingpin Inclination, PJLO, and Refrigerator Odors

You know what's irritating? Opening your refrigerator door and smelling something funky. What's worse? Not knowing what da heck is causing those odiferous emanationsl. I checked and double-checked everything (there isn't much) with no luck -- not one expired package in the lot of 'em. Maybe I should just spend all day tonight eating everything and see if the smell goes away...Maybe not. :)

Speaking of funk...hey LaraG, thanks for the recommendation of Stymie and the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra... Their CD came in last week and I've been diggin' those horns -- got me to go place an order for this CD too.

And so it turns out that negligence on my part is going to cost me 120 bucks (minimum)...I 've been totally abusing my little blue 4 door, leaving her without an alignment job for like 6 months after I started to feel that familiar tugging at the wheel (damn those city potholes!). So the inside corners of my front tires have worn down to the cords. :( The really great news though is that the car handles like a dream now! And even better, the howlin' and screechin' out of those front tires is pretty much gone...amazing what a couple tenths of an inch in toe adjustment can do... But with the corded front tires I now have to go make a decision:
  1. Get 2 replacement tires of the same crappy model ($120) - and since they're new, I'm going to have to put 'em in the front and do some pretty long smokin' burnouts to get the treadwear down to match the tread on the rear. Cuz you know, that's really important.
  2. Replace all 4 crappy tires with some decent ES 100 Yokes. That'll last me through about June of next year with ~12K miles, decent rain performance, and pretty good dry handling. About $450 out the door.
  3. Replace all 4 crappy tires with some kick-ass Falken RT 615s. Tires are marginal in the rain (absolutely frightening when worn). But @##@(*& unbelievably amazing in the dry. Although more expensive than #2, Discount Tire Direct still has free shipping and no tax, so it comes to same price. And just about the same amount of mileage as the Yokes.
  4. Sell tires and wheels and get a set of 15x6.5" Rota Slipstreams (possibly gunmetal with polished lip)...thousand bucks. Oh and then I'm gonna have to go get a full on D2 coilover set cuz the stock suspension would look funky with aftermarket wheels -- possibly drop it a modest 3/4" to keep decent travel but still maintain looks...that's another thousand bucks. And then it won't be a daily driver anymore because the suspenion would be too rough, so I'm gonna have to drop in an Avenir W11 turbo motor in there to make use of the improved handling...add in another 2500 bucks. Oh, and then with 250 at the wheels, I'd need a good set of brakes...that's another fifteen hundred bucks...
Yeah, #1 sounds like a plan. Randy, got some bleach? Know of an empty parking lot? :)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Boom Boom Boom

They say that your life flashes before your eyes the moment you die. Imagine that. A billion and one feelings, moments, sounds, smells, all in the snap of a finger *snap*. I struggle to recall the scent of a beautiful young woman I met some twelve-odd years ago and somehow, once all this comes to an end, I'm supposed to relive it all? I wonder. And all around you, you see everyone wasting so much energy trying to duplicate the effort... 8/12/15/24 megapixel digital single lens reflex rear shutter curtain dustless mirror matrix metering L series F mount ultrasonic image stabilization carbon fiber titanium resin, and the gazillion hours of MiniDV Hi8 Super8 VHS-C autofocus charged coupled device NightShot manual iris blah blah blah blah...

I wonder...if I created a 4x6 print of every single image ever captured by every person on this planet, then laid them out into a grid covering the planet, what would the astronauts see in outer space? I envision some gigantic pixellated vision of our humanity, conjured up out of the memories of the lives of a kazillion people....my bet is on a winking smiley:

;)

I think it sums us up nicely.

As John Lee Hooker's words and guitar fill my ear with reverie, I continue trying to envision the types of images that I want to fill the void of those empty square frames gathering dust on the living room floor next to me. ...Maybe I fill them with images of my world, breadcrumbs for some archaeoligist (will they still call them that?) to discover eons after I'm worm food, piecing together a life. ...A life filled with dreams of a T66-equipped 2JZ-GTE with an open wastegate, sounds of Sarah Vaughn signing the blues, hands occassionally reeking of Lucky Strike (filtered) and an imagination. One run amok and out of control, rat-holing into a million useless little one person diatribes. Like this one.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Fall Back

I'm actually really beginning to like life without a TV. I'm reading more, listening to more music and in general, finding that I have more time to do things that I really want to do. The only drawback is that sometimes, I miss out on some important information.

Like setting your clock back.

The silly thing is that yesterday, while waiting for an alignment/rotation/balance job on my G20 (more on that later), I decided to take a walk around San Mateo and got hungry -- pretty nice area by the way, lots of quaint shops and restaurants; I definitely have to spend more time there. So I stopped by Noah's Bagels for a cholesterol-laden lox & cream cheese on toasted plain bagel (it's been at least a year since I've had one of these -- tasty) and sat down to eat on the counter. On the counter was a local paper. Before I started to read the interesting article about traditional Indian dance performing at San Mateo College, I noticed a headline placed very prominently at the very top of the front page (in bold letters): Set your clocks back Sunday. Right-o. Mental note. Check.

And so did I? Uh-huh, right.
So to Angelo, Bev, Gary...sorry for calling so early this morning, I honestly thought it was 11AM.

Maybe there's something strange afoot in the magical ether of time & space this weekend. Or maybe it' s just my brain getting another minute older...at yesterday's Sausalito performance, I pulled off an absent minded professor and forgot to bring my entire outfit. That's right... pants, barong, shirt. Even went through a mental checklist in the car assuming that I had carried down the newly purchased from Tarjay (and freshly reeking of that fresh polycarbonate vinyl smell) suit/dress protector into the trunk. But then again, Kevin forgot his bandurria...and Ed forgot his barong... so maybe there is something weird going on after all? At least the folks at the wedding enjoyed themselves, with like fourty couples participating in the "learn to dance" part of tinikling.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Friday, October 28, 2005

Happy Friday

Since I have yet to see the movie Titanic, I think I'll just watch the cliff notes version.

And continuing the previous post on the truth about Japanese restaurants, here's how to really eat sushi.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Thursday, October 27, 2005

A Three Hour Tour

Well, almost. So tonight I embarked on a journey...

Approx. 58.6 miles, estimated 1 hour 5 min travel time. Yahoo & Google both tell me to take the 237. Right. At 5:30 on a Thursday afternoon?!? Bollocks to that! So before heading out, I ask my coworker (an eastbay resident) for tips on the easiest way to get to the 680. She says Dumbarton, over the 880 onto Decoto, then Mission, then Sunol or any exit from there and you'll be on the 680. "You're familiar with the area, right?" she asks. "Yup" I say. Famous last words. I fire up my trusty SR20 and point it east. It is now 5:40 ish PM.

Things are fine and dandy, iRiver blaring my old school mp3s through my (now working) JL10W0. Tank full of gas. 6:15ish...Traffic wasn't too bad, found myself on Decoto...good. Boy, it sure is a long street. The hills are coming up...Now, I know the 680 must be right up ahead. Oh wait, I don't see a freeway...but there's Mission Blvd. Oh, OK. But wait. Did she say left or right? Damnit, no Thomas Guide; it's still at home. But instinct says right, because I do remember my coworker saying something odd in her directions...something about going the opposite way that I should be going. But hey, if I'm wrong, I'm still going in the general direction (North) and I'll just catch some crossover that'll take me east to the freeway. Besides, more folks turning left, they must all be trying to get to the 680 too. OK, left it is.

15 minutes pass...boy this road sure is long. Hmmm...Tennyson? That's an 880 exit. Jackson St.? WTF? I can't be near the 880, but these all are exits on the 880. 30 minutes pass. Damnit, people drive so freakin' slow around here. And to my right all I can see are hills, with no way to get over 'em to where I think the 680 is. Hmmm...Carlos Bee Blvd. Lots of cars turning onto that road. There must be a way over.

Up the hill...Cal State Hayward (CSUEB)... Great. The cars were students. Ah hell, it's worth a shot...up and up the hill, keep on driving, see where this takes me....homes. And more homes. Homes as far as the eye can see scattered throughout the hills. A few minutes later, a big flashing yellow construction sign verifies my fears: "Road closed ahead". @$%@#$%. U-turn, better call OJ and tell him I'm lost in Hayward hell and gonna be late.

Back down the hill to Mission Blvd. Too late to turn back, might as well keep on heading in the same direction -- I'm bound to hit something. Wouldn't you know it, couple of blocks later: 580E, Right lane. Jeezus!!! The 580?!? Well, at least I'm not lost. :) Hop on the freeway and haul ass to Pleasant Hill and the Fatburger ("owned by Chester McGlockton & E40", says OJ). Time of arrival: 7:17PM.

Son of a b*tch.

Well, at least the hamburger was worth it. And we were able to make some good progress with our project. Next time, I'm leaving the Thomas Guide in the car.

Oh and one thing that amazes me about living in the bay area...all the various communities scattered throughout. Little enclaves, little pockets of people here and there and everywhere. And from vastly different cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. Areas that are steps back in time, areas that are pretentious wannabe southern californian urban strip malls...suburbia, rural, metro, you name it. Six years later and I still haven't explored everything yet.


And no, I am not going to get a Nav system for the car. Where's the fun in that?

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

It's Such a Purdy Day

I awoke to the pitter-patter of lonely raindrops falling on the cold wet concrete outside my bedroom window, faintly echoing the languid beating of my heart in my hollow chest.

Could it be?

Life without a television has me floating from day to day, carefree and oblivious to the so-called "current events", things like the ever changing weather or the recent tragic death of a young brother and sister or the heartbreaking loss of my favorite football team.

Yet today seems a bit different.

I urge my tired body to resist the need to complete a full night's rest and slowly crawl to the window. A slight nudge of the plastic blind reveals a world dipped in a vat of water, a dense cloud cover overhead shielding the (I assume) bright sunshine sitting somewhere up above and to the east. Eventually I find myself piled into the worn leather seat of my convenyance, not looking forward to the daunting guantlet of a commute that is sunny California drivers faced with their first seasonal rainfall. And wouldn't you know it, 10:30 AM and the 101 is a parking lot. In both directions. And the 92 is no better, with an accident on the opposite side of the road -- naturally, the human tendency to gawk and gasp at the mayhem has my direction clogged with lonely rubbernecking souls. But of course.

Frustrated at the rain performance of my never-rotated and slightly worn Sumitomo HTR 200 front tires, I careen down the 280 at a pace much slower than I'd expect, eventually rolling into the wet black parking lot of work. Lots of things on my mind today, and yet it all really doesn't matter. It's the first (real) rainfall, and my New Balance cross trainers fall with a gentle thud and the occasional wet "slap" on the steps below me. The colors of the golden leaves and the once-washed-bright-and-shiny cars are now muted by the grey light up above. Aaah, equivalence. There's something about this light that really gets to me...softening all those striving to shine bright, bringing out those that were once thought dull and lifeless...And so I step into my office and am greeted by a nondescript brown parcel sitting on my chair. The label reveals its mysterious cargo...

Ah yes, it's the simple things that make life grand.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Tell Me Why

Ain't nothin' but a heartache.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Food, Sex, Cars.

[And not necessarily in that order]

It just hits me that my mind (and conversations for that matter) tend to head in the general vicinity of one of these three topics. I'm chatting on AIM today -- cough -- during my lunch break -- cough -- and I realized that the subject of conversation seems to touch on one of these three things or some combination thereof. I wonder... is this a typical male interpretation of the world around him? Or is this just some freak way that my mind is wired after years of training? Take anything about the world around me and I can make it fit into one or more of the aforementioned buckets:
  1. A hot co-worker chick: sex in a car at a drive thru fast food joint
  2. The Spongebob Squarepants stuffed animal on my desk: sex toy while performing #1
  3. Spindle of blank CD-Rs: used to store video of #1 & #2.
  4. Canon digital camera: used to film #3
[I really need to get out more. Sitting here waiting for a 7PM conference call really sucks]

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

'Til Tuesday

You know you're Asian when...
...you have a pile of napkins and soy sauce packets stashed away in your office drawer.

And in other news...Swedish couple settles on a new name for their baby boy.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Monday, October 24, 2005

The Simple Things in Life

So I'm reading The Tao Of Pooh and it hits me...why do I make things so difficult? One of the centerpieces of the story is how Pooh goes through life, enjoying all the simple things. Not overthinking things, overprocessing, or being knowledgeable just for the sake of being knowledgeable. And time and time again, I always get stung by making things so complicated for myself...

Like reading this and me going off on this huge tangent about all these miniscule things that impact the calculation...completely overlooking one of the basic premises that I learned in high school physics -- mass is irrelevant in falling objects.

Or when I'm trying to figure out why da heck my car's subwoofer isn't working (it hasn't been working for weeks now) -- my mind went off racing into a million little complicated things:
  • The patch cord from the head unit to the sub's amp could've been severed (it's chafing on the driver seat rails since I haven't gotten around to running it under the carpet yet)
  • Maybe I forgot to disconnect the speaker wires when I was moving, and caused a short that blew the amp
  • Maybe the gain setting got thrown off
  • Maybe the power cable from the battery that runs through the firewall broke somehow.
It couldn't be the obvious, that the connection at the speaker was broken. This was the first thing I checked when I suspected it wasn't working...I tugged on the wires, they were in there solid. No, it couldn't be. So tonight, I decided to finally figure this crap out. Unplugged the head unit's signal, plugged in my iRiver directly to the amp...no sound. Hrmph. Gain? Nope. Switched inputs... Still no joy. There's definitely power, the LED is on. Grrrr...decided to unmount the woofer's box and look at the speaker connection again. Crap. The wire was fed into the spring clip, not the actual place where the wire was supposed to go. AAAAARGH. Simple.

And life always just gets so heavy when I let complex things get in the way. Things are always so much better when it's reduced to the simple essence of the moment. Like tonight...I got all this crap to do at work, but I took the time to put on an old favorite on the stereo, and make the stuffed pork chops that I've been putting off for a while now. Chopping the onions, apricots, garlic, while Trisha is filling the walls of my old apartment with words of breaking out on her own...aaaah, joy. Preparing the chops I think back to the moment I was inspired to go out and buy my first Trisha Yearwood CD: It was a late afternoon at college, I was tired from a day full of lectures about memory leaks and call by reference...I hopped on the trusty North Parking shuttle, the driver had KSON cranked in the sparsely populated bus. The sun was setting over Torrey Pines, and The Song Remembers When came on. Something about the moment of it all...the warmth of the setting sun on the side of my face through the large tinted windows, the rough synthetic feel of my black nylon knapsack holding my Data Structures book; the anticipation of hopping into my car and exploring some great uncharted destination; and acceptance of the fact that the girl I really wanted to get with had moved on to bigger and brighter things...

Simple.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Just My Imagination

For a long time, I really hated stuff from Bach & Mozart. Too soft, too prancy. Hearing that, an old friend told me that, as you get older, you'll get sick of all that Beethoven stuff and will soon learn to appreciate Bach. And what was I doing the other day? Yup...listening to Glenn Gould play Bach Sonatas on the piano. Is that really what happens when you get older? You lose touch with current music and long for the old, softer stuff? I'm sitting here, listening to The Temptations
Her love is heavenly
When her arms enfold me
I hear a rhapsody
But in reality, she doesn't even know me...
Just my imagination

Runnin' away with me...
and thinking that they really don't make music like this anymore. They did this stuff like forty years ago and it still sounds really good. All the stuff I hear now just seems so ordinary. I wonder...in another forty years, would today's music be regarded as timeless classics? Heck, I still freak out at the thought that Exposé is considered "old".

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Donger Got Food.

Dinner at Harris:

Appetizer: Steak Tartare with sliced french bread (toasted) -- not as good as that free Spago's lunch that I got out of Segue a few months ago, but still quite tasty.
Salad: Spinach, balsamic vinegarette, roquefort cheese -- excellent
Entree: Wagyu Ribeye -- superb; but for some reason, the one I picked up from Bryan's meat market in the city was much more tender and definitely had a sweeter taste. Maybe Harris carries a slightly lower grade of cut?
Dessert: Creme Brulee + Dow's 20 year old Tawny. Creme brulee was damned good. The port was miles behind the '77 Warre's that we also ordered. Mine tasted like cherry cough syrup, while the Warre's started out like dark chocolate, then finished by coating your mouth in a flavor that resembled Canadian maple syrup. I'm not kidding, it was that good. I wonder how much a bottle costs? heheheh

All in all, quite a pleasant dining experience. So that covers my nice dinner quota for at least another 6 years or so. :)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Saturday, October 22, 2005

This Is An Adventure

I really dig Wes Anderson. From his scriptwriting, to his framing and colors, direction, editing, and shot selection...they all come together to make something great. I didn't like A Life Aquatic as much as The Royal Tenenbaums or Rushmore, but I still enjoyed that signatory Wes Anderson style. Maybe that will change the more I watch it. But I really liked how it was more stylized than the other films. urious to see Bottle Rocket now.

I was also caught by surprise by the use of tagalog -- and I think he purposely chose non-native speakers to continue the effect. And the video they were watching had tagalog subtitles! hahahaha -- Wes cracks me up with his subtlety.

And I didn't know Life On Mars was a David Bowie song. First time I heard it was listening to an Anggun version. I really need to inform myself about David Bowie songs...the white folks at work look at me funny when I don't catch their song


And while standing in line yesterday to buy my lunch, saw this on the stand and just had to pick up a bag:
We'll see on Monday if Dr. Cracka's stuff is any good.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Friday, October 21, 2005

Score!

Woo hoo! And the goodness continues...Mollie Stone was stocking their ultra rich, ultra creamy, and super superb Basil & Tomato Bisque soup today. Mmmmm...Mmmmm...goood.

And to all you women out there that spend the time and effort to look good every day, thank you. Business suits, heels, skirts, low cut blouses, make up, jeans, color coordinated wardrobes, steel rimmed glasses, whatever the case...dumb as a doorknob or armed with a PhD in Nuclear Physics, those of you that know your true beauty and showcase it for all the world to see: thanks. You make the world a better place to live. :)

And for that one particular light skinned, short haired pinay in her late twenties/early thirties, heel-and-toeing every downshift, studying the nuances of finite state machines and photographing the passers-by while visiting a cafe in Rome, sipping a latte and reading an Italian newspaper, wheverer you are...may I eventually be everything you've dreamed of when our paths will someday cross.


(I'm tellin' ya...you don't know how giddy Mollie Stone's Tomato Bisque makes me. I think they put crack in it.)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Two Little Sticks

Reading Lara G's comments the other day about sushi, I thought I'd let you in on the truth about Japanese restaurants.

And in other news...I can't wait to see this video.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Three Weeks and Counting

It's odd how I've gone without a TV for three weeks now. My whole life has centered around this appliance, the centerpiece of every home. I grew up in a household with a TV in every room -- that's right, even the bathroom, for a grand total of six. With a family of five, that means that each of us could be watching their own program.

And here I am, staring into the black nothingness that is my (now lifeless) Trinitron, with Count Basie & Ella Fitzgerald swinging away through the Paradigms that sit on either side. It was a bit difficult the first two weeks, but tonight is really the first time that I've pretty much accepted it. The pangs of loneliness haven't raised their ugly head, searching for that comforting sound of Monica, Joey, Chandler, Rachel, Ross & Phoebe firing away another zinger. Nope...nights nowadays are filled with the sweet sounds of music (taped, mp3'ed, CD'ed, digital piano'ed, octavina'ed) and the soft clicking of a Thinkpad keyboard. I think I could get used to this...

(Man, Ella can scat with the best of 'em -- I gotta find more of her stuff)

So the only thing that really bugs me is that I enjoy watching movies. And my TV was damned good at reproducing movies -- Moulin Rouge left me speechless. Now I'm relegated to squinting on my 14" laptop LCD, hardly doing any film fair justice. I could continue doing laptop duty and wait until I get into a house and finally get the setup I want. Or I could just Craigslist it with some cheapo -- heck, even free -- boob tube. Or get the TV fixed and keep my fingers crossed that it won't break yet again.

Eh, whatever. Maybe I should just get off my ass and finish reading this pile of books that I've been putting off. :)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Happiness Is...

...the first taste of foie gras as it melts in your mouth.
Happinees is watching fifty singing voices soar to the rafters in perfect harmony;
It is
the sound of the first footstep into first fallen snow.
Happiness is stopping in the middle of a busy crowded street to watch the sun set;
It is the first rays of sunlight breaking through a sky of gray after a warm summer rain.

Happiness is...

...the way my heart flutters whenever I see your face.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Diabetes on a plate

Great. Now they got Gulab Jamun in the cafeteria for dessert. How is someone supposed to lose weight around here?

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Clarified Butter

(Hey tabachoy170, don't read this.)

Sag Paneer & Vegetable Koorma, you will be the death of me. Or, at the very least, the magnets pulling my waistline away from the magical 34 inches and toward a rotund 42.

Thank goodness I didn't find out about Indian food until I moved up here 6 years ago. I would've been undeniably much more plump than I already am.

Must...resist...temptation...
Can't go back for a second plate.
Must not.
Can not.
Or else someone will kick my ass tonight and make me do a hundred stomach crunches. With a 45 pound plate. Held over my head. hahahhaha

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

These Foolish Things

Maybe it's because I'm getting lonely and uninspired at work with everyone at VMworld. Or maybe it's because I haven't had a TV for like 3 weeks now (eek). Whatever the case, I've been hooked on this web log thing like a man stranded on an island stuffing parchments into empty bottles of rum and setting them loose onto the south pacific...

Or hell, it could just be Ella Fitzgerald playin' on my stereo (thus the title). :)

So yesterday, took my next steps toward eventually becoming a homeowner. Spoke with a loan specialist (courtesy a friend's referral - thanks!) and he made things sound so realistic. I guess a large part of it was salesmanship -- he was good...smooth talker, and walked me through all the numbers. Reviewed my credit and gave me advice on how to crank my credit score up into the class A ratings, like transferring balances around between credit cards, aiming for a debt load < style="font-style: italic;">"175 thousand dollars? Are you kidding? That's a crapload of money! I don't want to settle down! I want my freedom!" Aah, yes. Smart move. But whatever, no regrets. Lesson learned, and now just gotta find a way to hop onto that real estate merry-go-round. Eventually in 10 years, the median price will be in the millions.

Now the next step is a financial consultant to figure out how to work the tax situation...basically you can claim much more deductions on your W4 (and take home a lot more pay), since you'll be able to write off most of your mortgage payments anyway. I just can't get over that I take home only 1/3 -- ONE THIRD! of my freakin' salary. Uncle sam, you can just kiss my hairy ass.

Also, stupid thing...I've been cravin' hedgehogs on and off for a long time. But have been hesitant because it was waaaay too expensive from Purdy's online. Or so I thought...turns out that underneath the picture of the chocolate delicacies were these small two flags, one with a maple leaf and the other with stars and stripes. Duh. I was looking at Canadian prices. So I repriced a box in USD and it wasn't too bad...definitely still not cheap. But hey, those hedgehogs are damned good. So I got a box of hedgehogs, english toffees, and peanut butter daisies on a truck bound for my office. I know, that's a lot more than just hedgehogs -- but hey, it'll be halloween soon and it's all for sharing -- everyone loved the box I brought in last time. I'm just gonna have one piece. Or maybe two. Or maybe three. heheheh

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Nights in White Satin

With each passing day, I struggle to retain what few memories remain of her. Bits of scattered fragments of a time and place long since forgotten within the annals of time linger through my thoughts...A word, a look, a feeling. The sands of time, slowly careening off the cliff of past moments, serve to filter the human experience and transform them into fond and treasured memories. After the rise and fall of many a moon, these memories no longer hold an accurate rendition, and instead become tainted by sentiment, fascination, and a longing for what I really wanted them to be. Eventually, the memory I had of "her" evolves into some romanticized & idealized vision of an angelic being that exists not in any reality that we know of. Yet this fails to deter me...

And so I search, with eager anticipation, like the pre-sugar-infused-child digging through the spoils from a night of trick-or-treating... Armed only with my will and the desire for something else, I hang on to the merry-go-round of life; plundering, questioning, and learning in this never-ending pursuit of my identity & self-worth. And maybe one day, through some inexplicable combination of timing and luck, I just may end up with that brass ring.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Adam's Rib

So I don't think women realize what power they have over men. Or do they?
I'm at the gym last night, into my workout, and every now and then my focus and concentration would just get thrown out of whack with the occassional cute face and great body. I mean, to the point where I would actually move to another part of the gym just for a glance. Don't get me wrong...thank God for women everywhere. But there's some out there that just really mess with my mind. What's the craziest thing you've ever done for a woman (or heck, a man?) For me it was the spring quarter of my third year. There was a girl I liked in college who got a flat tire during finals week; more specifically right before my multi-variable calculus final. So obviously, you'd do what any typical twenty something college student would do, right? I blow off my final to change her flat tire and bring it to Disount Tire Company (since her spare was flat also). Proceeded to get an F in the class and have to retake it next spring. Needless to say, nothing ever happened between me & her.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Monday, October 17, 2005

Wooooooooo!

It's from Michael Jackson's bestest album ever (Off The Wall) and I've only known one person to really do that line right (Randy, you know who - hehe). And it echoes my sentiment exactly as the album cranks through my new (old) toy:

Folks that know me well know that my priorities have always been pretty warped since I was young...While everyone around me was drooling over Heather Thomas & Daisy Dukes, I was drooling over Krell power amps and Carver ribbon speakers. Even now, when what I really should be worrying about are retirement plans and college tuition savings accounts for kids that I may one day have, I'm stressed out over a tape deck. My beloved Aiwa AD-F810 demo model from Fedco broke a few months ago after 7 years of service. I found a cheap-ass replacement courtesy eBay (a NAD 6100), and oh boy did it SUCK. Lots of wow & flutter, barely played my 90 minute tapes, crappy frequency response...it was just a horrendous piece of crap. So a couple of weeks ago, I found a replacement, and it arrived today. Woooooooooooooooooooo! 3-heads, 4 motors, dual capstan closed-loop transport, Dolby B & C, HX Pro, bias fine adjustment, and a tape well designed to isolate vibrations. This thing sings. Screw those overpriced Nakamichis. And it only cost me thirty bucks!

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Monday, Monday

It's all about perspective. On the one hand, I can just to throw my hands up into the air and be a grumpy complainer all day long:
  1. My interview candidate this morning tells me, 30 minutes into the interview, that she isn't authorized to work in the US. Right. And you sent me your resume why?
  2. After walking her out, I pick up my mail and find a letter from another interview candidate that we liked saying that she is declining the offer to join. And I went through some major hoops to put that offer together! Aargh.
  3. Opening my Boston Market turkey meal, I accidentally pop the cover off and turkey gravy splatters all over my pants. Double aargh. And go ahead and say it, Randy, I deserve it..."that's what you get for ordering gravy you fat ass" hahahah
  4. And I'm not having a good hair day
  5. And I need to spend even more money to buy clothes -- my freakin' boxers and pants and shirts are too loose. Aargh
  6. And I didn't finish the new hire orientation guide I was supposed to do on Sunday
  7. And...and...
Or, I could look at it this way:
  1. I'm glad that new hire told me early in the interview process that she couldn't work for us, saved us 5 hours of interviewing time. And she was quite pleasant about the mix up. We should do something about our process to prevent things like this from happening again.
  2. Interviewing the other candidate was a good learning experience, and it was really nice of her to send a letter to me to say she's declining. I'll definitely keep the option open for her if she decided later to change her mind.
  3. I'm sure glad I didn't splatter gravy on my other pants. These khakis are gonna have to go soon anyways -- they don't fit anymore
  4. It's such an absolutely beautiful and gorgeous day outside
  5. Aaah...I had a great weekend. And our new practice space is pretty damned huge!
  6. A new hire starts today, looking forward to adding him to our team!
  7. Can't wait for the workout tonight, they always make me feel better.
Hey, I actually feel better now. :)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Aurora Borealis

So one of the things on my list is to see the northern lights. Looking into this further (check this site out), I realized it's gonna be rather difficult to do. Not only are there certain times of the year when they're more active, but they're only active during certain hours of the night. And you have to time it so that the magnetic "donut" is above you. But the most challenging part of this all would be that I would most likely have to go camping. In the late fall or early spring. When it's freakin' cold outside. And I've never been camping. Yup, never. Our broke-ass William Penn elementary school cancelled sixth grade camp only once in its history -- during my year. And, the only summer my family decides to go camping is the summer I spent in New York and Toronto. So not only will I have to learn how to camp, but I'll also have to learn how to camp in the cold.

Or maybe I'll be a boojey punk and buy a comfortable heated room in a nice log cabin/hotel up in Fairbanks. That'll kill 2 birds with one stone -- visit Alaska and see the Lights. Original plan was to take a few days off, drive up to Montana thereabouts, pull over and look up. Not sure if that'll be a good idea now. :)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Birthday Candles and Wedding Bells

Friday night, corner of 11th & Harrison. OJ & Tin's b-day bash raging upstairs.
Photographer filled with smoke & 12-year single-single malt scotch, courtesy Marlboro Lights and Michael Couvreau. What a fun night!

Saturday afternoon, The Lodge at Pebble Beach. 18th hole in the background, Tony & Shirley exchanging vows in the foreground. More pics.

I was quite impressed with the wedding. It had an absolutely stunning view and the best wedding food I've ever had (checkout the pics for details). Also was the first wedding where I've flown solo. Thoroughly enjoyed it, met some really nice folks, had good conversation, got an opportunity to grab some nice shots, and got a lead on a possible interview candidate for my team. And I've never seen Shirley & Tony so incredibly happy.

Wish there were more hot single chicks there though. ;)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Fear is a Four Letter Word

It lies waiting, haunting us all; eagerly anticipating that next opportunity to raise its evil head and keep us from achieving our goals. It is that great divide, separating legendary immortality from the banal existence of the common man. And it's there, everywhere. From the basic act of not stepping on a crack in the sidewalk to the weeks of endless indecision staring into the dark abyss that is tomorrow -- it's there.

And we all know this.

Yet I continue to deny its existence, choosing instead to ignore it. Go around it. Bury it.
But the simple truth of the matter is that inaction is worse than death. Fear is reduced to nothing when juxtaposed against the alternative: a lifetime of mediocrity. Do you choose greatness?

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Friday, October 14, 2005

Mission Accomplished.

Fuki Sushi @ 12:34 PM today:
Seaweed salad.
Miso Soup.
Hamachi.
Tekka Maki.

...And Toro.
Toro so freakin' good it couldn't stay in one piece on the finger of rice. And melted like warm butter into one memorable experience. On rice that was just the right temperature, just the right sweetness. MMMMmmmmmmmmm.

No sake though. :(

Here's to another 6 months until the next time.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Running in the Family

What am absolutely gorgeous night!!!

It's beautiful warm evenings like these that make life worth living, a reminder of why we pay so much to live here.


...Bliss.

And so while Tammy Wynette fills the apartment with songs of lost love and my farm-raised Steelhead Trout fillet bakes away in the black Whirlpool oven, I'll ponder a bit about something I saw yesterday:
A happy and harmonious family is important to you.
The message was scribbled away on a piece of paper, courtesy Chef Chu, tucked inside the fortune cookie I happened to choose after Wednesday's weekly company lunch. A special cookie chosen at random from the myriad pile of a hundred or so sitting solitary on the white dining table. My officemate tells me that she observes it in how I manage my team. So that, and Mrs. Cruz's prego comment yesterday (maybe I am pregnant?) got me thinking to where I thought I would be at this point in time...34 going on 35, unmarried, no kids, no house. Conventional Southern California Navy Filipino Town Thinking has me in a marriage celebrating my seventh (or so) anniversary with the two and a half kids. Am I selfish for not making it a priority in my life?

Strange...I find so much satisfaction in life out of the family environment: my direct reports @ work; my peers in the Rondalla; my circle of expatriated San Diego friends. Yet, I don't have a family of my own. Maybe someday I'll find the guts to actually commit to something real in my life. :)


And today at lunch, found out that one of my coworkers (we go way back to when I started there) has decided to leave the software business altogether. Which got me thinking again... But that's a discussion for another day.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Football Cards

Unpacking my boxes tonight I stumbled upon my old football card collection. Curious as to what to do with 'em, I decided to get pricing reports. Beckett Online has a pretty decent tool which lets you price out your collection by searching for your player and choosing the sets. Surprisingly, the cards in my top three favorite players (Dan Marino, John Elway & Jerry Rice) are at around $500 now. Not bad...but when I think about it, I must've blown at least 3 times that much trying to get the rookie cards. I remember how I got 'em...

Jerry Rice, '86 Topps: Packs were about $5 each back then; I was in college (and yes, I was that kind of dork that collected football cards instead of going out with hot chicks). I had probably pulled at least 20 packs over the course of a year or so trying to get that damned rookie card. It was a late weekday afternoon and I had just finished a pretty difficult EE midterm and wanted to splurge. So on the way home, steered the RAM 250 van (yes, I really drove one for a few quarters) out to my favorite sports card shop in Clairemont Mesa and asked for a pack. Did my usual superstitious routine telling myself that it wasn't in this pack. Walked out the store into the warm spring afternoon, the shadows growing long. Took it back to the truck and slowly opened it. Slowly went through the cards, and about halfway through there he was. #80 in all his glory, in that head looking over shoulder pose that up to that point I only saw in magazines.

Dan Marino, '84 Topps: This was even crazier, because packs were about $12 a piece. And back then, I was ballin' on a measly $20/week. Thank goodness gas was only about 80 cents/gal or thereabouts. Similar struggles getting his rookie card, lasting several months. Almar and I went to ComicCon that year, and in the parking lot I told him..."I'm pullin' a Dan Marino rookie card." Walked around, found several stands selling cards and decided on one (I forgot how I chose). Picked up a pack of '84 and a pack of '87. Going through the pack, wouldn't you know it...Dan Marino. And even better, I got a Jim Kelly rookie out of the '87 pack too. hehehhehe

Anyways...the money thing isn't the motivator here. I really enjoyed watching these guys play ball. I don't think there'll ever be another quarterback that can pick apart a defense (and get rid of the ball as fast as Marino). And Elway was a man on a mission on the way to his first Superbowl victory -- totally inspired, especially that head first TD run. No, the money isn't what it's all about for the cards...what it's about is being able to sit down with your son one day when he's ready (oh, say about 10 or 12 years old) and tell him exaggerated stories of the good old days when 48 TDs & 5000 yards a year was unheard of, when people like Jerry Rice grew up out of a small town in Mississippi catching bricks doing masonry. And tell him stories of how John Elway used to throw the ball so hard he actually cracked ribs on a receiver catching the ball. And then teach him the nuances of reading pass coverage, executing a 12 step drop, and throwing the perfect spiral.

Yeah, one day.


Oh and by the way, Mur, Toro is fatty tuna. You have to try it next time. Make sure you ask the sushi chef if it's good quality that night (the quality varies greatly). A good example will literally melt in your mouth. Reminiscent of Kobe steak. Mmmmmm....Wagyu beef. Damnit, there I go again. :(

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Grumblings

I'm irritated. Not only did the Chargers lose last night (no comment, other than @#(^!@#(*$!!@) but I'm struggling over this whole "cutting down my portion size" thing. I'm freakin' hungry all the time (or, more precisely, my bellay is telling my mind that it should be hungry) and I think I'm coming down with a cold. Grrrrrr. And I thought that if I tried really hard not to be happy (and just be really depressed about things) that it would help curb my appetite -- but it's not. I'm staring at this 3/4 full bag of Big Grab Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos and contemplating if I should finish it. Maybe it's the stress? Maybe that's why I'm breaking out? Whatever... Screw it, Doritos are going in the trash. But only after just one more chip. :)

I'll just drink lots of water...that's the ticket...lots and lots of water. And start playing tennis on Tuesdays & Thursdays. I really miss playing tennis, no matter how much I sucked. And playing tennis in Southeast San Diego was the greatest thing ever...especially when one of our top players rolls into the parking lot in a ratted out late seventies Chevy Impala bumpin' Rodney O' & Joe Cooley: can't get enough of my everlastin' bass!" And those spoiled-ass private-lessoned Bonita kids arriving at Martin Luther King Park on their own freakin' bus each haulin' around three extra Prince Graphite racquets (the rage of the late eighties) with ball girls in tow.


So anyways. If anyone cares, I ended up walking down the hall yesterday to throw away the soy sauce. And nope, I didn't suck on the ginger. I hate ginger. Candied or not. And yes, I tried using the ginger to do the "cleanse your palate" thing between pieces of sushi...it's not for me. Oh how I long for a good piece of Toro.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Monday, October 10, 2005

Soy sauce

So you're finished eating the box of Mollie Stone's Sushi ("Fullmoon Combo") at your desk in the office.
Do you:
  1. Dump the soy sauce + wasabi mixture in the trash, making your office smell like Asian people (nevermind the fact that I'm Filipino and my office mate is Chinese)?
  2. Walk down the hall and throw it away in the bathroom trashcan?
  3. Drink all the leftover soy sauce?

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Life Without a TV

One of my coworkers sent around a video of Russell Peters. What a crack up.

It's now been 3 weeks and my apartment still looks like this:

No practice today, so I should be able to grind it through and finally get fully setlled in.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Phew

So I didn't get fired.

:)

The presentation to the CEO and the rest of the executive staff seemed to go OK. My boss thought I did fine, and since they all didn't tear me a new one, I think I escaped relatively unscathed. I can't believe how freakin' nervous I was. I haven't felt like that since...well, hell... a long time! I think it was in college, when I called a girl I liked on the phone to ask her out for the first time. :) I mean, I was sitting there next to our EVP of Engineering, my palms all sweaty, all uptight, leg twitching away. And I've been in worse situations: on sales meetings running a demo with customers and the demo's not working; the lone rep from my company at a BETA test site where no one likes our product; in interviews where I had no clue what da hell I was talking about... Maybe it's because I'm no longer a reckless arrogant twenty something with nothing to lose? Maybe that's it...fear. Fear of failure. Fear of getting chewed out. Fear of being caught unprepared. What da hell happened to me? I used to have no fear. Not a care in the world. Not concerned about tomorrow, or the day after. Not worried about losing my job, confident that I could always get another one. My, how times change when you get older.

So here's a question...All the lowly staff/presenters are there on time, and the exec staff walks in late. Next to me is a crappy little blue chair (all the rest are those nice fancy boardroom chairs). My boss's boss (the aforementioned Engineering EVP) doesn't have a chair to sit on other than that crappy blue chair. I'm sitting in a fancy chair. Do I offer my chair? First instinct was to offer it, but I'm not going to play the submissive asian/lowly worker bee. So I didn't.

Anyways...the other thing that bothered me was that there was a lot of high level business discussion going on, and I couldn't chime in with anything really interesting to say. It was an excellent opportunity to make a name for myself, but oh well. Power hungry director/upper management boardroom executive type this guy does not make. I'm happy workin' the trenches with the rest of gen pop. (heheheh I love that term -- my cousin and her boyfriend works the penal system and it just struck a chord with me).


So here's another question...how do you know if you snore? My brother stayed with me a while back and told me he was surprised I didn't snore anymore. I didn't believe him so I started wondering...how would I know? One thing I could do is put the iRiver on record and let it run for a few hours. But then, how creepy is that, listening to it the next night...with all the lights turned off...all alone at home...played back on my stereo. And underneath my breathing as I fall asleep, you start to hear these faint noises...like someone walking through my apartment, the sound of my doorknob turning, the bedroom door creaking open. And then distinct sounds that there's someone else in my room, breathing heavily...and then over the crystal clear digital sound of the mp3 player, you hear this eerie voice slowly utter the words

help.

me.
...over and over again.
Yeah, that would be just great.

:)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Massage Action

I decided to get one of those exercise balls after Randy showed me some simple abdominal exercises to do on this thing. So looking around, I stumbled upon this. Ooooh... Massage action... Tingly... Two-way action pump... Soft, relaxing massage points... The copy editors on these ads must have a great time.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Desire. Lust. Wanton Reckless Materialism.

I hate when I get into these modes...I constantly find myself shopping -- and not your typical wandering around a teenage infested mom hangout like Serramonte Plaza. No, this is in the virtual mall known as the internet. I don't know what it is, maybe it's because I haven't watched TV for like 5 days. Maybe it's because of the recent purging of old crap from this move. Whatever the case, I got a bad case of materialism going on right now. Let's see:
  1. New PC - my old desktops are now long gone. I need something that I can use to edit videos. And no, a freakin' $2500 PowerMac G5 dual 2 point whatever gigahertz SOHO fancy shmancy shiny workstation from Mr. Cupertino ain't gonna do it. Not for cheap racing videos or the other video projects I have planned. Besides, I don't have a business yet to write off the expense. Researching some I've come across a configuration that'll work - Cheap $400 PC + $350 Matrox RT.X 10 nonlinear editing card (crucial! I hate rendering times!) Nevermind the fact that I can do just fine right now importing the track clips on my work laptop using Windows Movie Maker.
  2. Bedroom speakers - There's an amp, pre-amp and CD player sitting in my bedroom aching for that right set of speakers. And I've always wanted a set of Polk SDAs... Wouldn't you know it, there's an absolutely stunning example of their top line model up for grabs at eBay right now. Now someone in their right mind would ditch the second stereo altogether and sell it for a decent chunk of change to donate to an orphanage or something. But that's not me...no, I'm insane.
  3. Camera - I need a medium format camera. And a digital P&S. And a digital SLR. That's right, need. Forget the fact that I'm not that good at it and I won't make any money and that it's just a hobby. Forget all that. I just want to be able to pretend that I'm a good photographer and look like I know what I'm doing. And you very well can't do that with a 35mm Nikon from the mid-nineties, right? Right. It doesn't help that one of the people that I'm talking to at my company takes stunning photographs.
  4. Car - I need a Spec E30 race car. I don't care if I don't have a house with a garage yet, or a tow vehicle...I'm going to need a new track/autocross toy once the S2K is gone and the G20 gets replaced by a motorcycle. And...there's a beautiful silver E30 325i sitting in Mountain View right now. And I bet I can get 'em to drop the price to two grand. Oh, and I forgot to mention I need a turbo car too. Just because I've never had one. And turbos (a well setup one) are wonderfully intoxicating totally addicting pieces of machinery.
  5. Dishes - I need new plates. And bowls. I gave my old set to my brother, so now I'm living off of paper plates. Well, I guess I could wait on this one. Paper plates aren't too bad. But it's quickly going to suck because I need to start cooking dinners once I get sick of turkey sammiches and Fiber One cereal.
You know, I'm trying to remember... what da hell did we do before there was internet access? I seem to recall playing a lot of board games. And playing football/baseball/basketball/kickball/super-freeze-tag outside a lot. And riding bikes. And going to the library. And hanging out with friends. And talking on the phone...

Living without a TV isn't too bad...living without internet access, well...that's just crazy talk. :)

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Monday, October 03, 2005

Going up?

After tonight's workout, I decided to stop by the storage unit to drop off the (kick ass) line trimmer/weed whacker that's been sitting in my trunk since Saturday shedding grass all over the carpet. Punch the code into the gate, park, pop the trunk, get out the weed whacker. Keys? Check. Phone? Nah, I'll only be a minute. Walk to the double doors, fighting the urge to shiver in the chilly autumn evening air, armed only with a pair of black gym shorts and two T shirts. Punch "^" on the elevator. Step into the shiny steel diamond plate-lined conveyance and depress the plastic switch labeled "2". It lights up with authority. Motors whine, and I'm off. Few seconds later, the elevator stops with a loud "BAM" and a slight drop. Oh shit. Ummmm...evaluate my options. Scream like a bitch? Nah, stay cool...press the alarm bell -- I think I saw another car outside, someone must be loading up somewhere. No luck. OK, cool...there's a phone. Pick it up, depress and hold the button. Some lady is talking through some record message -- "Hold button, you will be connected in thirty seconds; release button and you will be disconnected". Over and over again. And over and over again. Hrmph....I'm sitting here, listening to this crap, running mental images of that scene from Speed: you know, the overhead shot of the group in the elevator, showing them panic as the elevator falls. I hate falling. I mean I really hate falling. My younger brother and Dad laughed their asses off watching me turn purple on the parachute ride at Knotts Berry Farm when I was 13.

Anyways...the phone finally rings, and wouldn't you know it: "We're sorry, the number you have dialed is incorrect or is no longer in use. Please try again". GREAT. Got-damn*t-f(*@(*#^$*(&!^(*&@#)(*&!@#. So I hold down the alarm bell...nothing. I yell..."help? HEEEEELP?!?!" Still nothing. Why da hell didn't I bring my stupid-van-damn-freakin' phone?!?!?

Grrr...Press 1. Press 2. Nothing. Door Open. Nothing. Pull emergency stop, humming stops. Release emergency stop, and suddenly as fast as the elevator stopped, it moves again! Woo hoo!!! With a big sigh of relief I step off onto the second floor and drop off the weed whacker.

Needless to say, I took the stairs on the way down.
And the stairs again up to my apartment. :)

You know, I wonder...now that I'm living alone...how long would it take for someone to notice that I was missing?

I'm guessing a week?

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

Sunday, October 02, 2005

L Is For The Way You Look At Me

Life is interesting without a working TV. Yes, my beloved Trinitron is busted again -- and the 27" was last seen getting hauled off in the back of Pebble's yellow Mini for a paltry sum. I think the repair is still under warranty, but I won't be able to get it fixed until maybe next weekend. Eek -- a week without a TV. So I brushed the dust off the Nat King Cole box set and took a stab at unpacking the myriad of boxes piled in the living room and kitchen. I forgot just how amazingly unique his voice was. And he was a massive smoker too. Hm... Maybe if I really turn up my smoking I could sing like him? Maybe not. :) And it's been years since I've listened to the set that I just realized that Nature Boy is in here -- no wonder it sounded so familiar in Moulin Rouge.
The greatest thing
is to love
and be loved
in return
So I weighed myself the other day -- I should've been weighing myself all along, because the numbers seem a bit optimistic. If the scales are right (both the one in my bathroom & the one @ 24HR Fitness) then it looks like I've lost 20 pounds since earlier this year, which puts me at ~245. Regardless of the weight loss, this whole exercise thing has been really great...I feel waaaay better, and look forward to the thrice weekly workout sessions. I forgot how relaxing a 45 minute workout is, especially after a crappy day at work -- the exercises (and sometimes the occassional eye candy -- hehe) help take my mind off the usual hassle of everyday life.

With the haircut done, next up is an outfit change and enrolling in classes at the local CC.

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]