Now go out and get her - random thoughts

Only a scant two weeks until my under graduate studies are finally over (and it only took five years!). I had a feeling this month of May will just fly by, and indeed even though it has only been the fifth day, it feels like things are quickly coming to an end. But no time to reflect on anything because I still have at least three major projects that I still need to get started (?) on! Haha it is so hard not to let apathy set in and just be like fuck it, I am graduating for sure now anyways, so why bother. But of course I am not that kind of person, and to be honest if you are that kind of person, you don't deserve your degree.

Anyways, at least I got my fun out of the way this past weekend (funny right, fun before work - the American mentality?) when I went down to LA for the Korean Music Festival. Now that I think about it, it is a shame how there is no Chinese equivalent of it. Nonetheless, I had a great time enjoying the weather (though absolutely dry) and some good music (and a chance to fanboy out loud for a bit haha). Speaking of fans, do people not have manners? I understand that may be your favorite singer singing the Korean national anthem, but have some respect and not SCREAM and YELL the whole time. 

I don't think I can live in Southern California in any permanent fashion at all (and not only because of my undying love for San Francisco). The air is just too damn dry, and it wrecks havoc with my skin. I have grew up amongst humidity all by live - South East Asia, and San Francisco (three sides water). Hence I guess I have evolutionarily adapted to having water in the air? You know you've got a problem when you have used twice as much lotion as normal and your skin is still not hydrated. I mean sure it may be nice to not be freezing all the time, but not at the expense of dehydrating your skin (and body too, drink water by the megatons). Anyways, the first breath of air I took back in the Bay Area was refreshing to say the least. 

And of course I can't live in LA because I would get beat up by a Dodger fan.

I came back to San Francisco on Sunday evening to the great news of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Personally I don't get why is his death worth so much celebration. Sure the families of the victims of 9/11 gets a measure of closure, but heck his death will not bring your love ones back, so anybody that actually derives satisfaction over Bin Laden's death is just being selfish. Trotting over the ground zero and raising a ruckus and being all patriotic is kind of excessive - it is not like we WON the war. This is not World War II, and Bin Laden is not Hitler (symbolically speaking, not in terms of being a douche). Hitler's death meant the end of the war in Europe (too bad he shot himself, no glory kill for US). Bin Laden's death as of right now means NOTHING. America is still in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Al Queda still exist (do you feel anymore reassured about our national security?)

I cannot possibly be the only person seeing the death of Bin Laden as the start of the domino falling instead of closure. I am glad that the implications of Pakistan is not escaping the mainstream media. It is more clear than ever that Pakistan did hide Bin Laden within their country, and certainly they cannot be happy about the US coming in unannounced and having a fire fight in on their soil (next Call of Duty game?). Think about this, if another country have helicoptered in a squad of elite soldiers into one of our cities (without telling us) and open fire on a suspect on their most wanted list, I don't think we would be all too happy either (Roman Polanski should be shaking in his mansion in France). How convenient the mainstream press ignored that the US basically disregarded the national sovereignty of Pakistan and just went in there (like a boss!).

It is definitely not the end of it. US - Pakistan relations, and the entire Middle East region will come to a head really soon, especially the role the West is playing (revolution!).

I have to say, having a smartphone with a data plan really boost my productivity. Not to say that I do anything important with my phone (maybe...). It just that having the phone allows me to do all the frivolous social networking and texting during times that I would otherwise have not the ability to. So instead of wasting time, I get to do my Facebook, twitter, and mail checking done and over with, giving me more productivity for when I do get situated at a place of work. Imagine all the time wasted while walking from the car - now I can check all my stuff during the walk so that once I reach home I can start doing productive stuff. So basically it is spreading the non-productivity to other times where before it would not have been possible. They say time is money, and smart phone data plan have allowed me to use it more wisely (because really, who is going to stop social networking and checking news online?)

Oh yeah, loving the weather this week. It really feels like summer is here (even though I no longer have a summer break of any kind). And of course it is the San Francisco kind of hot so it is just perfect. And of course when the girls dress in their summer clothing, it is just the best. Hot weather also makes people go out and exercise. You know what makes a hot girl even hotter? Regular exercise. It just adds mega points to the attractiveness factor. 

Sorry I'm late - random thoughts

It is what happens when you procrastinate. But not really, I did NOT procrastinate at all, and still somehow someway thing still end up piling up together. You know the semester is coming to an end when you seem to have so much stuff to do yet you don't even realize you have that much (?). Such was the timeline between this past saturday and yesterday, in which literally I had thing after thing to do, and all of them were due this week (sure I fit in cleaning my far and going to a Giants game, but otherwise I would go INSANE). 

So it was to my relive that last night I slept really well because all the stuff I had to do for school (and otherwise) was over with and now i can enjoy some time for myself (like sleeping without feeling like you still have hella stuff to do - it is a great feeling). Anyways you know how I said last week that perhaps this weekend might be a bad time to go to LA? It is actually a great time to go to LA this weekend, as I literally have nothing to do that is school related (thank you god). Sure there are big things still due, but heck I can do them later (that would be procrastination).

Anyways, I finally gave in to the hype and purchase an iPhone! I originally had said that as soon as Verizon get the iPhone, I will for sure get one (no way I am ditching to AT&T for its unreliable network, and no more mobile to mobile with my Verizon network friends). Now I originally plan to wait for the iPhone 5, which usually, would come out in June according to Apple's normal refresh cycle. But it is widely believe that the fifth generation device will not bow until September, and I realize I just cannot wait that long (not to mention my contract was up). Nonetheless, here I am with my iPhone 4, and OMG it is so cool!!!!

But really, curse Apple for making products that are beautiful and make sense (and curse them for being so darn expensive). You get over the sticker shock really quick after using any Apple device (I honestly should work at an Apple store). Anyways, now that I am a slave to the $30 dollar a month ("unlimited", right...) cellular data, you bet your ass I am going to use it as much as possible to get my money back (hello Pandora!). Going to use 3G as much as I can, even if wifi is available, and it drains the battery more. 

Speaking of battery, why are people so afraid to abuse it? It is ONLY a battery, a thing that powers your device. Stop treating it like its a baby (oh, I'm trying to save the battery, wait, I better turn off stuff I don't need). It is one of those things where it deteriorates by itself even if you don't use it. Besides, if you are worried about wasting your own energy bill, charge it at a public place (thank you Starbucks, campus, public library) and pilfer other people's electricity (not that I am condoning such theft, maybe...). You freaking paid for the device, use it comfortably and not worry so much about something as minor as battery life (please environmental groups, don't sue me. my friend is not a lawyer.. yet).

So did I mention I washed my car? Yes indeed, after 7 months in the elements (I wish I had a garage), I finally gave it the bath it probably did not deserve. I did not know the car and my wheels was this color! Is it something manly that if your car is absolutely filthy on the outside (not the inside, my car's inside is always clean... can't stand a dirty interior) that shows you actually use your car and not care about how it looks (probably ties in to the low maintenance factor). But you have to clean it sometime right? (once every half a year seems like a pretty nice schedule to me). Of course when the car was new I care more about how it looks, but nowadays as long as it runs fine I am okay with it looking like pulp. It is a tool after all, to get me from point A to point B. When you are as busy as I am (wait... doing what?), keeping the car clean (on the outside) is not that much of a priority.

Which is why in the future I will lease my automobiles. First of all my liability decrease dramatically, and I get a new car every two years, which is not so bad at all (ah, that toxic plastic bonding agent that normal people refer to as new car smell). Besides, you know every year some new car will always come out and you're like WOW, too bad I can't upgrade because I am still trying to pay off the car I have and I will take a lost if I trade it in (gap insurance, people, buy it). 

But of course it rains the day after I washed the car (I love you San Francisco!). Thankfully I had waxed it too (ouch, my arm), so the water just sort of sheeted off. But still... gir. 

Hey guys, who here does NOT stare at a monitor for house on end at night (crickets...). Well I recently found an app (for both Windows and Mac) that helps preserve your eyes in these situations. It is called f.lux (http://stereopsis.com/flux/). Basically it matches the color temperature of your monitor to your interior lighting at night, and by doing so it is much easier on your eyes. It takes awhile to get use to at first, but once you do, and you stare at a monitor that does not have f.lux installed, it is as if you are staring right into the sun (my retinas). Best of all, the app is FREE. So my friends who like to burn the midnight oil by perusing their computers in bed, use the program to save your eyes (because otherwise how else will you ogle at the opposite sex?)

Three more weeks of undergrad left. Expect reflection/nostalgia blogs in the coming weeks (yay...)

Smile - random thoughts

Again there was no Giants game tonight so there goes three hours that I would have otherwise devoted to it (amongst other things of course). Needed a mental sports day off anyways because the Giants have been doing so much winning lately (FOUR straight series win!) that if I don't get a day off I might burst from too much enthusiasm (second live game of the season this Sunday!).

Speaking of the Giants, I am very sad that the organization decided to sent Brandon Belt back to the minors. I completely understand the move, but still it is quite disappointing, as I feel Belt needed a longer time at the majors and a fair shake. But the odds were against him really. He was not exactly lighting it up on fire like Posey did last year, and the Giants just have way too many outfielders right now with the return of Cody Ross to keep Belt, who have what they call "options" (established players with a certain amount of years in the big leagues CANNOT be sent down to the minors, except for injury rehab reasons).

Today is Thursday right? (Rebecca Black?) I almost forgotten due to the super weird day that Monday was. First of all due to various circumstances, my work schedule on campus has completely changed, to now I work at night Monday to Thursday, and my usual morning hours on Friday. So thus on Monday I did not have to be on campus until 2pm, due to the fact I work at night now, and 2pm is my first (and only) class that day.

Working at night means I have to once again do my workouts in the morning - which is not so bad. The only problem is that I am not nearly as flexible in the morning as I am later in the day (can't even touch my toes with my legs straight), so stretching is a bit compromised. Other than that, the only difference is, instead of going straight to slumber after working out at night, I still now have a full day ahead of me (please don't ask me to lift that box). The thing is though, it is very satisfying to get my workout for the day out of the way and not have to think about it.

So right, on Monday I worked out and ate breakfast, only to then find that my 2pm class was cancelled due to my professor having inflammation flare ups (take your fish oil, kids). I was like okay great, guess I won't have to be on campus until 6ish. So I figure I just chill and Facebook until then (ah, the freedom of college I will miss). Well turns out the SFSU campus lost power in a catastrophic fashion, hence all classes in the afternoon and night is cancelled. Well since there is no class, it makes my job on campus redundant, hence yes I did not have to go to work on Monday either.

Overall it was just too weird. Try adjusting to a brand new schedule on the first day and then having it turn completely upside down. Sure I can't ultimately complain about it as I kind of sort of had an extra day off attached to the weekend, but I did go back to work the next day wondering to myself how much it feels like a Monday. Thankfully the rest of the week was much less confusing and straight forward. 

Today for my internship I went to a middle school's earth day extravaganza to promote and sell the company's environmental friendly stationary and pencils. And man do I feel old (I'm ONLY 23!?). Hard to believe I am almost a decade removed from my middle school days. So it was indeed a bit of nostalgia visiting a middle school, even if it was not my own. I even got to have some school food for lunch, which brought back some good memories, in that back in middle I could eat what ever the fuck I wanted and still be stick skinny (it is how I got to be so tall I bet). 

Speaking of food - what the heck are they feeding the middle school children these days? Man are they tall! Either puberty is really robust or it is the water they are drinking. At first I ask my boss is it really a junior high and not a high school we are going to. I swear most of the girls were like taller than five foot five, and the dudes were massive. Thank heavens for genetically altered, mass produced food I guess. 

So recently I have move sort of a bit beyond photography and going into videography and video editing. At this juncture I would like to say that it is better to be great at one thing than good at many things. Suffice to say I am going to keep working on photography for a long while before I move on to other visual media. It is not that videography is hard (well, maybe), it is just that like photography, there is just so many things to learn that it can be overwhelming at first. The thing is, after you learn the stuff, it is more like muscle memory and everything just clicks (that goes with everything I guess). 

The good thing is though with digital art, anything and everything you can and want to learn is available online for free. I kind of wish this kind of proliferation of knowledge was available back when I was much younger, so that by now I could have much more knowledge. Nonetheless it is probably the golden age of actually learning anything, because the internet has made it so accessible (and FREE!). So for my cooking inept friends, you no longer need to watch the food channel - just get an app on your phone). There is absolutely no reason you should stop learning things after you graduated from college (t-minus 4 weeks). 

I paid $45 dollars for tank of gas yesterday. This is getting out of control! I drive an economy car for pete's sake! Though interesting that in the latest survey by consumer report, even with the high gas prices, Americans are generally not interested in downsizing their automobiles on their next purchase (Europeans are laughing at us). Well I guess people have deeper pockets than I do, and you know what, as long as the demand is there, automobile makers will continue to make big cars that is beyond what people needs (I understand, a nice big van is very comfortable for the kids, but if you only have two, do you REALLY need the extra third row? How about just get a very tall car?).

I wonder when are we going to see news reports of people stealing gas from people's tanks again (why do they put it at such a convenient location!). You how you can save gas and have screaming fast performance? Get a bike! I would so get one if not for the fact I don't have a cover garage to safely store it from the elements. Also I am not the type to like to carry a lot of gear with me, so all that motorcycle gear I have to lug around everywhere I go is no bueno. But man can bikes rev to stratospheric levels (10k rpm +)! Sounds freaking sweet.

Sometimes I would have the inability to turn of my sarcasm tone (I run on sarcasms), and instead of saying something is meant to be sincere and meaningful, it turns sarcastic, which has the opposite affect (does not work well when you tell a girl how beautiful she is). What I need is that machine Stephen Hawking has, which is only one tone and very clear. 

What a great idea to schedule a trip to LA next weekend, when everything is piling up. 

Black Day - random thoughts

Uh let see um don't know where to begin with this one. No Giants game tonight so kind of don't know what to do with myself really. (but don't you have studies?) No not really. I don't think it is senioritis at all (really, it is not haha), but I feel like I have not really done much at all this semester academic wise, and yet it is for certain now that I will graduate in mere five weeks from now (it is mid April already!?)

Just when I think it will be the week I finally give my car a bath, it freaking rains during the days before! It is as if the sky itself does not want me to do it. It has indeed been awhile. The mothership questions why I don't wash my car often, as back a couple of years ago I use to wash it religiously every 2 weeks, the weather be damned. But it is not because I have grown out of my automobile interest, it is just have been things to do with my time? I mean at least my interior is pretty clean! Honestly when it comes down to it cars are just appliances that gets you somewhere and through your productive day. Would I like to a drive a washed car? sure! But it is worth the effort? Eh not when I have more productive things to do - as long as the car is not falling apart of rusting haha.

Went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown this past weekend - first time in a long time. While there was not really much to see to be honest, but everybody goes for the food anyways (how could you not when there is a whole block just dedicated to food?) It reminds me of the street foods back home in Asia, where at the night blocks will be line up with just foods of all kinds, usually just small finger foods. Nostalgia and bad parking aside, it was just a good opportunity to pig out I guess on some Japanese food that is not made by that Mexican chef in the back of the restaurant.

Well I guess now is as good a time as any to gripe about gas prices again. I finally passed the four dollar threshold during my last fill up (at Costco no less!). Small efficient car not withstanding, it still hurts to have your gas bill go over $40 (those of you that drives SUV, I don't really have much pity haha). It does indeed makes you think twice about making an extra trip doing something that can be combined with another. It also makes you think of ridiculous stuff like taking out all passenger and back seats in order to save some weight (because honestly, 95% of the time its only me?). Then again it was during another blog post couple of weeks back where I said I welcome the high gas prices (in terms of the big picture for America), so I should not be complaining. You know I love San Francisco, but having the highest average pas price in the nation is just one of the side affects (like parking, street cleaning, and oh did I mention parking?)

I did not think it was possible, but I guess one can get sick of costco food. I mean you eat that pizza or hot dog often enough and it just does not taste good anymore. And costco is a such a big foods company, you would think they would have came up with more variety by now (remember when Churros went away and now came back? there used to be Pretzels?). But you know just as you are getting sick of it, you are then reminded the fact of just how cheap the food is. By that time you have no choice but resolve yourself to still patronize. Because $1.50 for a whole meal is nothing to sneeze at, even if your breathe will smell like hotdog for a few hours afterwards. You know what, new business idea - Costco food stands all over the place, and not just exclusive to Costco locations. Imagine what $1.50 hot dogs and soda will make in a place like downtown SF (that hotdog stand by Macy will probably not be happy).

I fully support restaurants posting calorie counts right on the menu. It tells me that just about 80% of the item of the menu, I cannot eat! I mean, you really going to have to at least think about it right? Seeing that meal you are about to order is 1500 calories have to people some thoughts (unless they are really hungry). But I will be honest, sometimes it is hard to put into mind that so little stuff can amount to large amount of calorie. Puts into your mind like "how the heck can this little thing be xxxx calories?". It is the eyes playing tricks on us? Perhaps we are so adapted to the visual volume of food that if it does not look like it is a lot, then even if it IS a lot calorie wise, we still won't be satisfied (it is why when I eat protein bars, even if the label say its 350 cal, I still feel like I barely ate anything). 

Case in point: this past weekend I ate at a diner for some American style breakfast and the portions where huge! I mean who the heck needs three eggs, three sausage, three strips of bacon, three pancakes, and a gang load of potatoes JUST for breakfast? (Don't get me wrong the food was fabulous). I ate like half of it and it was already more than I had wanted to eat. Had the restaurant showed the calorie count on the menu I would have passed on it and just ordered some eggs and cheese (like I would make at home, or just a bowl of oatmeal). As Chinese I was taught to eat everything that is given on the plate/bowl, so I feel extremely bad leaving half uneaten to be thrown away (because you really don't want American style breakfast for two meals in a roll, not me anyways).

Whoa times up, going to get off work soon. Until Monday.