Staying

So I'm not leaving this weekend! Initially mom did want me to go around this time, but I told her I could only do after October. Then I thought about it, and decided it would be best if I left in September. After talking with Megan I realized I had to move it back to August. It just kept moving closer! On Wednesday I was expecting mom to say "OK" but she felt it was just too rushed and too soon. Anyway, I'm fine with whatever comes in a month or so. If I fly before October, great. If I go after Jen's wedding, that will work too.

Leaving sooner than expected

I hung out with Megan today. It turned out that I might have to leave as soon as possible, as the flight schedule will be modified in the month of September. I am going to call Mom tonight and hope to figure everything out. I was not expecting to travel so soon, but if it had to be this way to save money, so be it. If mom says we need to wait, then I will wait 'til either after October or next year. It's kind of exciting, and nerve-wrecking at the same time.

Worked a little bit

I worked half a day today at the new company. I still couldn't figure out the PHP puzzle, but at least I managed to add a banner on the homepage without too much hassle. My afternoon was spent mostly with Caretas. I took a nap after having a very hearty lunch she made (meatloaf and potato salad) - This nap was much needed, as I again failed to sleep last night. I went to the gym around 10 o'clock and thought about some of my plans for the rest of the year. I am going to visit mom again. This time I will stay a little longer, it will be either in the month of September or late October into early December.

I don't know PHP

I spent a good amount of time today trying to figure out how to add a banner to a web page. I only know html, but this website was done completely in php. It just seemed very foreign and complicated. I was on the server and the admin panel going back and forth on the index page and the administration and thinking how I was going to add something to it without messing up the whole structure. Arrgh! Usually I could depend on Dave to show me the ropes, but he was busy today. I went to the Oscommerce community forum. I googled several different phrases. I would read them word by word and still feel confused and overwhelmed. In the end I decided to add a simple pop-up window instead as a temporary solution. When I go into the office tomorrow I will open the page in Dreamweaver and see if I can view the layout better and modify it. Steve and Sandy both said that should do the trick. I hope so. I am just easily intimidated by any computer programming and coding. Let's see how I do tomorrow.

Lost and Found

Something extraordinary happened today. Two years ago when my mom was visiting LA she gave me an antique bracelet that unfortunately I lost 3 days after. I felt I might have dropped it in the gym, and when I went back to look for it, the staff there told me nobody turned it in. I was a little upset with myself, and mom was disappointed too.

Last Friday I lost my clip-on shades. I looked everywhere in the apartment and couldn't find them. I was so annoyed. Because my glasses came with these exact magnetic clip-on shades that would only work with each other, they were kind of irreplaceable. Finally I called the gym yesterday and asked one of the staff to check for me. After some digging around she found the shades. I was relieved. This morning I went to the gym and got them back. I felt great. I was ecstatic. I didn't want to risk losing the shades again, so I walked back to my car and left them inside.

There wasn't a lot of people in the gym today. I was running and feeling cool. Suddenly a thought popped in my head - I should ask the staff about my antique bracelet! I didn't know why I felt that was a good idea. It just dropped in my head and made sense to me. I found the shades... that was unbelievable. I really thought I lost them. Now they came back to me, so why not ask the staff about the bracelet that I thought I had lost too? Yes I knew it had been 2 years! It couldn't hurt, right?! For some reason, I felt a force encouraging me to go up to the front desk again.

When I walked up and talked to the staff this time, I didn't even know how to fully describe the bracelet. This happened so long ago and I only had it for a few days. I remember the design was simple and had black and white beads, which was exactly what I told the girl behind the counter. She went digging through that big box full of clothes, keys, accessories, all kinds of personal stuff again. She looked up and asked me again what it looked like and I told her the same, "a bracelet with just black and white beads." Honestly I felt a little foolish. I wasn't describing it that well and I felt it could not possibly be found after all this time, but I had to ask her today.

And... SHE FOUND IT! I was shocked. When I first looked at it, I didn't think it was the one. I was picturing something different. I took it and wore it on my wrist. The more I looked at it the more I felt it was the bracelet I lost. The design that I was thinking about was another one mom had, which she showed me and explained in details. I replaced the one I lost with hers in my mind. Walking away I was both happy and bewildered. It was very hard for me to believe that after 2 years I found the bracelet where I lost it. Upon close inspection, I saw some wear and tear. The thread was loose and one of the beads was broken. I figured there was someone who took it after I dropped it, wore it, and lost it just like I did in the gym... And someone else found it and turned it in!

I kept looking at it in the gym and on the way home. After I went to help PK move his fridge, I drove to one of the antique accessory designers I knew and had the bracelet re-threaded and repaired. She was just as surprised and happy after I told her how I was reunited with it. Later tonight I called mom and told her too. She couldn't believe it either. And yes, I asked her about the bracelet's design and she described it exactly. I am wearing it now. I'm so happy.

Didn't sleep much

I didn't sleep well last night. Eversince I got laid off whenever I have to work the next day I cannot sleep. It doesn't matter if I nap on that day or not. When it comes to bedtime I spend most of the hours lying awake, thinking, worrying about random stuff. It's stress. It's anxiety. It's whatever. This probably also means I'm getting old. Great. Old, jobless and an insomniac! Thank goodness I only turn into an insomniac when I have work the following day, so I'm not completely hopeless yet. I do sleep fine normally. Weird.

New Ch-Pop Songs I love

I've been enjoying some new Ch-Pop these past few weeks. There's some really catchy stuff. I really like 1 to 10 = Me and You by Fanfan. The song's adorable:



Amei's new album is awesome. I especially love the track Lost - It's written by Sodagreen's Qin Fung... Amei sounds amazing. It's heartfelt and powerful:



I'm not familiar with Ariel Lin, who's a popular TV actress. I don't think her new song sounds too original. Still it is charming and cute. Sweet Garden by Ariel Lin:

Patience

I spent most of the day at home today. Applied for jobs. Took a nap. Went to the gym. That was about it. I was watching Chinese cable channels and slowly starting to feel like having spicy, savory Chinese food. Seriously... the power of television! I will be good and wait. There was some news tonight regarding the world economy recovering. Some companies are expanding overseas, foreclosures are down domestically, stock market is rebounding, etc. Is it so? I thought the unemployment just went over 10% last month in CA. I wonder where I fit in all these statistics. Still waiting to see where this is going to lead. I've got lots of patience here.

Recovering from Magic Mountain

Dave Jose and I went to Magic Mountain yesterday. It was so much fun! Dave was SO prepared. He had a master game plan. We knew the order of the rides we were going to do. We had coke cans for the half-off discount. We also knew when and where we would be having lunch. Before we even got there, Dave already prepared 4 types of sandwiches, home-made ice tea, fresh fruit salad, juice, soda, ice and ice water, the whole nine yard. It was the best amusement park experience I have ever had. In total, we went on 20 rides, 3 of them were repeats. I know! CRAZY fun! My favorites are Scream, Deja Vu, Goliath, X2, and Tatsu. After the excitement, we went to In & Out for some necessary junk food that we were all craving. We were so tired, but also so happy.

Today I stayed home and recovered. Did a little bit of work at home in the morning. My legs were too sore to do anything else, haha. I don't know where Dave found his energy, he went out and got a heavy-duty, mean-looking grill. He was seriously channeling Bobby Flay. I went over after my afternoon nap and helped him clean up a little. Jose was too tired to go shopping, he had a long day at work. Dave made good use of his new grill and we had grilled veges with store brought hummus to start. Then Dave used the same grill to make 2 pizzas. He really could make amazing dough... and turn it into phenomenal pizza crust. Yum! We watched some DVDs he bought, then Top Chef Masters, with Häagen-Dazs Strawberry and Caramel Cone ice creams. I am a lucky boy.

AC is finally ON!

I finally turned on the portable AC in my bedroom last night. So far I had resisted and resisted, but last night the heat was unbearable. Usually I would keep my fan next to the window and let it do its money-saving magic. However it wasn't working well last night, because the room was still warm and stuffy. So I decided to turn the AC on for the first time this year. I got this portable AC last summer, and I barely used it. I was always worried about the cost, the noise, and how it made me thirsty. Then again I reminded myself, "What is the point of buying and owning something if you keep talking yourself out of using it?" So we were ON. It was still noisy. It took no time to make me thirsty. And it would cause my electric bill to go up a few bucks. That was fine. I was able to sleep, even though I did wake up from the loudness and thirst. I had my bottle water ready. I was feeling both dry and comfortable. So I could fall back to sleep again.

Katsuya was just OK

I finally tried Katsuya today. TY and I ordered the tasting menu and the food was decent, but not great. We both felt the meal was salty and didn't feel that special. The service was a little disappointing too. We were sitting at the patio where the sun was moving quickly taking over our area. And it was close to 100 degrees outside in the afternoon. We moved to a different table ourselves to avoid the sun. The staff knew we moved, but never said a thing, or considered to offer us another table. It wasn't like they were busy, there were a lot of empty seats around us. It would have been nice if they acknowledged the situation in some way. Oh well! With the prices they were charging, we expected something unique and great, but we were just getting OK and passable. The rest of the afternoon I helped TY pack at his place. He's got a lot of clothes. It was truly mind-boggling. I might take him to the airport tomorrow and say our last goodbye. I will miss him. I came home and left again to have dinner with Dave Jose Angelo and Regina. Ding's Szechuan was extra delicious tonight. I don't know how that happened, but every dish was a winner. Maybe it was the company, we all were in a great mood. Everyone had a yummy fun time. We then came back to my place and enjoyed Dave's almond cherry pie and Jose's store brought vanilla ice cream. It was too good. Dave and Jose took off soon after, and Angelo and Regina went to get foot massage. This weekend was very full. I put in some work time and plenty of fun time. Can't complain at all :)

Will work on Saturdays now

I worked at my new part-time job for the first time today. Judy referred me to this company a couple of weeks ago, isn't she the sweetest? I really don't know what I would do without friends who support me along the way. The job is half a day a week, only on Saturdays. It's something! I am happy to say that I like the company and the people there too. Hopefully good things will keep on coming and I will always appreciate what I have. Thanks Judy :)

Hanging out with pals

For the first time in many many months, perhaps over a year, I went to a bar with Dave and Jose and his friend last night. We decided to go out because Jose's friend was leaving LA after his 9 day trip. The bar thankfully was not crowded. I sipped on a glass of cranberry juice while the rest of the group had beers. It was a slow, relaxing evening. Today I went out with Caritas first. We went to Hometown Buffet, then TJMaxx. She was in a great mood, and I was happy to accompany her to places. After I dropped her off, I went to pick up Megan. We went to her bank, came back to check on flight schedules, chatted a bit, then to another bank before I took her home. That was a pretty full day.

Mind

I worked today. I was happy that I was productive for most of the day. Having some kind of a focus does feel good. I have a lot on my mind. There is of course the never-ending job stuff. There are a couple of important phone calls that I have yet to make. There is the guilt trip my mom set off last week that has been bothering me on and off, something she does very well. And there is a possible trip I need to make a decision on soon. Sigh. I wish I have sound solutions to them all. The more I want to run away or not think about them, the moodier and antsier I get. Mind is a strange thing. One minute you can feel your best, the next you can drag yourself down, feeling absolutely hopeless about everything.

Stressed

I am in a weird mood. I had an interview last Friday. It was for a part time position, on just Saturdays, for a few hours in the morning. I was asked to start working there this week and I didn't think much of it. Because we didn't discuss the exact numbers, everyone I know is telling me that was careless. Friends and my dad are saying that I need to figure it out ASAP, or the company will rip me off for sure. I am the kind of person that has a hard time talking about money. I feel uncomfortable. In a way I don't want the employer to think that I am greedy or ungrateful. I know, it's dumb. Today I am just dreading the phone call that I will make soon. How am I going to bring it up? How much am I going to ask? What to do if they offer less? How much less is too little? Sigh. I get stressed just thinking about this. Because I am not working full time these days, I think about jobs more openly. At the same time, I don't want to be taken advantage of, I mean... no one does! We'll see what I come up with tomorrow.

Non-stop

I spent a lot of time with TY today. I first helped him put all the boxes together at his place. We then went out to LA Farmer's Market to get some fruits. It was so packed. I saw Heidi Fleiss and Ron Jeremy there too. That was kind of random and exciting. We had lunch at Michel Richard for one last time. We used to come here often. Their pate was one of TY's favorites. As we were enjoying it I thought how nice it was to dine there again. After the big lunch we went to Rodeo Drive to do some shopping. TY got many brand name presents. He was happy that there were big sales in every major department stores. We came back to his place and chatted some more. I felt a little sad that he was leaving. Before I left I fixed some minor computer problems he had and told him I would come help him pack sometime this week. I came home, rested a little, and left again to have dinner with Dave and Jose and his friends. We went to Mandarin Deli and ordered up a tremendous feast. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food. Dave baked a peach pie for the evening. But before we got to eating it, we stopped by Ralph's to get some ice cream. I know, today was just non-stop! Finally we were at Jose's and Dave served up another winning dessert from his kitchen. We had a great time laughing, eating, and sharing stories. It was a perfect Sunday.

Fun evening

Last night I went to Jen's new place and hung out with the group. Her new place was huge. Of course the parking in that area was a pain. Luckily I found a spot next to the apartment. Jen and the girls made pizzas for everyone and they were surprisingly good. Healthily good as well, they used whole wheat crust and all. I was there 'til 12:30. It was fun to eat and catch up every couple of months.

I saw this on the Taiwanese news and found it on Youtube. It made me laugh. People sometimes have too much time!


Now here is the original music video. After looking at it I actually prefer the Bollywood version more :)

Most important

Life is changing shape this week for a couple of my friends. PK's application was approved by his future landlord and will be moving into the new apartment later this month. TY's request was approved by his company and will be leaving LA within a few weeks. One's coming closer, while the other one is departing, taking a distant path. It's never easy to say goodbye, but everyone must make big sacrifices sometimes to reach a more fulfilling place for himself. I feel very excited for them. At the same time I wonder when I will be making significant, positive differences in my life. I just don't think it is a job. These days that is all I am thinking about, and it is consuming my mind and effort mostly. I want to get one that pays well, gives me an opportunity to express who I am and showcase what I can do, and lays a foreground for an even more secure future. However, this is to be one of the great things in life, but not the ultimate treasure. For that I think it's about people and relationships. To be loved, supported, appreciated, and respected by the ones you feel the same way back, is what's most important and awesome to me. And I believe I have that. So I guess I'm saying I am very lucky. I have friends who believe in me and love who I am. Even though sometimes I forget that I'm already blessed, I know I am. I am building a strong, solid foundation of my life, and it feels great to know that now. So I can feel hopeful to say goodbye to one of my good friends, and wish that he finds much happiness in his new home. Same to PK, may the new home brings him more calm because he so deserves it.

Home today - Didn't even drive

I didn't get to spend the night with Dave and Jose tonight as Jose's friend from Germany came to visit. Instead I sat with Caritas for a while and listened to her stories. She was feeling a lot better. I came back and ate what she cooked earlier for dinner. I was listening to some sentimental love songs in Chinese and found a few that I liked. They aren't too depressing, just enough sappiness to tickle my karaoke - belt it out loud - bone.

She usually sings very lighthearted or heartbroken songs. This one fits in the middle because of the lite "R&B" flavor. Pain that Breathes by Fish Leong:


She's a prolific singer songwriter but ironically this song counted as one of her biggest hits that wasn't written by her. Bottomless Hole by Tanya Tsai:


Sadly she has not done any new music for a while. Another singer songwriter that I like, a great talent. Only Want You to Be Happy by Fengie Wang:

Checking out an apartment

I went to check out an apartment for rent with PK today. It looked very spacious and new. I remember the excitement of apartment search, especially when I saw a good one. The place this afternoon was very close, and we liked it a lot. The price was comparable to mine. I told myself before that I wasn't going to move again, unless it was for a job, or moving into a bigger 2BD/2BA place with a friend. I did feel a little temptation this afternoon, seeing a freshly painted and carpeted and super clean apartment made me think how great it would be to live somewhere new. It's not the time and place I know, but it doesn't hurt to imagine.

Hello LA Summer

I almost applied for the same position I sent my resume to last week today. I guess I didn't see any new exciting postings. Usually if it's a job that has been reopened, or reposted I do make an attempt to try my luck again. Since it's the same job and same date, I just canceled my email. LA is getting hotter and hotter. We the people can never be satisfied. When the temperature's cold, we want it hot, and when it's scorching hot like today we wish we were still in that where-is-the-sun "June Cloud" days. Oh well, I am more or less ready. I am not shy to turn on my AC now. My laptop sits right in front of it. So if I want to, I can directly enjoy chilly cold air all afternoon and all night. Just kidding. I can't afford the bill if I leave it on like that! I would have it on for an hour or so, then adjust it down or even turn it off completely. Anyway, hello LA summer!

4th of July Weekend

I spent yesterday with Dave and Jose. We went to Three Family Village in Rowland Heights, then to Class 302 for shaved snow. Jose loved the shaved snow. I was happy to share this Taiwanese icy yummy dessert with them. Today I spent the afternoon with PK. We had lunch at Ono Hawaiian and shopped a little at TJMaxx. We stopped by Piece of Cake for some mocha and sitting down. We then went to browse a video store across the street, shopped at Fresh and Easy, and looked for "For Rent" apartments. I came back feeling full and decided to take a short nap. It's a good 4th of July weekend when you get to spend it with good friends and not spend money on random stuff.

I feel like dancing silly in my undies

It's Friday! I feel alive! Let's dance!!!

I don't know why the video for David Guetta's Stay is just bleh. The song however is dance dance awesome!



Cry for You by September is another good song with a bleh video. Try to think cool, flirtatious moves when dancing to it...



I love this song. So frantic and fun. I always dance silly to this sweet and spicy Jeanie Xie signature tune, Practice Dance Kung-fu .

Bad Bad Interview

I had a bad bad interview today. I made several mistakes prior and during it. The result was not pretty. I walked out feeling stupid, embarrassed, and upset. I came home, went to the gym, and by the time I got back I was able to laugh at the whole experience.

How did it all start? Seriously where do I begin? When the company's vice president called me to schedule an interview, I didn't ask where they posted their job ad. That piece of information was important because I needed it to see what position they were looking to fill and what type of business I sent my resume to. He mentioned his company name over the phone, and I jotted it down. I set the date, got the address and we hung up. I immediately went to google the company's website. Of course I couldn't get it right because I didn't know how to spell the company name correctly. No, I failed to ask him about that too. Sigh. After many tries I gave up. Instead I did a search on the address he gave me and I found the company's information finally. Unfortunately their site was down, so I used google's "cached" function to study the site. Some images were broken, some formatting was off, but I was able to figure out in general what they were.

Then I went to look for the application I sent. I did many searches in my mail box but I couldn't find that company name in my sent folder. I figured it was one of those nameless companies that posted ads on Craigslist, so again I did a search on the city where the company was located. I found one email I sent over a month ago, to a job in this city, but with a different position. I figured this was it and thought I would be fine.

Now, let the disaster begin. Today the first question they asked me regarding what their business was about, I said "door knob" and right away I saw a pause. Later while browsing through their catalog during the interview I learned they probably would much prefer that I say "entry set," a more professional, complimentary way of describing their products... Bad sign #1: Prolonged silence in the room. I knew it started off badly, still I held a positive attitude, I wanted to win these guys over. But their pause and silence were quite noticeable. I had a feeling I wasn't doing too good.

Bad sign #2: Both the president and vice president have very little to say after I described my accomplishments/successes. They were just either not impressed, or didn't believe a word I was saying. I slowly realized that actually I wasn't winning them over with my "positive" attitude or responses. I remember their pause, their silence, and their scarce feedback were getting longer and longer. They started to look tired, and very uninterested. Bad sign #3: The president started to check at his watch while I talked. That was the moment I knew I better see my ass out of their office. There was no graceful way of doing this. I made my answering shorter. And I was feeding the silence pot as well. Finally I said cheerfully, "OK! That's it!" Thinking I would be leaving, thus save everyone some precious time and myself some dignity. Bad sign #4: The vice president acted surprised that I had no questions for him. "You don't have anymore questions?! That's it?!" Oh man...

So I asked him a question. After in so many words he told me, like before, he didn't have an answer for me. The silence fell again. So I forced myself to ask him another question, similar results, uninterested, nonchalant response while the president sat there checking his watch!

Inside I couldn't take it. I just stopped "asking questions" and expressed my thoughts for leaving by skillfully folding up my portfolio. The president was so happy he got up and shook my hand eagerly. I hurried out and felt like crap for the next few hours.

Now I can laugh about it. I found out the company in fact posted their ad on Monster, not Craigslist. So I had the wrong position in mind, and if I had checked my Monster history I could probably find out more about the company, and the subtle difference between "door knob" and "entry set" and ...

I applied for so many jobs, often I just don't remember where I found the posting or position, when I sent my resume, what company it was for, all that. Today just showed me that if I didn't have the right, proper information about the company and the position how it would all backfire in my face.

It wasn't funny then. It is pretty funny now.