Thursday, December 31, 2009

Movies: The Proposal

This is exactly what I meant by absolutely no way either one of them will find each other attractive. She was a b*tch through and through, and he suddenly decided that he will be nice and play along. Ugh, I fail to see how they can fall enough... or even so much as to be fond of each other. But it does have Sandra Bullock, so you know it's a must see. =D After all, who watches a romance comedy for it's storyline?

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Movies: The Ugly Truth

Totally exceeded expectation, let me tell you. I thought it was just another one of your cookie cutter romance comedy in which you just knew the two person who met at the beginning, regardless of the differences in their believes or personalities, will undoubtedly become a couple at the end. Okay, so they did become a couple at the end (don't tell me this is a spoiler, the minute you picked up this movie in your hand, it was spoiled), but it did have some funny dialogs.

Hubby said, "Why do they always have to end up together? That's so predictable." Ugh, it's a romance comedy, what do you expect? You want unpredictable tragedy I'd highly recommend William Shakespeare, Earnest Hemingway, or Thomas Hardy. Although would you really say William Shakespeare is unpredictable?

Here's a picture of The Ugly Truth, click on it to buy. =)



Although, my complaint about romance comedy is: at least make a reasonable effort to make it convincing, even just a small incident where the man or the woman is attracted to the other one. Just one incident, just one party, is that too much to ask for?

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Why I Sometimes Enjoy B-Line Movies More Than "Main Stream" Movies

Sometimes I just much prefer to watch a B-line flick. Why? Well, first, you adjust your expectation accordingly. And, more importantly, you can sit there and zone out and multitask and still be able to follow and enjoy the movie. Nothing wrong with your blockbusters, they just require more concentration, more brain power, and sometimes just more energy than I am willing to spend on watching a movie...

Hurray to b-line flicks! :)

Monday, December 28, 2009

Movie: The Brothers Bloom

This movie is, like, sloooooooow. If you have a short attention span like me, highly not recommend this movie. That said, I am still going to link it to Amazon anyway, in case some of you do like slow movies. =D

(I don't like these new DVD images on Amazon which look like a DVD box. :( I guess beggars can't be choosers.)

So Horrific That You'd Think It's Fiction

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Movie: Ingorious Basterd

Holy Crap! I honestly have never seen a DVD sold out on Amazon before. Did they just not stock a lot because of the economy, or is the economy not as bad as we thought, or I just never looked up the hottest DVDs on Amazon during Xmas season?

Anyways, just watched Inglorious Basterd and wow, it was good. It was a different kind of movie than I had expected. I actually didn't have high hopes for it when I realized it's a Quintin Torentino movie, but it exceeded expectation. Can't say too much without giving it away. See it for yourself!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Movie: Dragon Hunter

Hubby: "So why did you get this movie again?"
Me: "The cover looked good when I was inside Blockbusters."
Which make up most of the reasons why I get random movies.

This one, Dragon Hunter, met and even slightly exceeded expectation. Very different from your traditional Disney animation (which are like, soooo boring and kiddy-ish). Almost refreshing.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Candy Earphones?

Guess what I just saw at Blockbuster? I had to do a double, no triple, no more like quintuple look to make sure these are, indeed, earphones, and not candies. Not to say that Hersey's can't branch off, but this is just weird. (These pictures are bigger than I had expected, but I am really too lazy to shrink them.)










Photo credits: Fatbrainboys

Note: if they are so cute that you can't live without them, Blockbuster is selling them for $5.99, cheaper than any sites that offer them online, that I could see.

Star Trek Movie Quotable

Leonard 'Bones' McCoy: You know, back home we have a saying: "If you wanna ride in the Kentucky Derby, you don't leave your prized stallion in the stable."
Spock: A curious metaphor, doctor, as a stallion must first be broken before it can reach its potential.

Reference: Imdb Star Trek Quotes



I, however, was not able to find reference of this saying other than in the Star Trek context. Can they do that? Just make up sayings in the movie? :O

Why Christians Should Not Hate Non-Believers For Having Xmas Off

First off, I have never even heard this one before. Man, the bitterness and the anger, where did all those come from? Isn't this supposed to be a sharing, loving, AND joyful day of the year? Definitely not the one devoted Christian who chose to attack me over her cousin's Facebook entry. Some people really need to get their priorities straight. I think the meaning of the "merry" part of "Merry Christmas" is definitely lost on him.

Other reasons why that's a good idea:

(1) business for the retail industry. Really? You want all non-believers or pseudo-believers to stop buying and giving for Xmas? Who's going to benefit from that, especially in this economy?

(2) Keeps Christmas a public holiday. Wonder what's a bigger slap on their faces: that non-believers have it off or that we'll make it a non-public holiday? (I am still going to take it off anyway. *SLAP!!*) Do they never stop and think that no other religions' holidays are public holidays? Oh wait, these hateful bastards believe that their religion is the one and only... not to mention the lack of brain cells to think for themselves after years of brain washing. Sadness.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Natural Bath Salts

Natural Bath Salts

Uber Hawaiian bath salts. The website doesn't do it justice but I highly recommend the lavender rose scent and I don't normally even like lavender-flavored products! It has tiny pieces of dried rose pedals in it too! (At least that's what I thought they are. :)

Crazy People Around Xmas Time!

So my friend's very innocent holiday wishes to everyone (that covers all religions and even the non-religious) had surely unexpectedly spiral into this discussion between me and her distance cousin.

All I said was "happy holidays" that started the little argument. Totally living up to the (fanatic) Christians' intolerant and hateful stereotype. Her obviously not-so-bright cousin expressed that us atheists taking Xmas off is like a slap on their face. What the hell? It's a public/firm holiday, I sure as hell is not going in to work. Had I have an hourly job, my employer (except for certain retail establishments) would probably deter me from going in so they don't have to pay me overtime. My point is: why is it a slap on their face that we have the day off? It's a PUBLIC holiday. If you really want to argue the separation of church and state, we should remove that as a public holiday, then the believers and non-believers can choose whether to take Christmas off. But would they like that? Noooo, because it's a Christian holiday. (Frankly, I would not want that either. I'm not the grinch who hates Christmas. I have long associated December 25th with pretty lights, trees, festivity, food, and, of course, lots and lots of presents. Funny how I wasn't the one all bitter here.)

The cousin, as it follows most discussion/argument with (fanatic) Christians start to lose grammar, punctuation, (surprisingly the spelling held up) and of course, logic. It turned into personal attack (from him to me) shortly -- calling me a devil-worshipper. Really? That's the worst thing you can come up with? It's really not that offensive as I believe in neither Christ nor devil.

The "discussion" turned into bizarre attack about how I didn't come from my parents (as usual, all logics are gone) and my sarcasm was completely lost and my friend completely embarrassed by the behavior of her cousin, I decided it's not worth my time anymore.

Just to blow off steam here, on my own anonymous blog. :) Shit! Me having Christmas OFF is a slap on their face? What are they? Masochists? I don't feel that their bizarre and simplistic belief is a slap on my face. I do, however, find it revolting by those who insist on shoving their believes down my throat. Yes, you are a believer, good for you, but must you integrate that into every conversation? I don't jump onto my soapbox and announce that I am an agnostic every chance I get.

And, totally ironic, or not so ironic, I tried to explain that being an agnostic, I don't believe the truth of the universe is comprehensible. And that concept was completely incomprehensible to him. Evidently that made me "not come from my parents and grandparents." Really? Do I really want to stoop down to that level and continue with that conversation?

What a suitable subject for Christmas eve. Happy holidays to all and season greetings to the Spaghetti monster folks! ;)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Hobby II

So I was having this conversation with a friend one day, I was rambling on something about blogging, more like thinking out loud, to which she responded,

"No, I was never that bored [to blog]."

In my defense, I said, "But I like to blog, it's like a hobby to me."

"Yeah, right," she snickered.

Oddly enough, I was not annoyed (normally it doesn't take much to annoy me). I just didn't understand her reaction. She acted as though it was ludicrous that some people will enjoy enjoy sitting down and write. Is that so horrible of a hobby? How is knitting, crossing-stitching, or quilting any better? Not to knock quilting, some quilts are beautiful and I have done a few of those myself, but if you really think about it, quilting is to buy perfectly good fabric, some quite pricey ones, cut them up into pieces, then re-stitch them back together. Really! Think about that! So she's a very active person, good at many sports, but is hobby only limited to outdoor activities? How and who can judge that one hobby is better than another? Odd.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

4 Phones 3 Major Providers (Darn!)

Between Hubby and I we have 2 person cell phones and 2 work phones.

Personal phones (very basic cell phones): Sprint
My work phone (an iPhone): AT&T
Hubby's work phone (a Blackberry): Verizon

Something just went off, between the 4 phones and different sounds between email, voice calls, and text, I have no idea which it was... :S

If Hubby didn't destroy his cell phone back in August of 2008, he won't still be in contract with Sprint and evidently T-mobile has the cheapest month-to-month, no contract plan.

Here's hope come August 2010. >_<

Monday, December 21, 2009

Hobby for the DINK

So I bought myself a fancy bat a while back (couple weeks). It's a Demarini J2.



Every single one of my friend who doesn't play softball (which is almost all of them) asked in horror after finding out the price of the bat, "Why???"

Um...why not? It's call a hobby, or if your prefer, DINK -- duel income no kids. We just have that kind of expendable income. You should try that too. =P

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Conversation with Hubby

I had the following conversation with Hubby concerning my car...

Me: "I am okay with driving my car to the ground before we buy a new one."

Hubby: "Okay, but what does it mean by driving it 'to the ground'?"

Me: "When you leave point A, you are not certain if you will arrive at point B."

You think it's funny, my last two cars are both like that. In fact, more likely than not I would NOT get to point B. That, my dear, is the sign that it's time for a new car.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Lottery v Praying

Q: What is the similarity between praying and buying the lottery?

A: Both are putting your fate into the hands something intangible and super natural. [Although, one can calculate the odds of winning the lottery, is that still intangible? However, if there's no "luck" involve and we go strictly by statistics, nobody will ever win lottery in their lifetime.]

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Let x=......

Let x = [distance traveled, time it will take to travel the distance, etc.] is a very common expression in algebra. Once upon a time, our algebra instructor gave this example:

Let x = the largest number
and if x = the largest number, then x * x (x square) cannot be bigger than x
therefore x = x * x

and the only number that will fit that equation is 1

therefore, 1 is the largest number.

Which obviously was a wrong conclusion. So what went wrong here, all the logic was sound. Answer: the assumption itself was wrong. You simply cannot make x the "largest number."

Same logic can be applied to many real life situations. If everything is logical every step of the way and your conclusion is still way, way off, consider the possibility that the initial assumption was, simply, wrong.

AppShopper.com � Blog Archive � iGlowStickPro Wins Big from Apple Mistake

AppShopper.com � Blog Archive � iGlowStickPro Wins Big from Apple Mistake

Okay, so this app was mistakenly placed as the #1 selling paid app, but don't people still use their own judgment before they buy an app? I just find it hard to believe so many people bought the iGlowStickPro app. :S

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Bomber Santa Hat

Santa hat for next year. :)



Photo Credit: Planetsanta.com

What I Want. What I Really Really Want.

I have been meaning to do this for a while now... to compile a list of what I would like to do at least once in this life time (No, because of my age, I don't think I can quite call this a "bucket list" just yet.)

What I Would Like to At Least Try Once In This Life Time (Not specifically in this order)

1) Help someone deliver a baby (after I got my CPR certification, of course. Still pending a volunteer. Of course I'd feel much better if the situation calls for it... and pray very, very hard that there will be no complication)

2) Drag racing (on a real course, of course, not street racing)

3) Have a book published, preferrably this blog... or something along that line (I have no dignity, self-publishing counts, especially through Amazon)

4) Do a stand up comedy skit at a public place

What I Wanted to Do And Already Accomplished

1) Draw blood (for lab purposes) on a heart-beating person (yes, myself count, heart's still beating last I checked)

2) .... I'm sure there were more, but I forgot after I've crossed them out the list...

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Power of The Internet

Wow, who would have thought. I knew linking to the Santa hat will get me some hits, never did I expect 54 hits within 24 hours. That's more hits than all the days combined since the inception of this blog.

Look! I'm the 4th on the search result on Google if you use the search terms "big bang theory" + "santa hat."



Oh, and I have gotten 4 (that's FOUR) comments from people that I do NOT know. FOUR. I don't think this blog will ever see better days. T.T

Is this the power of the internet? American consumerism? Or women's desire for cute stuff (literally "as seen on TV").

Hubby said this is the "textbook definition of 'going viral'." I think he is just jealous. Bet you his blog will never see a day with 54 hits... IF he even has a blog. hehehe

Monday, December 14, 2009

Santa Hat with Two Pom Poms



After watching today's Big Bang Theory I went on a mission searching for Penny's Santa hat with two pom poms online. It wasn't easy to find, I came across a couple more blogs of women (?) expressing their desires for said hat before I finally found a place that sells it. Okay, there was another one, but I can't find the link again. So to help my fella sisters who are searching for this products, here's the link.

Knit Santa Hat - Costumes For Santa

Evidently the original site I found already sold out of said product. I sure would like to think I have something to do with that. :) Here's another place where you can find this hat! ~ $20!

Berkeleyhat


A reader suggested this place (Price has been lowered to $25 today! That's the Christmas spirit! Good luck all in getting one!):-

Bostoncostume

Adding a picture for you kiddos too. :)

**Many people seem to also be looking for the pattern for this hat. If you know where one can be found, please leave the link in the comment box to help out your fellow knitting enthusiasts. :)

It seems any places I was able to find are sold out of this hat, there's this place that offers to custom knit one for you, but it says to allow 3 days for her to knit, I'm not sure that will make Christmas...

helpmymudder.com


Puckish had found a pattern for us!! Thanks, Puckish!

Pattern for Penny's Hat

The home made one actually looks better than the store bought one. :( The pom poms on the store bought one is not yarn, it's hard inside. :( Ah well, that's not for knowing how to knit. :'(

Friday, December 4, 2009

Housing Hunting v Dating

A while back I compared job hunting to dating. Evidently, there are also lots in common between house hunting and dating:-

(1) First time round, you really have no idea what you are looking for. Heck, you don't even know what to expect.

(2) After a few times (dating, or looking at houses), you start to get an idea of what there are out there and what your own preferences are.

(3) When you are a seasoned seeker, you have a list, you know exactly what sells to you, and what turns you off.

(4) In the end, at least if you are normal, you'll end up with something that is close but not 100% match your list; and sometimes, that little unmatched percentage will turn out to be a pleasant surprise. :)

Monday, November 30, 2009

Movement under way in California to ban divorce - Inside Bay Area

Movement under way in California to ban divorce - Inside Bay Area

The effort is meant to be a satirical statement after California voters outlawed gay marriage in 2008, largely on the argument that a ban is needed to protect the sanctity of traditional marriage. If that's the case, then Marcotte reasons voters should have no problem banning divorce.

"Since California has decided to protect traditional marriage, I think it would be hypocritical of us not to sacrifice some of our own rights to protect traditional marriage even more," the 38-year-old married father of two said.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Reality TV Shows

I am a reality TV show junkie. I won't say I watch ALL of them; there's not enough time in a day to do that, but I have and am watching quite a few of them. Some observations I've made when it comes to reality TV shows.

(1) Unless it's the first season, you have no excuses to not have any clue what to expect on the show. For Pete's sake, you should have done all the research before the audition, or at least after the audition when you know you have been selected. Sheesh!

(2) Of the ones that involve a group of people living together and being eliminated over a relatively long period of time, people always seem to lose the perspective that no matter how you form alliances and identify your enemies, at the end there can only be one winner. Choose your friends wisely; choose your enemies wisely; and most important of all, know when to break your alliances. I've seen many morons who'd form alliances with players with questionable ethics for strategic purposes, then made the mistakes of sticking to the alliances for a little too long and ended up being screwed over. After all, every thing can be lumped under the big umbrella of "It's just a game!" Do it when it's to your advantage.

(3) Inevitably one of the folks will at some point said, "I am going to channel my anger (from losing so many challenges) to win this game." These folks invariably never made it to the end.

Sure, I might not be able to do any better than any of those folks if I ever get onto a reality TV show (I am really going to have to need the money desperately), but everybody can be a critic, right? =)

Sunday, November 22, 2009

More Notable Quotes from Contact

So what's more likely? That an all-powerful, mysterious God created the Universe, and decided not to give any proof of his existence? Or, that He simply doesn't exist at all, and that we created Him, so that we wouldn't have to feel so small and alone?
From: wikiquote.org

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Notable Quotes from Contact

Notable quotes from the movie Contact.
Ellie Arroway: Occam's razor. You ever heard of it?
Palmer Joss: Hack-em's Razor. Sounds like some slasher movie.
Ellie Arroway: No, Occam's Razor is a basic scientific principle and it says: All things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one.
From: Explore-Science-Fiction-Movies.com (what a long name!)

Here a good article on what is Occam's Razor.

Everything Is Better with Music

I was hoping I could find a better version, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.

Web Site Story: CollegeHumor’s Epic Internet Musical

Friday, November 20, 2009

The Meaning of Life -- Distractions

People like to ask, "What is the meaning of life?" Perhaps a better question to ask is, "Is there a meaning?" Or better yet, "Should there be a meaning?" After all, who ever promised that there is necessarily a meaning? We are not only searching in the blind, we don't even know if what we are looking for exists. Even man-made so-called religions did not promise a meaning. Western religions (gross generalization) stresses what's important is life after death. It still baffles me how "being with your creator is all the hype." In any case, if you want to portray a Heaven, I'd imaging "heaven" will be very different from people to people. To me, Heaven will be a place where we are immortal and I can be with my husband forever. Some people think it will be HELL if they have to be with their families for all eternity. Then, there are the one-sided love -- what if HE wants to be with her forever, and she'd much rather not to see him again for all eternity? Seems to me the only way to fulfill all the criteria is for us to go to "sleep" and stay in hallucination land forever. Perhaps that is what life after death is. Who knows?

Eastern religions (Buddhism) stresses reincarnation. Again, neither one of them touches on this life time. Is that ironic or what? Are we living in the unknown future, or are we living in the present? Science/evolution is the way of how things work, doesn't even touch upon the meaning of life by any stretch of imagination. The earth is round is not a meaning. The earth revolves around the sun is not a meaning. A man and a woman can copulate and create offspring, though amazing, is still not a meaning.

That said, I can safely come to the conclusion that life is all about distractions. Yes, you heard me right -- distractions. The "meaning of life," or lack thereof, is all about how to occupy your free time. There are the essentials, which I would think its fair to say it's the same for everyone -- food on table (or just food, no table), roof over head (or just a place to sleep at night, I'm flexible). Once those are satisfied (i.e. working 8 hours a day to achieve that), you are left with the free time... to ponder about the meaning of life, which doesn't exist. I think the best support I can throw out there to support my point is the rich and famous dying from drug overdose. Is there explanations other than they can't find enough distractions to keep them from noticing how empty life really is? How about all sorts of stupid stunts that people pull just because they are bored?

Different people uses different things as their distractions -- shopping is a good one; eating, video gaming, having hobbies are a few other good ideas. Among them, having kids are probably the most effective of it all. What else can suck up every single free minute of your life for 18-years or more other than a child??

Thursday, November 19, 2009

'Digital dirt' can haunt your job search - CNN.com

'Digital dirt' can haunt your job search - CNN.com

See also my earlier entry on this subject.

Inspired by this article, I think now it is a good time to set up a "fake" blog and a "fake" Twitter account. Well, not really fake fake, but something neutral and work appropriate. That way my future employers (fingers crossed) won't find it odd that I have no online presence.

Better yet, I am going to port my fake blog and fake Twitter into my Facebook account. Ehehehehe. I am such a genius.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Quitter

Okay, I'll come clean. I'm a quitter. Things go south, I quit. Relationships go south, I quit. Jobs go south, I quit. (This is exactly why I keep my blog anonymous in the hope that my current and future employers will never find it.) Ever seen those generic thrillers where you start out with a group of people, ranging from 8 to 15, and they'll inevitably get killed one by one (sometimes in couples) until the last one or two? Well, if I am ever in a situation like that (and have a say in it), unless I am one of the last ones left, I'd much rather be one of the first to go. Preferrably the ones who didn't even know what hit them. Why spend all the energy run ning around and being scared if the end result is the same? Ever read in the news how a building collapsed and they still found survivors after 7 days? That person will never be me.

Even though being a quitter have so much negative connotation, there's certainly a positive way of looking at it too. Life's too short, seriously. There is no reason to stay in a relationship or a job that just makes you reasonable. Trust me, things are going to get better. So let's just mask this one of my weakness by calling it "pragmatic" or "efficiency." :)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Dream Job

Dilbert.com

I knew people before who love mundane jobs, truly love them. They embrace the knowledge of knowing exactly what to expect everyday when they go into work. I just wish I could feel that way. Not that my job is meaningless, just getting boring after being in the same position for three years. Then again, I feel ungrateful to even complain about my job when so many people can't even land one in this economy. Is a meaningful job really too much to ask for when all else are going well in my life?

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Standards

Finally sold this stupid game on Amazon, after dropping the prices twice. Just to give you an idea, a normal DS game goes for $24.99, this one was going for $11.99 on Amazon, brand new, mind you. Then even Amazon dropped it by $2 more to $9.99. Ack! Being an avid money spender on Amazon, I know the formula for a successful sale as a third part seller on Amazon:-

For new goods:

your price + $4 (S&H) < Amazon's price (because Amazon offers free S&H, you need to factor that into your pricing)

For used goods:

your price = the lowest price (of an item of equal condition) + a reasonable reduction

I was about to think that the game can fall into the you-can't-give-it-away-even-if-you-offer-people-money-to-take-it category when it finally sold for a whopping $5.75. Yikes!

Just like my co-worker A had once said, "Everyone can find a boyfriend/girlfriend, just lower your standards." Wisdom.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Famous Quotes From Movies

Okay, now I am finally convinced that you can literally find everything on the internet. I was hoping to find Steve Buscemi's dialogs in both Armageddon and Con Air without having to physically look through the movies themselves. Thanks God for the internet! Alleluia!

In my humble opinion, best quote in Armageddon was by Steve Buscemi as Hound Dog:
Hey Harry, you know we’re sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has two hundred thousand moving parts built by the lowest bidder. Makes you feel good doesn’t it?
[Found on InnocentEnglish.com (Innocent English? Movie Quotes? Whatever...)]

Something similar that he said in Con Air as Garland 'The Marietta Mangler' Greene (referring to the song Sweet Home Alabama):-
Define irony. Bunch of idiots dancing on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash.
[Found on IMDB Notable Quotes from Con Air.]

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Under God: The Archdiocese's ultimatum - David Waters

Under God: The Archdiocese's ultimatum - David Waters:

Just awesome.
"In a surprisingly bold and seemingly unbiblical move, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is threatening to discontinue its social support for nearly 70,000 people -- including a third of Washington's homeless -- because of its opposition to a proposed same-sex marriage bill."

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

OCD

For those unenlightened, OCD stands for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Unless you are someone with a severe lack of sense of humor and go strictly by the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition) definition -- those who compulsively count the tiles, close the door 15 times, check that the stove was, indeed, shut off 21 times -- usually in our daily speech it just means someone with some kind of a quirk.

By now most of my dear readers should already know that I purchased Hubby off an online dating site. It is worth mentioning that when I was signing up for the site (free trial), it still required you to fill out the entire questionnaire before they let you browse, to speed up the process, I randomly typed in the first thing that came to my mind, which, interestingly enough, might not always be the same answer you'd have given if you have spent the extra few minutes to reflect upon. Regardless, that was not the point of the story. One of the question was: what are some of the deal breakers for you? I randomly typed in OCD. Yeah, totally double standard, you don't need to tell me. Hahaha.

Get this, some guy actually wrote to me and said that it's a horrible disorder blah blah blah. Um... strike for having no sense of humor! Again, still digressing from my point. What I was trying to say in this entry was: I just realized that I LOVE peeps with OCD. Perhaps not as a partner in life, but definitely love, love, love working with them!! They are 100% lovable!! OCD people always so organized! Ducks are always in a row. Information are always readily available. There's just short of a flow chart for everything.

"Can I please have the list of your clients/charge codes/[fill in the blank here]."

The only obstacle lying between the person and me getting the information is the time it takes for the email to transmit!

So, yes, OCD, a very good thing to have at a work place!! Personal life, on the other hand... well, that's a different story. I don't hang out with these people after work. :)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tournament (The Movie) - Warning! Contain Spoiler!

As if it's even possible to spoil a movie like this...

Since it is not even worth my time to write my own synopsis on this one, I am just going to copy-paste what's on the back of the DVD box:
Every seven years, thirty of the world’s most deadly assassins face off against one another for an outrageous cash prize. There’s only one rule: kill or die. As dozens of wealthy gamblers watch via closed-circuit TV, a city is overrun by brutal assassins - all aiming to be the last one standing. Starring Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu and Robert Carlyle, The Tournament is an explosive, action-loaded thriller where the winner takes all.
I must have watched waaay too many of movies of this type. There was another one with a very similar premise, except they get death row inmates to do deadly car races. I think it's call Death Race or something. Let me put it this way, this movie has the exact same twist in the end as that one. Man! It's almost less insulting if they'd just skip the twist altogether. I guess it makes no difference one way or another, we all know how the movie is going to end from the get-go (to find out the survivors in the end, see the cover of the box. I did warn you about spoiler!). Peeps who watch movies like this (me) really are just watching it for the blood and gore anyway, not the non-existing plot line.

Best line in the movie? When the Asian chick yelled at the thick-headed priest: "Was it my accent? Did I stutter?" Good one! I am going to use that from now on. LOL.

(This post barely made Tuesday's entry! :)

Monday, November 9, 2009

How Many Computers Do Two People Need?

Answer: 6 (SIX)

Hubby's desktop (1)
Hubby's laptop (1)
My laptop (1)
Both of our work laptops (2)
My old laptop that's now designated for our VOIP phone (1)

And this is NOT counting Hubby's old laptop that's permanently on loan to a friend AND the home theater PC that we recently disconnected (well, that I recently noticed that Hubby disconnected a couple of months ago. :P)

And Hubby is contemplating it's time to get a new laptop! What are we? Made out of $?? :O

Friday, November 6, 2009

Maybe It IS Time to Switch to a Mac

Watching this commerical while waiting for HOURS for my 8-month new Sony Vaio to backup so we can wipe my entire harddrive and reinstall everything in the HOPE that my VERY LEGITIMATE copy of Microsoft Office will WORK is really, really making me start considering switching to a Mac, after my Vaio dies a natural death, of course.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Sloppiness

So occasionally I talk about bizarre (entirely subjective) American traits, maybe I should talk about something I like about the American culture (other than white men!) for a change. If I have to pick something to say that I like about the culture, I'll have to say it's the "sloppiness" of it. Let me define that, I don't mean the college bachelor dirty dishes and laundry and empty pizza boxes strewn over the entire apartment kind of sloppiness, but more the people's ability to break out of normal rules. Know that I come from a culture that is not known for their sense of humor, and Hong Kong, at least back then, being British territory, doesn't help matters any.

I will give you an example. Way back when, I was hanging out with an English gentleman. English Gentleman and I went to a little remote town (I couldn't remember where it was to save my own life) that could not have had population over 3-digit. You get the idea. And we went to their little rustic downtown and into their little rustic one-man (woman, actually) operated post office. What I had that was so important that I had to mail it out before I return to civilization I also could not remember to save my own life, but I had to mail it out that day and it involved the filling out of some kind of a form. So we went inside said post office, a lady came out from the back to help us, she handed me the form and said, "Holler when you are done."

So I took my time and filled out the form and holler, "Hello! I'm done!" I said. To which British Gentleman was shocked, "When she said 'holler,' I didn't think she meant it literally!" he said. "But of course," I answered, "How else would she know I was done?"

I guess in the British polite and subtle way, we should have waited for her eventual return? :O That would just be silly, either we would have to keep waiting after we were ready OR she'd have to keep interrupting her job in the back and check on us. What a hassle! The US sloppy way, for lack of a better word (that I can think of), was a much better (at least a much more efficient) way to go. =D

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Softball Bat... Midlife Crisis?

So I have been on a crusade for the perfect softball bat. So who'd have thought that finding the softball bat is almost as difficult as finding the perfect mate? I thought finding the softball bat would most definitely fall into the category of issues-that-money-can-solve. I should be able to just throw money at this problem. I suppose it's all relative, if I am wealthy enough to find the right bat by trial and error, this will, indeed, be a problem that money can solve. Too bad we are not that loaded. I blame Hubby for not bringing home a 7-digit annual income. =D

Instead, I had to spend a week doing research online (and still haven't placed my order.) I was going to take the easy way out and just pick the brain of this expert guy at work, but lo' and behold he was on vacation last week. Whilst a week might not seem like a long time to a normal person (after all, it is just a softball bat we are talking about), to someone with absolutely no patience, you might as well have told me he won't be back for two years. To make matter worse, after an entire week of research, I came back to the same bat that was recommended to me on day one. Just why did I bother??? I guess I can now bluff to those even more ignorant on this subject than me as if I know anything about it. =D

My cousin asked, "Do you have the skill to utilize a good bat?"

My answer, "Does it matter?" Sometimes money can buy happiness. ^_^

I wonder if this sudden urge to spend globs of money on a fancy softball bat a sign of me going through my midlife crisis? I guess all things considered, the most expensive bat one can get is still a lot cheaper than a fancy sports car. =D Better place my order before el cheapo Hubby changes his mind. Hehehe.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Cat and Mouse



Photo Credit: Scientific American

Upon reading this article describing a parasite that is passed from mouse to cat and back to mouse and so on and so forth can also bring on chemical changes in humans causing women to act more moralistically, and men less so, I said to Hubby, "No wonder I have been behaving more and more moralistically over the years!" since I have cats.

Hubby's immediate response: "Because our cats has been going out there and eating infected mice?"

Way to bust my chops, honey!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Softball Updates

So the regular team's season has ended and there's not going to be a winter season. T.T Luckily there's always an unlimited supply of warm bodies on the internet, I have quickly secured a replacement group that gets together and plays on Saturdays. :) Arguably that might be a better option for someone who can't play worth a shit. =D

My coworkers think it's very odd that I look for random teams/people to play softball with on the internet. I don't get it. Not everybody has that many friends, and even if you do, it doesn't mean they all like playing softball. So what's wrong with looking where it will be most fruitful? I guess it's like the stigma ten years ago about online dating. Well, I happened to purchase a great husband off the internet. So there!

That said, there are meet up groups for almost any activities that you can think of. I am drawing my line at watching movies at a stranger's place and/or inviting strangers to my place to watch movies with... And I never did understand why watching movies is even a social event. I hate watching movie with someone who talks through the entire movie (unless it's a really horrible movie). Or was the goal to sit around and socialize while a movie is on in the background? Um... AWKWARD!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Jenga Pistol



They should make and sell this, but rest be sure, there will be morons standing on the other side, or generally doing stupid things and hurt themselves then sue for millions of dollars. Only in America can you make money off of being idiotic.

The Real Mafia War



Hardcore!

It is so sad that we've been desensitized by Hollywood for so many years that watching a real shooting scene would not produce a response stronger than watching just another TV show...

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Iraqi man accused of running down daughter found in Atlanta - CNN.com

Iraqi man accused of running down daughter found in Atlanta - CNN.com

I don't get it, if people are so afraid of their children becoming "westernized," there seem to me a very simple solution -- go back to your own damned country. And I am not just saying that because he is Iraqi, I have said that to my "own peeps" too. If you think China is so much better than us in so many ways, nobody is stopping you from hopping onto the next fight out. And why does your daughter holds US citizenship (mind you China does not allow for duel citizenship) when you think this is such a horrible country to live in. I guess at least they are paying income tax during their stay in US.

And sure, killing your own offspring is great conflict resolution...

Friday, October 30, 2009

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Cops say man drove more than a mile with crash victim stuck in his windshield - San Jose Mercury News

Cops say man drove more than a mile with crash victim stuck in his windshield - San Jose Mercury News
Rhode Island State Police say a motorist hit someone with his car and then drove more than a mile with him stuck in his windshield. Another one?
You've got to be kidding me. Have you ever seen the movie "Stuck"? It's exactly about that and said it was based on a true story. I found it so hard to believe I had to look it up for myself. Sure enough, it WAS based on a true story.

And now another case? Honestly, these people really think they can get away with driving down the road with a person STUCK in their windshields? Ugh.

And my other question is, why do they deserve an attorney? Yes, yes, I know it's our criminal-protecting judiciary system. But seriously? I mean, if we saw a guy standing over a dead body with a bloody knife in his head, we could still conceivably argue that he saw said body, freaked out, and pulled out the murder weapon. A person was caught driving down the road with a body stuck to his/her wind shield, what kind of defense could there be? Even if the original culprit ditched the car and ran away, it is highly unlikely that someone else would walk by and said, "Hey look! Free car!" And got in and start driving.

Then again, if man on wind shield can happen twice. Maybe there will be a Oh-Look-Free-Car moron out there.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Dating v Job Hunting

I have always thought that dating and job hunting have many things in common, especially online dating:-

(1) Browsing the want ads = browsing online profiles, waiting for friend's introduction, generally looking for opportunities out there;

(2) mailing in your resume = first contact, sending an IM, a winky, waiting for their calls, and most of the times you won't hear anything back at all;

(2) job interview = first date, where you compare each others' wants, needs, qualifications to determine if you are a good fit for each other (and you only get one shot at this!);

(3) receiving the offer letter to a job = announcing that you are officially a couple;

(4) employment = entering into long term relationship;

(5) termination/separation = breaking up.

The most similar part between the two events? They are equally demoralizing. Even if you are not interested in the job/person, being declined is still a blow to your ego. And even worse is if the fondness is only one way. A perfect match is hard to come by.

DIY Botox: Site Offers Injectable Drug Without Prescription — With How-To Video | Wired Science | Wired.com

DIY Botox: Site Offers Injectable Drug Without Prescription — With How-To Video | Wired Science | Wired.com

So first there's home HIV & Hepatitis test kits, now there's DIY botox kits. Can't wait to see what I can do from home next. How about home baby-delivery kit? I would loooove to try to deliver a baby (not my own, of course, that might be a tad too challenging).

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

From Reality TV Show to Romance

So I was watching Season 15, Episode 6 of Amazing Race, if you go to about 36 minutes or so into the show, you will see this couple facing this challenge where they have to jump off a water slide approximately 6-story tall at an almost 90 degree angle. The problem came when blondie could not jump because she could not overcome her fear of height. And you could see the boyfriend was quite tempted to push her off. I'm not sure if I should say he would if he could or kudos for finally withholding the temptation of pushing her off here. But since I saw part of it during the commercial, I made sure I grabbed Hubby to watch that part with me, only to make that point that I would not be jumping if it was me and what would he say if we were in that situation. Him, of course, gave the perfect answer that he won't make me do it. Whether he'd really say that or not should the situation truly arise is debatable, but since we have no intention of ever joining any crazy game shows, I guess we'll never find out. :)

Forget about the man who is willing to die for me, I will take someone who'd tell me, "That's okay, honey, we don't have to do that," and walk down the stairs with me any day of the year. I do not believe that romance has to be grand gestures; anyone can do grand gestures, even if he/she has no feelings whatsoever for you. Who can't mimic some sappy plot out of some cheesy romance comedy, as long as your wallet allows for it. I, however, believe that romance is something that should shine through in the smallest of all areas -- him remembering little things about me or things that I have said in passing (that even I forgot). And most importantly, would not push me off a 6-story tall water slide!

We will probably never find out whether the couple made it or not after the show. Given that their status is "newly dating," there are so many things that can go wrong. But if you ask me, I am going to go with "no," the relationship probably would not survive that, given that 40% arguments between a couple is over money. It will forever loom over them that they had a chance of winning $1 million and given it up. Then again, who knows, maybe they can tough it out.

Would I really do that if it was me? Depends, probably if the $1 million is guaranteed, but if that's just part of game and there are still other teams out there... um... questionable. I wouldn't know for sure till I am actually there.

Then again, people who goes on these shows, specifically the ones when you play as individuals, always cohort with others at the beginning and seem to have forgetten that no matter who you befriend and team up with at the beginning, in the end there could only be one winner. It's each man for themselves, baby!

Monday, October 26, 2009

'Digital dirt' can haunt your job search - CNN.com

'Digital dirt' can haunt your job search - CNN.com

Avoid joining groups or engaging in online activities that could embarrass or restrict opportunities
This is just great, so even during my personal time, I really should watch what I say/do online. Not that I plan on joining some Nazi or evangelical groups, but atheism still has certain stigma attached to it. Why do I need to tip toe around what I truly feel/think online on my own time while Christians can wear their belief like a badge and freely remind you of them every 15 minutes? Oh right, to hopefully land a good job one day.

Tatum suggests developing your own positive content by creating articles, starting a blog or posting to forums. As long as you can smother any negative information about you, you should be OK in an initial employer search.
Even better, in addition to my real blog (this one) that I am trying painfully to keep anonymous, I should also start a fake one that will cast positive lights on my digital footprint. Just lovely!

Make your content useful

Help people get something done or teach them something, Grossbart says. Respond to forum posts, answer questions or comment on blogs. Helping people is the perfect way to showcase your talents to potential employers.

Some of us really, really don't like using our real names online, even for a book report on Amazon. Should I be penalized for that? :(


Beware the cybertwin

Be wary of people out there on the Internet with the same name as you, Merritt says.

Lucked out here, the top two or three cybertwins of mine are all more successful than me. :) I lost my attention span before I find myself online. Yay?

And people wonder why I prefer to stay anonymous online...

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Mysterious White People Thing

Once upon a time I wrote about what my Asian girlfriend thinks are unexplainable white people things. Here's one of my own:- their complicated relationship with their ex's, or more specifically, their current partners' ex's.

Really, I consider myself quite melded with most of the US culture, to a point that my husband said the only thing Chinese about me is my skin color. Obviously he had forgotten about my Chinese palette and stomach. :) So I may not enjoy Superbowl (and understand that some find it offensive when I refer to it as a "ball game") but I can most certainly make a 7-layer chip dip and throw a party, so long as I get to surf the web during the game.

I have, however, learned that in this country, some people (specifically White people), try to maintain a friendship with their ex's. This is a phenomena that you do not see very often in Asia. I have given that a shot too, in the name of melding into the culture. But my conclusion from my little experiment is this: Why? Really, WHY??? For the love of God, can't we just let bygone be bygone?

If that's not the strangest concept to grasp, I also know that some people befriend their current partner's ex's. Why on earth would you want to do that? Are you really that desperate for friends? There are meet up groups online to make friends, and they are NOT your partner's ex's!!!

The only reason I can think of to want to meet up with Hubby's ex is to gloat to her about what I have with him that she could have had, had she hung around. And most definitely thank her for being a total idiot and throw that all away so I can have it. :) She may be the best human being in the world and I still don't see why I would want to be her friend. With the exception of two person having kids together, I don't see why one needs to keep in contact with their ex's.

I knew of this one woman who not only befriended her boyfriend's ex-wife, she also referred her a position at her workplace and then they work together. Ugh! In a wedding, the groom's ex-wife and the bride's ex-husband, and their current partners, and their kids can all show up!! Step siblings, half siblings, half siblings of step siblings, half siblings of half siblings, mix and match however you want. At this rate, forget about every one knowing everyone through six degrees of separation, pretty soon we'll all be related through 6 degree of separation. But is that really necessary for them to all be under one roof?

With the exception of me filling out an application for a top security clearance with some government establishment, I have no intention of digging out all these relationships. And definitely at no given time should they all gather in close vicinity!

Google It!



Photo Credit: John Z. De Lorean

God Kills Cinema



Photo Credit: via 9gag.com

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Pretty Bath Tubs

Woo Ahhhhh. Wonder if I can one day afford something like this. Hahaha.



Is it just me or does the shower to the right looks like a paid phone booth? :)



Photo Credits: Oddee.com

Appreciation

All of us (semi-normal women) should have a decent amount of appreciation for all the crazy b*tches out there. Why? When they are through with a decently nice guy, they tend to set the bars so low for the rest of us it's not even funny.

Take my husband for example, his only expectation / deal breaker in our marriage is for me to not cheat on him. That's it! Yeah, you would think that a given.

And this other guy friend of mine had just expressed to me that his girlfriend is "super cool." Now, I am nobody to argue with him whether his girlfriend is super cool or not given that I have never met her. And it's arguable that I'm even qualify in commenting on whether another female is "super cool," whatever that means. But one thing I do know was that his ex-girlfriend was crazy!

So said guy is a cyber friend of mine. We met online playing MMORPG. I have never met him; I have no intention of ever meeting him; and, quite honestly, I can't even remember which state he resides in. We just chat online occasionally (and I, of course, leave random comments on his Facebook entries. Who doesn't do that nowadays?). One day he came and inform me of this, "I can't talk to you anymore, my girlfriend is jealous of you." "Ooookay," I said. Not like there's anything else I could say? Believe it or not, not being able to chat with said individual is not the most crushing event / defining moment of my life. I felt a bit odd about the entire exchange, I guess he was at least nice enough to inform me of that? (Although, truth be told, I'd probably forgot this person ever existed if he had just disappeared, but what-ev. Still a nice gesture, I guess.)

I am talking to this guy again now that he has broken up with the crazy chick. So you see what I mean now? His girlfriend might have many other good qualities, but my hunches told me that after the last crazy chick, any girls who don't go ballistic over his online female friends will fall into the category of "super cool." Must have appreciation for the crazy b*tches, sista.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Amageddon

Amageddon (1998). Arguably one of the best movie ever made. Now I have Leaving on a Jet Plane stuck in my head. :S

Other movies that make my top lists are: Independence Day and Men in Black. Do we see a pattern here? It's not so much the science fiction of it (okay, it's part of it), but mostly the kind of humor they have in common. One of Bruce Willis's old movie Boy Scout also depicts the same type of humor. I guess I aspire to be someone who will still be able to maintain my sense of humor despite great distress. After all, it's not like your attitude (being overly serious) will alter whatever the shitty situation you are facing here. [Possibly another reason why people think I am younger than my real age. Most folks my age are just... very serious people.]

Funny thing, I once called my friend H in Hong Kong while she was watching Independence Day with her husband. Her comment was, "Why was it always the Americans that saved the world?" Well, the answer is very simple, my friend. The Americans made the movie. [Not to mention it's also called ID4 and was released on Independence Day. The entire title wouldn't even make sense if we, the Americans, didn't save the world.] We sure as hell aren't going to make the Japanese or the Armenians the savior of the world in our movie! If this movie was made by the Japanese, you bet your ass that the Japanese will be the ones who saved the world instead of the Americans!

Numbers Don't Lie

So numbers don't lie. I'm sure we have all heard that before. I, for one, is a big fan of numbers. I judge whether an activity is safe by it statistics. If the fatality rate is 0.01%, it's probably pretty safe. If the fatality rate is 40%, you probably should give it a second thought before attempting said stunt. Then there are activities that regardless of what the statistics says, you have to stop and ask, "And why do you want to do that?" Example: bungee jumping. I just don't get it.

But I digressed. Whilst numbers don't lie, people certain can. Numbers can be fabricated. And if they are real, we still have to question how they are obtained. They may not be accurate. But the above two scenarios are not what I want to discuss here. I want to take this opportunity (?) to discuss the presentation of numbers. Given that most laymen are somewhat mathematically challenged, it's not that difficult to lead them to think what they want you to think, while presenting you with partial facts.

Here's an example that I've heard on the news recently: swine flu cases among children in the bay area had increased by 80%. "Wow!" Right? Wrong. Whilst 80% sounds like a lot, one must stop to ask: 80% of what? If we had a whopping five cases before, 80% of that is 4 cases. That only give us a total of 14 cases. "Wow!" really?

Another one that I've heard in the past: 90% of those who don't [use this product] had back problems after the age of 70. Again, WOW! Right? How can we not run out there and buy the product after that statistics? Now let's stop for a moment and ask this question: What's the percentage of those who uses the product and have back problems after 70? Of course the commercial wasn't going to give you that piece of info. My guess? Still 90%. Where did that come from? 90% of the general population has some sort of back problems after 70. The product can be anything.

And here's a good one that even I almost fell for: 15% of women who lived above the age of 100 had never been married in their lives. WOW! Yeah, that one got even the best of us -- even I said Wow! Probably the reaction they were looking for. 15% of women who lived above 100 never been married. The deduction from that would naturally be: women can live longer without the stress of being in a marriage.

But wait. Question #1: the other 85% had been married. Now if it's the other way round:85% of those over 100 had never been married, that'd truly be a reason for women to reconsider getting married. 15% is really only the minority. Question #2: is it even established that being married or not has anything to do with a woman's life span? What's the percentage of married women in the generally population? For an even clearer picture, we should divide them up onto two groups: percentage of married women between the age group of 25 - 65 and percentage of married women between the age of 65 - 85. Without those numbers to compare with, the statement tells me nothing more than what it presents on its face value: that 15% of women lived over 100 had never been married. We cannot infer that marriage has anything to do with a woman's life span.

So the next time you have random studies and random numbers thrown at you, stop and think about what it really means or are you just listening to what they want to you hear. Even do a quick search online to see how the data is gathered. It just might pay off!

Awesome Looking Cake

Chocolate even!



Photo credit: Unknown

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Doctor says near-death experiences are in the mind - CNN.com

Doctor says near-death experiences are in the mind - CNN.com:

"Nelson thinks that near-death experiences are part of the dream mechanism and that the person having the experience is in a REM, or 'rapid eye movement,' state.

'Part of our 'fight or flight' reflexes to keep us alive includes the switch into the REM state of consciousness,' he said.

During REM sleep, there is increased brain activity and visual stimulation. Intense dreaming occurs as a result.

And the bright light so many people claim to see?

'The activation of the visual system caused by REM is causing the bright lights,' Nelson said.

And the tunnel people speak of, he says, is lack of blood flow to the eye. 'The eye, the retina of the eye, is one of the most exquisitely sensitive tissues to a loss of blood flow. So when blood flow does not reach the eye, vision fails, and darkness ensues from the periphery to the center. And that is very likely causing the tunnel effect.'

Nelson is doing studies now to prove that the same effect results from fainting."

I mean, I probably would have said there must be some kind of scientific explanation for the near death explanation, but reading someone else' no bullshit scientific explanation of it just sounds sooo cold. I guess secretly I do hope there's some sort of life after death. :(

My Path to Becoming a Lush

Yesterday I went to Safeway after work and stood in line for booze.

Do you know how many things were wrong about the above statement? Two!

(1) I do not stand in line. Unless it's utmost necessary (absolutely need to mail out/pick up a package from the post office will be one of those instances), I do not wait in line. I'd rather go back on a different day or go to a different store, even if it'll take longer that way. (I only said I don't like waiting in line. I did not say it's the fastest way to accomplish what I set out to accomplish.)

(2) Booze! Me! I've been asked by many why I don't drink and/or whether I think alcohol is "bad." No, I'm not Mormon, I do not think alcohol is bad. I don't drink because I don't like the way it taste. It's an acquired taste. Whilst I am sure I can acquire the taste, between the health risks of alcohol versus female bodies and the cost of alcohol, I simply don't see the point. And it is becoming progressively more acceptable to drink soda in social settings.

(3, much like Book 5 of a trilogy) Me standing in line for booze!

Why did I do that? I realized that a little bit of alcohol in my system is my only chance of sleeping through the night while the Hubby is gone, the cats waking me up multiple times in the night notwithstanding.

So why is there a line? And I am not talking about the check out line either. I mean a line to get to the booze, literally.

So I went to Safeway after work yesterday, planning on getting some Mike's Hard Lemonade and movies from the DVDplay boxes. Lo and behold, Safeway had a power outage. Storms are all fun and game until the power outage, but we didn't even have a storm yesterday, it barely sprinkled! Of all places, Safeway has auxiliary power!! I'll be damned. Safeway, of all places! Auxiliary power in this case means bare minimal lightnings over the aisles. Cardboard boxes were broken down to put over the frozen item, to keep them cold for longer. Unfortunately, the bread (give us this day our daily bread...) and the alcoholic beverages were stashed in a corner without auxiliary power supply. So is that going to deter the grocery store giant from selling those items? No!

First, they warded off the area. Then, they had one Starbucks girl (yes, this is one of those foo foo Safeways with a built-in Starbucks inside) standing guard, instructing people to stand in line, and another one will take two patrons at a time, with a handheld flashlight to fetch their items. It's like an early flashlight tour of the Winchester Mystery House, except in Safeway. Succumb to my weariness of the day, I joined the line of bread and alcohol patrons.

I have now, officially, hit the newest low in my life.

[Luckily, our apartment, a mere four blocks from Safeway, did not have power outage when I got home. I don't think 6-packs of Mike's Hard Lemonade would do the job. I might just have to take a Nyquil to knock myself out, literally. Better yet, take the Nyquil with the Mike's Hard Lemonade...]

From Tabitha to Extramarital Affairs

So back in college I knew this crazy French girl with a cat by the name of Tabitha. Since that was the first time I ever heard of that name, I have always associated "Tabitha" as a cat's name (sorry to all the human Tabithas out there!). Of course the other well known Tabitha is the girl in Bewitched (?), that doesn't help the whole cat/witch imagery.

Digressing from Tabitha is why I said this chick is crazy. She has issues. Of course we all have issues, but some of us tend to hide it better. The reason I called her crazy (wonder what's the odds of her bumping onto this blog) is because her father had an affair (couldn't remember if her parents ended up with a divorce) and she believed that it was ALL the other woman's fault. And I meant ALL. If I so much as to suggest that perhaps, just perhaps, her father was also somewhat responsible, she'd want to bite my head off. Another one of those things that happened so long ago in my life but will forever remain a mystery to me.

It's takes two to tangle! You can lead a horse to water! How is it that in her mind her father shares absolutely zero responsibility in this fiasco? :O If we were to assess blame, and if one party must take more blame than the other, wouldn't it be the one who is in a committed relationship? Let's see here:- whilst the third person betrayed his/her own sense of moral (the Generally Accepted Moral Code of the society), the party in the committed relationship also betrayed his/her partner in addition to that moral code. Any way you look at it, it's one count versus two. Heck, the third person made no oath under God or local authority to be faithful to another individual! And who knows what really happened, maybe the guy didn't even divulge the fact that he's married!

Of course, if you were to believe in the Bible literally, it only says "Thy shall not covet thy neighbor's wife." Nothing was said about thy neighbor's husband... :)

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Ants on a Log

I have never even heard of Ants on a Log until yesterday. I'd lump it up to one of those mysterious White people thing except all Hubby knows about it was "some type of food?" I am attaching a picture here.



Photo Credit: Slashfood.com

Okay, cream cheese on celery sounds more stomachable, but peanut butter? Ugh. [Shall we give that a shot sometime, darling?] Not sure I like celery all that much... wonder if we can substitute it with hollowed out Chinese broccoli. =D

Saturday, October 17, 2009

My Soapbox

I had recently given the link to my blog to another friend (yeah, totally slipping from my original intention of random stranger only readers, but who cares about a random mad woman's rambling?) so I went back and read some of my old posts because I really don't remember what I had wrote and I have been surprised in the past by people possessing knowledge that I do not recall sharing, not a pleasant surprise, if I may add. Here's what I noticed when I went back and read my own blog: Boy, do I write in an angry tone!

Okay, maybe not entirely angry but definitely "high spirited." But hey, in my own defense, the title of my blog is "My SOAPBOX." One is supposed to be high spirited when he/she steps onto a soap box. If I'm not posting about my passionate opinion on a subject, I might as well be twittering about my mundane daily life (you can also find that on the right hand column, by the way, I like to have all my bases covered).

In the end, everything is better with some kicks to it, let it be food or personality. That's why straight laced people are always so boring. ;)