[natural disasters] deepest thanks to those of you who sent your concerns about me being out in indonesia and the news about the tsunamis. the turbulence moved eastwards, and we are currently situated west of all that action on the island of Java. the pictures on tv and in the paper though, have been horrible. millions of people are missing, and thousands of people have drowned. i can't imagine what the people of sri lanka, india, and thailand are experiencing right now.. :( if any of you have families who are in those regions - i hope all news has been good news.

my dear friend from middle school is meant to have her wedding on the island of Goa off the coast of india this week. i hope she's doing okay...

in any case, if any of you can send relief in any shape or form to these asian countries, i'd highly encourage it. my dad has been trying to send funds today, and i'm sure the UN could sure use all our help. hahaha.

happy holidays again - ta for now :D

['tis the season to be jolly] merry christmas everyone :D

*i've beat all of you to christmas day b/c it's already the 25th here!!!*

hope all your christmas wishes came true :)

[excitement delightment] i'm going home to singapore tomorrow and i can't waiiiittttttt!

just had to express that.

happy holidays everyone!

hopefully vacation = more blog writing. woohoo. not like anyone reads this anymore.. but woohoo!

[is this cool or whatttttttt]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&ncid=535&e=10&u=/ap/20041210/ap_on_re_eu/skating_in_the_sky

thanks b ;o)

[grrrruh] the talk of my email box, every coffee shop, and espn is the #4 Cal football team. there has been 20+ emails exchanged in my yahoo! box, cnn elevator tvs are displaying the news, and every male was explaning how bowls are selected in the restaurant i just ate at. i could hear "usc", "texas", "cal", "cal", "cal" being iterated all over! either males just really like the sound of their own voice, or women are trying to get something from them...... kekekeke =P

[christmas bug bit you yet? i love being in the city again. walking down Market with the crisp and (super) cold air in your face, bums be a-singin' christmas songs as you pass them by, and shoppers everywhere carrying huge bags filled with yet-to-folded boxes and holiday goodies!


hope everyone who ever reads this is doing well, and that holiday cheer is touching you wherever you may be :)

[oo oo oooo] has anyone seen that Pedigree ad with Yo Yo Ma playing Bach in the background? it shows all the dogs faces, and then when they put out Pedigree, they show the doggies sniffing and their tails wagging, and ooooh, did i say they showed the doggies sniffing?!

SO KEEEWWWTTTTTTT!

okay, enough cutey wootey diarrhea.

[a week in the life of di] just a couple of highlights..

monday: fresno - raining, cold, lonely, and not very productive. drove to modesto the same night - covering a good 300 miles in one day.

tuesday: livingston - productive, helpful, didn't have to work at night, and started the running regime!

wednesday: kelso, wa - had to wake up at 5am to catch the foster farms jet, sat in a 9 seater lear with the old boys club of ff, fell asleep in front of the ceo of foster farms. later, played texas holdem with the ceo of foster farms, and won a couple of good hands too! ppl in kelso are nice, and boy is it cold, and very green!

thursday: back in sf - *ah* piled on with work, but 'tis nice to see the water again.

friday: san jose - yet another trek for my well exercised car.

*what a week*

[pop and splat] i don't get it. why do bugs insist on flying in my drive path? aren't they supposed to be chilling on some plant or on some fertile earth or something? the latter strip down the 99-South is just *filled* with them! even with my music on, i'll hear a *SPLAT* or *POP* from time to time, and even though i so diligently wiped my windshield about halfway there, my windshield was still filled with joyous bug guts. eeeeeeeeew do bugs never learn??

[help me name a food club] so a couple of us have started this food club. but we don't want to call it that. it's lame. what else can we call it?? our activities basically consist of: cook food for friends, eat food with friends, plan future meetings to cook and eat with friends! we're trying to foster learning foods of different origins and recipe-sharing :) heehee. it's really very cool - but now we need an equally cool name.

[still in the central valley] so if you didn't guess from my 1st post - i'm still in the middle of nowhere. 14 days and counting....

[i thought it couldn't get any worse] but it just did. if this hotel room didn't come with free internet, it would be quite worthless. the room service was the worst i've had in years, there is no gym *gasp!*, and my fruit has dirt on it! xP

it got severely worse. why i'm in fresno.

but i hafta say that the snow capped mountains of the sierra nevada are a sight for sore eyes after a 3+ hr drive...

[i'm back] not to sound totally melodramatic, but i survived the barrage of turkey legs sprawled all over the campus floors, the stench of turkey insides, and the boredom that comes with living in modesto for 2 and a half weeks. *WOOHOO!*

i guess i take living in a city for granted a lot - i mean, i KNOW that the lives we live here are very different and somewhat extravagant compared to people who live 2 hours south. but i hafta say, that living in a city at least makes some of us aware and exposed. at least i know that cows and chickens live out there and what the average sized ranch is. but apparently, those who live 2 hours south don't even realize that there are big buildings in the city. not surprising, they get claustrophobic in their company :D interesting eh.

we shall see how much better fresno is next month...

[second steve's notion] only a year out of school, and boy oh boy do i feel WAY old :( as always, my perfect amount of sleep is 7 hours. :D

[more sports] anyone playing fantasy basketball this season?

[i'm in modesto right now] i'm going to smell like chicken feed when i get home and my car has about 2,967 bugs on it.

[nicely tanned and always hungry] will be the result of ANY cruise you go on. *sigh* i think all 8 of us are thoroughly satisfied with our cruise experience - it was *fantabulous*! i actually kind of miss the rocking motion and seeing the same 7 other people every day... i do, i really do. :D

an off-the-top-of-my-head list of what we did

- lots of good eating (1 appetizer, 1 entree, and 1 dessert became 4 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 3 desserts..)
- lots of drinking (mango tangos, pina coladas, chambord 7 *my new drink, thanks to chris!*, jaegar)
- BONUS WHEEL (my beloved slot machine - as far as i'll go at the casino)
- swimming in the pool on ship (filled with salt water)
- played bingo (i was 1 number away from winning a couple hundred bucks - gosh darnit!)
- played arcade games (time crisis 3 baby)
- ate at johnny rocket's (weird, i know, but free for all at $3.95 a head)
- clubbing
- salsa classes
- played lots of big two, egyptian rat screw, and speed
- jet skiing at labadee (oh the exhiliration, and ouch to my bouncing butt)
- hiking up dunns river falls in jamaica (one of the best experiences i've ever had)
- shopping and eating jerk chicken :D *yummmmy*
- snorkelling in cozumel, and riding scooters and little buggies around the island (what a great day that was!)
- eating true mexican food
- getting bitten by fish (in the most inappropriate places!)
- meeting very interesting people along the way (mystery celebrity's agent, dennis the bartender, and becky the cruise director, haha)

oh helas. i miss it.

[on another note] I WON!!! :D I am my fantasy baseball league's CHAMPION! *and not afraid to share it!* of course, i owe it to my many fabulous advisors - b, quinn, and a couple of my EY managers. haha :)

but..

[sadness is] the giants losing that one game 7-3. aiyoh giants, and darn hermie :( *pout* next year...

[Navigator of the Seas] is where i'll be for the next 8 days. yup, gone to get to know Jeanne and the remnants of Ivan. hopefully, i won't get to know them *too* well - eeps. just in case - you can check where i'll be on http://www.royalcaribbean.com.

[burfday shoutouts] to andy chang - where in the world are you? i tried calling your phone, but for the past year, i've had no luck?! weird. happy burfday 8 mile paul - don forget to eat some noodles on you birthday for the long life k? happy burfday richard - don give out too many dollar bills now ;)

[bop bop in the office] as much as my new mini ipod makes me concentrate at work - drowning out the noise of others' conversations, the funny old man who burps and farts without realizing it, and regular cube bustle - it makes me want to sing! how can you not bop to BEP's "let's get retarded", and how can you not sing to On The Rocks' rendition of Coldplay's "Yellow"? (thanks steve, i listen to it ALL the time -- isn't peanut vendor just the funniest song?)i had to seriously stop myself from singing singing singing :) it's kind of a nice feeling -- but boy could it potentially be embarrasing. xP

- yesterday's bulb relit -
just b/c it was interesting to me and i got inspired by "golf for dummies"
A brief history of golf
There is general agreement that the Scots were the earliest of golf addicts but who actually invented the game is open to debate. We know that golf has existed for at least 500 years because James II of Scotland, in an Act of Parliament dated March 6, 1457, had golf and football banned because these sports were interfering too much with archery practice sorely needed by the loyal defenders of the Scottish realm! It has been suggested that bored shepherds tending flocks of sheep near St. Andrews became adept at hitting rounded stones into rabbits holes with their wooden crooks. And so a legend that persists to this day was born!

The very earliest club makers were thought to be the skilled craftsmen who produced bows and arrows and other implements of war! The first authentic record of a club maker was in 1603 when William Mayne was appointed to the court of James I of England to make golf clubs for the king and his coherts! Two Scottish club makers are recognized from the late 1600s, Andrew Dickson of Leith and Henry Mill of St. Andrews. These clubs featured carved wooden heads of beech, holly, dogwood, pear or apple and spliced into shafts of ash or hazel to give the club more whip. Improvements were made by filling the back of the head with lead and by putting inserts of leather, horn or bone into the club face.

In 1618, James I of England commissioned James Melvill and an associate to make feathery balls for the court. It was an exclusive grant for 21 years with the balls stamped by Melvill and any other ball found in the Kingdom not bearing his trademark were confiscated! You may well be surprised at the distances achieved by these feathery balls. In dry weather, a well struck feather ball could travel 180 yards (165 m) but when wet only about 150 yards (135 m). The gutty as it was known was not an instant success as the smooth ball tended to duck in flight. Players soon found that its performance improved at the end of a round when the ball received some nicks and scratches. Therefore, newly molded balls were scored all over with a saddler's hammer with such good playing results that the demise of the feathery was certain.

Modern balls have a more durable cover of balata or surlyn and various solid core balls with new synthetics have become popular. As well, we have seen the art of club making go from the original wooden clubs, to forged irons, then steel shafts and finally all manner of metal heads with many types of synthetic shafts. Technology has done wonders for the average golfer but practice, dedication and raw talent still remain a factor as witnessed by Greg Norman's amazing 63 at Augusta on April 11, 1996, during the first round of the US Masters Championship.
-the end-

[secret korean hide out] thanks to terry, b and i now frequent this korean market on junipero serra on our own. to me, it's a little hide out - it's right off the freeway, behind this fence of bushes, and it's standing there alone amongst the mcd's, denny's, and krispy kremes of the united states! the sign actually says "ASIAN FOOD" - do i sense some korean pride? in any case, they have a morning glory store!! yay to the days when cc and i used to rampage one of these and emerge victorious with multiple pencils and colored pens! haha :)

are you guys ready for it?
- today's new light bulb -
(for the love of golf - how to prevent injuries)

1. Take it easy

Most golfing injuries result from overuse. You might practice your swing for hours, with the hope that it'll help your game. However, if your musculoskeletal system isn't conditioned for the extra strain, over-practicing a swing will do more harm than good. As with all sports and exercise programs, start out slowly and work up to your desired level of activity. "Get in shape to play your sport. Don't play your sport to get in shape," Dr. Laskowski says.

2. Warm up

Several practice swings are definitely beneficial, especially if you go through the motion slowly before taking full swings. But before grabbing your clubs, walk — or jog — a few minutes and be sure to go through your stretching program. Golfers who rush from the parking lot to the first tee often report that they don't really get into the groove until the fourth hole or so. Avoid this by giving yourself plenty of time to check in and get warmed up. Who knows? You might just shave a few strokes off your score.

3. Be flexibile

A daily stretching routine is recommended regardless of your athletic pursuits. Improving your flexibility helps your muscles accommodate all sorts of demands. In golf, stretching is important to make sure that your body can move through the range of motion required in the golf swing without causing excessive stress on the muscles or joints.

4. Strengthen your muscles

You don't need bulging muscles to hit a long drive, but strength training is important for overall fitness and avoiding injuries. For golfers, Dr. Laskowski emphasizes strength training and flexibility in the lower back, abdomen and hip areas, as well as your shoulders. Aim for balanced strength. Work the front and back of your shoulders equally, as well as the muscles around the shoulder blade and the front, middle and especially back deltoid muscles —the top muscles of your upper arm. Balanced strength in the front and back shoulder muscles provides protective stability to the rotator cuff, which is prone to golfing injuries — especially as you age. Similarly, strive for a good balance of strength in your lower back muscles and abdominal muscles. It's beneficial for golfers to improve the strength of their forearm muscles, as well.

If any of this gets to be an utter bore, please provide feedback :)

[drowned in work, dry of knowledge] my one year anniversary at my first job has passed - and no longer can i resign myself to "don look at me, i dunno nothin'!" the cool thing is though, that i don't think i have to resign to that anymore. as i interact with our new set of first years, i'm reminded of how much i've learnt in the past year. not just accounting knowledge, methodology, and what-not, but also about how to balance my work life, deal with people, and extract what you need to get the job done. haha, indeed, i may sound like a ruthless corporate type, but to me, my attitude at work is to get the job done with as little harm to others as possible. so far so good.. but who knows what that'll be like as the working years progress..

given all this -- b and i bumped into his old boss yesterday, who is the well of all possible knowledge. a harvard grad, i think his brain is always thirty for more quirky and unusual things to know about and tell other people about. perhaps that's the difference between students of elite schools and the regular lot - the regular lot is happy knowing what they know, whereas the other group is always searching for more. me? i've realized the hole i've dug myself into at work and in the whirlwind of life i'm living, and from now on, i'd like to dedicate this space to knowledge. perhaps you all will find it more interesting than reading about me anyways ;) i'll post one knowledge-worthy every time i post (ideally, every day? ha!) it'll simply be called...

- today's new light bulb -
(since i went to the geisha exhibit this past weekend)
"Gei" means arts or performance in Japanese. "Sha" means people. Geisha are professional hostesses who entertain guests through various performing arts. Geisha girls and women are not ordinary hostesses and are not prostitutes. Geisha girls and women are trained in a number of traditional skills; Japanese ancient dance, singing, playing instruments (a three stringed instrument called shamisen is an essential instrument), flower arrangement, wearing kimono, tea ceremony, calligraphy, conversation, alcohol serving manners, and more. Geisha girls and women are talented Japanese women who patiently go through extensive training. Even after becoming a geisha girl, they keep improving their skills by taking many lessons. When you do request, make it clear that what types of performance you would like. There are two basic types of geisha. One is called "tachikata" which mainly does traditional Japanese dance (mai). The other is called "jikata" which mainly sings, or plays an instrument. Tachikata are usually maiko girls and jikata are older geisha women. The cost for a party with geisha varies depending on the number of geisha, food, drink, hours, and so on.

[another day, another year] thus begins the days of punching in 23 on the precor machine. thus begins the days of no more "21 in 2001" on my driver's license (it's expiring soon). thus begins another year. sigh.

not much to reflect on except that it's gone by far too fast. i'm catching up with y'all! thanks to the people near and far who remembered and helped me celebrate through techno music cards and capitalized subject lines. :D *muah*

ta for now.

[watching olympics is fun!] dang! -- amanda beard and her breaststroke! is it the amount of elevation she gets with her shoulders? if it's her legs, then why doesn't she catch up with her freestyle? ehhhhh?

gymnastics has been fun too! flipping on the balance beam.. those crazy flips. and those dudes' arms on the rings! =O i think it's pretty cool. =)

one thing i've definitely found irritating though is how the US never shows anything LIVE!!!! xP back in singapore, they'd just be showing olympic events whenever it happened.. but instead here, they show it in one go at 8pm - 12am. i was home during the day this week... no olympics on tv!! now the angst that this causes me is simply that.. when i'm opening up say... the Yahoo homepage.. a headline pops out that tells me who won. that's like knowing the end of the movie before you see it. it's still fun watching, but i'm not quite clutching my pooh bear like i usually do =T

hope the olympics have been entertaining for you toO! amazing these athletes.

ps. this one's for joshie - are you enjoying svetlana on the uneven bars? ;)

[tissue with vitamin E and aloe lotion is my friend] no seriously. these babies feel good when you've just about scraped the last layer of your nose's skin off from overblowing. i have no idea how you boys can take bog roll or even worse! paper napkins from a hot dog stand, to blow your nose. ouchie.

on another note, it's amazing the clarity that comes with a stuffed nose. it makes you value the simple things. ie. the things you can actually do when you barely have enough energy to squeeze a fist! for example:

1. love your loved ones - suddenly, the time when your loved one brings you a warm glass of water is even more special than last week when your loved one brought you a cold beer.

2. become intimate with your reading material - (get your minds out of the dirt) what i mean is that b/c your eyes are too blurry to watch television and your coordination is too distorted to play video games, you're forced to spend quality time with your books :) i'm trying to move onto the sequel of bridget jones' diary..

3. food tastes so good - that is, during those brief moments when both of your nostrils are clear, and your sense of taste returns for a second or two.

these are all the things that, on a normal healthy day, i know i would pass over. i usually eat way too fast to taste my food, i usually read blogs and news articles instead of books these days, and i know i don't stop and think enough about how lucky i am to have loved ones around me.

maybe it's the stuffed nose (and brain) that is making my whole world about ten times slower right now, or maybe it's the lack of sleep. either way, the moral of this story is: stay healthy and don't get a cold from di. b/c i sure wish i could walk along the pier right now on this sun shiney day instead of planting my butt on the couch. (and thank goodness for wireless internet)