I tagged along with my parents earlier this month to South Korea. My dad had a business trip to work with the military base there in helping the US withdraw forces by 2011 (here's to us being in Iraq and Afghanistan 'til 2050!).
If it sounds like a random, spontaneous trip, it definitely was. But how often do you get a chance to go to Seoul? It doesn't exactly make the list of vacation destinations.
Since my dad had to work during the week, it was up to my mom and me to figure out where to go and what to do during the day. Day 1 was spent wandering around the various palaces in the cities. I'm used to indoor palaces where it's warm and there's nice furniture and wall/ceiling decorations. In Seoul, palaces are mostly outdoor courtyards where you have to walk a bunch to the few indoor buildings only to find that they're completely empty!
Day 2 was Olympic day. We had originally planned to see the Olympic stuff in the morning and then something else in the afternoon, but we went the wrong way (3 or 4 times!) on the subway and then still got off at the wrong stop (you would think the main entrance to Olympic Park would be at the Olympic Park subway stop, but you'd be wrong) so it ended up taking the entire day. The park is actually really nice since they have sculptures scattered throughout, and I'm sure it's a great place to take a walk in the summer. However, when it's 20 degrees out and windy, and you have no idea where you are, and there's no one who can guide you, it's not so pleasant.
The next few days were spent wandering around the various markets. I'm not sure anything could have prepared me for the huge number of stores. Everywhere we went, there were literally thousands of small stores (most the size of an office cubicle) just packed with stuff. There would be one store dedicated to buttons. Stacks and stacks, and rows and rows of just buttons. Your could probably find every kind of button imaginable in that one store.
I think the most interesting specialty product was fabric. Here we have fabric stores. There, they had 3 or 4 floors of small, cubicle-sized stores all selling fabric. I don't know how people buy anything there. First, you have to pick one out of a thousand stores. Then, from that store, you need to pick one of 10,000 possible fabrics! I also think there was some understood system there about how to buy the fabric because we saw a bunch of teenage girls running around with these small notebooks with samples of fabrics. They seemed to be going to each store and collecting samples or something.
I thought the variety here was ridiculous. The amount of variety and choice available there gave me a headache.
Overall, the places we went to were very modern/Western. In fact, we only found a few stores that sold "traditional" Korean souvenirs/crafts. If it wasn't so clean and everyone wasn't so friendly, I would have thought we were still in America! Well, besides the fact that nothing was written in English, of course.
So, despite the fact that it was freezing cold, hardly anyone spoke English, and it was really hard to find vegetarian food, we had a great time!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 04, 2009
TWoods
The whole Tiger Woods saga has completely shattered my world view.
The fascination stems mostly from what's not being said, and the fact that it's really people's imaginations creating the story.
This was a guy who people said could run for president. His public persona was one of an upstanding citizen who worked hard for everything he did, had a beautiful wife and kids, and was living a great life. I'm not sure if that whole image was one that he carefully managed or if this was the result of a great PR campaign, but either way, it was one that was held by a large majority of the public.
Stories like this make you step back and wonder how many other celebrities are guilty of projecting a public image that is very different (and in some cases, completely contradictory) to their own private lives.
The fascination stems mostly from what's not being said, and the fact that it's really people's imaginations creating the story.
This was a guy who people said could run for president. His public persona was one of an upstanding citizen who worked hard for everything he did, had a beautiful wife and kids, and was living a great life. I'm not sure if that whole image was one that he carefully managed or if this was the result of a great PR campaign, but either way, it was one that was held by a large majority of the public.
Stories like this make you step back and wonder how many other celebrities are guilty of projecting a public image that is very different (and in some cases, completely contradictory) to their own private lives.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Radio Recorder
There needs to be something similar to a DVR for the radio.
If you hear a song you like, you could press a 'record' button and it would store the rest of the song on a hard drive in mp3 format.
You saw it here first. Just like the light on a pen that I invented back in the 5th grade, and then was in a mall 10 years later.
If you hear a song you like, you could press a 'record' button and it would store the rest of the song on a hard drive in mp3 format.
You saw it here first. Just like the light on a pen that I invented back in the 5th grade, and then was in a mall 10 years later.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Halloween Weekend
To get in the mood for Halloween, I saw Paranormal Activity on Friday night with a couple of friends. I had heard mixed things, ranging from the scariest movie ever to not scary at all.
Overall, I would say it had its moments with a pretty scary ending, but it was more psychological thriller than straight-up horror film. It was also a very well-made movie - great character development with good pacing of the storyline. The entire movie takes place in the house, and we only meet 4 characters. I don't know a ton about film and movie-making, but I think it's a great example of how to make a good film.
I searched online afterward, and I have to say that some of the "alternate endings" sound a lot better than the one they went with.
On Saturday, after the UT game (we're #2 now!), a friend and I headed to DC for Halloween fun. Our first choice had a ridiculous line around the corner, so we quickly needed to come up with a plan B. Our plan B place is usually really chill and never has a line. Not sure why (maybe since it was Halloween?), but there was a line there too!
Oh, and on the way to plan B, we went to this other bar that seemed a lot less crowded than every other place so we decided to check it out. Yeah, we quickly figured out why. Not only was it pretty crowded inside, but I got a full bottle of beer spilled on me within 2 minutes of walking around inside. Disgusting.
We finally ended up at another place that had a rooftop bar. This sounds a lot better than it was, especially since it was raining on and off, and we spent a good part of the (rest of the) night trying to huddle under the umbrellas. My friend said that it's usually a packed line to get to the rooftop, and I can see why there was no line now.
For costumes, there were a number of cereal killers (why was that popular this year?), a few Lady Gagas, a few variations of H1N1/swine flu, a couple of people from the Hangover, and a Billy Mays. We also saw a guy wrapped completely in bubble wrap. Not sure who he was supposed to be, maybe the bubble boy?
Overall, I would say it had its moments with a pretty scary ending, but it was more psychological thriller than straight-up horror film. It was also a very well-made movie - great character development with good pacing of the storyline. The entire movie takes place in the house, and we only meet 4 characters. I don't know a ton about film and movie-making, but I think it's a great example of how to make a good film.
I searched online afterward, and I have to say that some of the "alternate endings" sound a lot better than the one they went with.
On Saturday, after the UT game (we're #2 now!), a friend and I headed to DC for Halloween fun. Our first choice had a ridiculous line around the corner, so we quickly needed to come up with a plan B. Our plan B place is usually really chill and never has a line. Not sure why (maybe since it was Halloween?), but there was a line there too!
Oh, and on the way to plan B, we went to this other bar that seemed a lot less crowded than every other place so we decided to check it out. Yeah, we quickly figured out why. Not only was it pretty crowded inside, but I got a full bottle of beer spilled on me within 2 minutes of walking around inside. Disgusting.
We finally ended up at another place that had a rooftop bar. This sounds a lot better than it was, especially since it was raining on and off, and we spent a good part of the (rest of the) night trying to huddle under the umbrellas. My friend said that it's usually a packed line to get to the rooftop, and I can see why there was no line now.
For costumes, there were a number of cereal killers (why was that popular this year?), a few Lady Gagas, a few variations of H1N1/swine flu, a couple of people from the Hangover, and a Billy Mays. We also saw a guy wrapped completely in bubble wrap. Not sure who he was supposed to be, maybe the bubble boy?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Lying
I've made an interesting self-observation at work this week.
I'm a terrible liar.
Not in the sense that I can't lie when I need to, because I'm pretty sure I could if the situation called for it. I mean that if someone asks me a question, I'm incredibly honest, almost to a fault.
I've noticed that others tend to "massage the truth," either to lessen the impact of negative news or for self-preservation. Well, that's not me. If someone made a mistake, even if it's me, I'll say it - even if others would rather go with the "we were being conservative" explanation.
I'm not sure if being able to lie more effectively is something that comes with more experience or if it's a personality thing, but my guess is that it's the latter since I have been told numerous times that I need to get better at lying (by my parents, no less!).
I'm a terrible liar.
Not in the sense that I can't lie when I need to, because I'm pretty sure I could if the situation called for it. I mean that if someone asks me a question, I'm incredibly honest, almost to a fault.
I've noticed that others tend to "massage the truth," either to lessen the impact of negative news or for self-preservation. Well, that's not me. If someone made a mistake, even if it's me, I'll say it - even if others would rather go with the "we were being conservative" explanation.
I'm not sure if being able to lie more effectively is something that comes with more experience or if it's a personality thing, but my guess is that it's the latter since I have been told numerous times that I need to get better at lying (by my parents, no less!).
Friday, October 02, 2009
Cubes in the Kitchen!
Apparently, there's no more empty cubes left in our building, but we have contractors coming in next week from India and they have no place to sit.
So where to put the new cubes? The kitchen, of course!
Well, not the kitchen, but the break room. So when people are warming up their food or taking a coffee break, or even having lunch at one of the tables, there will be people trying to work just a few feet away. One of the cubes is not even 5 feet away from the TV which is on all day.
I do not envy them. They probably have no idea of their working conditions.
So where to put the new cubes? The kitchen, of course!
Well, not the kitchen, but the break room. So when people are warming up their food or taking a coffee break, or even having lunch at one of the tables, there will be people trying to work just a few feet away. One of the cubes is not even 5 feet away from the TV which is on all day.
I do not envy them. They probably have no idea of their working conditions.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
US Open
I've been watching a lot of tennis lately. Usually, I only watch the last weekend, with the men's and womens's semifinals/finals, but this year I started watching since the beginning.
This year's tournament has been really interesting, since a lot of the big names have already fallen - Roddick, Venus Williams, Murray, Sharapova, etc. It will be fun to see who the next crop of tennis players are in a few years after Federer and Nadal have slipped a bit.
I think tennis is one of the more dramatic and fascinating sports because there's no team to help you out. It is just you out there on the court, and you can either sink or swim. Since it's a 3 or 5 set match, it also forces you to play and makes the winner prove that they have both the stamina and skill to beat the other person consistently.
There have already been some great matches, and I'm sure the quality of play will just go up as we move on. Sucks that there aren't any Americans left on the men's side though. It's not looking great for the American wonderchild Oudin either.
This year's tournament has been really interesting, since a lot of the big names have already fallen - Roddick, Venus Williams, Murray, Sharapova, etc. It will be fun to see who the next crop of tennis players are in a few years after Federer and Nadal have slipped a bit.
I think tennis is one of the more dramatic and fascinating sports because there's no team to help you out. It is just you out there on the court, and you can either sink or swim. Since it's a 3 or 5 set match, it also forces you to play and makes the winner prove that they have both the stamina and skill to beat the other person consistently.
There have already been some great matches, and I'm sure the quality of play will just go up as we move on. Sucks that there aren't any Americans left on the men's side though. It's not looking great for the American wonderchild Oudin either.
Friday, August 28, 2009
OMG
There's no greater motivation to learn something than when you are forced to learn it. Sink or swim.
The main technical lead on our project has been on vacay for the past three weeks, and because the stars have lined up in a particular way, I'm the next most knowledgeable person. Everyone has been asking me all these questions about how things work and why they work the way they do.
I know some of the answers, but for most of them, I just give my best guess. Hope I'm right!
Luckily, he gets back on Monday so maybe I can get some work done again.
The main technical lead on our project has been on vacay for the past three weeks, and because the stars have lined up in a particular way, I'm the next most knowledgeable person. Everyone has been asking me all these questions about how things work and why they work the way they do.
I know some of the answers, but for most of them, I just give my best guess. Hope I'm right!
Luckily, he gets back on Monday so maybe I can get some work done again.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wedding Fun
I went to a wedding this past weekend in Chapel Hill, NC. I already knew I wouldn't know anyone there (I hadn't seen or spoken to the bride since I was five, and we were on the bride's side!), so the main highlight for me was just going to be seeing the state - Duke, UNC, etc.
The Duke campus was pretty amazing. It was huge - we must have walked 2 miles and I think we only saw a small percentage of the overall campus. The architecture was also beautiful and unique. I can only imagine what it would have been like to go there for undergrad. I guess there's always an MBA, eh?
I actually liked how the couple did their whole wedding. It was a nice hybrid of American and Indian ceremonies - from the "we are gathered here" to the rounds around the fire. My dad commented that an Indian priest would never have conducted the ceremony since it didn't conform to the Indian traditions, but I think it's really admirable that the couple took the parts from each culture and modified it to fit their own vision of a marriage. At the end, it's all about your relationship and how you want your marriage to begin, right?
Most of the toasts were really, really good. As I said at the beginning, I didn't know either the bride or the groom, but based on the toasts, these people sounded awesome! Have you ever noticed that funerals and weddings are the two events where the people are portrayed as practically perfect?
I met a guy there who had the exact same name as me, except he spelled his name with an 'i' instead of two 'e's. I hung out with him after the reception when he met up with some of his high school friends. I'm not a huge fan of someone else having the same name as me, but at least he's pretty cool. His friends were all really nice and laid back too, and it was pretty fun to see another side of North Carolina, or the 919 as I like to call it.
The Duke campus was pretty amazing. It was huge - we must have walked 2 miles and I think we only saw a small percentage of the overall campus. The architecture was also beautiful and unique. I can only imagine what it would have been like to go there for undergrad. I guess there's always an MBA, eh?
I actually liked how the couple did their whole wedding. It was a nice hybrid of American and Indian ceremonies - from the "we are gathered here" to the rounds around the fire. My dad commented that an Indian priest would never have conducted the ceremony since it didn't conform to the Indian traditions, but I think it's really admirable that the couple took the parts from each culture and modified it to fit their own vision of a marriage. At the end, it's all about your relationship and how you want your marriage to begin, right?
Most of the toasts were really, really good. As I said at the beginning, I didn't know either the bride or the groom, but based on the toasts, these people sounded awesome! Have you ever noticed that funerals and weddings are the two events where the people are portrayed as practically perfect?
I met a guy there who had the exact same name as me, except he spelled his name with an 'i' instead of two 'e's. I hung out with him after the reception when he met up with some of his high school friends. I'm not a huge fan of someone else having the same name as me, but at least he's pretty cool. His friends were all really nice and laid back too, and it was pretty fun to see another side of North Carolina, or the 919 as I like to call it.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Bribe?
Is it normal for the federal government to outright bribe citizens to buy things?
I'm specifically referring to the 'cash for clunkers' program and the $8,000 tax refund for new homeowners.
It's a tricky situation to get people motivated and confident to buy again, but using outright cold hard cash to get them in the door?
I'm specifically referring to the 'cash for clunkers' program and the $8,000 tax refund for new homeowners.
It's a tricky situation to get people motivated and confident to buy again, but using outright cold hard cash to get them in the door?
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Brief Update
It's been awhile!
This is the second week in my condo. I have the most amazing view (if I got a telescope, I could see right into the penthouse of the Hyatt across the street!), and have way more space than I need. I also love my shower - it feels like the kind of shower you get in the fanciest of hotels. My kitchen is also pretty spacious, and now that the garbage disposal is fixed, I'll be using that more often too.
Also, how sad is it that I can't figure out how to set up a wireless network using a Mac? I've followed the steps in a lot of online forums, but so far, nothing.
All in all, I've spent way more money this year than I thought I would. I easily could have settled for a practical car and a practical condo, but where's the fun in that?
Oh, and just because I bought a condo doesn't mean I'm getting married any time soon. Not sure why every Indian co-worker equates the two.
This is the second week in my condo. I have the most amazing view (if I got a telescope, I could see right into the penthouse of the Hyatt across the street!), and have way more space than I need. I also love my shower - it feels like the kind of shower you get in the fanciest of hotels. My kitchen is also pretty spacious, and now that the garbage disposal is fixed, I'll be using that more often too.
Also, how sad is it that I can't figure out how to set up a wireless network using a Mac? I've followed the steps in a lot of online forums, but so far, nothing.
All in all, I've spent way more money this year than I thought I would. I easily could have settled for a practical car and a practical condo, but where's the fun in that?
Oh, and just because I bought a condo doesn't mean I'm getting married any time soon. Not sure why every Indian co-worker equates the two.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
More about MJ
I'm still fascinated by the media coverage of MJ's death.
The memorial service will be on Tuesday at Staples Center. I called that right after they said it couldn't be at Neverland (not entirely sure why not). But going there will never be the same.
I think it would be a little creepy going to a Lakers or Clippers game there after a memorial service was held there. It would be a little like seeing any sporting event at the Superdome after Katrina.
According to the news, 500 million people tried to hit the website (and brought it down) to get tickets for the memorial service. Is that number right? That's the equivalent of every single person in the United States plus the entire population of Brazil. That's insane. If that's true, I could see the crowd in LA either equaling or surpassing the number of people at Obama's inauguration.
There's some people who are saying that they should stop the media coverage and let him rest in peace. I disagree. I think he would have loved everything that's going on and would thoroughly enjoy the attention.
The memorial service will be on Tuesday at Staples Center. I called that right after they said it couldn't be at Neverland (not entirely sure why not). But going there will never be the same.
I think it would be a little creepy going to a Lakers or Clippers game there after a memorial service was held there. It would be a little like seeing any sporting event at the Superdome after Katrina.
According to the news, 500 million people tried to hit the website (and brought it down) to get tickets for the memorial service. Is that number right? That's the equivalent of every single person in the United States plus the entire population of Brazil. That's insane. If that's true, I could see the crowd in LA either equaling or surpassing the number of people at Obama's inauguration.
There's some people who are saying that they should stop the media coverage and let him rest in peace. I disagree. I think he would have loved everything that's going on and would thoroughly enjoy the attention.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
MJ
Michael Jackson died last Thursday.
It sounds like he went peacefully and anti-climatically, but the by the amount of media coverage and drama, you'd never know it.
I find it fascinating how varied the reports are of his health before he died. One report will say he was incredibly healthy with so much energy, and another will say he was a walking corpse. One will insist he inhaled a few bottles of pills a day, and a fourth says he never took a drug in his life.
The truth is probably somewhere in between, given that he passed a four-hour physical earlier in the year, but clearly had to have some sort of powerful drug injected that would cause death.
I'm not sure how all this will play out, but I think it would have been fun to grow up when he really hit it big. We'll probably never see another celebrity break down barriers and dominate the world the way he did, and it would have been interesting to live that experience.
It sounds like he went peacefully and anti-climatically, but the by the amount of media coverage and drama, you'd never know it.
I find it fascinating how varied the reports are of his health before he died. One report will say he was incredibly healthy with so much energy, and another will say he was a walking corpse. One will insist he inhaled a few bottles of pills a day, and a fourth says he never took a drug in his life.
The truth is probably somewhere in between, given that he passed a four-hour physical earlier in the year, but clearly had to have some sort of powerful drug injected that would cause death.
I'm not sure how all this will play out, but I think it would have been fun to grow up when he really hit it big. We'll probably never see another celebrity break down barriers and dominate the world the way he did, and it would have been interesting to live that experience.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Wacky Weekend!
Well, it wasn't really wacky, but it made for a good headline, no?
It was pretty busy though. I went into DC on Friday night to meet a friend for drinks. I promised myself I wouldn't drink that much since I had to go to Delaware to visit another friend the next morning, but these promises are rarely kept.
I was supposed to leave at 10 on Saturday, but ended up leaving closer to 11:30. I must say that the drive was much, much nicer in my new car. It was way smoother and more comfortable and the time went by pretty quickly. Plus, it's nice to have a reliable CD player again.
Delaware was fun too. Obviously, no one goes to that state for touristy things, but my friend is moving to Colorado so I wanted to visit him one last time. We had debated whether he should come to DC or I should go up there, and I said that there would rarely be other opportunities to visit good ol' Delaware.
It turns out there are some nice places to visit, and I think once the monsoon season calms down, it would be fun to go back and see some of the natural places.
The Dupont family also apparently owns a good part of the state, and we went to see one of their estates. One of the Duponts clearly had no interest in furthering the family business, so he decided to start collecting American furniture. He built an extension to the house just to house whatever new pieces he found. There were literally rooms in the house that were just to hold furniture. Ridiculous.
After touring the estate, we ate at a funky little restaurant on the main street. It would have been nice to stay a night in Delaware just to see what the bars are like, but I again had plans the next morning - more on that later. I was good this time though, and didn't have anythign to drink at dinner.
So I got home at around 9pm, and the next morning - well at 1am, we had a fucking install for our new product at work. The timing was insane. I can understand if we had customers beating down the door to try our new product, but as of today, I still don't think anyone has tried to use it. It took us until 9am to finish, and then we had another session at 7pm to fix an issue that was discovered in the morning. Not a fun day.
Looking back, maybe it was a pretty wacky weekend.
It was pretty busy though. I went into DC on Friday night to meet a friend for drinks. I promised myself I wouldn't drink that much since I had to go to Delaware to visit another friend the next morning, but these promises are rarely kept.
I was supposed to leave at 10 on Saturday, but ended up leaving closer to 11:30. I must say that the drive was much, much nicer in my new car. It was way smoother and more comfortable and the time went by pretty quickly. Plus, it's nice to have a reliable CD player again.
Delaware was fun too. Obviously, no one goes to that state for touristy things, but my friend is moving to Colorado so I wanted to visit him one last time. We had debated whether he should come to DC or I should go up there, and I said that there would rarely be other opportunities to visit good ol' Delaware.
It turns out there are some nice places to visit, and I think once the monsoon season calms down, it would be fun to go back and see some of the natural places.
The Dupont family also apparently owns a good part of the state, and we went to see one of their estates. One of the Duponts clearly had no interest in furthering the family business, so he decided to start collecting American furniture. He built an extension to the house just to house whatever new pieces he found. There were literally rooms in the house that were just to hold furniture. Ridiculous.
After touring the estate, we ate at a funky little restaurant on the main street. It would have been nice to stay a night in Delaware just to see what the bars are like, but I again had plans the next morning - more on that later. I was good this time though, and didn't have anythign to drink at dinner.
So I got home at around 9pm, and the next morning - well at 1am, we had a fucking install for our new product at work. The timing was insane. I can understand if we had customers beating down the door to try our new product, but as of today, I still don't think anyone has tried to use it. It took us until 9am to finish, and then we had another session at 7pm to fix an issue that was discovered in the morning. Not a fun day.
Looking back, maybe it was a pretty wacky weekend.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Movies!
Summer may be my favorite time of year. I don't think I appreciated it as much in Texas, since it was pretty much hot year-round.
However, up here, there is a noticeable difference in temperature, and summer is the one reliable season where you can go out in t-shirts and flip-flops.
Summer is also great because of all the awesome movies. So far, I've seen Up and The Hangover. Completely different genres, but both were great movies. I was really surprised that for Up in 3D you still need to wear the cheesy glasses. You'd think with all the great technological innovations, you wouldn't need the glasses any more.
I'm looking forward to Year One and Bruno also. I've been a bit disappointed with the previews for Year One, but figure with such a funny cast, it has to be good. They also had a preview for Bruno before The Hangover and it looks just as hysterical/politically-incorrect as Borat (if not more so).
However, up here, there is a noticeable difference in temperature, and summer is the one reliable season where you can go out in t-shirts and flip-flops.
Summer is also great because of all the awesome movies. So far, I've seen Up and The Hangover. Completely different genres, but both were great movies. I was really surprised that for Up in 3D you still need to wear the cheesy glasses. You'd think with all the great technological innovations, you wouldn't need the glasses any more.
I'm looking forward to Year One and Bruno also. I've been a bit disappointed with the previews for Year One, but figure with such a funny cast, it has to be good. They also had a preview for Bruno before The Hangover and it looks just as hysterical/politically-incorrect as Borat (if not more so).
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Drunk Tank
The drunk tank (aka any Metro ride from DC back to the 'burbs from like 12am - 3am) is by far the highlight of any night out in DC.
Last night, there were people racing down an escalator going the opposite way, a guy telling another to "meet me.. fucking wherever", and a group of guys who I'm pretty sure caused a girl to get off earlier than her actual stop.
Obviously, it's also luck of the draw depending on which car you're in. Sometimes there will just be a bunch of passed out people, but if you're lucky you'll get at least a few rowdy people who make the trip quite entertaining.
Last night, there were people racing down an escalator going the opposite way, a guy telling another to "meet me.. fucking wherever", and a group of guys who I'm pretty sure caused a girl to get off earlier than her actual stop.
Obviously, it's also luck of the draw depending on which car you're in. Sometimes there will just be a bunch of passed out people, but if you're lucky you'll get at least a few rowdy people who make the trip quite entertaining.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
New Car
I bought a 2009 Infiniti G37x yesterday.
It's slightly used with about 7k miles, but looks completely new.
It's a very slick car, and is leaps and bounds above the Civic in terms of performance, comfort, pretty much everything.
It's crazy quiet, even at 60mph, and the sound system is ridiculous.
My favorite feature is the push-button ignition. Instead of using a key to start the car, you just push a button. I need an AV cable to connect my ipod to the stereo system and then I'll be set.
There's also a feature that tells you how many miles are left before you run out of gas.
I'm pretty sure I can be a lot more lenient with it (take curves a lot sharper, brake with a lot less room), but so far I'm being careful. Otherwise it's only a couple of weeks before I'd get a ticket/get into an accident ;)
I can see why some people fall in love with their cars.
It's slightly used with about 7k miles, but looks completely new.
It's a very slick car, and is leaps and bounds above the Civic in terms of performance, comfort, pretty much everything.
It's crazy quiet, even at 60mph, and the sound system is ridiculous.
My favorite feature is the push-button ignition. Instead of using a key to start the car, you just push a button. I need an AV cable to connect my ipod to the stereo system and then I'll be set.
There's also a feature that tells you how many miles are left before you run out of gas.
I'm pretty sure I can be a lot more lenient with it (take curves a lot sharper, brake with a lot less room), but so far I'm being careful. Otherwise it's only a couple of weeks before I'd get a ticket/get into an accident ;)
I can see why some people fall in love with their cars.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
new favorite website
TFLN
They finally have an RSS feed (went live today), but surprisingly you can't text your text to them - you have to either email it to them or fill out a form on their website. Isn't that ironic?
Does anyone else think it's weird that you can say 'text your text' and not even blink? Using the same word as a verb and noun in the same sentence!
I can't even imagine trying to maintain a site where they get such a massive amount of input and uploading them in a timely fashion. From what I can tell, they don't have any ads or any other source of revenue, yet getting them up on the site is a full-time job. Not sure how they're able to do it.
At least on TFLN and FML, they don't have to come up with witty headlines like the overheard sites.
They finally have an RSS feed (went live today), but surprisingly you can't text your text to them - you have to either email it to them or fill out a form on their website. Isn't that ironic?
Does anyone else think it's weird that you can say 'text your text' and not even blink? Using the same word as a verb and noun in the same sentence!
I can't even imagine trying to maintain a site where they get such a massive amount of input and uploading them in a timely fashion. From what I can tell, they don't have any ads or any other source of revenue, yet getting them up on the site is a full-time job. Not sure how they're able to do it.
At least on TFLN and FML, they don't have to come up with witty headlines like the overheard sites.
Monday, May 04, 2009
FML, fo real
So after the awesome beginning to the weekend with my hard drive crash on Friday, I went to volunteer on Sunday at the National Science Bowl. Why? Because I'm just that cool.
I was the scorekeeper and basically marked the score on this massive flipchart. The training session in the morning was pretty intimidating and it seemed pretty hard since there's a bunch of rules and different ways each question can be scored, but it wasn't that bad once you got the hang of it. I also figured out that coaches from both teams are also keeping track and there's an official "rules judge" who also keeps score, so you're not alone - and if you fuck up, people will let you know immediately. Out of 9 rounds, I only messed up twice, which isn't bad at all.
I'm not sure how the teams are created, but it seemed like every team had 1 or 2 good people, and the rest were just sort of there for the free trip. There was probably 1 person on every team who didn't answer a single question.
My favorite part of the rounds was definitely the bonus questions cause you heard them actually discussing the question. It was great when everyone on the team was just as clueless about the question as the audience ;)
My favorite team was The Meadows School from Las Vegas. Shoutout! I don't think they won any games, but they had the most personality, and they had 2 cute, but kinda dumb, Indian girls.
So the tournament was pretty fun and interesting for the first 7 rounds. After that, I was done. They only gave us food in the morning, so I had a massive headache and was really tired by Round 8. On the way home, I got into a car accident. I was getting on the highway when I hit a slick spot and my car turned 90 degrees and half of it ended up on the pavement. I was about to back out again onto the highway when an oncoming car hit me. Fun times. I'm fine though, and so is the other guy. But my car's done, and it's officially time to get a new one.
We're getting an estimate for the damage tomorrow, but there's really no rational reason to get it fixed since it's old and its time has passed.
It's been a great weekend. Hope yours was just as eventful!
I was the scorekeeper and basically marked the score on this massive flipchart. The training session in the morning was pretty intimidating and it seemed pretty hard since there's a bunch of rules and different ways each question can be scored, but it wasn't that bad once you got the hang of it. I also figured out that coaches from both teams are also keeping track and there's an official "rules judge" who also keeps score, so you're not alone - and if you fuck up, people will let you know immediately. Out of 9 rounds, I only messed up twice, which isn't bad at all.
I'm not sure how the teams are created, but it seemed like every team had 1 or 2 good people, and the rest were just sort of there for the free trip. There was probably 1 person on every team who didn't answer a single question.
My favorite part of the rounds was definitely the bonus questions cause you heard them actually discussing the question. It was great when everyone on the team was just as clueless about the question as the audience ;)
My favorite team was The Meadows School from Las Vegas. Shoutout! I don't think they won any games, but they had the most personality, and they had 2 cute, but kinda dumb, Indian girls.
So the tournament was pretty fun and interesting for the first 7 rounds. After that, I was done. They only gave us food in the morning, so I had a massive headache and was really tired by Round 8. On the way home, I got into a car accident. I was getting on the highway when I hit a slick spot and my car turned 90 degrees and half of it ended up on the pavement. I was about to back out again onto the highway when an oncoming car hit me. Fun times. I'm fine though, and so is the other guy. But my car's done, and it's officially time to get a new one.
We're getting an estimate for the damage tomorrow, but there's really no rational reason to get it fixed since it's old and its time has passed.
It's been a great weekend. Hope yours was just as eventful!
Saturday, May 02, 2009
MacBook HD failure!
So I thought Macs were supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Well, even sliced bread can have its flaws apparently. On Friday night, when I was just using my computer normally, my Mac just froze. This was the first time that had happened since I got it 1.5 years ago, so I thought it was pretty strange.
I restarted it, and even more bizarre behavior continued - a flashing folder with a question mark appeared, instead of the normal apple. Yeah, so after surfing the web on my iPhone, I found out that it was most likely a hard drive failure. Luckily, I didn't have much important data on there, except for songs and photos, so I wasn't too worried.
I have to admit that the people at the Apple store are pretty good at their jobs. I was sort of expecting the people at the Genius Bar to be condescending and rude (just look at the name!), but they were actually pretty nice and helpful. They were able to replace the hard drive (for free!) in about 20 minutes.
Apparantly, there was a "known issue" with the hard drives in my model of the MacBook, so they didn't charge me. I dunno how they do it at Apple, but at my company, we put known issues in our release notes so that we can't be blamed for it later. It would have been nice to have known about the known issue so I could have backed up my non-essential data before it just disappeared.
Well, even sliced bread can have its flaws apparently. On Friday night, when I was just using my computer normally, my Mac just froze. This was the first time that had happened since I got it 1.5 years ago, so I thought it was pretty strange.
I restarted it, and even more bizarre behavior continued - a flashing folder with a question mark appeared, instead of the normal apple. Yeah, so after surfing the web on my iPhone, I found out that it was most likely a hard drive failure. Luckily, I didn't have much important data on there, except for songs and photos, so I wasn't too worried.
I have to admit that the people at the Apple store are pretty good at their jobs. I was sort of expecting the people at the Genius Bar to be condescending and rude (just look at the name!), but they were actually pretty nice and helpful. They were able to replace the hard drive (for free!) in about 20 minutes.
Apparantly, there was a "known issue" with the hard drives in my model of the MacBook, so they didn't charge me. I dunno how they do it at Apple, but at my company, we put known issues in our release notes so that we can't be blamed for it later. It would have been nice to have known about the known issue so I could have backed up my non-essential data before it just disappeared.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Well, that was expensive
My friend and I somehow missed our stop on the Metro (it might be because were drinking), so what would have been a $3 ride ended up costing about $12.50 in cab fare - it was the last Metro.
I've decided that the best place to people-watch at a bar is at the bar itself. We saw a girl who bought and downed 2 shots, and then came back later for another drink. She was clearly alone, but the second time, she was talking to a guy who you would think would offer to buy the drink. I wonder what her story was. There was also another girl who was getting free drinks from the bartender. First I thought they were just friends, but I think there was a lot more to that story too. The female bartender also kept texting people in between breaks - she actually kept her phone open next to all the alcohol so she could do it quicker.
I've decided that the best place to people-watch at a bar is at the bar itself. We saw a girl who bought and downed 2 shots, and then came back later for another drink. She was clearly alone, but the second time, she was talking to a guy who you would think would offer to buy the drink. I wonder what her story was. There was also another girl who was getting free drinks from the bartender. First I thought they were just friends, but I think there was a lot more to that story too. The female bartender also kept texting people in between breaks - she actually kept her phone open next to all the alcohol so she could do it quicker.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Top of the Rock(s)!
I went to NYC this past weekend to celebrate my birthday (the best day of the year). My sister planned the whole thing out, so I basically could just relax and enjoy. That's one of the best parts about visiting friends/family in another city. You can leave everything up to them.
The weather gods were on my side this year, as the city saw its best weekend weather-wise in months, and definitely the best one of 2009 - 70s all day on Saturday and Sunday.
We started out on Saturday morning (well a New York morning, it was probably about 1pm) at Top of the Rock, aka 30 Rock, aka the GE/NBC building, where we had an amazing view of the city. I'm a sucker for views, and love to find the tallest observation decks in a city just to see what it looks like from the top. There's just something about it that makes you feel both very big and very small at the same time. The view did not disappoint. You could see everything, from Central Park to the Statue of Liberty, both rivers, Queens, Brooklyn, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building. Even the skeptical of our group were pretty amazed.
From there, it was off to Central Park to picnic and enjoy the weather from a different altitude. We picked up some food from a nearby Whole Foods (where it was absolute madness!) and proceeded towards the park. We were deciding where to sit, when my sister's boyfriend said that we could sit on 'top of a rock.' The rest of us were like 'yeah, we could find a stone to sit on.' But he kept on insisting that, it'd be cool to sit on top of a rock. It took us awhile to figure out his wittiness, but we finally ended up on 'top of a rock' again for the second time that day!
After that, we went to a rooftop bar for a quick drink before dinner. I had no idea we were going somewhere so trendy! It was "sunglasses-indoors", "everyone looks like they could be a celebrity" trendy. We were incredibly underdressed, and I never quite got over how trendy the place was. It was interesting to see that kind of place though - my sister said we probably wouldn't have gotten in later that same night.
It had already been a pretty busy day, and the fun was just starting! First it was dinner at a tapas place and then drinks at a nautical-themed bar just downstairs from my cousin's condo. I thought the bar would be different, but it really just felt like a typical dive bar. My sister had made up her own drink earlier that day (vodka/sprite with a splash of pineapple juice), and tried to get the bartenders to catch on, but I don't think it worked too well. If you hear about that drink in the future, just remember you heard it here first ;)
When we were just about to leave the bar, the bartender came over to our table and offered to buy us a round of drinks if we left the table. How weird is that? I've heard of other people offering drinks if you want the table, but for the bar itself to ask you to leave a table? I'm pretty sure you can't reserve tables at a dive bar. Bizarre.
We went up to my cousin's place afterwards for my second favorite part of the day (first being the Top of the Rock obviously), playing DDR! I hadn't played in a long time and it was a great way to end the evening. I also got to see my other friend who I hadn't seen in probably 10 years, so it was really cool to see him too.
On Sunday, we got a bit of a late start and didn't have much time since I had an afternoon bus back to DC. We got brunch at a nearby restaurant and then went to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. That place is huge! You always hear about these other great musuems in Manhattan, but the Brooklyn one is a hidden gem. 5 floors of art you don't see in most places, plus way less crowded - definitely worth it to go a little out of your way.
Overall, a really fun birthday weekend. Everyone should feel like a million bucks on their birthday, and this year did not disappoint.
The weather gods were on my side this year, as the city saw its best weekend weather-wise in months, and definitely the best one of 2009 - 70s all day on Saturday and Sunday.
We started out on Saturday morning (well a New York morning, it was probably about 1pm) at Top of the Rock, aka 30 Rock, aka the GE/NBC building, where we had an amazing view of the city. I'm a sucker for views, and love to find the tallest observation decks in a city just to see what it looks like from the top. There's just something about it that makes you feel both very big and very small at the same time. The view did not disappoint. You could see everything, from Central Park to the Statue of Liberty, both rivers, Queens, Brooklyn, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building. Even the skeptical of our group were pretty amazed.
From there, it was off to Central Park to picnic and enjoy the weather from a different altitude. We picked up some food from a nearby Whole Foods (where it was absolute madness!) and proceeded towards the park. We were deciding where to sit, when my sister's boyfriend said that we could sit on 'top of a rock.' The rest of us were like 'yeah, we could find a stone to sit on.' But he kept on insisting that, it'd be cool to sit on top of a rock. It took us awhile to figure out his wittiness, but we finally ended up on 'top of a rock' again for the second time that day!
After that, we went to a rooftop bar for a quick drink before dinner. I had no idea we were going somewhere so trendy! It was "sunglasses-indoors", "everyone looks like they could be a celebrity" trendy. We were incredibly underdressed, and I never quite got over how trendy the place was. It was interesting to see that kind of place though - my sister said we probably wouldn't have gotten in later that same night.
It had already been a pretty busy day, and the fun was just starting! First it was dinner at a tapas place and then drinks at a nautical-themed bar just downstairs from my cousin's condo. I thought the bar would be different, but it really just felt like a typical dive bar. My sister had made up her own drink earlier that day (vodka/sprite with a splash of pineapple juice), and tried to get the bartenders to catch on, but I don't think it worked too well. If you hear about that drink in the future, just remember you heard it here first ;)
When we were just about to leave the bar, the bartender came over to our table and offered to buy us a round of drinks if we left the table. How weird is that? I've heard of other people offering drinks if you want the table, but for the bar itself to ask you to leave a table? I'm pretty sure you can't reserve tables at a dive bar. Bizarre.
We went up to my cousin's place afterwards for my second favorite part of the day (first being the Top of the Rock obviously), playing DDR! I hadn't played in a long time and it was a great way to end the evening. I also got to see my other friend who I hadn't seen in probably 10 years, so it was really cool to see him too.
On Sunday, we got a bit of a late start and didn't have much time since I had an afternoon bus back to DC. We got brunch at a nearby restaurant and then went to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. That place is huge! You always hear about these other great musuems in Manhattan, but the Brooklyn one is a hidden gem. 5 floors of art you don't see in most places, plus way less crowded - definitely worth it to go a little out of your way.
Overall, a really fun birthday weekend. Everyone should feel like a million bucks on their birthday, and this year did not disappoint.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Music from YouTube
For some reason, my family thinks I'm really good with technology and know the ins and outs of the Internet. I don't. I get by with the bare minimum.
My aunt asked me the other day how to get the music from a YouTube video, and she seemed skeptical when I said I had no idea.
I looked it up though, and it turns out there's lots of ways and lots of software to do it.
The easiest, by far, is this site:
http://www.zamzar.com/url/
Enter the YouTube address and your email address, and bam, it'll email you a link to pick up your mp3. Done and done.
My aunt asked me the other day how to get the music from a YouTube video, and she seemed skeptical when I said I had no idea.
I looked it up though, and it turns out there's lots of ways and lots of software to do it.
The easiest, by far, is this site:
http://www.zamzar.com/url/
Enter the YouTube address and your email address, and bam, it'll email you a link to pick up your mp3. Done and done.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Tourist in my own city
When I moved away from Dallas a year ago, I can honestly say I didn't think anyone would come up and visit me. Of course, I did the polite thing and told everyone to come and visit, and they did the polite thing back and said they would. But in reality, the societal niceties rarely give way to actual trips.
I'm floored that I've had 4 friends come visit in the past year (3 from Dallas, 1 from Delaware). I've never considered myself a visitable person, but I suppose living in a city that offers so much for so little (that should be DC's new slogan!) is a great lure.
I had a great time with my friend this weekend. She had never been to DC before, so it was my first time being a real tour guide. Granted, I don't know a ton about the city either since I live a good 45 minutes away, but equipped with an iPhone and a map we managed to get around just fine. We saw a few of the art musuems, the Cherry Blossom parade and street festival, the Smithsonian kite festival, the actual cherry blossoms, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the botanical gardens, and the Capitol.
Most of the time when my friends visit, they've either already seen everything or have very little time. This time, though, it was a blank slate and we had all weekend so we had a chance to see pretty much everything. My favorite was probably the Lincoln Memorial, which I haven't seen in 20 years - it's a pretty majestic place and highly underrated.
I probably should have done this a long time ago, but I may go into the city by myself and see some of the museums. I went to the American History museum with my parents a couple of weeks after it re-opened, but it was crazy packed and everyone was tired so we didn't get to see everything.
Speaking of crazy packed, what's the big deal about the cherry blossoms? Although the crowds don't compare to the inauguration, I was shocked to see how many people were out and about. There were lines to get Metro cards, the Mall entrance for the Smithsonian station was exit-only. My friend was very lucky to make her flight even when we allowed a good hour to get to the airport. Today seemed to be even busier than yesterday, even though there weren't any events! It's just a fucking flower, get over it.
---
On a side note, it's sad how closed off the city has become in recent years. I remember being able to freely take White House, FBI and Pentagon tours without any advance notice. Now, there's a much more bureaucratic process to take them. The FBI tour is closed indefinitely, and the Pentagon only gives tours M-F, 9 - 3pm - basically the most inconvenient times possible.
The Capitol was closed on Saturday for part of the afternoon because of a 'suspicious package.' Somehow, despite the backlog of all the people who wanted to take tours, we were able to walk right in and get a tour right away (although the ticket guy seemed flustered and confused when we asked).
I'm floored that I've had 4 friends come visit in the past year (3 from Dallas, 1 from Delaware). I've never considered myself a visitable person, but I suppose living in a city that offers so much for so little (that should be DC's new slogan!) is a great lure.
I had a great time with my friend this weekend. She had never been to DC before, so it was my first time being a real tour guide. Granted, I don't know a ton about the city either since I live a good 45 minutes away, but equipped with an iPhone and a map we managed to get around just fine. We saw a few of the art musuems, the Cherry Blossom parade and street festival, the Smithsonian kite festival, the actual cherry blossoms, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the botanical gardens, and the Capitol.
Most of the time when my friends visit, they've either already seen everything or have very little time. This time, though, it was a blank slate and we had all weekend so we had a chance to see pretty much everything. My favorite was probably the Lincoln Memorial, which I haven't seen in 20 years - it's a pretty majestic place and highly underrated.
I probably should have done this a long time ago, but I may go into the city by myself and see some of the museums. I went to the American History museum with my parents a couple of weeks after it re-opened, but it was crazy packed and everyone was tired so we didn't get to see everything.
Speaking of crazy packed, what's the big deal about the cherry blossoms? Although the crowds don't compare to the inauguration, I was shocked to see how many people were out and about. There were lines to get Metro cards, the Mall entrance for the Smithsonian station was exit-only. My friend was very lucky to make her flight even when we allowed a good hour to get to the airport. Today seemed to be even busier than yesterday, even though there weren't any events! It's just a fucking flower, get over it.
---
On a side note, it's sad how closed off the city has become in recent years. I remember being able to freely take White House, FBI and Pentagon tours without any advance notice. Now, there's a much more bureaucratic process to take them. The FBI tour is closed indefinitely, and the Pentagon only gives tours M-F, 9 - 3pm - basically the most inconvenient times possible.
The Capitol was closed on Saturday for part of the afternoon because of a 'suspicious package.' Somehow, despite the backlog of all the people who wanted to take tours, we were able to walk right in and get a tour right away (although the ticket guy seemed flustered and confused when we asked).
Friday, March 13, 2009
Really?
If you gave me a list of 1000 possible events to happen this year, that would have been the last one I would have picked.
It appears that you can't run away from things that are running after you.
It appears that you can't run away from things that are running after you.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Work gripe
We've had some people from India in the office for the past few weeks. We've always worked with the offshore team, but it was interesting to work with them face-to-face.
They've been on the project for the past 3-4 years, so I thought they would be very well-versed in it and know it backwards and forwards. I was wrong. They seem to know less about it than me!
My sister has mentioned this before - that Indians in general will pretend to understand what you're saying and agree with you, but in fact will walk away with a completely different understanding of the conversation.
It's actually been very frustrating working with them. I'd like to say that it's mostly a cultural barrier, but our project manager, who's also Indian and has been working closely with them for a much longer time, seems to get frustrated as well. I don't know how he has the patience to deal with them. They've only been here for a few weeks and I'm already done with them, yet he's had to deal with them every day for years.
It's also hard to get mad at them, because on top of constantly agreeing with you, they also work much longer hours and never complain about the amount of work.
I was excited when I heard they were coming onsite, but I've been disappointed overall. I also wonder what they do for much of the day, since it seems to take them an inordinate amount of time to finish some tasks.
They've been on the project for the past 3-4 years, so I thought they would be very well-versed in it and know it backwards and forwards. I was wrong. They seem to know less about it than me!
My sister has mentioned this before - that Indians in general will pretend to understand what you're saying and agree with you, but in fact will walk away with a completely different understanding of the conversation.
It's actually been very frustrating working with them. I'd like to say that it's mostly a cultural barrier, but our project manager, who's also Indian and has been working closely with them for a much longer time, seems to get frustrated as well. I don't know how he has the patience to deal with them. They've only been here for a few weeks and I'm already done with them, yet he's had to deal with them every day for years.
It's also hard to get mad at them, because on top of constantly agreeing with you, they also work much longer hours and never complain about the amount of work.
I was excited when I heard they were coming onsite, but I've been disappointed overall. I also wonder what they do for much of the day, since it seems to take them an inordinate amount of time to finish some tasks.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Leprechaun Lap!
St. Patrick's Day was my favorite holiday back in Dallas (not counting my birthday, of course).
They have a parade on one of the main streets downtown, and it's a huge block party starting at like 10 am until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. A bunch of organizations have kegs in the parking lots and everyone's in a really good mood by the time the parade starts at 11am.
I went to the official parade in DC last year, and it was pretty lame. Half of the organizations didn't even have any sort of Irish affiliation and there weren't any politicians, plus there wasn't any alcohol allowed on the parade route.
But this year I found something sorta similar in spirit to Dallas' celebration called the Leprechaun Lap. It's basically a bar crawl of 9 bars in midtown DC. I'm not sure why they had it this weekend instead of next, but it was pretty fun and a good way to see of the lesser-know bar in the area.
The official bar for the after-party was incredibly sketchy. You'd think that since there was only one bar for it, it would be big and prominent. But we actually walked by it a couple times before even realizing we passed it. The only signage for it was a small paper printout on the door. We had to take an elevator and the entire bar was a small room that could barely fit 50 people.
The main reason I wanted to do the Lap was for the beads. We missed our chance at the first bar to get some, and we soon realized that the only way to get any was to ask someone else for theirs. I'm actually shocked that asking a big white guy for his worked. I half-expected him to either cuss me out or just say no. But he willingly gave his up.
My favorite part of the night was when a black guy offered some patrolling cops beer.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
They have a parade on one of the main streets downtown, and it's a huge block party starting at like 10 am until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. A bunch of organizations have kegs in the parking lots and everyone's in a really good mood by the time the parade starts at 11am.
I went to the official parade in DC last year, and it was pretty lame. Half of the organizations didn't even have any sort of Irish affiliation and there weren't any politicians, plus there wasn't any alcohol allowed on the parade route.
But this year I found something sorta similar in spirit to Dallas' celebration called the Leprechaun Lap. It's basically a bar crawl of 9 bars in midtown DC. I'm not sure why they had it this weekend instead of next, but it was pretty fun and a good way to see of the lesser-know bar in the area.
The official bar for the after-party was incredibly sketchy. You'd think that since there was only one bar for it, it would be big and prominent. But we actually walked by it a couple times before even realizing we passed it. The only signage for it was a small paper printout on the door. We had to take an elevator and the entire bar was a small room that could barely fit 50 people.
The main reason I wanted to do the Lap was for the beads. We missed our chance at the first bar to get some, and we soon realized that the only way to get any was to ask someone else for theirs. I'm actually shocked that asking a big white guy for his worked. I half-expected him to either cuss me out or just say no. But he willingly gave his up.
My favorite part of the night was when a black guy offered some patrolling cops beer.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Will Ferrell!
I went to New York City this weekend to see Will Ferrell's George W. Bush impression on Broadway (two out-of-town trips in one month!).
He's probably one of the funniest mainstream comedians out there today (Ferrell, not Bush), and I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to see him live.
It was a hilarious show, and I would highly recommend watching it when they show it on HBO later this month. When you combine the great comic abilities of Ferrell with the wealth of material that Bush provided over the past 8 years, you get a great show that had me laughing from the beginning to the end.
I don't want to ruin it, but I will say that one of the more bizarre (but brilliantly performed) moments was Bush's recounting of his relationship with Condolezza Rice.
I'm always in awe of people who can command an audience for that long without missing a beat. Although there were a few other minor characters, Farrell was the only one who had a speaking part and he completely carried the show, leaving most of the audience laughing throughout the entire show.
He's probably one of the funniest mainstream comedians out there today (Ferrell, not Bush), and I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to see him live.
It was a hilarious show, and I would highly recommend watching it when they show it on HBO later this month. When you combine the great comic abilities of Ferrell with the wealth of material that Bush provided over the past 8 years, you get a great show that had me laughing from the beginning to the end.
I don't want to ruin it, but I will say that one of the more bizarre (but brilliantly performed) moments was Bush's recounting of his relationship with Condolezza Rice.
I'm always in awe of people who can command an audience for that long without missing a beat. Although there were a few other minor characters, Farrell was the only one who had a speaking part and he completely carried the show, leaving most of the audience laughing throughout the entire show.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Vegas-ed out!
Wow, that was quite an interesting trip. The idea to go to Vegas had been floated around for awhile, but the fact that it actually came together, and with the people that actually went, it was bound to be ridiculous. And it delivered.
There were 2 distinct groups: 1) me, and 5 of my former co-workers from Dallas and 2) my co-worker's friend in DC and 4 of her friends.
Ethnically, it was white people, black people, and me.
Let's break it down day-by-day.
Day 1 (Friday): Got to the hotel around 11:30pm. My flight was delayed about an hour and a half from DC, so from leaving work at around 5 until I actually got to Vegas, it was about a good 10 hours of traveling. The bright spot about waiting in the airport for 3 hours was that I was sitting across from this ridiculously hot Brazilian girl. I was worried that everyone would already be out and about, and I'd have to wait for someone in the hotel, but it turns out that they had basically been waiting in the hotel lobby for most of the night for people to arrive.
Once I got there, we went to Planet Hollywood and played poker for about 3-4 hours. I lost a good amount of money on one hand. The most annoying thing is that I played the hand all wrong. If I had gone all-in instead of called on the turn, OR folded instead of calling on the river, I'd have been a lot better off. Ugh. The casino was pretty nice, and I liked that the poker tables were in front of the clubs. Anytime a group of hot girls walked by, the game basically stopped.
On the way back from the hotel, we were planning on going to another place for karaoke. One guy didn't want to go, so he proceeded to cross the street to go back to the hotel. Right in front of a cop car. Ten seconds later, we look across the street, and he has his hands on the hood of the cop car! To make a long story short, two of the black guys in our group were violently patted down in plain sight of everyone and then abruptly let go - with no ticket, no arrest, nothing. Everyone in our group was convinced that it was because they were black and that if any white guys in our group had done the same thing, nothing would have happened. End night 1.
Day 2 (Saturday) - I couldn't sleep at all the first night. I'm not sure why. The day wasn't nearly as exciting as Friday night. We went to eat (and witnessed an old man pass out) and then walked around a bunch of casinos, before joining group 2 for dinner. Due to a number of factors (women in the group, bad organization, long wait at the restaurant), we didn't have dinner until almost 11:30pm. On the cab ride over to Fremont Street, there was more racial drama as one person made the remark that Obama wasn't "black enough." After everyone finally calmed down, we found what's probably the best game in Las Vegas if you just want to chill and get free drinks: Pai Gow. Basically, you get 7 cards and have to make 2 poker hands - one with 5 cards, and one with 2. In order to win, you have to beat both of the dealer's hands. 75% of the time, it's a push. End night 2.
Day 3 (Sunday) - Most everyone left in the afternoon, so we basically only had time to eat lunch. I and my Vegas roommate walked around to the other casinos for the afternoon and then met up with the other group for dinner again at this frantic sushi/Brazilian/Peruvian restaurant. We went to the Hard Rock casino afterwards (I swear, I could watch the go-go dancers all night), and then back to Fremont Street - minus the drama this time. I had never seen the light show on Fremont before, and it was bizarre to say the least.
Overall, a great trip. I've been to Vegas 4 of the last 5 years, and it's always a different experience depending on the people. I think that 11 people is probably too big of a group, but somehow it worked out with this group, even with the drama and awkwardness of not knowing everyone. If anything, I would have liked to play a little more poker, but we definitely did everything one should do in Vegas.
There were 2 distinct groups: 1) me, and 5 of my former co-workers from Dallas and 2) my co-worker's friend in DC and 4 of her friends.
Ethnically, it was white people, black people, and me.
Let's break it down day-by-day.
Day 1 (Friday): Got to the hotel around 11:30pm. My flight was delayed about an hour and a half from DC, so from leaving work at around 5 until I actually got to Vegas, it was about a good 10 hours of traveling. The bright spot about waiting in the airport for 3 hours was that I was sitting across from this ridiculously hot Brazilian girl. I was worried that everyone would already be out and about, and I'd have to wait for someone in the hotel, but it turns out that they had basically been waiting in the hotel lobby for most of the night for people to arrive.
Once I got there, we went to Planet Hollywood and played poker for about 3-4 hours. I lost a good amount of money on one hand. The most annoying thing is that I played the hand all wrong. If I had gone all-in instead of called on the turn, OR folded instead of calling on the river, I'd have been a lot better off. Ugh. The casino was pretty nice, and I liked that the poker tables were in front of the clubs. Anytime a group of hot girls walked by, the game basically stopped.
On the way back from the hotel, we were planning on going to another place for karaoke. One guy didn't want to go, so he proceeded to cross the street to go back to the hotel. Right in front of a cop car. Ten seconds later, we look across the street, and he has his hands on the hood of the cop car! To make a long story short, two of the black guys in our group were violently patted down in plain sight of everyone and then abruptly let go - with no ticket, no arrest, nothing. Everyone in our group was convinced that it was because they were black and that if any white guys in our group had done the same thing, nothing would have happened. End night 1.
Day 2 (Saturday) - I couldn't sleep at all the first night. I'm not sure why. The day wasn't nearly as exciting as Friday night. We went to eat (and witnessed an old man pass out) and then walked around a bunch of casinos, before joining group 2 for dinner. Due to a number of factors (women in the group, bad organization, long wait at the restaurant), we didn't have dinner until almost 11:30pm. On the cab ride over to Fremont Street, there was more racial drama as one person made the remark that Obama wasn't "black enough." After everyone finally calmed down, we found what's probably the best game in Las Vegas if you just want to chill and get free drinks: Pai Gow. Basically, you get 7 cards and have to make 2 poker hands - one with 5 cards, and one with 2. In order to win, you have to beat both of the dealer's hands. 75% of the time, it's a push. End night 2.
Day 3 (Sunday) - Most everyone left in the afternoon, so we basically only had time to eat lunch. I and my Vegas roommate walked around to the other casinos for the afternoon and then met up with the other group for dinner again at this frantic sushi/Brazilian/Peruvian restaurant. We went to the Hard Rock casino afterwards (I swear, I could watch the go-go dancers all night), and then back to Fremont Street - minus the drama this time. I had never seen the light show on Fremont before, and it was bizarre to say the least.
Overall, a great trip. I've been to Vegas 4 of the last 5 years, and it's always a different experience depending on the people. I think that 11 people is probably too big of a group, but somehow it worked out with this group, even with the drama and awkwardness of not knowing everyone. If anything, I would have liked to play a little more poker, but we definitely did everything one should do in Vegas.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Digital TV Transition
I really don't understand how our government works.
First, the House defeated the bill to delay the digital transition under some crazy rules that the Republicans created last week which required a 2/3 majority to pass.
- Several issues with this: since when does the minority party get to invent new rules? why was this rule created in the first place? does the rule apply to every bill presented, or just this one?
Now, the House passed the bill after removing the ridiculous 2/3 majority rule. The votes were more or less the same, with Democrats overwhelmingly voting for it, and most Republicans voting against it.
- So, the rule just went away? How did the bill come back on the House floor? Can bills just come back for votes after creating and then revoking rules at will?
(I'd love to provide links, so you don't think I'm making this up, but I can't find the articles online... the ones I read were off my iphone..)
I'm sure there are major repercussions to all TV networks and providers for this delay since the schedule date was only a week or so away.
First, the House defeated the bill to delay the digital transition under some crazy rules that the Republicans created last week which required a 2/3 majority to pass.
- Several issues with this: since when does the minority party get to invent new rules? why was this rule created in the first place? does the rule apply to every bill presented, or just this one?
Now, the House passed the bill after removing the ridiculous 2/3 majority rule. The votes were more or less the same, with Democrats overwhelmingly voting for it, and most Republicans voting against it.
- So, the rule just went away? How did the bill come back on the House floor? Can bills just come back for votes after creating and then revoking rules at will?
(I'd love to provide links, so you don't think I'm making this up, but I can't find the articles online... the ones I read were off my iphone..)
I'm sure there are major repercussions to all TV networks and providers for this delay since the schedule date was only a week or so away.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Inaugural Insanity!
The crowds this weekend in DC were ridiculous. I've been to past Obama events so I thought that I was ready and prepared for the massive number of people that would infect the city, but I really wasn't.
The Lincoln Memorial event was very manageable, mostly because it was far enough away from any major streets or metro stops that there wasn't any congestion. The event itself was pretty fun, with artists like Beyonce, U2, and Bruce Springsteen. Surprisingly, the biggest crowd-pleaser was Garth Brooks.
Tuesday's actual inauguration was beyond description. Bars didn't close until 3am, and the Mall officially opened at 4am, so I had the insane idea of going straight from the bar to the Mall. I could easily have been convinced otherwise, but my two friends easily went along with the idea.
Oh, and the night started with a Bhangra party at a sushi place and I ended up talking to a girl from London for a good part of the night. I think it was an appropriate beginning to the longest day ever.
A few eye-openers:
* There were at least a thousand people walking with us from the Metro to the Mall at 5am - most of who did not seem like the kind of people who would normally be up at that hour.
* My friend decided that a potted plant right under a lamp post in plain view of everyone walking to the Mall was a good public urinal.
* There were no security checkpoints at the Mall. Just a bunch of cops standing around, and 4-5 snipers on each of the museums.
* Being out in sub-freezing temperatures for a longer period of time doesn't mean that it will feel warmer later. It will feel just as cold.
* 7 hours in the cold feels a lot longer than 7 hours in normal temperature.
* 7 hours standing still with little room to move feels a lot longer than 7 hours sitting comfortably.
* 7 hours standing still with no sleep is a very long time.
I'd love to say that when the moment finally arrived, there was a flow of tears and shouts of joys coming from everywhere and that it was a very emotional moment. Honestly though, I think most of the people were freezing and exhausted by the time it came around, and any observable emotional response may have been muted because of it.
It ended up being an endurance test more than anything else, but I think it speaks volumes that so many people willing reached outside their own comfort zones to experience this moment.
If I had to do it all over again, I probably still would - I would just make sure to wear more layers and get some sleep beforehand ;)
The Lincoln Memorial event was very manageable, mostly because it was far enough away from any major streets or metro stops that there wasn't any congestion. The event itself was pretty fun, with artists like Beyonce, U2, and Bruce Springsteen. Surprisingly, the biggest crowd-pleaser was Garth Brooks.
Tuesday's actual inauguration was beyond description. Bars didn't close until 3am, and the Mall officially opened at 4am, so I had the insane idea of going straight from the bar to the Mall. I could easily have been convinced otherwise, but my two friends easily went along with the idea.
Oh, and the night started with a Bhangra party at a sushi place and I ended up talking to a girl from London for a good part of the night. I think it was an appropriate beginning to the longest day ever.
A few eye-openers:
* There were at least a thousand people walking with us from the Metro to the Mall at 5am - most of who did not seem like the kind of people who would normally be up at that hour.
* My friend decided that a potted plant right under a lamp post in plain view of everyone walking to the Mall was a good public urinal.
* There were no security checkpoints at the Mall. Just a bunch of cops standing around, and 4-5 snipers on each of the museums.
* Being out in sub-freezing temperatures for a longer period of time doesn't mean that it will feel warmer later. It will feel just as cold.
* 7 hours in the cold feels a lot longer than 7 hours in normal temperature.
* 7 hours standing still with little room to move feels a lot longer than 7 hours sitting comfortably.
* 7 hours standing still with no sleep is a very long time.
I'd love to say that when the moment finally arrived, there was a flow of tears and shouts of joys coming from everywhere and that it was a very emotional moment. Honestly though, I think most of the people were freezing and exhausted by the time it came around, and any observable emotional response may have been muted because of it.
It ended up being an endurance test more than anything else, but I think it speaks volumes that so many people willing reached outside their own comfort zones to experience this moment.
If I had to do it all over again, I probably still would - I would just make sure to wear more layers and get some sleep beforehand ;)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Death by Inauguration?
I know this is a terrible thing to bring up on the heels of an historically awesome occasion, but what if someone were to die during the inauguration?
I'm not talking about an assassination. I mean if people die due to the large crowds and terribly cold weather. I really don't think the city is prepared for a large crowd, and all of their preparations to date seem to be based on a projection of 2 million people.
But what if it ends up being much larger - like 4 million?
I think the crowds on Sunday will give a really good idea of how many people plan to show up on Tuesday and how prepared the city is to handle the crowds.
I just hope no one dies.
I'm not talking about an assassination. I mean if people die due to the large crowds and terribly cold weather. I really don't think the city is prepared for a large crowd, and all of their preparations to date seem to be based on a projection of 2 million people.
But what if it ends up being much larger - like 4 million?
I think the crowds on Sunday will give a really good idea of how many people plan to show up on Tuesday and how prepared the city is to handle the crowds.
I just hope no one dies.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Jack of all Trades
I love how he speaks exactly the same way whether he's talking about pancakes or how change has come to America:
Saturday, January 03, 2009
They're here (well some of them)!
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17019.html
According to the State Department, it's not a foreign dignitary. And another unnamed White House official admitted it's not a member of Bush's family.
Who could possibly be staying at Blair House? It's pretty apparent that Bush stopped working months ago, so it's clear that it's not a guest on any official business.
According to the State Department, it's not a foreign dignitary. And another unnamed White House official admitted it's not a member of Bush's family.
Who could possibly be staying at Blair House? It's pretty apparent that Bush stopped working months ago, so it's clear that it's not a guest on any official business.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
hey there, 2009!
Fuck you, 2008.
It's over between us. I really wanted things to work, but you had to go and ruin it. I wish I could use the 'it's not you, it's me' line, but I can't. It really is you. It's all your fault.
Things started out pretty well, and we had some good times during the primaries in the spring and heading into the summer. But why did you have to rack up the gas prices? And why the hell did you let the Chinese get away with so much during the Olympics?
I'll admit that the election was a great night, and I'll never forget it, but why did you have to ruin that moment by creating so many other problems? Our relationship was starting to look up and then you had to create an economic collapse and multiple foreign policy catastrophes within months of each other? You're such a bitch. It's almost like you wanted this to fail from the beginning.
I'm done with you. 2009 may not be perfect, but at least she can't be any worse than you.
It's over between us. I really wanted things to work, but you had to go and ruin it. I wish I could use the 'it's not you, it's me' line, but I can't. It really is you. It's all your fault.
Things started out pretty well, and we had some good times during the primaries in the spring and heading into the summer. But why did you have to rack up the gas prices? And why the hell did you let the Chinese get away with so much during the Olympics?
I'll admit that the election was a great night, and I'll never forget it, but why did you have to ruin that moment by creating so many other problems? Our relationship was starting to look up and then you had to create an economic collapse and multiple foreign policy catastrophes within months of each other? You're such a bitch. It's almost like you wanted this to fail from the beginning.
I'm done with you. 2009 may not be perfect, but at least she can't be any worse than you.
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