Rather than bog myself down this evening with another job surfing expedition, I'll talk a bit about Dad. Today is his 72nd birthday. He's the only one among my immediate family that I haven't blogged about. Probably because of the language barrier we have. My command of Cantonese is poorer than his in English. We may not have ever had long meaningful conversations, but as a kid, he did his best to be a good father.
When my brother Sherman played baseball and me with softball, he would make an effort to come to see us play at the park at least a few times a season, sometimes with our dog Sil-Sil in tow. He played catch with Sherman in the backyard up until Sherman was about 10, as Sherman's hard throws made Dad's hand sting. He once came to one of my high school basketball games and let me invite the coaches and their husbands to dinner at the restaurant after the game.
In the summer months, the Guertals used to clean their next door neighbor's pool, which was next to our backyard. When Mr. Guertal finished cleaning the pool and the chlorine dissipated, we'd go swimming. While it was Mr. Guertal who taught me how to swim, it was Dad that would come over as the overgrown kid. He loved to throw us into the pool or challenge us to a race.
If we didn't go swimming, then he'd take us bowling late Sunday nights and meet up with staff from the restaurant. Dad had his own bowling ball and shirt with our restaurant's name on it. We often bowled so late we'd go to out breakfast afterwards. He even sponsored Sherman's American Legion baseball team while Sherman was in high school. It was a sight to see a predominantly Caucasian team wearing baseball shirts reading "Jong Mea" (including Chinese characters) as the uniform's logo.
After Dad got off work at 4 a.m., he'd read in the family room for many hours before finally retiring to go to bed. He'd often make noodles or rice with enough for us to share, so it was awesome to have what I considered breakfast. If he wasn't reading, he often had friends and restaurant staff over for cards or mah-jongg. Strewn boxes of White Castle burgers and ashtrays full of cigarette butts were all over the family room. When Dad and his buddies got together, they made college fraternity parties look like afternoon tea.
From elementary school age into our early teens, Sundays became family nights out. Dinner and a movie, usually an action flick. One of the first drive-in movies I saw was Ian Fleming's "Thunderball". But no dinner and movie if Mom didn't want to go. By the time I was a student at Ohio State, summer on Thursdays was a prime rib dinner and harness racing at Scioto Downs. I was never much of a gambler, but Dad would often give me $20 as an incentive to place a bet. Cindy was much better at winning than I ever was.
Dad may not know much English and is probably better at partying than parenting. But I also know there aren't many that can brag about bowling with Dad at 2 a.m.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
More recruiters
This past weekend, I registered and put my resumé up at CareerBuilder.com. I also have resumés posted at Yahoo! Hot Jobs and Monster. Because my job is officially ending September 28, I am trying to cast the widest net possible to let the online world know I am looking for a job.
So far, I seem to be rather popular. From my last blog entry about job hunting, I have heard from at least 15 companies, mostly recruiting firms. And mostly for jobs I don't want (financial planning and insurance sales).
This morning, I got an e-mail from an out-of-state recruiter that wanted me to call if I was still interested in looking for new career opportunities. She told me she thought there a few jobs where I would be a good fit. I replied back and said I'd like to get the job descriptions before I made a decision. It was quite clear she didn't read my resumé because she said there were too many listings nationwide for her to determine where I would be a suitable match until she talked to me first. I told her unless I get job descriptions from the SF area, I wasn't interested. It pains me to have to refrain from what I really wanted to say to her.
Around 4 p.m. today, another recruiter from a well-known financial planning site called my cell phone. I told her I'm familiar with the company, said thank you, but not interested. Then about 4:30, a local recruiter called. He's from a search firm that placed me 14 years ago. I knew he read my resumé when he asked if his company placed me at Gymboree (it was actually Unocal).
We got to the nitty-gritty within 5 minutes: he asked what jobs I want and don't want, what is my current and desired salary. He wanted to meet, but knew my being in Foster City might be tough to get into the city. I told him I have an appointment in SF with one of his competitors on Thursday. He had no problem with me stopping by afterwards. Luckily, both firms are only a few blocks from each other. So I have 2 appointments this Thursday.
Again, it's nice to be wanted. I wish I had this kind of popularity when I was dating!
So far, I seem to be rather popular. From my last blog entry about job hunting, I have heard from at least 15 companies, mostly recruiting firms. And mostly for jobs I don't want (financial planning and insurance sales).
This morning, I got an e-mail from an out-of-state recruiter that wanted me to call if I was still interested in looking for new career opportunities. She told me she thought there a few jobs where I would be a good fit. I replied back and said I'd like to get the job descriptions before I made a decision. It was quite clear she didn't read my resumé because she said there were too many listings nationwide for her to determine where I would be a suitable match until she talked to me first. I told her unless I get job descriptions from the SF area, I wasn't interested. It pains me to have to refrain from what I really wanted to say to her.
Around 4 p.m. today, another recruiter from a well-known financial planning site called my cell phone. I told her I'm familiar with the company, said thank you, but not interested. Then about 4:30, a local recruiter called. He's from a search firm that placed me 14 years ago. I knew he read my resumé when he asked if his company placed me at Gymboree (it was actually Unocal).
We got to the nitty-gritty within 5 minutes: he asked what jobs I want and don't want, what is my current and desired salary. He wanted to meet, but knew my being in Foster City might be tough to get into the city. I told him I have an appointment in SF with one of his competitors on Thursday. He had no problem with me stopping by afterwards. Luckily, both firms are only a few blocks from each other. So I have 2 appointments this Thursday.
Again, it's nice to be wanted. I wish I had this kind of popularity when I was dating!
Monday, September 03, 2007
Jong Mea Restaurant, June 1982
This is the front of Jong Mea Restaurant, located in Columbus, OH at 747 East Broad Street. The restaurant first opened in 1951. This was taken on our graduation day from Ohio State in 1982.From left to right: founder and paternal grandfather, Irving Chin, grandmother Virginia, my sister Cindy, yours truly, my mother, Susan, and my father, Hank. My grandfather passed away last year.
While the restaurant is no longer around, this is for those of you who did eat there at one time or another. I hope seeing the picture will bring back fond memories of your visits there.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
To Live and Fly to L.A., part 2
This past April, I blogged about a trip to Los Angeles to testify at a hearing. The hearing went to trial this past week. I flew out to LAX Thursday afternoon, courtesy of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. I got home today around noon. I could have flown out Friday night. But because my testimony is the basis for most of the case, I knew I'd be in court all day and didn't want to stress out about catching a flight back like I did in April. The DA's office had no problem having me stay until Saturday.
Although I wasn't outside much, the weather in Los Angeles was hot and sticky. Thursday and Friday evenings did cool down to a comfortable temperature. Knowing fully well this trip was on the city, any luxury or frills would be few or non-existent. I was right.
On the flight from SFO, my seat assignment was in the aisle seat of the very LAST row of the plane. Not so bad when you have to use the facilities. And not so bad had I been permitted to board the plane first. But my seating group was the last one called. By the time I got to my seat, all the overhead bins were full, so I had to reverse back 10 rows to find the nearest available bin to store my carry-on suitcase, apologizing profusely to everyone I bumped into.
When I got off the plane, I was instructed to call the hotel to have their shuttle pick me up. The hotel was only 5 minutes from the airport. I waited in the Hotel Shuttle pick up area at LAX for nearly an hour before the shuttle van spotted me. The first shuttle came about 15 minutes after I called the hotel, but drove right past me. When I finally got to the hotel, the reservation had me listed to stay only 1 night and not 2. They told me I needed to contact the DA's office to correct the mistake. I did get meal vouchers for dinner and breakfast at the hotel.
The room I stayed in was so-so. Bathroom fixtures needed serious updating. The pipes leaked a bit and I had to put a towel on the floor. I know I've moved up in the world when the last 2 hotels I've stayed in, the bathrooms aren't as nice as my bathroom at home. The restaurant staff was nice, but it was really an overpriced Denny's. When I went there to have dinner Friday night, on the lighted board listing the specials read, DINNER: Peper Steak. SOUP: Clams Chawder. I wanted so much to take a picture with my cell phone, but it wouldn't have shown up with the dim lighting in the restaurant.
I was scheduled to be at the courthouse by 9 a.m. Friday morning and begin providing testimony at 10:30. I was instructed to arrange with the hotel to have their shuttle drop me off at the courthouse (only 3 minutes away). When I asked, they told me the shuttle only drives to and from the airport. After I told them I'll miss my court appearance, they relented a bit and said the driver would take me if he didn't have any passengers to take to the airport. They told me to make sure it was OK with the driver. When I asked the driver, he told me he needed approval from his supervisor, which was the person who told me to ask the driver. Wow, what service.
The driver ended up taking me to the courthouse, with another couple in the van on the way to the airport. When I got to the office of the Deputy DA who was handling the case, I spent over an hour in his office reviewing the details until the trial began at 10:30. We then headed to court at 10:30 and I waited outside until they were ready to swear me in.
At 11:00, I still hadn't been sworn in and the jury came out and was told to return at 1:30. The Culver City detective that made the arrest told me there'd been an issue of whether or not the original report I provided would be admissable in court. So I went off with the Deputy DA and Public Defender to a conference room to talk about the reports. This took 90 minutes, most of it from the Public Defender trying to understand the financial statements.
It was now 12:30. I grabbed a lame turkey sandwich and chips at the cafeteria in the courthouse and waited in the Public Defender's office until court was ready to reconvene. I was sworn in, and provided testimony until 3:00, when the judge called for a 10 minute recess. Then the Public Defender cross-examined me until 4:10 when the judge called it a day.
While there were a lot less objections in my testimony, there was at one point a lengthy sidebar, and just one "strike that from the record, the jury will disregard those remarks". I made a conscious effort to speak slowly and clearly, as I was told previously at the hearing I spoke a bit too fast. I was proud of myself when the court stenographer didn't ask me to repeat anything.
This was one of my not so fun trips. Crummy hotel and service, flights to and from Los Angeles barely tolerable but thankfully short, and total time in court was over 4 1/2 hours. I intended to go the gym once I got home, but after all the terrible food I had, I inhaled a rice plate when I got home. So I ended up crashing on the couch for 2 hours. I probably needed the rest. It's good to be home.
Although I wasn't outside much, the weather in Los Angeles was hot and sticky. Thursday and Friday evenings did cool down to a comfortable temperature. Knowing fully well this trip was on the city, any luxury or frills would be few or non-existent. I was right.
On the flight from SFO, my seat assignment was in the aisle seat of the very LAST row of the plane. Not so bad when you have to use the facilities. And not so bad had I been permitted to board the plane first. But my seating group was the last one called. By the time I got to my seat, all the overhead bins were full, so I had to reverse back 10 rows to find the nearest available bin to store my carry-on suitcase, apologizing profusely to everyone I bumped into.
When I got off the plane, I was instructed to call the hotel to have their shuttle pick me up. The hotel was only 5 minutes from the airport. I waited in the Hotel Shuttle pick up area at LAX for nearly an hour before the shuttle van spotted me. The first shuttle came about 15 minutes after I called the hotel, but drove right past me. When I finally got to the hotel, the reservation had me listed to stay only 1 night and not 2. They told me I needed to contact the DA's office to correct the mistake. I did get meal vouchers for dinner and breakfast at the hotel.
The room I stayed in was so-so. Bathroom fixtures needed serious updating. The pipes leaked a bit and I had to put a towel on the floor. I know I've moved up in the world when the last 2 hotels I've stayed in, the bathrooms aren't as nice as my bathroom at home. The restaurant staff was nice, but it was really an overpriced Denny's. When I went there to have dinner Friday night, on the lighted board listing the specials read, DINNER: Peper Steak. SOUP: Clams Chawder. I wanted so much to take a picture with my cell phone, but it wouldn't have shown up with the dim lighting in the restaurant.
I was scheduled to be at the courthouse by 9 a.m. Friday morning and begin providing testimony at 10:30. I was instructed to arrange with the hotel to have their shuttle drop me off at the courthouse (only 3 minutes away). When I asked, they told me the shuttle only drives to and from the airport. After I told them I'll miss my court appearance, they relented a bit and said the driver would take me if he didn't have any passengers to take to the airport. They told me to make sure it was OK with the driver. When I asked the driver, he told me he needed approval from his supervisor, which was the person who told me to ask the driver. Wow, what service.
The driver ended up taking me to the courthouse, with another couple in the van on the way to the airport. When I got to the office of the Deputy DA who was handling the case, I spent over an hour in his office reviewing the details until the trial began at 10:30. We then headed to court at 10:30 and I waited outside until they were ready to swear me in.
At 11:00, I still hadn't been sworn in and the jury came out and was told to return at 1:30. The Culver City detective that made the arrest told me there'd been an issue of whether or not the original report I provided would be admissable in court. So I went off with the Deputy DA and Public Defender to a conference room to talk about the reports. This took 90 minutes, most of it from the Public Defender trying to understand the financial statements.
It was now 12:30. I grabbed a lame turkey sandwich and chips at the cafeteria in the courthouse and waited in the Public Defender's office until court was ready to reconvene. I was sworn in, and provided testimony until 3:00, when the judge called for a 10 minute recess. Then the Public Defender cross-examined me until 4:10 when the judge called it a day.
While there were a lot less objections in my testimony, there was at one point a lengthy sidebar, and just one "strike that from the record, the jury will disregard those remarks". I made a conscious effort to speak slowly and clearly, as I was told previously at the hearing I spoke a bit too fast. I was proud of myself when the court stenographer didn't ask me to repeat anything.
This was one of my not so fun trips. Crummy hotel and service, flights to and from Los Angeles barely tolerable but thankfully short, and total time in court was over 4 1/2 hours. I intended to go the gym once I got home, but after all the terrible food I had, I inhaled a rice plate when I got home. So I ended up crashing on the couch for 2 hours. I probably needed the rest. It's good to be home.
Friday, August 24, 2007
All-Time Gold Glove Team
A couple of days ago, Rawlings announced their all-time Gold Glove team. They are by position:
pitchers (tie): Greg Maddux and Jim Kaat
catcher: Johnny Bench
1st base: Wes Parker
2nd base: Joe Morgan
3rd base: Brooks Robinson
shortstop: Ozzie Smith
outfield: Willie Mays
outfield: Ken Griffey, Jr.
outfield: Roberto Clemente
As someone that's been around almost as long as Gold Gloves have been issued, I've seen at one time or another on TV all the players mentioned field their positions. And all of them (in my humble opinion) except one deserve to be on the team.
The one exception is 1st baseman Wes Parker. Why? While he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers his entire career, he only played for 9 seasons and received 6 Gold Gloves. Parker beat out Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly, which I think either of them would have been a much better choice. Especially Hernandez, who won 11 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1978 to 1988. Even Mattingly had more Gold Gloves than Parker at 9.
Well, Rawlings, if you based the all-time team strictly on the number of Gold Gloves awarded, I'm not sure everyone mentioned would be on it, including Mr. Parker. Someone in his fan club really stuffed the ballot box.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Job recruiters
When I first found out I was going to lose my job, it wasn't exactly earth shattering. The company hasn't been doing well and we ended up closing about 1/3 of our locations. I was already checking job listings on a regular basis. Once I posted my resumé on Yahoo! Hot Jobs, recruiters began to take notice and e-mail me, stating they could help me find a job or my qualifications are well suited to openings they know about.
So far, the recruiters that have contacted me are batting a big fat ZERO. The first recruiter that contacted me wanted to meet so that she could have an idea of what I'd best be suited for. This was great, but the timing wasn't right. Once I found out I was getting additional severance, I decided to hold off meeting her until my job ends.
The second recruiter e-mailed me and gave me a song and dance proposal (with a fee costing hundreds of dollars) about faxing mass numbers of cover letters to so-called targeted employers. This would ensure I would get numerous job interviews. I've seen these types of faxes come through the office, and to me, it's a total joke.
First of all, half the time the senior executives the cover letters are addressed to are no longer with the company or their name is misspelled. Second, most of the letters are written in official, business-like language stating this and that about his or her accomplishments. Read past the bull---- and it's just a letter begging for a job. Third, most of the jobs the candidates are looking for aren't within the retail industry nor are they positions our company would have available. I could do all this on my own by calling companies and asking for this information myself. FOR FREE.
Then, a third recruiting firm that claims only to service "quality" clients said I was a perfect match for one of their client openings but it was already filled. They wanted me to e-mail them to set up an appointment because they were certain I was qualified for other openings. Problem was, their area of coverage was San José. Sorry, a bit out of my commuting range.
Recruiter number four e-mailed me stating the same sales pitch as the previous ones from San José. She sent me a website link and told me to apply to any of the openings I would be interested in. Wait a minute. Aren't recruiters supposed to find the openings for you? After I got a second e-mail sent wondering why I hadn't registered, I replied back curtly telling her that as a recruiter, please point out to which positions you'd like me to interview. Otherwise, you're only someone telling me to go your website that has the same postings your competitors have. What a lazy way to recruit a candidate.
The 5th and 6th recruiting firms had openings within my desired areas and claimed they had my resumé, but it's quite clear they read only my title and not my qualifications. Last Friday, recruiter number 5 e-mailed me stating she thought I'd be an excellent match for an analyst position at a well-known retailer. When she e-mailed me the job description and company, it is for a well-known retailer with an excellent salary, but requires qualifications I don't have.
And this morning, recruiting company number 6 had 2 recruiters e-mail me for an analyst position for a very large and well-known public utility company. On a 6-month contract basis. Even if I weren't being laid off, what makes them think I would leave a job with benefits to go to a contractual job that has no benefits? Again, the job description is an analyst, but not really that strong a match to my work background.
The ONLY recruiter that has found anything that matched my background is from my old company, Gymboree. One ended up filled internally. The other is my old job from 8 years ago. I'm overqualified for both positions for pay below my current salary.
Despite all the moaning and bitching, it is nice to know I'm wanted. But it's quite obvious that recruiters don't study well whom they want as candidates. A piece of advice to any recruiter that may be reading this blog because they had the smarts to Google me, do your homework!!!
So far, the recruiters that have contacted me are batting a big fat ZERO. The first recruiter that contacted me wanted to meet so that she could have an idea of what I'd best be suited for. This was great, but the timing wasn't right. Once I found out I was getting additional severance, I decided to hold off meeting her until my job ends.
The second recruiter e-mailed me and gave me a song and dance proposal (with a fee costing hundreds of dollars) about faxing mass numbers of cover letters to so-called targeted employers. This would ensure I would get numerous job interviews. I've seen these types of faxes come through the office, and to me, it's a total joke.
First of all, half the time the senior executives the cover letters are addressed to are no longer with the company or their name is misspelled. Second, most of the letters are written in official, business-like language stating this and that about his or her accomplishments. Read past the bull---- and it's just a letter begging for a job. Third, most of the jobs the candidates are looking for aren't within the retail industry nor are they positions our company would have available. I could do all this on my own by calling companies and asking for this information myself. FOR FREE.
Then, a third recruiting firm that claims only to service "quality" clients said I was a perfect match for one of their client openings but it was already filled. They wanted me to e-mail them to set up an appointment because they were certain I was qualified for other openings. Problem was, their area of coverage was San José. Sorry, a bit out of my commuting range.
Recruiter number four e-mailed me stating the same sales pitch as the previous ones from San José. She sent me a website link and told me to apply to any of the openings I would be interested in. Wait a minute. Aren't recruiters supposed to find the openings for you? After I got a second e-mail sent wondering why I hadn't registered, I replied back curtly telling her that as a recruiter, please point out to which positions you'd like me to interview. Otherwise, you're only someone telling me to go your website that has the same postings your competitors have. What a lazy way to recruit a candidate.
The 5th and 6th recruiting firms had openings within my desired areas and claimed they had my resumé, but it's quite clear they read only my title and not my qualifications. Last Friday, recruiter number 5 e-mailed me stating she thought I'd be an excellent match for an analyst position at a well-known retailer. When she e-mailed me the job description and company, it is for a well-known retailer with an excellent salary, but requires qualifications I don't have.
And this morning, recruiting company number 6 had 2 recruiters e-mail me for an analyst position for a very large and well-known public utility company. On a 6-month contract basis. Even if I weren't being laid off, what makes them think I would leave a job with benefits to go to a contractual job that has no benefits? Again, the job description is an analyst, but not really that strong a match to my work background.
The ONLY recruiter that has found anything that matched my background is from my old company, Gymboree. One ended up filled internally. The other is my old job from 8 years ago. I'm overqualified for both positions for pay below my current salary.
Despite all the moaning and bitching, it is nice to know I'm wanted. But it's quite obvious that recruiters don't study well whom they want as candidates. A piece of advice to any recruiter that may be reading this blog because they had the smarts to Google me, do your homework!!!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
company that shares my name
Yes, they finally named a company after me. How flattering. Seriously though, LANI is actually Loan Administration Network Inc. They've been around since 1992 (ha! I've been around longer). Website is actually lani.com.
They do have an office in Walnut Creek. Since I will be out of a job next month, I could send them my resume, write a tear-jerker of a cover letter begging to be the face behind the name. After a few seconds, a roar of laughter will overwhelm the HR person with tears streaming down her face. But not before she e-mails me a note stating my resume will be kept on file for 1 year and I'll be contacted should there be an opening that matches my qualifications.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Oh the times...they are a-changin'
While the title of this blog is the name of a famous Bob Dylan song, Bryan Ferry (of Roxy Music fame) recently released an album of Dylan covers and this song is getting frequent airplay on KFOG in the San Francisco Bay Area.
As it's getting closer to end of my current job, this week in particular is starting to show real signs the company is leaving California and plowing full steam ahead into Texas. Last week, I called one of our locations to answer a finance question. I started chatting with the studio manager and she thought I was calling from Plano (Dallas area). Last Thursday, all of the current positions in my department (finance) are posted as openings in Yahoo! Hot Jobs. Plus, the office is two-thirds empty this week due to a companywide meeting in Plano. Last, but not least, this coming Friday, the company servers will be inaccessible after 12 p.m. as they will migrate them to Plano.
Then this morning, the Gymboree HR coordinator who set up my interviews in May called. She asked me if I was interested in another opening in finance. She said it was Sales Audit, which technically it is. But when I went to Gymboree's website to view the posting, it is listed as a Revenue Analyst. In short, it's my old job. I'm more than qualified to do the work and that's exactly why I politely declined. I already know the position doesn't pay what I currently make and Myra, the HR person, confirmed this was the case.
While it's still early, I sent applications out to 2 companies with treasury/cash analyst positions about a half-hour ago. One is a huge hospital, the other, a bank. If you asked me even a year ago if I would work for either of these kinds of businesses, I would have told you, "hell no". But my work has progressed more toward treasury/cash management and am looking for my next position to focus in this area. And because of the treasury/cash focus, I have to widen my search and look away from retail.
With all the severance and unpaid vacation I'll be receiving when my job ends, I can take the rest of the year off sitting high off the hog. I really should take the rest of the year off. It's been years since I didn't work a busy holiday period. I am really looking forward that I don't have to work on Black Friday, Christmas Eve or New Year's.
But at the same time, the jobs I applied to today describe duties that I currently do now. I decided I would rather apply and see if they bite, and if they don't, at least I won't wonder whether or not I would be contacted for an interview. I also know if things don't go well, I can stop, and take my time to look for the next opportunity.
As it's getting closer to end of my current job, this week in particular is starting to show real signs the company is leaving California and plowing full steam ahead into Texas. Last week, I called one of our locations to answer a finance question. I started chatting with the studio manager and she thought I was calling from Plano (Dallas area). Last Thursday, all of the current positions in my department (finance) are posted as openings in Yahoo! Hot Jobs. Plus, the office is two-thirds empty this week due to a companywide meeting in Plano. Last, but not least, this coming Friday, the company servers will be inaccessible after 12 p.m. as they will migrate them to Plano.
Then this morning, the Gymboree HR coordinator who set up my interviews in May called. She asked me if I was interested in another opening in finance. She said it was Sales Audit, which technically it is. But when I went to Gymboree's website to view the posting, it is listed as a Revenue Analyst. In short, it's my old job. I'm more than qualified to do the work and that's exactly why I politely declined. I already know the position doesn't pay what I currently make and Myra, the HR person, confirmed this was the case.
While it's still early, I sent applications out to 2 companies with treasury/cash analyst positions about a half-hour ago. One is a huge hospital, the other, a bank. If you asked me even a year ago if I would work for either of these kinds of businesses, I would have told you, "hell no". But my work has progressed more toward treasury/cash management and am looking for my next position to focus in this area. And because of the treasury/cash focus, I have to widen my search and look away from retail.
With all the severance and unpaid vacation I'll be receiving when my job ends, I can take the rest of the year off sitting high off the hog. I really should take the rest of the year off. It's been years since I didn't work a busy holiday period. I am really looking forward that I don't have to work on Black Friday, Christmas Eve or New Year's.
But at the same time, the jobs I applied to today describe duties that I currently do now. I decided I would rather apply and see if they bite, and if they don't, at least I won't wonder whether or not I would be contacted for an interview. I also know if things don't go well, I can stop, and take my time to look for the next opportunity.
Monday, August 13, 2007
New contact lenses for myopia
Today, another Associated Press video features a story that one can now wear contact lenses while sleeping to correct myopia, which is the exact opposite of how most users wear their contacts.
I've been myopic since I was 11. While most thought glasses were a death sentence as to how one would be perceived in school, I thought it was extremely cool. I never thought about the "coke-bottle" look, but the intelligent, respected look that people got when they wore spectacles that fit them well.
What I realized as I got older was that glasses were not cool when I played basketball and softball. They fogged up and were likely to get damaged and/or broken. I then got contact lenses when I was 15. My dad thought I was too young. But I convinced him I would be very good about taking care of them and that I needed them for sports.
I wore hard, then later, rigid gas permeable contact lenses (RGP's) for about 25 years. It wasn't until I turned 40 that I could no longer wear RGP's. I didn't wear contact lenses for nearly a year until I got fitted for daily disposable soft contact lenses. I've been wearing disposables for about 6 years now, and am relieved I can wear contact lenses nearly all the time again. The only drawback is that I could wear RGP's up to 17 hours without feeling dryness or discomfort. My disposables on most days is about 14 hours.
The best thing about having disposables is that I can throw a bunch in my carry-on when I travel and only have to bring saline solution with me. I used to have to bring wetting/soaking solution, cleaner, a case and a spare pair of lenses as they can get lost or misplaced. And if I stayed over a week, enzyme tablets for the weekly deep cleaning.
As to whether I would consider wearing this new kind of contact lens, I'm not sure. While I like the idea of not having to wear lenses during the day, having to wear them at night is not something I'm crazy about. Falling asleep with contact lenses for me is not comfortable.
It's all very promising. But I'd like to wait and see first.
As to whether I would consider wearing this new kind of contact lens, I'm not sure. While I like the idea of not having to wear lenses during the day, having to wear them at night is not something I'm crazy about. Falling asleep with contact lenses for me is not comfortable.
It's all very promising. But I'd like to wait and see first.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
defining chocolate
An article in today's Associated Press (photo courtesy from them too) about whether or not the FDA will allow changes in the ingredients that define chocolate. In its purest form, chocolate must contain between 50 to 60 percent cocoa butter.
The Grocery and Chocolate Manufacturers Association and several other food industry groups want to see those standards changed. By doing this, it would allow some flexibility in using different techniques and standards on the way chocolate is made. The argument about relaxing the standard is that it would cut costs in manufacturing and the savings can be passed to the consumer.
As far as I'm concerned, leave this alone!!! I know I'm not the only one who has a strong emotional attachment to this luscious, creamy treat. By allowing to define chocolate with other ingredients, namely vegetable oil, I'm not likely to go anywhere near it. Legally, it can't be called chocolate either.
There's a reason why premium chocolates like Scharffen Berger, Joseph Schmidt, and Godiva have such a cult following. There's true artistry in the way their chocolate is made.
I don't care. My fingers are in my ears now and I'm doing my best Sergeant Schultz imitation, "I see nothing. I hear nothing".
Sunday, August 05, 2007
tub soak
For the past 2 Sundays, I lounge most of the day at home and visit the gym in the late afternoon. Because this is my last workout of the week, I make this a short session (about an hour). I come home, have dinner and then soak in the tub.
Once out of the tub, I apply Philosophy body butter in mint. The smell and feel of mint is very soothing. Up until I tried this, Origins Ginger Souffle was my favorite. They're both wonderful, but in different ways.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Remembering Bill Walsh
As most San Francisco Bay Area sports fans have learned, former 49er and Stanford football coach Bill Walsh passed away today. No doubt there'll be hundreds of blogs written about one's memories of Coach Walsh's tenure with the 49ers.Mine started in 1982. An Ohio State student at the time, my sister Cindy and I attended a Super Bowl party to see the 49ers versus the Cincinnati Bengals. As an ardent Buckeye follower and Ohio resident, we all wanted the Bengals. But the 49ers had a prominent Ohio connection. Our host Rick, a student from Youngstown, told us the 49ers owner, Eddie DeBartolo, lived and owned his business in Youngstown.
Since I was cheering for the Bengals, it was disappointing, but not heartbreaking (much more a Cleveland Browns fan then) for me to see them unable to score after a 4th and goal. I was bummed but in awe that the 49ers defense held the Bengals from scoring. Little did I know in 2 years I would be cheering for the "enemy". Oh, and my car was towed from Rick's apartment complex during the game.
When I moved to San Francisco in August, 1983, the NFL season was only a few weeks away. I found it strange at first to watch 49ers games. It was even stranger not to have Dad in the same room smoking and swearing at the TV from his favorite recliner. But as the weeks passed, I grew to like the 49ers. Coach Walsh, Joe Montana and Dwight Clark were the main reasons why I became a fan.
Once the 49ers made it into the Super Bowl in 1985, I got invited to another party hosted by one of the guys in the church basketball group I played with on Saturdays at Lincoln High School. While Buckeye football fans are among the most passionate, the 49er fans I met came pretty close. After hearing whoops and cheers throughout the neighborhood immediately after the game ended, there was no going back.
In 1989, I ended up watching Super Bowl XXIII alone. It was one of the most exciting games I'd ever seen (Ohio State versus Miami in the BCS 2003 ranks right up there). After wide receiver John Taylor scored the winning touchdown, I could hear several of my neighbors across the street screaming. This would be Walsh's last game as the 49ers head coach.
Under Walsh's tutelage, the 49ers made winning look easy. So easy many of us took it for granted. We know how difficult it was only after he was no longer coach. Just ask Dennis Erickson. Thanks for the wonderful, wonderful memories, Coach. You will be sorely missed.
photo courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Job opening
I found out today that my job has been officially posted at Yahoo! Hot Jobs last week. I've been told there have been a few applicants. I hope that I'll get to meet and train my replacement before my job officially ends. If you're curious about the work I do, go to Hot Jobs, type in "treasury analyst", Dallas, TX. Look for the retail posting in Plano.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Happy Birthday, Cindy!
Today is my sister's Cindy's birthday. Older by only 10 months and 3 weeks, we are the same age for 3 weeks every year. Because we were so close in age, Mom dressed us up like twins until I was about 10.
This picture was taken of us just before our trip to Cleveland to visit the Chang family (Mom's sister's family) in April, 1969. Cindy is the one on the right. As you can see, Mom succeeded very well in her goal to make us twins. Same haircut, coat, dress, shoes and socks.
But we're much, much older now. We live 3 time zones away from each other, and don't dress alike anymore. We do both have finance occupations and Dad still can't tell our voices apart. Cindy is also one of the most diehard of Buckeye fans among us all.
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Blame Game
I am seeing more and more stories of people blaming problems on someone or something else. A Reno couple blaming internet addiction on their reason for child neglect. A San Jose mother blaming the drowning of her 4-year old son on Great America. Two years ago, unofficially retired Baltimore Oriole Rafael Palmeiro claimed teammate Miguel Tejada supplied him with steroids.
STOP!
To the Reno couple, Michael and Iana Straw, do the terms abstinence or birth control mean anything to you? I hope they sterilize you while you're locked up and never allow you to see your children ever again.
To San Jose mom Yolanda Flores, yes, losing your son was terribly tragic. But where exactly were you when your son was found in the water? It wouldn't have mattered if there were 50 lifeguards on duty. Your son should have never been left alone.
And, to Mr. Palmeiro, naming another teammate as a contributor to your admitted steroid use was truly classless. Whatever respect anyone had for you is all gone. I hope every waking moment of your life you feel terrible about what you said.
Come on, be an adult and accept responsibility for your actions. You have no one but yourselves to blame.
STOP!
To the Reno couple, Michael and Iana Straw, do the terms abstinence or birth control mean anything to you? I hope they sterilize you while you're locked up and never allow you to see your children ever again.
To San Jose mom Yolanda Flores, yes, losing your son was terribly tragic. But where exactly were you when your son was found in the water? It wouldn't have mattered if there were 50 lifeguards on duty. Your son should have never been left alone.
And, to Mr. Palmeiro, naming another teammate as a contributor to your admitted steroid use was truly classless. Whatever respect anyone had for you is all gone. I hope every waking moment of your life you feel terrible about what you said.
Come on, be an adult and accept responsibility for your actions. You have no one but yourselves to blame.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Thou shalt not steal
Tonight I stayed late at the office for 2 reasons, the first, our cleaning person Isaurina was cleaning our condo at 5:30 p.m. She was unable to come on her usual day (every other Tuesday). The second, I caught another employee stealing from us. The employee hasn't yet been questioned, but I've done enough of these audits to know what I found is outright stealing.
As written in my previous entry in October, 2006, I understand the temptations to steal, but not much else. For me, I could never live with myself. Nor would I be able to find any decent paying job where trust is paramount. I'd have to live my life in complete isolation, which for an outgoing, extroverted person like me, is a fate worse than death.
While I would NEVER condone stealing, D.B. Cooper's stunt in 1971 is the way to go. Plan it extremely well, do it only once for a huge sum of money, and never be seen or heard from again.
As written in my previous entry in October, 2006, I understand the temptations to steal, but not much else. For me, I could never live with myself. Nor would I be able to find any decent paying job where trust is paramount. I'd have to live my life in complete isolation, which for an outgoing, extroverted person like me, is a fate worse than death.
While I would NEVER condone stealing, D.B. Cooper's stunt in 1971 is the way to go. Plan it extremely well, do it only once for a huge sum of money, and never be seen or heard from again.
Monday, June 25, 2007
fighting Father Time
I usually get my hair cut about every 6 weeks. For the past 3 to 4 years, I have to include coloring with the cut to fight the gray. This is to continue fooling people that I'm at a much younger age. So far, so good.
When I was 24, I was at a Foot Locker buying hi-top basketball shoes when I used to play hoops on Saturdays. The salesman asked at which high school did I play.
At my 20th high school reunion, a former classmate ignored me for the first half hour because she didn't recognize me. She thought I looked too young to have graduated with her and that I was the former class president's date.
I don't know if I can continue this into my 60's, but getting older and wiser is a good thing. I just plan on trying my hardest not to look that way. So how old will I be Saturday? It won't be hard to figure out, but it's nearly twice the age from the time I bought the hi-tops at Foot Locker.
I'll show you my driver's license to prove it.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
should I stay or should I go now?
As you may have already noticed, my blog postings for the past month have been sporadic and likely will be for the next few months. With my job about to end in the next few months, perhaps sooner, my official job hunt so far has resulted in 2 interviews with a former employer, 2 notifications from recruiters wanting to help me find a job, and a phone call from a Walnut Creek financial services company where I'd sent my resume.
Up until last week, it was getting frustrating as I wasn't hearing much from anyone. One company responded to tell me it was being reviewed. They ended up hiring another candidate. A former employer called me the day after I submitted an application. It resulted in 2 interviews, the first with the hiring manager, the second with the hiring manager's boss. When I didn't hear from them after a week, it was apparent to me they chose someone else. I contacted the HR coordinator to find out. She confirmed they filled the position internally.
As for the financial services company in Walnut Creek, they called to schedule a phone interview but wanted to make sure I was aware of the starting salary. I wasn't, because I didn't scroll the posting all the way to the bottom, where it was listed. It was $15K less than my current salary. I asked if it was negotiable. They said no. Pay cut to commute to Walnut Creek? I politely said no thank you and ended the call.
Last weekend, I submitted a job application to a retailer in Oakland through HotJobs. This is what seemed to open things up. The next day, I got an e-mail from a recruiter specializing in finance and accounting jobs. She told me she placed someone from my company recently and said she saw my resumé online and said she could do the same for me. I first arranged an interview this past week to meet her, but decided to postpone it. We are migrating our cash management account from one bank to another and since I reconcile and monitor the account daily, leaving the office early would not be a good idea.
A few days later, I got a second e-mail from another recruiter explaining that she was confident that she could find a job for me. She sent me her company's website link to review their approach to placing people. I reviewed the proposal and she'll be following up in 2 weeks (at my request). I already know my decision, but will disclose that to the recruiter and the reasons why when she does get back in touch with me.
I end this entry to address the question posted today. Should I stay or should I go now? While I haven't gotten any solid offers yet, it is only a matter of time. I've made no secrets at work that I'm currently looking. We've had 3 people in my department leave in the last month. A co-worker and longtime employee (8 years) approached me this week and told me that who is now left in our group will likely stay until the end.
She told our new CFO that she thinks I'll be staying to the end, but with everything I've talked about, she isn't so sure now. She wanted to know what I would be doing. She also is one of the few people who really knew and understands all the work I do. She said she understands if I decided to leave before everything ends in Foster City, but personally asked me to stay. I was really touched.
I told her that because I'm very selective about my next job, I've begun the search now. It will probably take me until my job officially ends to find what I want. But if I am offered the right job, I will leave and forfeit my retention package. It is no longer about the company once the decision was made to move to Dallas. It's about keeping my paychecks coming in.
Up until last week, it was getting frustrating as I wasn't hearing much from anyone. One company responded to tell me it was being reviewed. They ended up hiring another candidate. A former employer called me the day after I submitted an application. It resulted in 2 interviews, the first with the hiring manager, the second with the hiring manager's boss. When I didn't hear from them after a week, it was apparent to me they chose someone else. I contacted the HR coordinator to find out. She confirmed they filled the position internally.
As for the financial services company in Walnut Creek, they called to schedule a phone interview but wanted to make sure I was aware of the starting salary. I wasn't, because I didn't scroll the posting all the way to the bottom, where it was listed. It was $15K less than my current salary. I asked if it was negotiable. They said no. Pay cut to commute to Walnut Creek? I politely said no thank you and ended the call.
Last weekend, I submitted a job application to a retailer in Oakland through HotJobs. This is what seemed to open things up. The next day, I got an e-mail from a recruiter specializing in finance and accounting jobs. She told me she placed someone from my company recently and said she saw my resumé online and said she could do the same for me. I first arranged an interview this past week to meet her, but decided to postpone it. We are migrating our cash management account from one bank to another and since I reconcile and monitor the account daily, leaving the office early would not be a good idea.
A few days later, I got a second e-mail from another recruiter explaining that she was confident that she could find a job for me. She sent me her company's website link to review their approach to placing people. I reviewed the proposal and she'll be following up in 2 weeks (at my request). I already know my decision, but will disclose that to the recruiter and the reasons why when she does get back in touch with me.
I end this entry to address the question posted today. Should I stay or should I go now? While I haven't gotten any solid offers yet, it is only a matter of time. I've made no secrets at work that I'm currently looking. We've had 3 people in my department leave in the last month. A co-worker and longtime employee (8 years) approached me this week and told me that who is now left in our group will likely stay until the end.
She told our new CFO that she thinks I'll be staying to the end, but with everything I've talked about, she isn't so sure now. She wanted to know what I would be doing. She also is one of the few people who really knew and understands all the work I do. She said she understands if I decided to leave before everything ends in Foster City, but personally asked me to stay. I was really touched.
I told her that because I'm very selective about my next job, I've begun the search now. It will probably take me until my job officially ends to find what I want. But if I am offered the right job, I will leave and forfeit my retention package. It is no longer about the company once the decision was made to move to Dallas. It's about keeping my paychecks coming in.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Come and get it...
After living in our condo for nearly a year, I still peruse the San Francisco real estate listings from craigslist.org almost daily. For the past several weeks (seems like months), a 4-unit building at 200-204 Funston Avenue (at California Street) is still on the market.
The listings are posted in numerous variations: purchase of the entire building, purchase of the top 2 units for a single price ($649K), and of course, individually as TIC's (tenancy-in-common). Same pictures, different wording. Excellent neighborhood (Inner Richmond). Still not sold.
I haven't visited any of the open houses, but from the other pictures shown of the units from craigslist, it seems a nice enough place. But I also understand why none of the units have been yet sold. While these units are rather sizable (about 1000 square feet), none are more than 1 bedroom.
It's my guess that these units were previously rentals and the owner decided to renovate them hoping to make some money by selling them as TIC's (just like our last landlord). Problem is, fixing them up doesn't change the fact that these are units designed for no more than 2 occupants. Most who live in 1-bedroom places would rather rent than buy.
I admire the realtors for their creative attempts to sell the units. But it hasn't worked. My suggestion to the current owner(s) or prospective buyer(s) is to hire a property management company to rent the units under short-term leases. Lease them for 2-3 months or up to a year as corporate housing/hotel alternative for those staying in San Francisco for an extended period. Ideal for college/university professors, executives, caretakers. Public transporation is just outside the door, and access to Clement and Geary Streets is a short walk.
photo courtesy of California Prudential Realty
Sunday, May 13, 2007
job hunt begins
Even though mid-October is 5 months away, I officially began the hunt for my next employer. I've been looking for the past year, but now have ramped up the search. Last month, I sent my resumé to 2 well-known cosmetic retailers (names and job titles withheld) headquartered in San Francisco. If you're a Bay Area resident that's worked in retail, you'll probably already know who these companies are. Over the weekend, I sent applications out to a former employer and to a division within the City and County of San Francisco.
One of the cosmetic retailers took a month to reply back to me, only with a very short sentence asking me what my salary requirements were. I replied back, asking for $5 to $10K more than what I currently make. I've heard nothing since. The other retailer, I haven't heard anything back. Both retailers have since reposted the positions and changed the job titles. I'm guessing they haven't called me because I am too senior for the positions. This could be very well the same case with my former employer.
Which leads me to thinking that I need to look away from retail. I am also looking at financial service companies or those companies looking for internal audit type positions. I started putting the word out to friends, family and co-workers that I'm looking. If I get offered a position before October, it would have to be one attractive enough for me to forfeit my retention package.
And awaaaaay we go....
One of the cosmetic retailers took a month to reply back to me, only with a very short sentence asking me what my salary requirements were. I replied back, asking for $5 to $10K more than what I currently make. I've heard nothing since. The other retailer, I haven't heard anything back. Both retailers have since reposted the positions and changed the job titles. I'm guessing they haven't called me because I am too senior for the positions. This could be very well the same case with my former employer.
Which leads me to thinking that I need to look away from retail. I am also looking at financial service companies or those companies looking for internal audit type positions. I started putting the word out to friends, family and co-workers that I'm looking. If I get offered a position before October, it would have to be one attractive enough for me to forfeit my retention package.
And awaaaaay we go....
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Old Reliables - Eagle Creek & Tevas
This past Friday, REI is holding their anniversary sale. As an REI member, I am eligible for 20% off one full-priced item. For most of yesterday, I looked up and down the REI site to see if there was anything.
Plenty to like, but nothing I really needed or wanted. The closest items were a pair of Tevas and an Eagle Creek women's mini-backpack to replace the one seen in this photo.
Currently, REI offers the Eagle Creek mini-backpack for $35. It comes in 2 colors, tomato and graphite. I decided not to get it because it's smaller and lacks the versatility my current Eagle Creek Matrix pack provides me. The Matrix is smaller and lighter than a standard daypack. But it's large enough to hold my wallet, cell phone, tissues, travel itinerary, prescription meds, toiletries (for weekend/short trips), and most importantly, it's been my carry-on for the past 7-8 years. It's gone with me to London, Seattle, Columbus, Mendocino, Vancouver, San Diego and New York. There is an updated version of the Eagle Creek Matrix at TravelGear.com, but my current pack is holding up just fine.
As for the Tevas, they're really old. I bought them at an independent sporting goods store in Marin county sometime in 1992. REI sells several different kinds. The ones that caught my interest are $70. Not a bad price with the 20% discount, but Sierra Trading Post sells a similar pair in the same color for $24.95, still less than REI's even with the discount. But the 15-year old Tevas I currently have are still in decent shape. Most of the bottom tread is still intact. I could replace them, but really don't need to.
Wish I could say the same about my work clothes. I stained my French Blue wrinkle-resistant 3/4 sleeve shirt from Eddie Bauer. It's been one my favorite shirts to wear to work since getting it 3 years ago. After 4 washings and countless pre-soaks, I still can't get the stains completely out. I've since reordered another shirt (using my Eddie Bauer Friends 20% limited time discount). It's backordered until the end of June.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Davey Concepcion
image source: ESPN
Today, the Cincinnati Reds announced they will retire shortstop legend Dave Concepcion's number 13.
As mentioned in previous blogs, I grew up a HUGE Cincinnati Reds fan. I was in high school when the Big Red Machine won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. The 1975 Series versus the Boston Red Sox was for me the greatest World Series ever played.
While I admired Davey a lot, my brother Sherman probably admired him even more. He played shortstop all but 2 seasons from 2nd grade through high school. Sherman's first year on the high school varsity team, he chose number 13 because of Concepcion.
Immediately after Sherman's first game, Dad made him choose another number because like many people, Dad thought the number "13" would bring bad luck.
Like the Giants' Omar Vizquel, Dave played baseball with joyous enthusiasm. I can't recall a game where I didn't see a smile on his face. Both men hail from Venezuela and chose number 13 in honor of their homeland idol, Luis Aparicio, who played for the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox.
Davey's number will be officially retired on July 28, when the Chicago Cubs will be in town to play Cincinnati. Thanks for the memories, Dave.
Friday, April 27, 2007
very high pollen count
To some of us, it was a lovely, sunny spring day in the San Francisco Bay Area. For me, a year-round allergy sufferer, this past week has been hell, especially when it gets windy.
I saw last night's weather forecast showed high tree and weed pollen counts. My sinuses have a tendency to go berserk with high grass pollen count, which today in San Mateo/Foster City was very high.
This is the worst I've had in sometime. I left the office early yesterday because I couldn't stop sneezing and blowing my nose. When I got home, I crashed on the couch for about 2 hours, which helped, because it made me stop sneezing.
My oversized mesh wastebasket, which sits in my quasi-office in the dining room, is usually never more than 1/3 full before our cleaning person Isaurina empties it every other week. Today, it is almost 1/2 full because I've been discarding tissue wads into it constantly.
Sneezing is still rampant, but not nearly as bad as yesterday or the day before that. My eyelids and cheeks look a bit red and bumpy, which I attribute to how bad my allergies are right now. I've been hearing "bless you" said so much that I'm beginning to think I found religion.
Oh, God I hope not.
image courtesy of scalzi.com
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Skybus Airlines
Just found out in tomorrow's New York Times, Skybus Airlines, a new low-fare airlines makes their debut. This caught my attention because Skybus is based from my birthplace, Columbus, Ohio. In the 23+ years I've lived in San Francisco, I have never been able to fly directly to Columbus.
Over the years, I've flown America West (connect in Phoenix), United (Chicago O'Hare or Denver), TWA (St. Louis), U.S. Airways (Indianapolis), Delta (Cincinnati) to get to Columbus. Delta was usually the most painless because Cincinnati is only about 100 miles from Columbus. Chicago and Phoenix for me have been the worst because of the vast walking distance within the terminal to catch the connection. We haven't been to Columbus in almost 2 years because our last trip on United during Christmas 2005 was one of the worst experiences we've ever had.
Fares on Skybus start out EXTREMELY low, at $10. But charges are incurred for checking-in luggage, purchasing soda, etc. And while not a big deal, flights are from Oakland. What Skybus has done is fulfill 2 extremely important reason why to fly with them:
Over the years, I've flown America West (connect in Phoenix), United (Chicago O'Hare or Denver), TWA (St. Louis), U.S. Airways (Indianapolis), Delta (Cincinnati) to get to Columbus. Delta was usually the most painless because Cincinnati is only about 100 miles from Columbus. Chicago and Phoenix for me have been the worst because of the vast walking distance within the terminal to catch the connection. We haven't been to Columbus in almost 2 years because our last trip on United during Christmas 2005 was one of the worst experiences we've ever had.
Fares on Skybus start out EXTREMELY low, at $10. But charges are incurred for checking-in luggage, purchasing soda, etc. And while not a big deal, flights are from Oakland. What Skybus has done is fulfill 2 extremely important reason why to fly with them:
1. DIRECT flight to Columbus from SF Bay Area
2. PRICE
2. PRICE
We really don't have an excuse not to visit Cindy anymore. I hope they stick around.
image courtesy of answers.com
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Generation 1.5 (a different kind of generation gap)
For those who aren't sure and afraid to ask, I am second-generation Asian-American. Specifically, American-born Chinese (ABC). Both my parents were born in Guangzhou (Canton) in Guangdong province, which is the ancestral province to many of the first Chinese to settle in the United States.
As broadcasted across the media prominently last week, Seung-Hui Cho was identified as the lone gunman in the Virginia Tech University shooting. Cho was a Korean-American who came to United States with his family in 1992. What also has been noted not so prominently is that Cho was considered among Koreans-Americans as someone who was "Generation 1.5", a person who arrived in the United States during school age (Cho was 8).
Up until the Virginia Tech shooting, I'd only known of generations in whole numbers. Japanese have specific names of generations (Issei, Nisei, Sansei, and Yonsei). I think "Generation 1.5" is a far more accurate description of those who arrive at school age. Because they didn't arrive as adults, many successfully integrate into American society and we often forget their birthplace wasn't in the United States.
But as I think about friends and family, Generation 1.5 probably has the largest gap of how much integration immigrants have in American society. The younger the age, the more integrated the person becomes. For example, my mom arrived in her teens, but Cantonese (Toisan) is still her first language. My cousin David arrived at the age of 4 and speaks limited Cantonese.
The lack of integration for Generation 1.5'ers is what can make life difficult. Culture and lifestyle at home versus school or work can be vastly different. It's difficult to know where you do or don't fit in. And this is where I think Seung-Hui Cho failed miserably. Fortunately, the vast majority who suffer as he did don't go on shooting rampages and kill innocent people.
As broadcasted across the media prominently last week, Seung-Hui Cho was identified as the lone gunman in the Virginia Tech University shooting. Cho was a Korean-American who came to United States with his family in 1992. What also has been noted not so prominently is that Cho was considered among Koreans-Americans as someone who was "Generation 1.5", a person who arrived in the United States during school age (Cho was 8).
Up until the Virginia Tech shooting, I'd only known of generations in whole numbers. Japanese have specific names of generations (Issei, Nisei, Sansei, and Yonsei). I think "Generation 1.5" is a far more accurate description of those who arrive at school age. Because they didn't arrive as adults, many successfully integrate into American society and we often forget their birthplace wasn't in the United States.
But as I think about friends and family, Generation 1.5 probably has the largest gap of how much integration immigrants have in American society. The younger the age, the more integrated the person becomes. For example, my mom arrived in her teens, but Cantonese (Toisan) is still her first language. My cousin David arrived at the age of 4 and speaks limited Cantonese.
The lack of integration for Generation 1.5'ers is what can make life difficult. Culture and lifestyle at home versus school or work can be vastly different. It's difficult to know where you do or don't fit in. And this is where I think Seung-Hui Cho failed miserably. Fortunately, the vast majority who suffer as he did don't go on shooting rampages and kill innocent people.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Richie's return
Baseball season is officially underway. As a former Cincinnati Reds now San Francisco Giants fan, I was bummed 4 years ago when shortstop Rich Aurilia's contract wasn't renewed after 9 seasons. He went on to play with the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds. Before the season began, I was excited to hear Richie was rejoining the Giants.
The past 2 nights, Rich had key hits in the Giants' win versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Last night after 12 innings, he hit a single that enabled Randy Winn to score the winning run. This afternoon, Mr. Aurilia hit a double that became the go-ahead runs to win 6-2. He has also proved his fielding versatility, playing mostly first and third base. He is also the backup shortstop to Omar Vizquel.
While the season hasn't started well for the Giants, Rich has made big contributions toward San Francisco's victories both offensively and defensively. But it's a long season and hope the Giants do well. We missed you, Richie. Welcome home.
image courtesy of sfgate.com
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
To Live and Fly to L.A.
Yesterday afternoon, I left the office early to catch a flight to LAX. The District Attorney's office of Los Angeles County issued me a subpoena earlier this month to appear at a hearing at 8:30 a.m this morning. There were a lot of cases on the court's calendar, and the case where I was to provide testimony for didn't convene well until 11:30.
At 11:40 or so, I was the second witness called. I remained in the witness box the longest among three of us that testified today. I testified for about 20 minutes before the court recessed for lunch. Then after lunch, I testified for another 40 minutes or so. I had a 3:05 p.m. flight back to San Francisco. Even though the courthouse was only 10 minutes from LAX, I didn't leave the courthouse until 2:40 p.m.
Because I thought I would miss my flight, I was on a cell phone with the company travel agency to see if they could get me on a later flight. Luckily, my 3:05 flight didn't board until 3:35 p.m., so I made it to the gate in time and actually left LAX around 4, as it was a completely full flight. I already packed my gym bag Sunday night, so I was more than ready to head to the gym once I got back to San Francisco.
While I can't comment on specifics about the case, I found the entire court process tedious and fascinating at the same time. This was my first time ever to testify in court. The last time I was called as a witness to testify was in 1984, where the District Attorney's office in Chickasha, Oklahoma (near Norman) flew me out to testify for a credit card fraud case. The case settled just before trial proceedings began, so I didn't go through the "raise-your-right-hand-do-you-solemnly-swear-that-the-testimony-provided-today-is-the-truth..." I don't think "so-help-you-God" is recited anymore.
Because I thought I would miss my flight, I was on a cell phone with the company travel agency to see if they could get me on a later flight. Luckily, my 3:05 flight didn't board until 3:35 p.m., so I made it to the gate in time and actually left LAX around 4, as it was a completely full flight. I already packed my gym bag Sunday night, so I was more than ready to head to the gym once I got back to San Francisco.
While I can't comment on specifics about the case, I found the entire court process tedious and fascinating at the same time. This was my first time ever to testify in court. The last time I was called as a witness to testify was in 1984, where the District Attorney's office in Chickasha, Oklahoma (near Norman) flew me out to testify for a credit card fraud case. The case settled just before trial proceedings began, so I didn't go through the "raise-your-right-hand-do-you-solemnly-swear-that-the-testimony-provided-today-is-the-truth..." I don't think "so-help-you-God" is recited anymore.
The parts that I found fascinating was that my testimony actually had the TV stuff we've seen on shows like "Law & Order", "Perry Mason" and "L.A. Law". There were things said in my testimony where the defense issued objections, or asked to be stricken from the court records. Prior to the hearing, I was brought to a very small room next to the entryway of the courtroom with the A.D.A. and the arresting detective preparing me for my testimony.
I won't yet know the outcome, and I don't know how well or poorly I did. But in my line of work, I may do it again and will be better prepared. It will be something I won't forget anytime soon (not that I forget much anyway).
I won't yet know the outcome, and I don't know how well or poorly I did. But in my line of work, I may do it again and will be better prepared. It will be something I won't forget anytime soon (not that I forget much anyway).
---
image courtesy of CNN
Friday, April 13, 2007
ahhhh....choo!!!
As usual for this time of year, my allergies are acting up. Sneezing, sore nose from too much tissue wiping, and my right eye consistently itchy and red. For the first time in over a year, I didn't wear my contact lenses to work. Because I can't exercise without wearing contacts, I wear my glasses most of the day and put in my contacts just before heading to my workout.
While I like the look of spectacles, they're not comfortable for me to wear outside the house. I fog them up when I'm warm, the nose pieces pinch after prolonged wearing, and I don't see as well out of them compared to contact lenses. I've thought about getting LASIK but find it expensive and not sure it would completely correct my extreme myopia (it's about 20/200).
Windy days aggravates the sneezing. While my allergies are year round, spring season is the worst for me. It usually subsides around May, sometimes into June. Cold compresses and eye drops will be a frequent companion for the next few weeks.
While I like the look of spectacles, they're not comfortable for me to wear outside the house. I fog them up when I'm warm, the nose pieces pinch after prolonged wearing, and I don't see as well out of them compared to contact lenses. I've thought about getting LASIK but find it expensive and not sure it would completely correct my extreme myopia (it's about 20/200).
Windy days aggravates the sneezing. While my allergies are year round, spring season is the worst for me. It usually subsides around May, sometimes into June. Cold compresses and eye drops will be a frequent companion for the next few weeks.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Taxing taxes
This past week, my tax accountant informed me I owe a total of almost $3K in taxes for 2006. With the condo purchase last July, I thought I would be seeing a refund, but also knew in the back of my mind I may end up owing because of stocks and cash I liquidated toward the down payment.
To pay the taxes, I had 2 options. First, write checks (ugh!) payable to the IRS and Franchise Tax board of "Coli-for-nee-uh". The second option, put it on a credit card and pay it off in about 6 months. I initially decided to put it on my credit card, but then found out the company the Federal & State uses to process the charge issues a 2.49% (percentage based on amount owed) fee, which was about $75.
Then I realized not only would I have to pay $75 for the processing fee, I'll have interest accrued against any unpaid balance (for me, about 1% a month). My next thought was to tap into my Roth IRA. Not something I wanted to do, but after being nearly credit card debt-free for 7+ years, I was determined not to start another balance, albeit small, compared to the average credit card debt of $8K or so.
I called Ester, my financial planner, and told her I wanted to move money from my Roth IRA into my checking account. Since my account was over 5 years old, I wouldn't incur fees there, but she told me it could have tax implications. Geez Louise, taxed on income to pay my friggin' taxes. Any wonder why Wesley Snipes left the country. My initial internet research tells me I'll still have to pay a 10% early withdrawal fee because I'm not 59 1/2 yet. If I had tapped into the Roth as part of my down payment (up to $10K) on the condo, I would have been exempt. (AARRGGGHH!)
Either way, the fees are about the same. I decided to tap into the Roth because I pay everything off in one shot. If I paid it with my credit card, my cash flow is a lot tighter and my debt lingers on for the remainder of the year. On the brighter side, I got my review at work today and got a small raise. A comfort to know since there was a wage freeze last year.
Despite all of this, I don't regret our condo purchase whatsoever. I've been hit over the head too many times about how much one can save in taxes from a buying a house. But I don't feel like I'm going to see any real relief for another 2 years.
image courtesy of un.org
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
New colors
Tonight I played around with my blog template and changed a few colors. I found too many other blogs were using the same template (Sand Dollar) as mine. While I like the format and colors, I wanted to make it look a bit different than the standard template. Depending on my mood, there might a few more modifications before I finally leave it alone.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Gators rule, Buckeyes drool
OK, Ohio State lost in the championship game of the NCAA's Men Basketball tonight. My alma mater also lost the BCS (football) game in January to the same team, the Florida Gators. One could say that it takes a lot for a team to make it to the championship game. But that's what losers say to make themselves feel better.
I am not a loser.
I am not a loser.
I am not a loser.
I am not a loser.
I am not a loser.
D'oh!!!
Congratulations AGAIN, Florida.
I am not a loser.
I am not a loser.
I am not a loser.
I am not a loser.
I am not a loser.
D'oh!!!
Congratulations AGAIN, Florida.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Stats & trivia
I've always found statistics and trivia fascinating. As a kid growing up in central Ohio, I often found myself immersed a bit too long in the Vital Statistics and Sports sections of the Columbus Dispatch. When I didn't make the cut in my 6th grade class in parallel bars for an upcoming gymnastics meet, they asked me if I would help out as a scorekeeper.
As a teenager, my trusty clipboard was at my bedside ready to record or jot down the latest stats. This included the Top 10 Countdown from American Top 40 and volunteering to keep score at softball games when my team didn't play. When the Cincinnati Reds weren't on TV, I used to listen to the game on radio (with Marty Brennamen and Joe Nuxhall), keep my own box score and then look up the actual box score in next day's paper and to see how accurate I was. Or wasn't.
In high school, I was a huge fan of a local quiz show, "In The Know". It was the equivalent in the U.K. as "University Challenge" and in the U.S. as "College Bowl". All of the local high schools had teams. Lisa was a member of our high school team. I wanted so much to be on the team, but lacked the nerve to try out. I developed huge crushes on some of the geeky male stars, not because they were good looking, but at how fast and accurate these guys were with their answers. Last weekend, we saw "Starter for 10", a film about a first-year student's dream to make the University Challenge team, which is the main reason why we wanted to see this movie.
It didn't end there. When I first moved to San Francisco, I was a scorekeeper at Fourth of July tournaments for the church I played basketball with on Saturdays. I kept score and helped manage an Asian men's softball team. As a player, I was often given the scorebook to help keep score when the manager couldn't.
Keeping score and tracking statistics was my way of staying involved, especially after I couldn't make it as a participant. It's like taking notes in lecture, only that I'm retaining information that interests me. This is likely the reason why I have such an excellent memory.
As a teenager, my trusty clipboard was at my bedside ready to record or jot down the latest stats. This included the Top 10 Countdown from American Top 40 and volunteering to keep score at softball games when my team didn't play. When the Cincinnati Reds weren't on TV, I used to listen to the game on radio (with Marty Brennamen and Joe Nuxhall), keep my own box score and then look up the actual box score in next day's paper and to see how accurate I was. Or wasn't.
In high school, I was a huge fan of a local quiz show, "In The Know". It was the equivalent in the U.K. as "University Challenge" and in the U.S. as "College Bowl". All of the local high schools had teams. Lisa was a member of our high school team. I wanted so much to be on the team, but lacked the nerve to try out. I developed huge crushes on some of the geeky male stars, not because they were good looking, but at how fast and accurate these guys were with their answers. Last weekend, we saw "Starter for 10", a film about a first-year student's dream to make the University Challenge team, which is the main reason why we wanted to see this movie.
It didn't end there. When I first moved to San Francisco, I was a scorekeeper at Fourth of July tournaments for the church I played basketball with on Saturdays. I kept score and helped manage an Asian men's softball team. As a player, I was often given the scorebook to help keep score when the manager couldn't.
Keeping score and tracking statistics was my way of staying involved, especially after I couldn't make it as a participant. It's like taking notes in lecture, only that I'm retaining information that interests me. This is likely the reason why I have such an excellent memory.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Sneaker fetish
CAUTION: My sneaker obsession dates back to grade school, so ignore this entry if you consider sneakers just "another shoe".
Yesterday, my Nike Air 360's came in. As soon as I got them, I took them out of the box, laced them up and put them on. The fit wasn't as comfortable as my Nike Shox TL IV, but figured maybe they'd stretch a bit. After having them on for about 5 minutes, I went out to my car and put them in my gym bag. It was gym night and this would be an excellent opportunity to try out the shoes.
This was the first pair of running shoes I bought online without trying them on in a store first. Most higher end Nikes are made for wider feet and my fit was so comfortable with the Shox, I figured the Air 360's would fit the same way. Like most major online retailers, the shipment includes a return shipping label, so I figured I had nothing to lose. I was anxious to see how they'd feel once I got to the gym.
Once at the gym, I put the shoes on and took a quick look in the mirror to see how I looked. The shoes looked very cool, but as the evening progressed, that's all they were. I began the workout on the elliptical, which lasted about 20 minutes. Then proceeded to the rowing machine, another 12 minutes. Shoes felt fine. Not cushy comfy, but acceptable.
Now it was on to the real test, running on the treadmill. I ran the first mile feeling a bit of tightness in my right foot. I ran another 1/2 mile and now the tightness was irritating my instep. If I had run any more than my usual 2 miles (every once in awhile I'll run up to 3 miles), I would have gotten a nasty blister.
When I finished my workout, I knew immediately I had to return the shoes. Knowing this, I hurried my cooldown, changed, and headed to the Sports Authority store near work. The purple Shox I tried last October were still on display when I was there last week to buy waterproof spray. I figured my chances were good that my size was still available.
Because the Air 360's were a bust and I already had a pair of Shox in black, I should suck it up and buy the purple ones. They were now $50 less than any of the current colors and already knew they fit great. At worst, I'd buy the latest pair of Shox TL IV in white (dirt magnet). Most importantly, my feet would be happy. At that moment, I didn't have the patience to re-order shoes online. I knew exactly what I wanted.
Before I got to Sports Authority, I re-read my shipping label just to see if I could exchange my online order at the store. I couldn't. When I got to the store, they still had the purple in my size. I tried them on again, immediately took them off, put them back in the box and proceeded to the checkout counter. They're now in my gym bag ready for tomorrow night's workout.
I returned the Air 360's this morning. Learned my lesson about buying running shoes. Always try them on at a store first. Non-running shoes are usually not an issue because I buy them at REI or Nordstrom's, and they allow me to exchange or return them at a store if they don't fit.
Monday, March 26, 2007
The Chan Sisters
I've been spending a lot of time of Wikipedia reading countless biographies. While watching KQED's "The Josh Kornbluth Show" tonight, Josh interviews Asian-American playwright Philip Kan Gotanda. So I typed Mr. Gotanda's name into Wikipedia. While he has no biography details listed in Wikipedia, his name is among a list of prominent Japanese-Americans.
This led me to look up the list of prominent Chinese-Americans. Of course there's Connie Chung, Bruce Lee, and Yo-Yo Ma. Further down the list, I was surprised to see sisters I've only known as actors. What surprised me was to find their ethnicity is half-Chinese, half-Caucasian.
Their birthnames are Jennifer and Margaret Chan. We know them as Jennifer and Meg Tilly. Their father is Chinese-American and mother is Irish-Canadian. Tilly is their mother's maiden name. Neither Tilly has been in any recent films. Jennifer has recently been seen on the poker circuit, while Meg is no longer acting.
According to Wikipedia (accuracy not reliable), Jennifer has 2 cats named Corky and Violet. How cool. Corky and Violet were the lesbian lovers/heroines in the excellent Wachowski film, "Bound".
This led me to look up the list of prominent Chinese-Americans. Of course there's Connie Chung, Bruce Lee, and Yo-Yo Ma. Further down the list, I was surprised to see sisters I've only known as actors. What surprised me was to find their ethnicity is half-Chinese, half-Caucasian.
Their birthnames are Jennifer and Margaret Chan. We know them as Jennifer and Meg Tilly. Their father is Chinese-American and mother is Irish-Canadian. Tilly is their mother's maiden name. Neither Tilly has been in any recent films. Jennifer has recently been seen on the poker circuit, while Meg is no longer acting.
According to Wikipedia (accuracy not reliable), Jennifer has 2 cats named Corky and Violet. How cool. Corky and Violet were the lesbian lovers/heroines in the excellent Wachowski film, "Bound".
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Ohio State alumni
Tonight, the men's basketball team of my alma mater, Ohio State, just scraped by Tennessee in the "Sweet 16" round of the NCAA tournament. Just as they were this past season in football, the Buckeyes were the top ranked team at the end of the regular season. I can't remember a time Ohio State ever being top ranked in both football and basketball in the same year.
At the time I was an Ohio State student, guys like Art Schlichter and John Frank were the huge football stars. In basketball, we had Clark Kellogg and Herbie Williams. Clark is now an analyst with CBS Sports. John went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers and is now a practicing ophthamologist in SF. As for Mr. Schlichter, he didn't do as well. He spent much of his post-college life behind bars for fraud and forgery. A real shame, because he had a very promising career in the NFL.
Getting back to the hoops tournament, Ohio State will face Memphis State this Saturday for the South regional final. If Ohio State wins, then they head to the Final Four. The last time Ohio State had a team this highly ranked was in 1961. Some of the players included John Havlicek, Jerry Lucas, Larry Siegfried and a reserve named Bob Knight.
image courtesy of The Ohio State University
Saturday, March 17, 2007
system lock up
Last night I was in the middle of writing a blog posting about my latest beverage kick, metromint. But as I bent over my laptop to reach for a sip of my lemon mint flavored metromint, my laptop locked up on me. It was stuck on the page and absolutely nothing moved except the cursor on my mouse. Then as I was moving it to try to get my laptop working again, it landed in the area to page up and down, and then it too, got sucked into the vortex of doom.
I tried Control+Alt+Delete, powering off and closing the lid, which for my laptop usually will cause it to hibernate. Still no luck. I unplugged the battery knowing it would have to die due to lack of juice. Which is where I am now. I woke up this morning, found power off. I plugged back the battery into the power outlet, and everything came up as if nothing happened. I have no idea what I did to lock it up in the first place. I hope it doesn't happen again.
Now on to what I tried to write about last night!
I tried Control+Alt+Delete, powering off and closing the lid, which for my laptop usually will cause it to hibernate. Still no luck. I unplugged the battery knowing it would have to die due to lack of juice. Which is where I am now. I woke up this morning, found power off. I plugged back the battery into the power outlet, and everything came up as if nothing happened. I have no idea what I did to lock it up in the first place. I hope it doesn't happen again.
Now on to what I tried to write about last night!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Retirement account update
About 2 weeks ago, I met with Ester, my financial planner through Ameriprise. She was a former co-worker from Gymboree and I sought her services shortly after she became a financial planner. I had always wanted a financial planner, but was turned off my the cold calls I used to get at work from places such as Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney. I wanted a planner that I could be comfortable with, and Ester fits the (pardon the pun) bill perfectly.
Ester reviewed the numbers with me as to how much my account has progressed. I was rather surprised to see the amount I gained from the time the account was first established. But what really became the eye opener for me was to compare my balance from last year to this year. As I am now officially "middle-aged", it's comforting to see that my investments are doing well. I hope I can say that when I'm ready to retire.
Last May, I jotted down my current balances in my retirement accounts. I have 2 retirement accounts (regular and Roth IRA) and my 401K from work. I established the regular IRA as the account where I rollover 401K distributions whenever I changed jobs. I could kick myself for cashing out my 401K when I was with Charles Schwab in the late 80's. But being young and poor, I didn't know any better. Many of us at that age think of this as rent money. I ended up having to pay hefty penalty fees for the early cashout. If I knew then what I know now, it would be a big chunk of change on top of what is already there.
Getting back to the last year versus this year comparison, my Ameriprise account balance today is about $1K less than what it was 10 months ago. This is excellent considering I withdrew $5K to pay closing costs for our condo purchase last July. My 401K balance has gained almost $10K, a gain of nearly $1K each month.
To me, enrolling in a 401K is a no-brainer. It's something that goes into an account every pay period. If you budget accordingly, then you won't miss the money. Plus, whatever is leftover in your pay is taxed anyway. I wouldn't have been able to do this without a financial planner. Yes, they're not cheap, but the best ones will make your money work for you.
Ester reviewed the numbers with me as to how much my account has progressed. I was rather surprised to see the amount I gained from the time the account was first established. But what really became the eye opener for me was to compare my balance from last year to this year. As I am now officially "middle-aged", it's comforting to see that my investments are doing well. I hope I can say that when I'm ready to retire.
Last May, I jotted down my current balances in my retirement accounts. I have 2 retirement accounts (regular and Roth IRA) and my 401K from work. I established the regular IRA as the account where I rollover 401K distributions whenever I changed jobs. I could kick myself for cashing out my 401K when I was with Charles Schwab in the late 80's. But being young and poor, I didn't know any better. Many of us at that age think of this as rent money. I ended up having to pay hefty penalty fees for the early cashout. If I knew then what I know now, it would be a big chunk of change on top of what is already there.
Getting back to the last year versus this year comparison, my Ameriprise account balance today is about $1K less than what it was 10 months ago. This is excellent considering I withdrew $5K to pay closing costs for our condo purchase last July. My 401K balance has gained almost $10K, a gain of nearly $1K each month.
To me, enrolling in a 401K is a no-brainer. It's something that goes into an account every pay period. If you budget accordingly, then you won't miss the money. Plus, whatever is leftover in your pay is taxed anyway. I wouldn't have been able to do this without a financial planner. Yes, they're not cheap, but the best ones will make your money work for you.
I will never be Bill Gates or Larry Ellison, nor is this my wish. I just want enough to be comfortable.
--i
image courtesy of buyusa.gov
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Daylight Savings, 3 weeks early
In San Francisco, the first day of daylight savings brought us a wonderful, sunny and warm day. It's currently in the low 70's and just about everyone is or has been outside. It was too warm to go the gym, so it was off to Costco to get new tires (the left front tire was getting dangerously bald) and a stroll through Golden Gate Park.
The installation wait was almost 3 hours. Generally, I don't spend more than an hour at Costco, but I made good use of the time. I went up and down the appliance and apparel sections several times. Ate samples of their albacore tuna and ham. Amazed at the number of people who stand in the middle of aisles without any clue that people can't go around them because the shopping carts are so huge.
I also ran into Fernando, Anna and Sean. Fernando is a former co-worker. He, his wife Anna and I are all longtime retail hacks. Fernando was with Sunglass Hut and Grain D'or and is now at Mervyn's. Anna worked at Old Navy, Discovery Channel, and an import distributor. She is now with Levi Strauss.
Since I knew I was going to be around awhile, I picked up a copy of Real Simple magazine. When I got to the checkout line, I also added a Polish sausage and soda (both for $1.50 plus refill) to my bill. I usually avoid getting any food because the lines are always so long. But this afternoon I had time. I got outside, planted my shopping cart in front of the cement ledges, pulled out my magazine and munched on my Polish until the time my car was ready.
Today flew by. It's just about 7 now and I'll be preparing a salad for dinner.
The installation wait was almost 3 hours. Generally, I don't spend more than an hour at Costco, but I made good use of the time. I went up and down the appliance and apparel sections several times. Ate samples of their albacore tuna and ham. Amazed at the number of people who stand in the middle of aisles without any clue that people can't go around them because the shopping carts are so huge.
I also ran into Fernando, Anna and Sean. Fernando is a former co-worker. He, his wife Anna and I are all longtime retail hacks. Fernando was with Sunglass Hut and Grain D'or and is now at Mervyn's. Anna worked at Old Navy, Discovery Channel, and an import distributor. She is now with Levi Strauss.
Since I knew I was going to be around awhile, I picked up a copy of Real Simple magazine. When I got to the checkout line, I also added a Polish sausage and soda (both for $1.50 plus refill) to my bill. I usually avoid getting any food because the lines are always so long. But this afternoon I had time. I got outside, planted my shopping cart in front of the cement ledges, pulled out my magazine and munched on my Polish until the time my car was ready.
Today flew by. It's just about 7 now and I'll be preparing a salad for dinner.
--
image courtesy of timebooth.com
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Pointless observations
I went to Armadillo Willy's at the Bridgepointe Mall after my workout tonight. I tried to be good and ordered the turkey burger on a multi-grain bun. Balanced (?!?) it off with potato salad and iced tea. Noticed a family of 6 sat near the front and was finishing up their dinner. I know it sounds cruel, but my first thought was that the family parked themselves there because it was the shortest distance to walk to pick up the food. At least 3 of the family members were overweight and their idea of exercise is walking to their car in the parking lot.
----
After leaving Willy's, I got on Highway 101 to head home. When I got near the 380-280 entrance, a car about 100 yards behind me had one front headlight out. The opposite and only working headlight was on high beam. Do you think driving on high beam really compensates for not replacing your burned out lamp?
----
As they almost always do every night, Che and Jawa sit on the couch next to me while I'm on the laptop. Che often snores, and quite loudly. About 10 minutes ago, Jawa moved his face and pressed it against Che's. Che stopped snoring, for about 3 minutes. It appeared to me Jawa did this intentionally. Jawa then curled up his face into his chest, away from Che's face so the top of his head is now against Che's stomach. They're entwined now in a semi yin-yang position.
----
This past Tuesday night, I switched from "Law & Order: SVU" to watch ABC's "To Iraq and Back", the story of former anchor Bob Woodruff's traumatic brain injury from an explosion in Iraq while on assignment and his long road to recovery.
I am always moved by these kinds of stories because of my own experience with a serious knee injury in 1991 due to a skiing accident. Even though my recovery seemed slow and painful (3 months on crutches, 2 months off work, 6 months physical therapy, no softball for a year), my injury was a walk in the park compared to Mr. Woodruff's. He is still undergoing therapy a year after the incident, and is not likely to work in the same capacity as he did previously. He was in a coma for 36 days and had part of his skull removed.
I caught tonight while at the gym Bob & Lee Woodruff's interview on CNN with Larry King. I spent an extra 10 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes cooldown so I could catch as much of the interview (closed captioned) as possible. Another reason to stick around was seeing Bob's brother Dave being interviewed on camera. Dave Woodruff is one handsome dude.
----
OK, my pointless rambling must now end. It's nearing midnight and I still have to shower and brush my teeth to get ready for work in the morning. Nighty-night.
----
After leaving Willy's, I got on Highway 101 to head home. When I got near the 380-280 entrance, a car about 100 yards behind me had one front headlight out. The opposite and only working headlight was on high beam. Do you think driving on high beam really compensates for not replacing your burned out lamp?
----
As they almost always do every night, Che and Jawa sit on the couch next to me while I'm on the laptop. Che often snores, and quite loudly. About 10 minutes ago, Jawa moved his face and pressed it against Che's. Che stopped snoring, for about 3 minutes. It appeared to me Jawa did this intentionally. Jawa then curled up his face into his chest, away from Che's face so the top of his head is now against Che's stomach. They're entwined now in a semi yin-yang position.
----
This past Tuesday night, I switched from "Law & Order: SVU" to watch ABC's "To Iraq and Back", the story of former anchor Bob Woodruff's traumatic brain injury from an explosion in Iraq while on assignment and his long road to recovery.
I am always moved by these kinds of stories because of my own experience with a serious knee injury in 1991 due to a skiing accident. Even though my recovery seemed slow and painful (3 months on crutches, 2 months off work, 6 months physical therapy, no softball for a year), my injury was a walk in the park compared to Mr. Woodruff's. He is still undergoing therapy a year after the incident, and is not likely to work in the same capacity as he did previously. He was in a coma for 36 days and had part of his skull removed.
I caught tonight while at the gym Bob & Lee Woodruff's interview on CNN with Larry King. I spent an extra 10 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes cooldown so I could catch as much of the interview (closed captioned) as possible. Another reason to stick around was seeing Bob's brother Dave being interviewed on camera. Dave Woodruff is one handsome dude.
----
OK, my pointless rambling must now end. It's nearing midnight and I still have to shower and brush my teeth to get ready for work in the morning. Nighty-night.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Chinese New Year Parade - San Francisco
On Saturday, March 2 at 6 p.m., San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose FOX affiliate KTVU (channel 2) will broadcast live SF's Chinese New Year parade.
This year will be viewed much more closely than in years past. My friend and former co-worker Sherri (from Gymboree) will have her son Christopher performing as a part of the Lion dance from the Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy.
As Sherri has e-mailed to her family and friends, "Unless the line formation changes, Christopher will be the 2nd little piggy (nose, tails, ears and all!), from the left in the 2nd row."
Or, as the famous nursery rhyme reads, Christopher would be the piggy that stayed at home. In reality, that piggy is Sherri's daughter Lauren, who is anxiously waiting until she's old enough to perform in the parade as well.
Good luck and best wishes on your performance Saturday, Christopher.
This year will be viewed much more closely than in years past. My friend and former co-worker Sherri (from Gymboree) will have her son Christopher performing as a part of the Lion dance from the Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy.
As Sherri has e-mailed to her family and friends, "Unless the line formation changes, Christopher will be the 2nd little piggy (nose, tails, ears and all!), from the left in the 2nd row."
Or, as the famous nursery rhyme reads, Christopher would be the piggy that stayed at home. In reality, that piggy is Sherri's daughter Lauren, who is anxiously waiting until she's old enough to perform in the parade as well.
Good luck and best wishes on your performance Saturday, Christopher.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Jong Mea Restaurant
menu image copyrighted and licensed by WorthPoint
Today after a 3-month hiatus, our department held a potluck lunch. The theme was Chinese, in honor of Chinese New Year. I was among the very few who actually prepared a dish (tofu with meat sauce, or in Cantonese, Ma Po Dow-Fu). The dish itself is amazingly simple to prepare. It only took about 10 minutes to make it. Most of the remaining food was brought in from Marina, a Chinese market in San Mateo.
During lunch, while in discussion about the history of Chinese food in the United States, it led to a conversation about my family's restaurant, Jong Mea. My parents tell me the translation of Jong Mea means "China & America". But I've been told it can also be translated as "Midwest". Regardless, both translations fit to a tee, and knowing my grandfather (the founder), this was intentional. Jong Mea opened in 1951, one of the first Chinese restaurants in Columbus.
We had locations in Mansfield and Columbus, Ohio (my birthplace), and Indianapolis, Indiana. There was another location in Houston, Texas that I knew very little about, probably because it was sold off in the mid 60's. My parents managed the Columbus location in the mid 70's to mid 80's. My aunt and uncle then took over the Columbus location until it closed in the mid 90's. My parents opened a 2nd Columbus location for a short time, then took over the Indianapolis location until it closed in 1998. My great uncle's family managed the Mansfield location until it closed, which I think was in the late 80's.
At the height of business in the 60's and early 70's, the Columbus location had on weekends, 7 waiters, 3 bus boys and 3 assistant managers (answered phones, seated customers, processed take out). We opened from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. Lines used to snake around the corner with a 30 to 60 minute wait.
I worked as a cashier on weekends during my last 2 years in high school in the late 70's. Although I hated the work, it gave me invaluable experience that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Because my parents worked long hours, I learned to become self-sufficient at home. By the age of 10, I already knew how to do laundry and cook a simple meal.
When the restaurant was closed, we had wonderful parties at Thanksgiving and Christmas. There were also weeknight dinners with my grandparents and their friends. My dad often prepared the meals for these occasions. I found this to be a bit surprising because he didn't cook much at home until my siblings and I were teenagers.
UPDATE: My September 2007 blog entry has a picture showing the front of the restaurant. It was taken in June, 1982, when my sister Cindy and I graduated from The Ohio State University.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Outside our window
We saw this outside our window yesterday afternoon...
Nice sight after the deluge of rain. Sorely needed and could use some more. My sinuses are thankful.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Whole Foods Market
As a lover of food, I am a huge fan of the gourmet food markets. There's a ton to choose from in the SF Bay Area, and sometimes one get can dizzy just trying to decide. One of my favorites is Whole Foods Market, headquartered in Austin, TX.
I think of Whole Foods as the Nordstrom's of food markets. I visit the San Mateo location near work at least once a week. Their best feature is the food bar. There are so many choices which include pizza, rotisserie chicken, sushi, olives, salad, soup and ethnic entrees. Their meat and seafood selection are among the freshest and prettiest I've ever seen.
This afternoon I visited for the first time the South of Market location on 4th and Harrison with the primary intention to buy swordfish for our anniversary dinner. I ended up circling like a vulture (I had just come from the gym and hadn't eaten all day) the food bar at least 6 times because there was Asian, Indian, comfort food all featured. The San Mateo location only features 1 of these 3 on a rotational basis.
I think of Whole Foods as the Nordstrom's of food markets. I visit the San Mateo location near work at least once a week. Their best feature is the food bar. There are so many choices which include pizza, rotisserie chicken, sushi, olives, salad, soup and ethnic entrees. Their meat and seafood selection are among the freshest and prettiest I've ever seen.
This afternoon I visited for the first time the South of Market location on 4th and Harrison with the primary intention to buy swordfish for our anniversary dinner. I ended up circling like a vulture (I had just come from the gym and hadn't eaten all day) the food bar at least 6 times because there was Asian, Indian, comfort food all featured. The San Mateo location only features 1 of these 3 on a rotational basis.
Prices are a bit steep, but well worth it. If I lived nearby, I would find myself visiting there nearly every night. Screw the restaurants.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
extended family tree
As mentioned in my blog entry on January 15, I've been catching up with my cousin Kit. She is the youngest daughter in my aunt's family (Mom's sister). It's been probably 12 years since I last saw her, which was her wedding in Chicago to her husband Shannon. We've probably caught up those 12 years in e-mails this past week.
===Also this past week, I was floored to get an e-mail from Kit's brother Ming. I've been exchanging e-mails with him all week as well. For many years Ming and my brother Sherman were close, but drifted apart the past few years. I'm hoping that will change over the next few months, but we'll see.
----The biggest changes in my cousins' lives are marriage and children. All of them are married, two of them childless, one of them officially separated. The above picture are all offspring of Kit's twin sisters, Ping and Ting. With 2 from Kit and Shannon, 3 from Ting and David, and 2 from Ping and Steve, totals 7 children. Kit's children are not in the picture.
===I won't tell you who's who's because I'm still not exactly sure myself. I had to get a quick synopsis from Kit. Fortunately, I've already memorized the their kids' names and know which belong to whom. I'm glad they're still young enough that they're not married and have children yet. Then I'll really be confused.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
cracked windshield
It must have happened Monday night. On my way home from work, a rock hit my windshield and caused a slight crack. Because it was evening, I didn't notice the crack until Tuesday morning. I've heard debris hit my windshield many times in all my years of driving (knock wood), but this is the first time I've ever seen damage.
The actual damage was only about an inch long, slightly right of center, and about 2 inches from the bottom of the windshield. I really wanted to get it fixed, but thought it'd be such a pain. I thought I'd have to file a claim, get estimates, and then pay my comprehensive deductible. The only saving grace was that I wouldn't have to rent a crappy car to wait for completion of the repair.
I found out otherwise in a casual chat with my co-worker Jodi yesterday. I was coming back from lunch and saw her at the table eating her midday meal. Her husband Dante works nearby and they usually carpool together. Last Friday, their Saab died in the parking lot and it seemed like half of her department (Customer Service) hung out with them to make sure they got home OK.
I asked Jodi if they found out what caused their car to die. This led me to describe my windshield mishap and she advised me to call my insurance carrier immediately. They experienced the same incident and their insurance company had the windshield fixed without having to replace it. For FREE. I never knew about this kind of service.
Immediately upon returning to my desk, I called CSAA. They had an option on their menu for glass repair. Wow, major cool. I spent the next 10-15 minutes giving the vitals to the service representative. She gave me the option to have the car serviced that day or the next, and whether I wanted the repair to be done at home or work, or at their facility. Gee whiz. I chose to have the repair done at work. She scheduled me for the 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. block and apologized it couldn't be sooner. Wednesdays are usually my late nights, so it wasn't inconvenient at all.
The repair guy from Safelite arrived at about 12:45 p.m. today. It took me about 5 minutes to show him the where the crack was and sign the paperwork. The job itself is only about 30 minutes. Repair work of this kind will yield best results when the damage is minimal (no more than 6 inches) and reported immediately. The warranty is good for the lifetime of the car.
Compared to the body shop/repair experience I had in 1995 after my 8 month old Acura Integra was broadsided in an accident, this was a walk in the park. I wish all service experiences were this easy!
One last shameless plug. Safelite's headquarters are located in my birthplace city, Columbus, Ohio.
The actual damage was only about an inch long, slightly right of center, and about 2 inches from the bottom of the windshield. I really wanted to get it fixed, but thought it'd be such a pain. I thought I'd have to file a claim, get estimates, and then pay my comprehensive deductible. The only saving grace was that I wouldn't have to rent a crappy car to wait for completion of the repair.
I found out otherwise in a casual chat with my co-worker Jodi yesterday. I was coming back from lunch and saw her at the table eating her midday meal. Her husband Dante works nearby and they usually carpool together. Last Friday, their Saab died in the parking lot and it seemed like half of her department (Customer Service) hung out with them to make sure they got home OK.
I asked Jodi if they found out what caused their car to die. This led me to describe my windshield mishap and she advised me to call my insurance carrier immediately. They experienced the same incident and their insurance company had the windshield fixed without having to replace it. For FREE. I never knew about this kind of service.
Immediately upon returning to my desk, I called CSAA. They had an option on their menu for glass repair. Wow, major cool. I spent the next 10-15 minutes giving the vitals to the service representative. She gave me the option to have the car serviced that day or the next, and whether I wanted the repair to be done at home or work, or at their facility. Gee whiz. I chose to have the repair done at work. She scheduled me for the 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. block and apologized it couldn't be sooner. Wednesdays are usually my late nights, so it wasn't inconvenient at all.
The repair guy from Safelite arrived at about 12:45 p.m. today. It took me about 5 minutes to show him the where the crack was and sign the paperwork. The job itself is only about 30 minutes. Repair work of this kind will yield best results when the damage is minimal (no more than 6 inches) and reported immediately. The warranty is good for the lifetime of the car.
Compared to the body shop/repair experience I had in 1995 after my 8 month old Acura Integra was broadsided in an accident, this was a walk in the park. I wish all service experiences were this easy!
One last shameless plug. Safelite's headquarters are located in my birthplace city, Columbus, Ohio.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Severance package cut
My morning routine at work includes reading a daily e-mail newsletter from the National Retail Federation. Today, it featured an MSNBC article stating that Sharper Image founder and former CEO Richard Thalheimer had his severance pay cut by approximately $3 million.
As mentioned in previous blogs, I did 2 stints at The Sharper Image, nearly 4 years each, from 1983 to 1987 and again in 1989 to 1993. It was my first full time job in my newly adopted city, so I will always have a soft spot for the company. Salary and benefits for a lowly rank-and-file person like me really sucked, so for me to hear Richard's severance package being cut got my undivided attention.
The touchy feely part of me thinks this action is a bit harsh because Richard founded The Sharper Image. He's got terrible management skills and is far a from a person of the people, but the company wouldn't have gotten its start without him.
In contrast, the professional and former employee side of me thinks this is a well-deserved action. The salary gap between rank-and-file and executives has only widened over the years. This "we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore" attitude is long overdue. A company sinks or swims with its CEO, and if it sinks, so should his or her severance package.
As mentioned in previous blogs, I did 2 stints at The Sharper Image, nearly 4 years each, from 1983 to 1987 and again in 1989 to 1993. It was my first full time job in my newly adopted city, so I will always have a soft spot for the company. Salary and benefits for a lowly rank-and-file person like me really sucked, so for me to hear Richard's severance package being cut got my undivided attention.
The touchy feely part of me thinks this action is a bit harsh because Richard founded The Sharper Image. He's got terrible management skills and is far a from a person of the people, but the company wouldn't have gotten its start without him.
In contrast, the professional and former employee side of me thinks this is a well-deserved action. The salary gap between rank-and-file and executives has only widened over the years. This "we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore" attitude is long overdue. A company sinks or swims with its CEO, and if it sinks, so should his or her severance package.
Friday, January 05, 2007
short week, long days
Today ended the first week of work for 2007. This past holiday season was the busiest for me in many years. After taking 2 days off to go to San Diego, I knew I would return to work busy, but not at the volume I experienced this past week. We had a system crash this afternoon for about 90 minutes, which didn't help.
On Tuesday, I left the office at 8:45 pm. On Wednesday, 9:45 pm. Che and Jawa have noticed my late arrivals home. Once I did get home, they both climbed on my chest, curled around my arm, or sat on my lap as if to say, "Where the hell have you been?"
Right now, Che is sitting on the end table next to the couch, looking over my shoulder. He wants to sit with me. He has already this evening climbed on my lap and chest on 2 separate occasions. I know he's wondering when I'll be off the damn laptop. If the boys had it their way, they'd walk over the keyboard and block the screen, which they did manage to do Tuesday night.
The long work hours will continue for a few more weeks (or so I hope). I looked at my vacation hours again and I'm only 7 from maxing out. I plan to go in tomorrow just to catch up on work I couldn't get to or haven't touched. And I'm only doing this so the work on Monday will seem a bit more manageable.
On Tuesday, I left the office at 8:45 pm. On Wednesday, 9:45 pm. Che and Jawa have noticed my late arrivals home. Once I did get home, they both climbed on my chest, curled around my arm, or sat on my lap as if to say, "Where the hell have you been?"
Right now, Che is sitting on the end table next to the couch, looking over my shoulder. He wants to sit with me. He has already this evening climbed on my lap and chest on 2 separate occasions. I know he's wondering when I'll be off the damn laptop. If the boys had it their way, they'd walk over the keyboard and block the screen, which they did manage to do Tuesday night.
The long work hours will continue for a few more weeks (or so I hope). I looked at my vacation hours again and I'm only 7 from maxing out. I plan to go in tomorrow just to catch up on work I couldn't get to or haven't touched. And I'm only doing this so the work on Monday will seem a bit more manageable.
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