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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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....

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.

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.

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

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:

1. DIRECT flight to Columbus from SF Bay Area
2. PRICE

We really don't have an excuse not to visit Cindy anymore. I hope they stick around.

image courtesy of answers.com

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.

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

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.

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).

---

image courtesy of CNN

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.

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

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.

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.