Let It Snow, Let It Glow, Let It Show...

Wife and I arrived at Seattle on Dec 23rd to spend quality family time with Aunt G, Uncle F, and family. Our schedule is as packed as Jeffrey's - all holidays for the rest of 2008.

Many's wishes came true as the white powder started to fall on Christmas's Eve and covered everything below the sky, created a picture-perfect snowy forest scene of willows by Jenn and Steve's living room windows. Highways were cleared of snow, yet side streets were as white as marshmallows. It's like a boat ride as we rowed the car around the unplowed neighborhood roads. Snow continued to fall on Christmas day and kept us in the Emerald City for days to follow. Let it snow.

Whether it is the bluffing miss little blind going All-in with 2 chips and expecting others to fold, or getting an extra 50% (left boot) when you buy both the right- and the left-foot boot, or eating a 3-fan hand when the minimum winning fan is four, or throwing a kill-all 4-4-4 dice combo, or humming the tune of Papa Don't Preach 5 times and still nobody seemed to know, or watching free on-demand Christmas movie show, or opening presents the Christmas tree below, or dreaming on the soft feather pillow - let laughter and smile glow.

1 bottle of Merlot, 2 steamed fish, 3 shots Grande Americano in a tall cup, 4 pieces of ham, 5 pieces of prime ribs, 6 broccoli, 7 meat balls, 8 spring rolls, 9 french toasts, 10 sweet dumplings, 11 turkey burgers, 12 baskets of dim sums. Let the bloating stomach show.

Turtle doves, broken gloves,
Mistletoe, stories told,
Biu Jei Fu, memory full,
Futureshop, server stopped,
Tablet PC, Jenn's courtesy,
Portico Spa, Hyatt aha,
Black, White, Pink, and Purple,
Blue, Red, Navy, and Yellow,
Party like no tomorrow.

HOliday HOliday HOliday...

Yesterday was the first day of my 2-week holidays. It feels great when you don't have to worry about work and just enjoy the seasonal atmosphere in the air and around you.

Shopping for Christmas gifts was really fun and enjoyable. It takes a bit of effort to buy a gift that others will like - you've got to pretty much rely on your instinct to determine what their preference is. My theory is that if it is something that I like to receive, it won't be that bad. Having that thinking in mind, I am imagining buying those for myself - so giving does bring a lot of joy to me.

Last minute shopping has caused major traffic jam in No. 3 Road and the shopping mall parkades. Spending an hour in traffic when you could have spent 10 mins on a good day does eat away a bit of the fun. I couldn't help dozing off and almost hit the car in front while getting stuck on the road.

'Tis the season for Parties. My first party was yesterday at Andy's. It was great and fun, good food, good people. It's entertaining to chit chat, drink a little, eat a lot, and play with dog. Zoe was cute and we played hide-n-seek together... counting to 115 she said, right!

Thanks A&A for a great night of fun and great food. Snow started to fall again couple hours before we left past midnight. Blessed by the snow, the night was as festive as one could possible ask for.

My own party is now postponed to Saturday due to the snow fall today. Will have DMM coming over for MJ and Hotpot tonight instead... can't wait to smoothe my itchy hands and cold stomach. Snow will definitely continue to pile up today, if Mikayla has the mood, I'll try to get her build a snowman with me...

A New Leaf

With a flip of a button, my role changes again. The decision was made swiftly, but not without pain.

Four months was short, yet it appears long. I am emotionally attached to the team although this change has its opportunities and challenges that I longed for. As some says this is my baby and I should get back to it, I do want to make it happen or I should say I don't want others to spoil it.

Leaving the team was difficult, but may be it's a good thing for them. If the change is good for me, so it could be for the team too. Let my destiny take its course and it will take care of everybody else. Sometimes it is better to let go what you have so something better will come.

I'll cherish this opportunity. And I believe there'll be a lot of good from the change, despite its highly political nature. Fingers crossed.

Thanksgiving in Seattle

Thanksgiving is about driving aggressively in the rain - speeding at 140km/hr, taking short cuts at border crossing; leaving driver's license at home, and having Charleston to bring it to the duty-free.

Thanksgiving is about buying perfume, LAMB, becoming a fan of Harajuku Lovers.

Thanksgiving is about arriving 3 hours late and letting Auntie G, Uncle F and family wait for dinner...

Thanksgiving is about eating with family - ham, roast beef, salmon, cinnamon bun, waffle, congee, ham, hotpot, ham, roast beef, salmon, udon, bbq duck, ham, lotus seed dessert, and orange-glazed carrot ribbons.

Thanksgiving is about drinking sake, beer, port, coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Thanksgiving is about seeing J&S's brand new 5-room 318-door WoodDale home at Fairwood.

Thanksgiving is about playing MJ - scooping up the moon from the bottom of the sea, watching TV, setting up digital photo frame, loading it with movies, rebooting it, and packing the darn thing up...

Thanksgiving is about shopping at Bellevue, Macy's, Banana Republic - get an extra 15% off if you apply the BR card today...

Thanksgiving is about taking pictures at the dinner table, while reading mails on my blackberry, surfing the net on my laptop, and in front of the xmas tree.

Thanksgiving is about going to bed and getting up at the same hour - 12, and feeling jetlag...wat's going on, where am I?

Thanksgiving is about forcing family to read my blog, and falsifying web traffic by repeatedly going to my blog multiple times a day...

Thanksgiving is about making young J laugh - J likes the crowd and the company of friends and family, just like me...

Thanksgiving is about sharing love, news, stories, photos, bathroom, and downloads - (So Far) So Good...

Thanksgiving is about filling up at 2.20/gallon before returning home...

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to those who made you thankful, cheerful, and content.

Drunk Blogging

I must admit I'm a little dizzy right now returning from a dinner at Joseph's.

Tonight is the night I drank the most liquor in one night. All kinds you can imagine... beer, cranberry beer, white wine, whiskey, cognac, Moutai, WuLianYi, Sake... you name it.. the only thing I didn't have is red wine.

Joseph said drinking makes him happy. I am feeling full... happy too. Gary is good too.. drank as much as me. I was testing my limit... The most I had before was only 6 beers in one night. But this is really crazy. I've yet to reach my limit, but by the time I had a few cups of chinese hard liquor, sake and beer tastes as plain as water. I think my blood is now 40% alcohol.

Well, it's my b-day tomorrow, let's do something crazy.

My Right Foot (Went Wrong)

Acupuncture is supposed to cure me, but now there's something wrong with my right foot.

It was supposed to be normal to have a little tingling feeling, but a feeling of an electric shock? This is what I'm feeling at my right foot when I stretch my right leg. Ice and pain killers is the remedy for now... hope it will go away in couple of weeks.

The prospects of being disabled has come to mind. How can I take advantage of my imminent disadvantage? Parking will soon be a non-issue as I'll get a disabled pass. I'll probably get to work from home until the office is disabled-friendly. Better yet, I'll be able to claim long term disability or some welfare. Should I go sue my acupuncturist? Will be the first physically disabled employee in the team? Hey, this is life... I've no complaint. I am still fortunate in many other ways.

Thank You for the Music

Watched Mama Mia movie couple days ago, good songs. When I saw the movie intro in the cinema, I was a bit turned off by it... seeing the great Meryl Streep singing and dancing wasn't one of my fantasy. But the songs did ring some bells. I've heard some of them when I was a child. My vague memory of ABBA on TV tells me they are a group of 4 european singers... but only now did I know their lyrics were so great... like poems. The last song in the movie was my favorite - Thank you for the music, sung by Amanda Seyfried.

That triggered me to go back in time to dig out a few old songs that I used to listen to. Songs played in the radios. A lot of typical hits in the 80's came to mind. Artists, Bands, and groups, mostly from the UK, and the US. Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, Thompson Twins, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Eurythmics, Cindi Lauper, MJ, Wham, Petshop Boys, the list goes on, and I am sounding old. Not that I don't like the pops nowadays, but those were the memories.

One song that my friend Marvin likes a lot when we were roommates was Victims by Boy George. I don't know why he likes this song so much, but I guess it's a bit different from his other songs.

I used to buy all Tears For Fears tapes and play them loud at the apartment... I know Marvin must have endured a lot all these years... Thank you for the patience.

Halloween Party at I's

'I' invited us to his place for a Halloween party. Eating, drinking, pumpkin carving, and costume contest were in the plan.

It'd be the first time I dress up for Halloween, a few weeks ago I went to shops to look for ideas and stuff. Thought I would just wear some scary mask if not for the glasses. 'I' said costume is mandatory... ok, looked and looked and finally decided on face painting. That's gonna be unique and scary too. Black, white, and red... what can it be? haa.. panda.. with blood... kung fu'ed panda/danpa was the plan.. haa.. idea just make the family laughed. Black long sleeved top, black pants, white vest... haha. Crazy thought.

Halloween night, 'I's place was amazing. His mom and him must have spent a day putting up on the festive decorations... spiders, bats, webs, hanging skeleton with sound, witches, greeting zombie at the door, pumpkins. The place was dark which makes it even spooky. They sure are pros as they do this every year.

Food was excellent - curry, mini-crabs, fruit fondue, french onion soup, salads, pizza... and our churches chicken take out. Awesome.

Pumpkin craving was fun - my second time.. haa.. first time was like decades ago at work. I took out half of the pumpkin meat...selling it for $5/lb. Crazy stuff. Great idea wife. And we won 2nd prize.

As for the make up, well, I didn't go as planned as it was too much for me for the first time. I ended up doing a scary corpse look - a pale face with blood all over. Not going to show here, may be next year 8).

Recovery Long Weekend

The thanksgiving long weekend this week comes at the right time for me. As I noted in previous entries, my health and mental condition over the past two weeks has strained much of my energy and I am slowly recovering - recovering my lost drive, acumen, and confidence.

Yesterday was a good day, did lunch and dinner with family, did some shopping, watched a movie - all in all, the day was relaxing, and I felt great. Today, somehow I am a little jumpy again. Feeling a bit anxious, seems something is going to happen. I didn't have coffee yesterday, may be that's what's causing it.

I still have the rest of today and tomorrow to rest and collect myself. I hope I'll be better next week as there'll be tons of things coming up again.

Seniors Arcade Game

I've been to casino 4 times in the past 2 months. This is kind of unusual considering I'm not in Las Vegas. Anyway, Starlight is new in Richmond/New Westminster - guess it opens only earlier this year. As part of their marketing campaign, they sent value cards, lucky draw entry forms to every household in richmond. We didn't take them seriously at first as we are not gamblers and we don't believe in free lunch.

One time we were feeling lucky after the cash register ringed $7.77 and $2.22 in a row... We decided to go to the casino and try our luck... played a few rounds of slot machine, and won $60 and left right away... we only stayed at the casino for 5mins.

Another time we went was the day after the Moon Festival, and they have free mini moon cakes to give out at the cafe. The taste was ok too. We redeemed the coupons. We can't believe they just give you cash for the coupons. You don't really have to play.

This is not vegas, and we should not think it is. It's crowded, but I mean it's not packed and the atmostphere is different here, people are here to relax and it's almost like a seniors arcade center if you look at the slot machine area. Most people liked to play slots, and you'll only find a few tables open.

The chinese restaurant was good too. New and grand, another reason to go to the casino while waiting for a table at lunch there.

Library Book Sale

Kenneth told me a while back that he bought books from library book sale at very low prices - 25cents to $1. I was really amazed and was very eager to go to one some day.

After a few months, I finally went to one organized by RPL at the Thompson Community center on Oct 4th & 5th. The sale started at 9am, by the time wife and I arrived few minutes before 9:30am the parking lot was almost full and needless to say, the venue was packed.

Tons of books were placed on some 40-50 tables arranged along the interior walls and as two aisles in the middle of the room. Categorized into Business, Computers, Self-help, Hobbies, Chinese, Other Foreign Language, Fictions and Classic literature -- the books were mostly in good-to-great conditions. Prices range from $3 a bag for old fictions to $1 per hardcover fictions to $4 for rarer books.

We went separate ways as we entered the room - wife is interested in children books for school work, and me the business, self-improvement, and general interest sections. I scanned every single book in sight, catching words of interest - success, business, strategy, and other positive words - and bestseller titles. I also scanned the fictions, but thought I can't buy them all anyway, so I've got to buy books that I wish to keep. Fictions are those that you would put aside once you finish, so the investment value is very little - I'd rather read them in libraries.

We spent more than an hour 'shopping' there and came out with 25+ books for $30 between us. It's a very good deal. I'll definitely go again next time.

Brain Dead

I've not been functioning well the last couple of weeks. Allergy and overtime has killed all my brain cells and left me with a blank memory storage.

The harder I tried, the more difficult it seems to think. I can't seem to converse and articulate my ideas.. and I can't seem to participate anymore... I just can't think... It's scary.

Eventhough I tried to get to bed earlier this week, I don't seem to get enough sleep. My heart is beating fast, and I feel anxious and tired. I am just too weak now... but work still keeps piling up on me... more challenging tasks and not enough resource to handle at the pace I wished.

R started her 2-week-and-2-day vacation today... she helped me a lot... I'm gonna miss her.

Perhaps it's the medication - once gave me strength and confidence. I shouldn't have stopped it... It will take another week for it to work again.

Today is the start of a long weekend. Hope I can rest tomorrow, and pick up some work on Sunday and Monday.

Think outside the TV Box

I find it annoying that people talk about HK soap operas all the time. In restaurants, in buses, in MTRs... All they think about is what's on TV - the fictional lives portraited by so-called artistes, and the cheap lame jokes told by so-called MCs. To me, a lot of these salaried TV personalities are unprofessional professionals.

Refused to watch these programs now. These TV dramas are insulting viewers. They subliminally blocked the viewer's view. The viewers thought they saw, but they only saw what's made up. Everyone knows that, you may argue, but everybody is still talking about it.

Gotta watch less TV. Stay away from fiction. Think outside the TV Box.

Have always liked western talk shows, game shows, and comedies though - but new comedies are not funny anymore. I still remember what an executive once said: "I never watch movies. Why pay to see dumb people act?".

The Art of War

Three strategic principles:
1. Commitment
2. Observation
3. Preparation

Six tactical principles:
1. Assessment
2. Adaptation
3. Leverage
4. Deception
5. Timing
6. Pace

Three perspectives:
1. the individual
2. the individual's working group
3. the competition

Sun Tzu's principles:
1. Learn to fight
2. Show the way
3. Do it right
4. Know the facts
5. Expect the worst
6. Seize the day
7. Burn the bridges
8. Do it better
9. Pull together
10. Keep them guessing

A Slap in the (New) Facebook

I guess there's been enough heat generated from the launch of the new facebook last week that I don't really have to add insult to injury. But since I have nothing to do these days, I will rub a pinch of salt into the wound.

Admittedly, since my last retreat from facebook a couple months ago, I've been slowly increasing my activity in that space - but only adding useful tools and gadgets to market my private project. And I've been using the new chat feature a bit - which is not a bad idea if it could just be more stable. But my main issues with the new facebook all relate to its usability.

The 'new' user interface is absolutely a nuisance. It's like it has been redesigned by some 'new' facebook employee. I couldn't believe it took me a few days to figure out how to add my Photos application back. There's no means to add applications as a new tab. There is no difference clicking on Facebook and Home, or Profile and your name. What is Boxes? Why force me to put everything else into the same tab? And why restrict the width of the application in the Boxes tab? The little pencil icon on the tab suggests a settings feature, but it merely allow you to delete the tab. So why not just change it to an X? And when you think the Settings menu item will let you setup your applications, z#$%?&*! Why the +bookmark feature only allows one bookmark to be added?

The new facebook is frustratingly clumsy and counter-intuitive. It's very unstable and full of bugs. It's stupid and assumes its users are stupid too. It's an insult to end-users. It should change its color to red coz its been slapped many times over, at least by me.

End of Summer 2008

Seven BBQs this summer is enough I guess, especially when the last four were held one after another in the last four weekends.

It's a lot of fun to have the company of family and friends, to eat, drink, catch up, to talk about current affairs and memories, and to play games.

Thanks to all who have made my summer a memorable one this year. Our new place has certainly made it easier for us to stay in touch with those we love.

Also thanks to the sunny weather. It's probably too much to ask, but stay with us for as long as you can.

Summer is over. Backyard is closed for the season.

Endless Meetings

There's been numerous meetings since the change was effective.  So far, it's been a great experience.  I don't mind the endless scheduled and ad-hoc meetings.  On the contrary,  I think they are very critical at this early stage of the change.

I can see that there are still a lot of problems to be solved, but nothing can be done overnight.  It takes time for people at all levels to adapt to the new environment.  It takes time for them to accept or adopt new ideas.  It takes time for them to acquire new knowledge.  It takes time for them to get to know the new faces.  It takes time for them to find order in the chaos.  There's been no surprises, these have all been expected.

I can see people react to or act upon it differently.  I tend to observe these things and try to stay away from the chaos and find some order out of it.  It takes a little sanity, a little creativity, and some guts to get ideas across and get things done the proper way.

I've not expected the things that I have learned so far from this change.  On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest job satisfaction, I think I will give my job an 8 today.  It's getting there, again many things to fix.. but I can feel the passion from the team and I believe we'll be able to make it, and change for the better.  We just need a lot more meetings...

Challenging my work

Well, after a week of adjusting to the change, I am starting to like it and enjoying every moment of it. Turning threat into opportunities, and taking charge of the change has given me reasons and drive to work. Challenging the issues and the authorities are now part of my job. It's given me a new perspective, a new dimension, a new experience. Something to cherish for, something to remember. It's made me stronger and more dangerous... I like it. These all means progress, improvements, a big leap towards my goal.

Beijing Olympics

The Summer Olympic games opened on Aug 8, 2008. Wife and I woke up at 5am Vancouver time to watch the show.

The 08:08:08 pm (Beijing Time) opening ceremony was certainly stunning. Two thumbs up to Zhang. 2008 drummers/dancers performed in unison. Marvelous use of colors and visual effects. Great costumes. I must admit I was amazed by some of the creative ideas: the count down, the footprint fireworks, the painting scroll, the movable type print performance, the lighting of the torch. Zhang has created a brilliantly dynamic and electric experience by making the best use of the stage, the city, the people, technology, and the chinese culture. It's the greatest outdoor show I've ever seen indoor.

True, the footprint fireworks on TV was an animation. True, the adorable little girl was only lip-synching. True, Li Ning wasn't really 'sky-running'. True, Lang Lang was only 'performing'. But does it really matter? It's all part of the show. It's all calculated to ensure success of it. Do you complain that David Copperfield's 'magics' were fake?

The Game has given the world a renewed impression of the capital city. The bird's nest, the water cube, the media center, and the whole olympic village and neighborhood have all portraited a modernized look of the developing China. I still vaguely remember my Beijing experience more than 20 years ago. What I see on TV now makes me wow. I'm sure many more visitors will be interested to come to China in years to follow.

It's been a success so far in the 2nd week of the Game. If nothing else, China has already captured enough Gold medals to be a very proud host indeed.

Progressing

The ordeal has progressed a little. Today, I met Peter and his main man to discuss things over.. to know each other better.

It's a good start. I am positive about it. The strategy side of me is brewing something. This is an opportunity for me to be trained up on the politics of what I do. It's important to be passionate about what you do and be known to be passionate as well. I think if you are true to yourself and others, you will get pass obstacles more easily.

We face tremendous challenges, but all are expected. It's not an easy undertaking, we thought we had it, but we just found ourselves at the starting point again. Life goes on.

BBQ with Michael, Donna, Mikaela, and Marie

We invited Michael, Donna, Mikaela, and Marie for BBQ at our place today. It's a long weekend, Monday is BC Day, and that means, we can play longer and MJ is the plan.

This time, I decided to prepare the food myself. We bought our supplies yesterday at Superstore, and marinated the meats last night. I looked at some grill recipe book at Superstore, there's a $20 one which was pretty good, a lot of delicious looking recipes all in one book... but at the end I wanted to do it my way. That is, to improvise... using my heart as the only ingredient.

Didn't think that everyone's got an appetite for a full meal deal, I just bought enough to allow everyone a taste of charcoal and a stomach with room for fruits and desserts. I added a grilled vegetable dish to the menu - zucchini, eggplant, green beans, corns, and tomatoes.. a colorful mixture that is as healthy as it is tasty.

My secret marinates for the drumsticks and pork chops remain secret, a mix of everything available, and everything from my heart. I am the chef after all.. and I like to surprise people. Steak was seasoned with a Montreal steak seasoning. Okay, I didn't technically created this spice, but that's part of the chef's job, isn't it?

5pm and Michael, Donna and their daughter Mikaela arrived with 2 six-packs of Coronas - something we've forgotten altogether. The adults MJed while the little girl was kept occupied by Wii and TV. Mikaela watched us play MJ for the second time, and she's always shown interest in being part of it: 'Can I have the flowers?', she said. Certainly playing MJ is not in her parents plan for her upbringing. The little lady has been attending private lessons for phonetics, piano, ballet, chess, swimming, and every other survival skills there is to offer. The last thing to do is to corrupt her.

Marie came in the midst of 'South Circle' with her fruit plates at around 6:30pm - the perfect time for a babysitter and a leg substitute. It's time for the Chef of the house to show some colors. I already had 3 beers at this time, well, frankly I didn't feel anything yet. Drinking and cooking certainly enhanced the cooking and makes the food tastier. In less than 20 minutes, the garden is full of tasty aroma, everything cooked to the chef's liking... it's judgement time, the moment of truth.

Everybody liked it. Yet Chef believes the pork chop is a little dry, and green bean or what Mikaela referred as 'green worms' were a little more crunchy then expected, but everything else was pretty tasty.

Bubble gun was also played by adults and kid today... Overall, another successful BBQ this year. The next one will be next week... in a friend's place this time.

Dark Knight at IMAX Theatre

Gotham City, Bruce Wayne, Joker, Robin, Batmobile, all the Batman ingredients. Dark Knight is another episode of the Batman legacy. This time, as is the last one, stars Christian Bale as Batman, and Heath Ledger as the Joker. Michael Caine is Wayne's butler, and Morgan Freeman builds all of Batman's gears.

It's a big movie this summer, already No. 1 for the 2nd week in the US. We decided to watch the IMAX version of it, for one we haven't watched a real movie in an IMAX theatre, and two, it's such an acclaimed and popular movie that it's so much worth to watch in a more visual and audio advanced cinema.

The show time was 12:15 pm, and we arrived an hour before, worrying that there could be line ups for the seats. You know, in Canada, there's no assigned seats... To our surprise, we were among the first 8 people in the theatre... The screen was exceptionally tall and wide.. it's so big even from the 2nd last row. The screen was blank as we settled, and I certainly hoped that the picture would turn out at the right proportions and easy to the eyes.

So the movie started... OMG, the picture is so clear and so bigggggggggg. I need to adjust my focus... my eyes has to be pushed to the back of my head to see the whole screen. I actually feel a little dizzy after a while.

The movie, oh well, it's action packed. The HK aerial scene was stunning indeed. Edison appeared for a few seconds when he escorted Freeman off the chopper. Wife missed it.. and asked me where he was near the end of the movie. She must have blinked her eyes at that time. Christian Bale was handsome I think. Freeman is as wise as ever. The Joker.. oh my oh... he is absolutely unbelievably in character - intimidating and sarcastic at times, and funny always.

Ledger portraited a more mental version of the Joker, compared to Nicholson almost 2 decades ago. He's certainly shown a completely different character than his role in the Oscar nominated Brokeback Mountain. He is convincingly possessed, a psycho who was disturbed in his childhood and betrayed as a husband. He sees Batman as his arch enemy. He is lonely and he needs attention from Batman, the only person who makes his life interesting.

Anyway, story aside, it's a pretty long movie in an IMAX setting. I think I will just go normal theater next time.. once is enough, my eyes still hurts and I feel as if I haven't had coffee for two days.

Conclusion: movie good, IMAX not so good.

Family BBQ 2008

Thanks to cousin May, we've got our very first gas BBQ in the house. And today, we had our very first family BBQ in Canada. Certainly something to write about.

Parents, Sister and family, Charleston, and us. I thought I would show my culinary side of me, but due to work and other excuses, we bought marinated meat from a local BBQ shop instead.

Pork chops, chicken wings, veal ribs, salmon, fish balls, beef sirloins, corns, zucchinis, and yams were on the menu. Charleston was really the chef, I the sous chef this time.

I'm delighted to have the family all gathered today to have some joy and fun together. Sister's two young sons were quite energetic today. Brandon, usually moody or aloof when sleepy, was extraordinarily playful and interested today. Matthew, the younger one, follows his brother however he acts and where ever he goes. It's good to see the two getting along. Though the elder sometimes can be a bit of a bully.

Wife bought a bubble gun for the young ones, to keep them occupied and engaged. It was a marvelous idea and it played out very well indeed. Brandon loved it so much, he asked if he could borrow it for a day. He was still not too keen on eating grown up foods, but in time, I, as his Uncle, will do whatever I can to see that he will grow to be a healthy and responsible person.

Mom and dad was enjoying the food and the company of his children and grandchildren. No pictures were taken, we're not the photogenic sorts I suppose. Anyway, food was pretty good. Parents liked the purple yams, corns, and chicken wings and pork chops were nicely prepared.

The first BBQ certainly ended with everyone filled and happy. Next week will be a long weekend and we plan to have the 2nd BBQ on the Sunday.

Goodbye to Facebook

After 2 years of facebooking, I finally decided to put an end to it.

I've enjoyed the little applications, games, staying in touch with 'friends', browsing other's photos and mini-feeds.. I think it's just time to stop and do something more valuable, especially when over half of the people you know are there but not really there... it's a disappointing feeling. It's a virtual world afterall.

Almost all social networking tools or applications I tried ended up like this. I remembered 10 years ago there's a cybercity thing where people logon to play MJ, poker and other games.. you can walk around the hall to meet/chat with other players.. Then there came the ICQ legacy.. I joined pretty early too.. got a few dozen of friends added.. spent a fair share of time chatting and just killing time over the net. At that time, ICQ has frequent updates and we kind of stayed fairly updated with that. Then came MSN... same old stuff.. had video chat.. even sound later on.

Now facebook is just another hype that one must spend some time on. 2 years is enough for it. I don't seem to stay socialize as I hope. I guess facebook or any other tools certainly provided the platform or the means, but at the end, it's really up to the users to play their part.

So long facebook friends. The online me will continue in my blogs if you care to keep contact.

A day at Queensborough Landing

Haha, I've added this topic two months ago. And finally last Sunday we went shopping at Queensborough Landing factory outlets. That's how good my foresight is.

We wanted to try the new Kirin chinese restaurant next to Starlight casino there, but since M & D wanted to lunch somewhere close to city center, we ended up at a dim sum place at Cambie and No. 5 Road. Anyway, we arrived at Queensborough around 2pm.

It's only 15 mins away from the dim sum place, but it's like very remote already. Had the feeling that we actually went to the States. There're quite a number of shops, we literally went in each one of them... well, except the one that sells mattresses.. some have pretty reasonable prices too.

Last stop was Walmart. Wow, it's huge... like the one near Seattle Premium Outlet. I can't believe I actually bought a few pairs of sandals there... a few bucks each. What a cheap person I am. Hey, just trying to support our economy. Every penny counts, doesn't it?

I was also surprised that we could actually spend the whole afternoon there. Left the place at almost 8pm. We'll have to visit the casino next time. Stay tuned for an update later.

Swimming with mom

Couple months ago when she returned to Vancouver, my mom asked me to take her swimming. Last Saturday I finally had the time and a healthy body to go with her.

Swimming is the only exercise doctor recommends her which is better for her knees. Mom's not too old, but she's been complaining about sore knees. Swimming can strengthen her knees without putting much stress on them.

Now that I think about it, I do not recall swimming with mom at all. She doesn't swim, by the way. I guess that explains why. Anyway, here we were at Kensington's community centre.

It was a fairly new facility. We got in, mom and dad passed an application form to the reception and got a free pass with their photo on it. Somehow they were eligible for free admission year round.

There's a 25m pool, a family pool with water slides, a whirlpool, and a steam room. Mom spent most of the time in the shallow area of the family pool. She exercised her knees while keeping herself afloat using a lifesaver secured on one leg. It doesn't look like a lot of exercise, but she needed a break after 5-10 mins.

We tried the whirlpool and steam room as well. There are quite a number of people, mostly kids. I was surprised to see a 'universal' changing room section there too. It's a brilliant idea for families or even friends who do not want to go separate changing rooms for male and female.

I swam for about 20 mins in total. Mom seemed to have enjoyed her first 'swim' ever. Now that she is familiar with the place, she will go with dad as she wants without having to wait for me to be available. In fact, after that swim, I also want to go more often. Swimming was fun and very relaxing. That keeps my mind clear, and that's what I needed now.

Jump-started

It's July. Couple of unproductive months has passed. Gotta get back to my life, online and offline.

It's the stupid health problem that's been bothering me for years. Friends and colleagues would know by now that I am particularly vulnerable to climate change. I got sick every time. I am really sick of being sick.

Sickness is bad not just because you suffer from the symptoms of it, but it also wears you out and rids you of the very things that constitute life. You are forced to eat food that you don't like, you don't have the energy to entertain, to socialize. And in my case, I lost the drive to write. My brain was just drained during the period. No more crazy ideas. No more creativity. Just no more mood. To me, that's more painful than the most dreadful illness there is.

I am struggling to write this piece, but I hope doing so will revive myself. I know that if I don't start typing the first word, I won't have a chance to come back to this. I have a goal this year but I am afraid I may not be able to achieve it.

Gotta live on.

Sick and tired

Not feeling too well these days. Getting tired easily and the headache is coming back.

Is it the coffee, or the cream or sugar that I put in it? Let's cut down on the cream and sugar for now.

Readers will noticed that I haven't been writing a lot lately. And the writing is certainly getting poorer and poorer. Not enough juice flowing in the head, that's why.

I'll have to start doing some exercise. Biked for a while today, didn't feel good... just tired. It's like a train running out of steam.

Hope this is not gonna be the last piece I write. Good night.

Jury Duty II

I received a short note from Sheriff Services today:

"Dear Dude
RE: Jury Duty

You have requested to be excused from jury duty.

You are excused.

Therefore you do not have to appear on July 02, 2008 for jury selection...."

It seems not difficult to turn down a jury duty. I do not regret it, but I would really like to take part in it some day.

A day out with parents

Talked about it for the longest time, did it once or twice, for the third time I took my parents out for some family time together with the nature.

I picked them up at 8:20am to have a morning stroll along the seawall at Stanley Park. Weather was very nice today. No clouds, just limitless blue skies - the typical kind of summer weather in Vancouver. We arrived and parked on the side of the road that goes around the park. The time was 9am.

It's still a little chilly this year round. Mom started talking about their vacation in HK. They spent 6 months there and just returned 2 weeks ago. She gave an update of my cousins, aunt, uncle, brother and his wife... Dad liked shopping there for the prices, sizes, and varieties. He also found out where to get those almond shortcakes that he hasn't tasted since he moved here.

We walked for an hour, past the Lady in a wet suit, Totem's place, water park, and decided to head back for a dim sum lunch. Dad was a bit slow and had to eat some snacks to charge up, but we managed to hop back on the car at 11:15am.

Dim sum at Golden Harvest (Main & 32th) was ok. The dried scallop with egg white fried rice was still a little greasy although we asked them use less oil. Anyway, food is not the main theme here... it's more about spending the time together.

Jury Duty I

I received a call for duty from the Sheriff Services couple weeks ago. Heard from friends of their experience, but this is the first time for me. Hope it's not the last time.

It's an honor for me to serve the jury. I believe in justice and as a citizen and tax payer, it's my duty to help maintain a just environment in the society. Having seen a lot of criminal trials on TV and movies, it's gonna be very interesting at last to see how it all works first person - not from the criminal stand of course, but as a juror.

As much as I would like to participate, there are a couple of reasons why I applied for exemption. One is work related, one is kind of personal. Anyway, I don't want to be away during a critical phase of the project. I have no choice but to decline the duty this time.

Hope I won't be blacklisted for subsequent summons, I would actually do it everyday when I am retired.

How many dudes does it take to change a light bulb?

Electricity charges have been unusually high after moving to our current townhouse. Could it be the long running computers, the refrigerator, or the new washer/dryer? Or could it be the energy inefficient halogen lamps? Or the regular light bulbs? I am going to try eliminate one possibility at a time to solve this mystery. First, the light bulbs.

I bought some energy-saving light bulbs from Home Hardware today, plus a few given by our cousin, I changed a total of 9 light bulbs in the house. To my surprise, the bulbs supposedly use only 1/5 of the electricity to produce the same amount of energy. In fact, I think they are even brighter than the older ones.

Am I going to save 4/5 of the bill? Of course not, but it's an enlightening feeling.

Answer (read upside down):
˙ʎɐp ɐ uı sqןnq ʇɥƃıן ǝuıu sǝƃuɐɥɔ ǝpnp ǝɔuıs ˙ǝpnp ɥʇuıu/1

Dude's Enneagram (九型人格分析)

九型人格分析

第八型	領袖型、能力型、挑戰者、保護者、權威型 16%
第三型	成就者、事業型、成就型、實踐型 14%
第七型	快樂主義型、豐富型、活躍型、創造可能者、享樂型 12%
第二型	助人者、全愛型、助人型、成就他人者、博愛型 11%
第九型	和平型、和平者、和諧型、維持和諧者 10%
第四型	藝術型、浪漫者、自我型、憑感覺者 10%
第一型	完美主義者、完美型、改革者、改進型、秩序大使 10%
第五型	智慧型、觀察者、思想型、理性分析者、思考型 9%
第六型	忠誠型、忠誠型、尋找安全者、謹慎型 8%

我的九型人格分析？

Wii Fit is in the house

Wii Fit is finally here in Canada. Thanks to Charleston who managed to get up early for us, we got our share of fitness today.

Can $80 some dollars really buy us health? We quickly set it up after dinner and were eager to play the first game. TT was pretty excited about it. It's good for her coz she can do more exercise and be more healthy.

Anyway, the setup seems too boring.. it takes some time to enter all information, weight you, test your balance and everything.. You can then choose an instructor. Boys normally choose lady instructor and vice versa. We tried a little bit of yoga and a little bit of soccer. It's not very fun, coz after all no pain no gain.. the fun will only come after the pain.

Let's see if we'll have the perseverance to play regularly coz fitness will only come if you exercise regularly. The game has a calendar to keep track of your progress. It's another thing that discourages those without strong discipline.

First golf game in 2008

Mike and I have been talking about playing golf together some day, and finally we played for the first time today. Mike's friend Doug and TT's cousin Charleston joined us for a foursome. Since Charleston and I are not experienced golfers, we played Mylora today. It's a par 57 executive course.

Tee time was 830am. The weather was really nice; very sunny and dry. A perfect day for a day out. First hole was usually a little more stressful as people are watching. As expected, I drove the ball a little to the right, missing the fairway by 20 yards. Fore!!

Other than that, my tee offs were pretty straight, and consistent, hitting the ball high and far. Short games were played modestly better than last year, but still have a lot of room for improvement. I guess the course is not tricky at all, there were bunkers and waters, but they were not hard to miss. I wish I could reduce 1 stroke for short games per hole.

Putting was not my best part of the game, largely because I haven't been practicing that at all. Mike told me that I should spend more time practicing putting than hitting the balls. I should do that from now on. But I guess I putt okay today.

Overall it was a pretty fast game, we finished 18-hole in 3 hours. Well, considering the length and the number of balls left, it was not that bad. In fact, this is definitely the best game I've had so far this year... 8)

Mom's Birthday Dinner

It is mom's birthday today. We celebrated with her in the Prince restaurant followed by birthday cake cutting at her place.

Although there's not a lot of feelings expressed, I know she was happy. I hope I will be more expressive in the future, and then perhaps she'll be even happier.

Mom's spent some much time taking care of us and her grand children. She made us soup, and always ready to sacrifice for us. I always feel and I know that I've never returned favor enough. That's how bad I am as a son. I should spend more time with her, in person or even on the phone.

She has been saying that her memory is deteriorating. I don't want to wait until she couldn't recognize me to return the favor. I should do that while she still remembers. I'll find time, I promise.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

First coffee making

I was never a coffee drinker until this year. Never liked the taste and felt the need of it. But stress from work had demanded dude to seek something stronger than tea.

It works, a cup of coffee does refresh dude's mind and tune up the thinking engine. Two cups are even better. Three would definitely overclock dude, and make him restless too.

At this point, dude is still a coffee novice. Don't know much about it, only know what it can do. Liked the ones from Macdonald's. Not so much about Starbucks. Not so much about instants. And certainly not those from the office.

For economic reasons, dude tried to look for an espresso machine. Went across the border couple months ago, but couldn't find anything that is nice and affordable. A month ago I bought this stove top espresso pot recommended by Kenneth as a starter. It's cheap... $30, and quite convenient. Stainless steel for easy cleaning too. It looks traditional, made in Italy and stuff... It's worth a try for a caffeine addicted newbie.

Dude made his own coffee for the very first time in history using this pot. Coffee turned out a little watery than expected. Not bad for the first time. Dude is going to get a milk frother soon.

Blue mountain coffee bean courtesy of Kenneth.

Rabbit Ears

Time flies, we've been living at our new home for 8 months now. That means the discount period for our cable service ends. It's time for the breadwinner to do something about it.

Struggling with the question: Am I willing to pay 3 times over what I've been paying to get the same service?, the wise guy in the house decided to challenge the status quo, challenge himself, and challenge his boss (wife) to live a life without cable. But what do we do with the TV? Do we use it as a computer monitor or just a home decor? A TV without cable is like a head without brain. Or a rabbit without ears...

Luckily I found an old rabbit ear TV antenna from the storage and was able to hook it up with little effort. To my surprise, it can receive around 10 channels, 4 of which are digital too. There's E!, CTV, CityTV, CBC, Global, and Channel M. But there's also the Shopping Channel...

The quality of the analog channels has yet to improve, but a rabbit with a longer pair of ears that points to the North should help... the hunt continues!

MJ with Michael and Donna

Couple months ago, we turned the gym room into an entertainment room. We placed a sofa bed and a tv there for some light entertainment, but it's only until today that we tried to play mahjong in that room.

We had so much fun last time we played with Michael and Donna that we talked about playing more often. But it's been a few months now. Either we are too busy with work or study, or they need to take care of their little girl.

Anyway, they were able to send her to Chinese school today. We played immediately after Sunday Mass from 1 to 6pm.

MJ is not just about the game, but it's also a chance to catch up with one another, make a few jokes, and perhaps make fun of one another. It's fun.

Wii night with May, Ivan, and Sidney

It's been another hectic week emotionally; some game playing is much needed to recoup my energy. We kicked off our weekend with some Wii gaming tonight.

First thing first, we've got to take care of our stomach. For this we went to Mui's Garden in Richmond. The chinese restaurant was famous for its curry, and squid balls a few years ago. To our dismay, the food is now terrible, with matching service; totally not going to recommend to anyone.

We started playing Wii at 930pm with the orchestra game. May was particularly good at conducting. Some of the classical pieces were really good to listen. We then played the Deca Sporta game. Badminton, volleyball, figure-skating, car racing, etc. But the most fun I found was the curling game, coz it requires skills and strategies.

Ivan brought along the dancing mat, so we also played Dancing Revolution a bit too.

We played until 2am.

King Crab Dinner II: The Return of the Hungry Dude

What a feast that was. King Crab never disappoints me. And I also did my part diligently, as a diner.

This time there were five of us. Janice and TT couldn't make it, thank God. Well, when the size of the crab is fixed, you really don't want to share it with a whole lot of people. It's like the bloody triple constraints they taught you at PM 101: Time, Cost, and Scope. When one or two is fixed, the other one(s) will have to give.. to achieve equilibrium. Just kidding, they were just too busy.

We were hoping to get a 12-14 pounder, but the 'biggest' one they got was only 9.2 lbs. I guess it's closer to the season end and they'll just be getting smaller and smaller until next year. Well, that was only a little hiccup, and the fact that we have 2 fewer people in the table made up for it.

Anyway, the first course was the usual steamed crab legs with chopped garlic and oil. It was fantastic... without bothering to find a better word. Second course was a little adventurous for me. It was 'bay fone tong' style.. a little hot and spicy, but dried, with garlic and chilli pepper. It was ... also fantastic. Tasted like the deep fried one we tried last time, but only better.. coz of the chilli flavor that creates a contrasting flavor with the sweetness of the meat.

As we are chinese, we didn't order any wine. But a white wine or a cold beer would just make this perfecto.

Hail to King Crab!

Round Table Pizza

Charleston is coming for dinner tonight. I ordered the best pizza from a nearby place. I think he will like it. Round Table Pizza is located at Garden City and Blundell; it's very close to our home.

We usually ordered the Everything Special, and the Hawaiian Special. Wife wanted to try other pizzas, so Chicken Special also came to mind... but at the end, we still picked the same kinds.

Thinly crusted with lots of toppings and grilled cheese, these pizzas have got flavorous taste and smell. Pizzalicious!

April Snow

It's mid April already and we've just got snow last night. This year's winter has been a long chilling one - not too cold, but temperature has been around 5-9 degrees for months. It's a bit unusual for Vancouver.

I can imagine condition is even worse on the higher grounds. Colleagues living in Coquitlam and the north shore has been working hard with their shovels this year. My move to Richmond was not a bad idea after all.

How long will this last?

Promotion Nomination

Months ago when I noticed her performance and potentials, I started to set the stage for this. I am quite impressed with her versatility, attitude, and personality. And I believe I can help her excel. After all, I was once a subordinate and I knew the difference a manager can make.

I tried to raise her profile by engaging her with more meetings with senior management and external parties. It's a partnership. It will only work if she is willing and can in fact perform. She didn't let me down.

Writing recommendation is not as easy as writing blogs. I've put in a lot of effort trying to polish the write up. Knowing what the readers are looking for is key. Emphasis strength, and present the need is also important. Coz after all it's all about business case. I think I did pretty good on that.

Another hurdle is the panel review, which was done today. A panel of managers would review the nominees together to see if they are all okay with the promotions. I am prepared to fight the battle and had thought of numerous justifications to support her.

Surprisingly, it was easier than I expected. Not only were there no objections, my senior manager actually gave some good comments too. No blood was shed. And the important thing was that my effort was well spent.

Flogging

Have been spending a fair amount of time yesterday and today fixing up my facebook and blogs. Interestingly, the last time I was similarly addicted was when I joined fb last summer.

First, the cleanup. I have removed all uninteresting applications from fb... my pet is now back to SPCA, no more Stephen Chow movie quizzes or personality tests, sayonara to web sudoku, unquote Confucius quotes, last call to the pub, and fantasy stock exchange closing bell is now rung for real.

Then, adding the face to the book. haha... not literally coz it would be rather scary. I meant personality. Although the apps do, in some way, express a bit of one's personality, they will never speak one's mind as truthfully as blogs do. It's like the classic buy vs build argument in IT. Sorry, my geeky side is talking again.

I'm quite happy with how my fb and blogs look now. It's time to concentrate on writing the 150 topics I drafted so far... Stay tuned.

Ceramic Spheres

The first time I paid any attention to ceramic balls was when I was watching one of Kelly's shows on tv. She uses one to set the color theme of a living room. That's the first time I know ceramic balls don't always belong to glass display cabinets or used as golf balls but can also be used as decor.

Since then, I've been trying to get one for our home. I haven't really done any extensive search yet... just went to a few shops and only able to find a few from Art Knapp so far.

The other day, my wife caught a glimpse of a couple of cool ceramic balls with contemporary patterns as she watches a hk tv programme. I've been no luck finding anything like those even online. That's unusual for me, as I normally could nail down anything using a search engine in no time.

Anyway, if anyone is reading this now, you know what I want for Christmas.

Lunch with Mike and Cora

The three of us have 'regular' lunch together every now and then. We went to a Vietnamese place near work today.

I was kind of hungry, didn't order the usual beef noodle soup, but a pork chop rice dish.

Gossiping has always been the main theme in these lunches. And today, we talked about the downsizing of our business unit... and a potential organizational change in my team. Mike was a good friend of the top guy in that business unit, and he made sure I was taken good care of by saying a few good words for me. I'm indeed grateful.

Frankly, I am not too worried about the possible shake up of the management... change is inevitable in this dynamic economy. That's life. I think I am well equipped and have the connections and capabilities to only go up then down at this point.

I'm quite exited to see these changes coming... I think any change will only be a good thing for me. It's the survival of the fittest. And I will survive.

Lunch was good, pork chop was well charred. Great flavor, just the way I expected and liked.

Babysitting Brandon and Matthew

I went to my sis's place after work to help babysit my two little nephews. It's too much for my sis to handle especially when my brother-in-law is away on business trip.

Brandon was yelling 'Uncle's car!' when he saw my silver Passat approaching the front of their house. He's always been cute. He came to greet me at the door and I irresistibly gave him a hug; something I longed for... and lightly pinching his soft cheeks.

I got along quite well with Brandon although we don't meet as often as I'd like. We do have some remembrance and some special bond. He showed me around his new play area in the basement. It was my pleasure.

Matthew is only 1 year old, too young to recognize me as a friendly character... he let out a little cry, turned away from me, and hid in her mom's arms when he saw me. I could see Brandon's smirk on his face at this point. It's funny.

After a little while to get acquainted, we all got along and played and ate together. I fed Brandon with my plate of noodle dish sis cooked. He just wouldn't eat from his own plate. He liked my service. I quite enjoyed feeding him, actually. It's a gesture of trust and it's all about bonding again.

When I was about to leave at 8pm, Brandon demanded that he followed me home. haha... I'd love to... but I think he's still a little too young at age 3 to be away from his parents.. even for a day.

Brandon, I look forward to have you to stay over one day.

King Crab Dinner

I had a wonderful king crab dinner last night with wife and friends. It's the first this year, third in my life.

It was the same restaurant we went when we had king crab with wife's aunt and uncle last year. Empire Seafood in Richmond is the place. Instead of ordering the crab by itself, we picked the dinner set for 6, which has 2 courses of the gianormous creature, 2 courses of peking duck, saute mixed mushrooms, savory chicken, noodle sauted in crab broth, soup, and red bean soup for desert.

As a first time blogger, I forgot to capture these wonder dishes in photos. But believe me they were lovely. The first king crab course was steamed crab legs in chopped garlic and oil. One can really tastes the sweetness of the meat. Second course was my favorite. Deep fried king crab with ground pepper and salt. Golden outside, white inside. The flesh are more chunky and firm than the steamed dish.

Yum yum. I look forward to having another one again soon.

Blackberry

I've been using blackberry for a few months now and am getting to like it more each day.

Couple years ago when I joined the company, I had the option to get a blackberry. Rights come duties and the appeal of having one is undermined by the fear of constant reminder of work. I was the only manager without a blackberry for the longest time.

As time passes there's more 'opportunities' for early morning or late night teleconference. Having one not only means I can get instant access to emails and long distance phone service, but also allow me to stay on top of things and ahead of the game. I finally submitted to it.

Now, I use in everywhere: at home, in office, in the car, on the road, and at any time of the day. I even use it when I'm having my hair dressed now. Thanks RIMM.

Teamwork

Yesterday was the deadline for setting goals for this year. I spent some time preparing these for my staff the night before. One of the things that I put in this year was the focus on team work.

Team work is critical to achieve team success. I laid down the set of guiding principles in such areas as team integrity and credibility, knowledge sharing, respect for others, openness to criticism, conflict management, and team bonding.

Sometimes it's easier said than done, but I believe these rules would reinforce the team to all work toward a common goal individually and collectively. Now that by itself is team work already.

All I hope is the team won't take these for granted but really spend time to think about why I put them in their goals in the first place.