I'm excited about the Indiana Jones movie opening this weekend.
I'm debating between biking, driving, or carpooling/parking/BARTing to work. I currently do the last option but it feels just ok. Three miles from work feels so close and realistic for biking but it's urban biking, you know? To be decided...
I really like this new English artist Adele. Going to see her in SF on Thursday. I like this song but Hometown Glory and Chasing Pavements are also favorites.
I walked around Lake Merritt some during my lunch break today. Nice. If I have more time tomorrow, I will change into my walking clothes and go all the way around.
I've been scapbooking lately and enjoying it. I like being creative, and making fun vibrant memory books in the process.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Seis Random things
Ok, Mark, I'll answer your challenge!
I'm still tired from the new job so it took me three days to notice I was tagged on my own blog to share six random things about myself.
Here are six truly random things about myself:
1) I seriously considered and researched becoming a tiger trainer last summer. I spent hours finding out what schooling you need, what the jobs are, the pay, the need to travel, etc. I read tiger trainer blogs and quizzed my fave tiger spot's trainers where they went to school and how they like the profession. Based mostly on the need to easily relocate which I don't find appealing at this time in my life, I decided not to do it. But it lives on in my heart.
2) I can't whistle.
3) I scored higher in math on my SAT's and got better grades in math my whole life. Math came easy to me; this guy Alfredo and I were the top math ppl in junior high, always competing and tutoring everyone else. Becoming an English major was actually choosing to tackle my weak area, and I left college finally knowing how to write.
4) I really really love football. All football, any team.
5) I love fruit and candy, and fruity candy esp. strawberry belts, gummy bears, and red licorice.
6) My first beloved car was a red Toyota Tercel which I had for nine years, and was named Herbie Charlotte.
Ok, I'l pass this on to Jill and Shyam, who happen to be married. Here's the original passer-on-er's blog Mark.
And here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write six random things about yourself.
Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
Let your tagger know when your entry is up.
I'm still tired from the new job so it took me three days to notice I was tagged on my own blog to share six random things about myself.
Here are six truly random things about myself:
1) I seriously considered and researched becoming a tiger trainer last summer. I spent hours finding out what schooling you need, what the jobs are, the pay, the need to travel, etc. I read tiger trainer blogs and quizzed my fave tiger spot's trainers where they went to school and how they like the profession. Based mostly on the need to easily relocate which I don't find appealing at this time in my life, I decided not to do it. But it lives on in my heart.
2) I can't whistle.
3) I scored higher in math on my SAT's and got better grades in math my whole life. Math came easy to me; this guy Alfredo and I were the top math ppl in junior high, always competing and tutoring everyone else. Becoming an English major was actually choosing to tackle my weak area, and I left college finally knowing how to write.
4) I really really love football. All football, any team.
5) I love fruit and candy, and fruity candy esp. strawberry belts, gummy bears, and red licorice.
6) My first beloved car was a red Toyota Tercel which I had for nine years, and was named Herbie Charlotte.
Ok, I'l pass this on to Jill and Shyam, who happen to be married. Here's the original passer-on-er's blog Mark.
And here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write six random things about yourself.
Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
Let your tagger know when your entry is up.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
End of first wk summary
I'm totally wiped out. A long week both in the day at the new job and at night. Good wk, I still really like the job, just a lot going on. My body feels like I ran a marathon.
On a sidenote, this is an interesting cute website. Social Security has the top baby names since 1880. I looked mine up in my birth year and it was #1 for girls. It was #1 for quite awhile but now Emily has been the top girl baby name since 1996. Hmm... I wouldn't have thought that.
I started to go to random years and saw that my aunt's name in the year of her birth was #5. Looking at the names by years, I realize you can almost tell how old someone is just by their name. My dad's is somewhat rare now but was #6 in his year.
On a sidenote, this is an interesting cute website. Social Security has the top baby names since 1880. I looked mine up in my birth year and it was #1 for girls. It was #1 for quite awhile but now Emily has been the top girl baby name since 1996. Hmm... I wouldn't have thought that.
I started to go to random years and saw that my aunt's name in the year of her birth was #5. Looking at the names by years, I realize you can almost tell how old someone is just by their name. My dad's is somewhat rare now but was #6 in his year.
Monday, May 5, 2008
First day of work
Ah, this was a cool first day. Prob my best first day ever. After coming by the office around 3:30pm after a looong HR orientation, I saw my cubicle and got the tour. My team got me flowers, a card which they all signed and wrote witty paragraphs on, included me in an impromptu debrief of a donor visit, thought enough to leave me a Cinco de Mayo cupcake on my desk, and my voicemail and login info was neatly handwritten in a note on my desk. And my training for the next two weeks was scheduled and printed in color on my desk, with a fat binder with my name on it, and my name already on a sign at my cubicle. Wow. My kind of people - considerate, planned out, prepared. I feel won over. If I wasn't already excited about the job, I would be now!
I feel a bit shocked. I have always been thrown into positions with little or no training, and either bored out of my mind for weeks as they get their act together to figure out what they want me to do or have to hit the ground running on the first day, completely overwhelmed. This group, on the other hand, seems aware of the possibility of being overwhelmed starting a new job and carefully plans out the training. Including planning two lunches, one a group team lunch on Friday, into my schedule!! A colleague said this was the best job she ever had in regards to transition - lots of time to learn and train. I really believe her.
I feel a bit spoiled so trying to remind myself that sucky things will come up. But for now, with my new shiny badge with actually a good pic of me on it, I feel really happy. And really grateful. Thanks God.
I just think I might like it here :)
I feel a bit shocked. I have always been thrown into positions with little or no training, and either bored out of my mind for weeks as they get their act together to figure out what they want me to do or have to hit the ground running on the first day, completely overwhelmed. This group, on the other hand, seems aware of the possibility of being overwhelmed starting a new job and carefully plans out the training. Including planning two lunches, one a group team lunch on Friday, into my schedule!! A colleague said this was the best job she ever had in regards to transition - lots of time to learn and train. I really believe her.
I feel a bit spoiled so trying to remind myself that sucky things will come up. But for now, with my new shiny badge with actually a good pic of me on it, I feel really happy. And really grateful. Thanks God.
I just think I might like it here :)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Traveling Orangecat
Hello, everybody! (in Simpson voice)
I got back from DC today. It was a light, lovely trip and exactly what I needed. Jess' new condo is super cute and it was fun to stay with her. I caught dinner with Laura, old Cal friend, which was good, too. She helped enlighten me on why she likes Obama and her reasons made sense and somewhat swayed me. Perhaps more on that later...
But to talk about my trip without writing too much bc I'm tired from the 10 hours of traveling today plus the jet lag, I will summarize my thoughts in 10 bullet points. One for every hour of travel today.
1) Cherry blossoms are really pretty even if you visit after they're gone and you only see trees that your good friend Jess kindly says, "They look like cherry blossoms" and you take pics together by them. Faking it is almost as good as the real thing.
2) Washington DC seems freakin' obsessed with super high escalators including the Rosslyn Metro stop one. Info from Wikipedia on it:
It features the third longest continuous escalator in the world, at 205 feet 8 inches; an escalator ride between the street level and the mezzanine level takes 159 seconds.[2]
OMG. Third largest in the world?!? Jess picked me up from the metro last night after my dinner with Laura and she told me to go to a diff station than the one she lives by, to the Rosslyn one. I had been telling her scary stories of the high escalators all over DC (including the one she uses twice a day in her daily commute) and she kept telling me "You should see the Rossly one." So getting off, I rode the escalator and couldn't look back after the first third. It was too high. My muscles started cramping as I tightened my stiff posture and leaned forward to decrease my fear of falling off or down the entire 205 ft. How many stories is that? 6 or 7? It's really really high people. See here for the pic but it doesn't do it justice. Think of being on an escalator for 3 MINUTES and how high that has to be. Anyways, I got out and accusingly told Jess, "You switched stations just to make me do that escalator, didn't you?" She laughed but really didn't answer me. Hmm... So there, Jess, now you know the true extent the escalators scared me and the impression they left as this is #2 in my list! Even when I was in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, these high school kids pointed to their escalator and said, "Wow, that one is like super big." Which is was bigger than normal non-DC ones, but nothing compared to the Court House or Rosslyn monster. I scoffed under my breath at them.
3) The National Museum of the American Indian is really cool and not boring like I thought. And I actually like Native American culture so i have to think they're not highlighting the best part of their museum in the Smithsonian guide. The building itself is rounded and inside the exhibits are rounded and inclusive, no right angles. And how they approach presenting history from their view (which all museums present history from some view) including quoting ppl and sources in the "all-knowing" info placards in front of an exhibit, is just so different and refreshing and felt authentic. See this Wikipedia article for info and a pic of the building.
4) The postal museum is cool also though the whole time I was wondering if the stamp increase paid for the delightful interactive stations. And I could not stop laughing at the section describing the dangerous job of postmaster. They tried to make it look like the postmaster carries around a tommy gun and works everyday under the threat of extreme violence. Uh, go ask a Marine if your job is dangerous, Mr. POSTMASTER. Paper cuts, lately??
5) And on the military topic, I watched the PBS Show Carrier at Jess' place and am so addicted. I watched about four hours over three days and just watched more online. I dare you to tell me this isn't interesting! And full episodes here.
6) Ppl really like to run in DC. It felt like a city of determined type-A's and even in recreation, they were all marathon runners.
7) The National Portrait Gallery's exhibit on the Presidents in the American Art Museum was interesting, again more interesting than expected. I really like the excerps of radio recordings of FDR's Fireside Chats including three during WW2. He was an impressive speaker.
8) Sometimes it rains and storms in DC but it's ok. Sorry southern Virginia ppl who got their houses blown to bits by the storm :(
9) Reading Jess' paper every morning, I've been learning more and more about the food crisis in the world. It's really bad, not since WW2 bad, they say. I feel somber and have been thinking about the food I take for granted.
10) Pomegranate margaritas from Rasika just taste like lime margaritas. And they seat horribly, and yes, I yelped about it!
*Curtsies* Thanks for reading! It was fun and easy, with plenty of time with friends and alone for prayer and reflection with God speaking. With that and the learning/seeing new things, it was a perfect short trip before I start the new job. Thanks God :)
I got back from DC today. It was a light, lovely trip and exactly what I needed. Jess' new condo is super cute and it was fun to stay with her. I caught dinner with Laura, old Cal friend, which was good, too. She helped enlighten me on why she likes Obama and her reasons made sense and somewhat swayed me. Perhaps more on that later...
But to talk about my trip without writing too much bc I'm tired from the 10 hours of traveling today plus the jet lag, I will summarize my thoughts in 10 bullet points. One for every hour of travel today.
1) Cherry blossoms are really pretty even if you visit after they're gone and you only see trees that your good friend Jess kindly says, "They look like cherry blossoms" and you take pics together by them. Faking it is almost as good as the real thing.
2) Washington DC seems freakin' obsessed with super high escalators including the Rosslyn Metro stop one. Info from Wikipedia on it:
It features the third longest continuous escalator in the world, at 205 feet 8 inches; an escalator ride between the street level and the mezzanine level takes 159 seconds.[2]
OMG. Third largest in the world?!? Jess picked me up from the metro last night after my dinner with Laura and she told me to go to a diff station than the one she lives by, to the Rosslyn one. I had been telling her scary stories of the high escalators all over DC (including the one she uses twice a day in her daily commute) and she kept telling me "You should see the Rossly one." So getting off, I rode the escalator and couldn't look back after the first third. It was too high. My muscles started cramping as I tightened my stiff posture and leaned forward to decrease my fear of falling off or down the entire 205 ft. How many stories is that? 6 or 7? It's really really high people. See here for the pic but it doesn't do it justice. Think of being on an escalator for 3 MINUTES and how high that has to be. Anyways, I got out and accusingly told Jess, "You switched stations just to make me do that escalator, didn't you?" She laughed but really didn't answer me. Hmm... So there, Jess, now you know the true extent the escalators scared me and the impression they left as this is #2 in my list! Even when I was in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, these high school kids pointed to their escalator and said, "Wow, that one is like super big." Which is was bigger than normal non-DC ones, but nothing compared to the Court House or Rosslyn monster. I scoffed under my breath at them.
3) The National Museum of the American Indian is really cool and not boring like I thought. And I actually like Native American culture so i have to think they're not highlighting the best part of their museum in the Smithsonian guide. The building itself is rounded and inside the exhibits are rounded and inclusive, no right angles. And how they approach presenting history from their view (which all museums present history from some view) including quoting ppl and sources in the "all-knowing" info placards in front of an exhibit, is just so different and refreshing and felt authentic. See this Wikipedia article for info and a pic of the building.
4) The postal museum is cool also though the whole time I was wondering if the stamp increase paid for the delightful interactive stations. And I could not stop laughing at the section describing the dangerous job of postmaster. They tried to make it look like the postmaster carries around a tommy gun and works everyday under the threat of extreme violence. Uh, go ask a Marine if your job is dangerous, Mr. POSTMASTER. Paper cuts, lately??
5) And on the military topic, I watched the PBS Show Carrier at Jess' place and am so addicted. I watched about four hours over three days and just watched more online. I dare you to tell me this isn't interesting! And full episodes here.
6) Ppl really like to run in DC. It felt like a city of determined type-A's and even in recreation, they were all marathon runners.
7) The National Portrait Gallery's exhibit on the Presidents in the American Art Museum was interesting, again more interesting than expected. I really like the excerps of radio recordings of FDR's Fireside Chats including three during WW2. He was an impressive speaker.
8) Sometimes it rains and storms in DC but it's ok. Sorry southern Virginia ppl who got their houses blown to bits by the storm :(
9) Reading Jess' paper every morning, I've been learning more and more about the food crisis in the world. It's really bad, not since WW2 bad, they say. I feel somber and have been thinking about the food I take for granted.
10) Pomegranate margaritas from Rasika just taste like lime margaritas. And they seat horribly, and yes, I yelped about it!
*Curtsies* Thanks for reading! It was fun and easy, with plenty of time with friends and alone for prayer and reflection with God speaking. With that and the learning/seeing new things, it was a perfect short trip before I start the new job. Thanks God :)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Stamp price increase
The freakin' stamps are going up in price, again! On May 12th, they're increasing to 42 cents for a first class standard envelope.
ONE YEAR AGO on May 13, 2007 they went up 2 cents from 39 to 41 cents.
Wikipedia has a history of price increases by the Post Office.
Grr, grumble, I have all these 41 cent stamps that will soon need a stupid 1 cent additional stamp.... grrr, stupid post office.
Stupid Forever Stamps, I don't want to INVEST my money further in the govt by buying your Forever stamps! Stupid govt.
ONE YEAR AGO on May 13, 2007 they went up 2 cents from 39 to 41 cents.
Wikipedia has a history of price increases by the Post Office.
Grr, grumble, I have all these 41 cent stamps that will soon need a stupid 1 cent additional stamp.... grrr, stupid post office.
Stupid Forever Stamps, I don't want to INVEST my money further in the govt by buying your Forever stamps! Stupid govt.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Pineapple Express
I love this song in the trailer, well edited to fit with the action-y parts of the film.
Hope the movie's as good as the trailer!
Red band trailer (R-rated)
Hope the movie's as good as the trailer!
Red band trailer (R-rated)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall = A
Ah yeah, this movie is hecka funny. I saw it last night with two good friends and we laughed our asses off. Could not stop laughing. Totally an A movie. Hey, I paid full price on a Friday night in the Bay Area which is a solid $10.25, people.
I like Judd Apatow but usually find movies he's involved in to be in need of a good editor. Plots go on tangents (Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd's acid trip in Vegas in Knocked Up?) that bore me and jokes could be better. I'm ok with some randy humor but Superbad was just too much and I won't watch it a second time even though my love for Michael Cera is somethin' serious. And I love Will Ferrell too but his movies really need to be tightened up in every which way. Don't you just watch them and think, "hmm, good but could be better?"
So with all that said, FSM seriously hits all the right notes. It's funny, has a plot that mimics mainstream "normal" plots in a good way, and really shows both sides of a breakup. There are real characters with even the British rocker being one of the more well-rounded. Segal could totally have written him as a one-joke guy but he doesn't and it's one of the reasons the movie hits it, no net.
There's some crude humor (and yes, Jason Segal full-frontal) but it seems more funny and not "ah jeez" like Superbad's FREAKIN' ENDLESS penis jokes.
I read some of the reviews that say Segal can't carry the movie and he seems pathetic and Kristen Bell doesn't act, and I think, "Did you just watch the same movie I did?"
Oh yeah, I already had a huge crush on Jason Segal (Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared, and How I Met Your Mother have all developed our deep relationship) but this tops me over the edge. Jason, will you marry me?
The official trailer, not red band
I like Judd Apatow but usually find movies he's involved in to be in need of a good editor. Plots go on tangents (Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd's acid trip in Vegas in Knocked Up?) that bore me and jokes could be better. I'm ok with some randy humor but Superbad was just too much and I won't watch it a second time even though my love for Michael Cera is somethin' serious. And I love Will Ferrell too but his movies really need to be tightened up in every which way. Don't you just watch them and think, "hmm, good but could be better?"
So with all that said, FSM seriously hits all the right notes. It's funny, has a plot that mimics mainstream "normal" plots in a good way, and really shows both sides of a breakup. There are real characters with even the British rocker being one of the more well-rounded. Segal could totally have written him as a one-joke guy but he doesn't and it's one of the reasons the movie hits it, no net.
There's some crude humor (and yes, Jason Segal full-frontal) but it seems more funny and not "ah jeez" like Superbad's FREAKIN' ENDLESS penis jokes.
I read some of the reviews that say Segal can't carry the movie and he seems pathetic and Kristen Bell doesn't act, and I think, "Did you just watch the same movie I did?"
Oh yeah, I already had a huge crush on Jason Segal (Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared, and How I Met Your Mother have all developed our deep relationship) but this tops me over the edge. Jason, will you marry me?
The official trailer, not red band
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Movies I like
1. The Family Man
with Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni
Quick summary from IMDB:
A fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.
I like this movie even though it didn't win awards or is on any top 100 movie list. I can't quite define why I like it. I like movies about real, normal lives and the complex emotions that come with it. I guess we all do :) I think both Cage and Leoni are really good in it, and one of those times the casting is spot-on. I could see another actor playing the depression and disgust with the family life as fake and unbelievable. But you really believe Nicolas Cage's character is ambitious and money-hungry, and seriously can't believe he's stuck in this suburban New Jersey life. And Tea Leoni really plays a life-can-suck-but-why-not-laugh-about-it? character Kate with her own ambitions and career choices. I like that her choice isn't just mom or professional. In either scenario, she has a career but one is nonprofit lawyer and one is high-paying lawyer.
I find it interesting that in the movie, Cage's character Jack is honest. He meets for the first time his best friend (played by Jeremy Piven who's married to one-liner Kate Walsh, weird!) and says true things but gets laughed at by Piven. Jack says, "Kate's my wife?" "This isn't my life," etc. Jack's daughter Annie perceptively realizes this new guy is not quite her dad and believes he's from aliens. Maybe from Jack's unfamiliarity with kids and need to be honest, he blurts to Annie, "I work on Wall Street. I don't live here. I don't know what I'm doing here." The only person that knows his secret is the young daughter who helps him figure out where he works and how to change a diaper. It's funny, bc Jack is trying to be honest. So a middle-aged suburban dad could say lines like that and we'd all just laugh and think he's having a grumpy day?
I guess the concept is so interesting to me. I wonder all the time what my life would have been like if I did this thing different, went to a diff college, chose that job instead of this one, moved back to SD instead of staying in the Bay Area, and such.
To spoil the ending if you haven't seen it, I like how it ends. I like how he has to go back to his "real" life and doesn't get to stay in the "glimpse" life like he wants. And I like how Kate is a top lawyer and he runs after her in the airport to convince her just to have coffee with him. He doesn't propose and there's no promise they'll end up together. But he's a changed man.
And Don Cheadle plays an angel-type character, hmm.
with Nicolas Cage and Tea Leoni
Quick summary from IMDB:
A fast-lane investment broker, offered the opportunity to see how the other half lives, wakes up to find that his sports car and girlfriend have become a mini-van and wife.
I like this movie even though it didn't win awards or is on any top 100 movie list. I can't quite define why I like it. I like movies about real, normal lives and the complex emotions that come with it. I guess we all do :) I think both Cage and Leoni are really good in it, and one of those times the casting is spot-on. I could see another actor playing the depression and disgust with the family life as fake and unbelievable. But you really believe Nicolas Cage's character is ambitious and money-hungry, and seriously can't believe he's stuck in this suburban New Jersey life. And Tea Leoni really plays a life-can-suck-but-why-not-laugh-about-it? character Kate with her own ambitions and career choices. I like that her choice isn't just mom or professional. In either scenario, she has a career but one is nonprofit lawyer and one is high-paying lawyer.
I find it interesting that in the movie, Cage's character Jack is honest. He meets for the first time his best friend (played by Jeremy Piven who's married to one-liner Kate Walsh, weird!) and says true things but gets laughed at by Piven. Jack says, "Kate's my wife?" "This isn't my life," etc. Jack's daughter Annie perceptively realizes this new guy is not quite her dad and believes he's from aliens. Maybe from Jack's unfamiliarity with kids and need to be honest, he blurts to Annie, "I work on Wall Street. I don't live here. I don't know what I'm doing here." The only person that knows his secret is the young daughter who helps him figure out where he works and how to change a diaper. It's funny, bc Jack is trying to be honest. So a middle-aged suburban dad could say lines like that and we'd all just laugh and think he's having a grumpy day?
I guess the concept is so interesting to me. I wonder all the time what my life would have been like if I did this thing different, went to a diff college, chose that job instead of this one, moved back to SD instead of staying in the Bay Area, and such.
To spoil the ending if you haven't seen it, I like how it ends. I like how he has to go back to his "real" life and doesn't get to stay in the "glimpse" life like he wants. And I like how Kate is a top lawyer and he runs after her in the airport to convince her just to have coffee with him. He doesn't propose and there's no promise they'll end up together. But he's a changed man.
And Don Cheadle plays an angel-type character, hmm.
Update on racism post
I was talking with some friends last night about the Aristocat movie and the offensive Siamese/Asian cat, and asking about the buck teeth stereotype. Jill K, who's Japanese-American, said that the buck teeth image is attributed to the Japanese. That they have buck, large, or ugly teeth. She laughed and said the Japanese are known (teeth-wise) as the British of Asia. Oh, and the colonizing other ppl thing.
Hmm, I had never heard of that before. Sure, I've seen the buck teeth stereotype before (in Breakfast at Tiffany's and other media) but wondered where it emerged from.
Thanks Jill K for continuing to school me, my Japanese-Am sista!
Hmm, I had never heard of that before. Sure, I've seen the buck teeth stereotype before (in Breakfast at Tiffany's and other media) but wondered where it emerged from.
Thanks Jill K for continuing to school me, my Japanese-Am sista!
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