Saturday, November 29, 2008

Egg Nog Latte

Long time no update... I've stored up some posts, so I'll let loose a bit.

Been running into some problems convincing people to try Peet's Egg Nog Latte. I admit...Egg Nog isn't the best of beverages which is why people normally enjoy it with rum. Then again, O'Doul's (Non-alcoholic Beer) is also nasty without the sweetness of alcohol. I can probably argue with you that egg-nog alone can be a drink... but I'll pick my battles.

When made correctly...when mixed efficiently... when prepared accordingly... Peet's can make the most desirable drink known to mankind. I happened to be in San Diego a few weeks ago and visited the Starbucks at the airport. Their Egg Nog Latte was nothing less of piss-poor. So it's not just espresso beans and egg nog that combines into this nectar of desire. It really is about getting it at the right place at the right time.

Have you tried one today?

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

MILCOM:08 ASSURING MISSION SUCCESS

MILCOM - the premier international conference for military communications, attracting decision-makers from government, military, academia, and industry.

This year, MILCOM took place in San Diego. The largest concentration of Naval Officers in the world. It was my first time at MILCOM and among the hundreds of papers presented, among the thousands of people that are here networking the thing that stood out the most, was everyone's desire to serve our country and the honor we give those men and women who are in uniform.

Extremely touching that at the beginning of the first day of the event, there were the presentation of the colors (US and California flag) and we sang the national anthem. During the national anthem, the California flag is tilted so that only Old Glory stands up. At the beginning of every lunch, we said the "Pledge of Allegiance." At the beginning of every meal, a naval chaplain led in prayer.

It's this respect for your country that makes me feel proud to be an American.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Eve of Election Eve

沒有Egg nog latte 的日子. 第312日. 雨

Wow... it's been over a month since I've updated. Thank you to all my fans who still visit my blog every now and then. With the emergence of more and more "Sharing" softwares and websites, it's less and less frequent people would update blogs anymore. And as our attention spans shorten ever so much more as the IT-age continues to progress, who has the time to sit through an entire blog entry anymore? Such it is...

It's now Sunday 11/2/2008. Two days before the most important election of my short visit on earth. Why do I say that?

A certain Bay Area newspaper said that "No matter who wins -- the next president could transform American politics, expert says." But that's like saying, "The sun will come up tomorrow and the weather could be hot, warm or cold." The election is not important just because America is in it's biggest economic crisis since the 1930's. It's not about the eminnent race to another Cold War with Russia and North Korea. Or the on-going disparity between the rich and the poor due to America's self-proclaimed version of capitalism. For me (and this is MY blog... so back off!!) this election is important because this marks the first time in my short voting history where I'm swinging back to the right.

One of my mentors at work, a Vietnam vet and a true patriot (just like McCain) said, "The more money you make, the more you'll become a conservative."

Another co-worker said, "My parents were conservatives, but as they're retiring, and the Democrats can offer better benefits, they're switching over."

A lot of people base their political following on ~~~money. Cut more taxes! (Money). Spend less on war (Money). Why give out welfare? (Money). National health insurance? (Give more money away). Capitalism has tranformed into greediness. What was once the cornerstone of this control has led to the demise of our nation

There are, of course, more underlying issues like morals and values. Prop 8 sticks out like a sore thumb when we try to argue either way. Eight years ago, without a doubt shadow of a doubt, I would've voted NO on Prop 8. I don't think I would've even hesitated to vote for Obama/Biden.

So what has caused me to transform from a deep dark blue blooded Democrat to become what experts call, a "Blue Pig Democrat?" (to be continued...)