Micro-hoo

The deal that went down yesterday between Microsoft and Yahoo is simply disturbing. What truly bothers me is how this eerily reminds me of Carly taking over HP in the 90's. Bartz, like Carly, comes into an engineering house built on "technology" and is forced to "DO SOMETHING." They end up doing something utterly incomprehensible.

And I'm so miffed because I have to face the fact and realize that the Silicon Valley is not run by engineers but my bean counters.

Mood: annoyed and miffed

Crap!

Cast of Seinfeld will be reuniting on "Curb your Enthusiasm" on HBO. Just realized the "Seinfeld" finale was 11 years ago!

Mood: senile

TV Game Shows Contestants

I've always suspected game show guests are staged with extras and/or actors. If not actors, then they definitely screen these people so they were more photogenic or have a personality or a sense of humor.


But today I saw a college friend on Family Feud!! And he really messed up. HA!! So I guess they are real people. Sometimes.

Mood: hopeful (baseball trade deadline)

No-Hitter and Perfect Game

Two weeks ago, Jonathan Sanchez of YOUR San Francisco Giants threw a no-hitter.

What did yours truly do? Well... since I don't have ESPN (sad, but true), I started tuning into the local news. One would think that when there's a monumental event like a no-no , that will be the first thing they show, regardless of the demographics. All the Bay Area newscasts stuck Sanchez's no-no as its first story!! And why not? It's a very special event!!

Well - everyone ought to write into KTVU Channel 2's 10 O'Clock news. As much as it is a staple of the Bay Area for news coverage and as it is the first newscast that night after the no-no, it didn't even mention the no-hitter until its regulars sports segment! What's up with that??

For some reason, I get the Chicago WGN News. And after Burhle's perfecto today, I tuned into their local news coverage - and the moment I tune in - there it was!! A good 5 minutes broadcast on Burhle's Perfect Game at the top of the hour!!

KTVU!!! What's wrong with you!?!

Mood: peeved

Jury Duty - Excused

So yesterday, the judge welcomed anyone from our panel to plea their case to be excused. The grounds are pre-paid vacation or economic/personal hardship. I couldn't legitimately think of anything that doesn't compromise my civic responsibilities. (Especially after "the talk" with the Gonzo). We're dismissed and I walk towards the elevator - only to see over 60% of the panel getting in line to be excused!! WOW!!! These people must be mighty creative! Course, I feel like crap cuz I wasn't smart enough to think of an excuse to get out of Jury Duty.

I go back today to check in. Our case expanded from 1 panel to 4 panels!! I guess it's common for 60% of potential jurors to back out of each panel. I line up to check in, to take role, and they can't find my name!! I wait for 15 minutes after everyone sits down and they announce that I've been excused. WOOHOO!!!

My guess is, whoever was checking off the names yesterday for those with "legitimate excuses" checked off my name by accident. Which means...there's some poor schmuck out there who THINKS he's excused, but on paper - he didn't show up. Oops!!

Mood: victorious

Online dating -- revisited

One of those days - so I'll spend some time answering those online dating questions. I have a feeling these answers won't land me into the "interesting prospect" category. C'est la vie....


1. What do you love most about the place you're living in? Have you ever lived anywhere else?

Most of my life, I've lived in California. And I've always been no farther than an hour from the coast. Is it by choice or by happenstance? I don't know. But two words can sum up what I love most about living here - Options and Selection. What options do I have here? Well... There's the great outdoors (to which I like but I don't spend a lot of time in). There's multi-culturalism (yet all my friends are Chinese with one or two Flips). There's also the arts (in which I go to museums if they're free and attend theater once a year). It's a place flourshing with different industries and job opportunities (but I'm still in the same profession and don't have the guts to move out). It's also a place of shopping convenience where I can drive just 15 minutes to get to anywhere I want to go (but it takes 45 minutes to actually get there cuz of traffic). But the bottomline is - the option is out there! Whether or not I take advantage of it... well... that's why I love most about living here.



2. Tell me about your closest friend. How long have you known him/her; and what do you like best about him/her?

I can probably pull something together for Anderson. Or scribble some notes for Gonzo. And there's always the Best Man speech at the Short-n-Stubby's wedding. But easily, hands down - my closest friend is my wife! My best friend! My soul mate! My other half. Which totally defeats the purpose of online dating if I'm married. So I'll skip this question.

3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I am able to speak in the tongues of men and of angels. I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge and I have mountain-moving faith. I can give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames. I can do all that. Yet - I'm impatient. I am unkind. I am quite boastful and proud. I'm downright rude, always self-seeking. Anger is my middle name. I have a great memory - mostly from how you've crossed me. I shy away from the truth but embrace the dark side. I lack self-confidence, I'm in despair, I'm full of doubt and I easily deter from the goal. But all those fault seem miniscule compared to what I want to change. Let's just say I wish I can give out unconditional love like our Abba Father loves us.

Mood: Loved

爸爸的信

Got an email from my dad today...

瀚兒﹕

你好
溢曦的誕生是大喜事。我知道﹐你們是有自己的計劃去培養她成長﹐祝願你們的計劃能夠成功﹐也祝愿小孫女能茁壯成長。也許﹐你們會問我對她的期望﹐只有兩點﹕1﹐牢記自己是中國人﹔2﹐不要從政當官。我希望她將來能夠做到。

爸爸

Hrm... I don't think I'll have problems with #1. But #2...

Mood: determined

Blurfing = Surfing + Blog

I just made up a word: Blurfing = Blog + Surfing. verb. It's a time when one surf's on the internet for other people's blogs. (copyright 2009)

Just got done blurfing through some old friends' blogs. It's amazing how interesting people's lives can be. Or how dis-interesting my life is.

One friend's blog stands out though. I spent a good 20 minutes going through his past few months. This friend is supposedly a close friend, but in reading the blog, do I realize I know nothing about him. It was a bit eery and very much more sad. When did we cross that point of no return? Do I even try to reach out to him again? Or has that come and gone, let's move on?

Mood: sad

Online dating

A buddy of mine has been using one of those online dating services. By all means I support this endeavor. Though it sounds silly or even desperate to some, I know of many cases where couples truly "find' each other through the power of the internet.

So my buddy and my buddy's courtee if you may, have been exchanging questions and answers. Kinda like small talk at a bar... but a lot deeper questions that require soul-searching and at the same time, reveals your soul. Three questions as of late:

1. What do you love most about the place you're living in? Have you ever lived anywhere else?
2. Tell me about your closest friend. How long have you known him/her; and what do you like best about him/her?
3. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Why these three questions? And how would I answer them? We'll save that for another post.

Mood: curious

Birth of my Child - Running Diary

There's no way I could've summarized the birth of my child in a paragraph or two. Since I had a laptop with me (and a lot of spare time), here's my first ever Running Diary of the events that transcribed leading up to the birth of my child...

June 16, 2009

8:15PM - Joyce started having contractions about 24 hours ago. We're considering heading over to the Lee's for the Joseph College / YA Meeting. We even drove up to their front door. But their driveway and adjacent spaces were full. Joyce wasn't up for walking. so we went to Tops Cafe for dinner instead.

10:35PM - We call the on-call doctor. She suggests we go to the hospital. Frankly, we thought it was still too early.

11:00PM - Arrived at Labor and Delivery and checked in. We're very confident they'll send us home since contractions are still pretty far apart (7-10 min). Doesn't everyone get sent home at least once? It's amazingly quiet here. I thought June will be high-season.

11:30PM - Just got confirmation we're staying the night! Turns out Joyce is dilated at 3-4 cm already!! I still have no clue what that means - but it sounds like she's making progress.

June 17, 2009

12:30AM - Officially admitted to Good Samaritan. I've always wondered is Good Sam a Christian Hospital? Or are they publically declaring - "We are not Christians or Jews, we are Samaritans who don't follow your religion but we'll take care of you anyways!"

2:30AM - Our RN, Nurse #1, says we have about 3 hours of waiting until the next milestone. She pulls out my comfy bed (something short of a Futon) for me and wants us to get some rest.

2:35AM - I hear what I think are sirens - this is a hospital afterall. But the siren sound doesn't go away! Goodness - it's a woman screaming!! Her voice is coming through the air vents. There's a woman - giving birth without an epidural!! Her screams are loud, crisp and painful!! Every 2 minutes!! And they last a full minute!! "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" We ask for ear plugs. It doesn't help. Why don't they sound proof these walls?!?!?!

3:00AM - Can't stand it anymore. I rather go home for a shower since Joyce isn't near ready yet and that lady isn't near done screaming.

5:30AM - Nurse #1 says Joyce is around 6-7cm. Joyce hasn't slept a wink in over 24 hours due to the contractions. She asks for some medication but those only numb her for an hour. I wonder if I can take some medication too so I can get some shut-eye. Doubt it.

7:00AM - Changing of the shifts - new nurse - Nurse #2 comes in. Changing nurses is like getting a new teacher when you're in elementary school. Going from one grade to another, you've spent all year with your favorite teacher! No other teacher in the world can be as great as your previous teacher. Only you find out that your previous teacher... really wasn't that great.

7:26AM - Joyce had enough. She needs some sleep and rest so the anesthesiologist comes into adminster the epidural. He looks eerily like my old lead back at work. Nah... couldn't be. Anyhoo, I seriously thought Joyce could've done this without an epidural. She's such a trooper!

7:53AM - Nurse #2 checking on Joyce again - dilated to 6+. I've once had my eyes dilated. Is this the same thing?

7:55AM - Water broke - finally. That's good - cuz we didn't want it to mess up our bed or inside our car.

8:15AM - Our OB Dr. Z stops by to say "Hi" on her way to work. How nice! Says we'll have this baby by lunchtime!!

8:30AM - I make a quick run to Starbucks and go home to send a prayer request email and get our phone chargers. If the baby's coming at noon, we better have our phones ready to text like mad!!

9:00AM - Come back to see Joyce sleeping. Phew... didn't miss any excitement. Always the fear of "going to do something" and missing the birth of your child. Not this time... not yet.

9:30AM - Selai Chan calls to wish us well.

11:30AM - I'm hungry. Run downstairs to the cafeteria and quickly decide to skip out to Carl's Jr. instead. Come back with a Wester Bacon Cheeseburger and Crisscut Fries. Didn't need to get a soda cuz Good Sam has a pantry full of goodies. (Yay Good Sam!)

12:30PM - Since this morning, Pitocin dosage went from 2 milliUnits / min to 5 to 7 to 9 to 8 to 7. We're trying to increase the frequency of the contractions. We've now hit the 36 hour mark. The contractions are too sporadic. When will this end?

12:45PM - Just got done reading the story from Geoff. Great short story about a father and his newborn daughter. I'm getting sleepy from waiting. Gonna take a 5 minute power nap.

1:10PM - Nurse #2 comes in and checks on Joyce again. She's at 9.5. In another half hour, we'll start pushing. WOW... this is really happening!

2:45PM - Officially started pushing. We didn't attend any of the Labor / Breathing Class so we get a 15 second crash course on how to do this. "Three quick breaths, deep inhale and PUSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (count to 10), exhale, deep inhale, PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSH (count to 10), exhale, deep inhale, PUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSH (count to 10), exhale. Repeat."

3:00PM - Shift change again. Nurse #2 leaves and here comes Nurse #3. Too bad, cuz I really liked Nurse #2. And she wanted to see us through this delivery. (Still pushing, btw)

3:35PM - HOLY TOLEDO I see the top of head!! GEEZ!!!! Y'know... this isn't as bad as most people make it. I'm not going to faint! This is easy peesy - japanesey!

3:50PM - Nurse #3 says she's going to call Dr. Z. Huh?!? Does that mean.... we're almost there?????? I'm breaking out a huge sweat just coaching Joyce to breathe. Can't even imagine what she's going through.

4:05PM - Dr. Z finally shows up. Sure sign that this wasn't going to be a C-section finally secured itself. Dang...the doc is so calm and cool. Another day in the office for her. Life changing experience for us.

4:30PM - Dr. Z: "Okay, your husband's been a great coach so far. This time, I want you to listen to me. When I say push, you're going to push longer than before. We're going to get her out this time. " And with that... out came the rest of the head.... one more push and out came out the rest of the body. She's.... gray! And then within seconds, she turns pink! Looks just like me. It's amazing! Everything from here on out was a blur... thank goodness for cameras.

4:35PM - It's decided. "Rachel" Final Four Choices: Rachel, Victoria, Abigail, Kaitlyn. Yeah... "Rachel" it is.

6:00PM - Our first visitor, Rachel's 大伯父. Comes marching in with a pair of pink mylar balloons. How sweet. Would've preferred a box of 燒鴨飯 to be honest.

7:15PM - The Louie's show up with the traditional ginger fried rice. HA! Rachel's spiritual grandparents and spiritual uncle!!

8:15PM - Get transferred from Labor & Delivery to Mom & Children. Right before we take off, Rachel decides she's hungry and mom has to feed her while being wheeled off. Talk about timing.

9:15PM - Rachel gets her first bath / diaper change. WOW... what kind of poop is that?!? It's black and tar-like!! Sorta like what I make after a night out at a Giants game with hot dogs, beer and garlic fries. Hmmmm.....

10:05PM - Finally some rest on the same POS chair. All in a day's work. Now the fun really begins...

End of Running Diary