pi?
i just read an amazing story in the newspapers... ok, maybe not that amazing, but it just woke me up from my early morning daze, reminding me that there are much more worthwhile things to do with my life. this china chemistry grad student just tried to break the world's record for reciting by memory the decimal placings to PI. hmmm... he managed 67,890 decimal places... AND STILL LOST!!!! the record, for reference, is held by a Japanese man - Akira Haraguchi - who did 83,431 places in 24 HOURS!!!!! can you imagine - sitting there for 24 hours, reciting decimal places?
Anyway - while fascinating - as PI is really one of those really odd mathematical unknowns - it put my day into perspective. i'm still sleepy tho. i can only do PI up to 5 digits from memory --> 3.14159265 - ok... 8 digits!
i can tell it's going to be one of those days. it's 9:17 by my clock, and i've already used up my 15 mins of free time...
*sigh*
Oct 31, 2005
15 minutes of freedom
in today's 15 mins of freedom, i'm finding myself in a mood to update something... just anything.
today's one of those days, where i feel like i'm on a treadmill. or worse, like a dumb hamster running in those wheel-things in the cage - having no clue that i'm just freaking spinning a wheel to the enjoyment of weird humans watching, thinking that i'm doing something cute...
i'm so tired from a weekend of camping. i can't even say it was a weekend, cuz i was there less than 24 hrs... but it was fun to bbq and play round in the dark, throwing 'round a glow-in-the-dark football, making instant noodles and boiled veggies, and tomato & onion omelettes and porkchops and chicken wings, oatmeal, and s'mores! the highlight, in addition to the smelly outhouse, was kristy giving me and abbie some shaving cream to brush our teeth. it must be an old new zealand camping trick... cuz i think she found it quite amusing. i remember me and abz brushing, and then i was like "man, why is this toothpaste so bland... and why's it moisturizing my mouth????". i gotta hand it to kristy tho - she kept a straight face, and till today i bet still denies she knew anything about it... *sigh*
but yah - i'm so tired. today was tough to stay away, despite the volumes of work to do.
i dunno why, but all the ballers have suddenly stopped ballin'... one day, we were having like 20+ guys show up on our usual monday nite game. we'd get some awesome full court games goin... and then, all of a sudden, we can barely get a team for 3-on-3.
anyhow - after a great weekend, i'm ready for taiwan! hard to believe it's already november! we got only 6 weeks or so to plan the 180 xmas dinner. it's gonna be SO AWESOME!
in today's 15 mins of freedom, i'm finding myself in a mood to update something... just anything.
today's one of those days, where i feel like i'm on a treadmill. or worse, like a dumb hamster running in those wheel-things in the cage - having no clue that i'm just freaking spinning a wheel to the enjoyment of weird humans watching, thinking that i'm doing something cute...
i'm so tired from a weekend of camping. i can't even say it was a weekend, cuz i was there less than 24 hrs... but it was fun to bbq and play round in the dark, throwing 'round a glow-in-the-dark football, making instant noodles and boiled veggies, and tomato & onion omelettes and porkchops and chicken wings, oatmeal, and s'mores! the highlight, in addition to the smelly outhouse, was kristy giving me and abbie some shaving cream to brush our teeth. it must be an old new zealand camping trick... cuz i think she found it quite amusing. i remember me and abz brushing, and then i was like "man, why is this toothpaste so bland... and why's it moisturizing my mouth????". i gotta hand it to kristy tho - she kept a straight face, and till today i bet still denies she knew anything about it... *sigh*
but yah - i'm so tired. today was tough to stay away, despite the volumes of work to do.
i dunno why, but all the ballers have suddenly stopped ballin'... one day, we were having like 20+ guys show up on our usual monday nite game. we'd get some awesome full court games goin... and then, all of a sudden, we can barely get a team for 3-on-3.
anyhow - after a great weekend, i'm ready for taiwan! hard to believe it's already november! we got only 6 weeks or so to plan the 180 xmas dinner. it's gonna be SO AWESOME!
Oct 25, 2005
livin' da life
wow... married for a whole month and sum! ain't life grand? :)
i have to say that honestly, married life is pretty awesome. i don't mean that married life in general, but of course, married to the one and only person whom i would ever want to marry! so - before she gets all big-headed reading this.. :P... i think it's so awesome to be able to pray with her before we sleep... starting to do devotionals together, even if it is just reading at this point. we can talk about stuff and plan our lives around each other, and just know that we got each other covered the whole way! i think we still have our rough spots to iron out - as it really IS weird to be doing devotions w/another person, or like when i need prayer, to just sit down and pray w/her (which really hasn't been so spontaneous like that yet)... but i think it's real cool cuz it's part of our growth, and part of our learning, and part of our next step w/God! add it all together, and it's pretty exciting!
sooooo - you can see from her blog that we just got back from singapore. that was pretty fun - and it's always a blessing to be able to travel so much! it's even better now cuz we don't have to get separate rooms and all that!
this past weekend was awesome, cuz i got an opportunity to speak at one_eighty - my first time! prepping for a talk on the parable of the talents really involved a lot of soul searching, and seeking what God's message is for me and everyone else. it made me realize many things on many levels. in summary, i was convicted that i have no reason to doubt HIS promise. after recounting the blessings and the mighty works God has done over the past few years, i was left in awe. it wasn't even in my own life - but also in the lives around me. i realize that i've been while "storing" up so much of God's blessings for myself - my real worth is in how much i then choose to let go and invest in the world around me.
it's taken me like 4 days to post this. i'm finding that despite thinking that now we might have all this free time from months of wedding planning, we actually don't! it's been crazy this past month! it's real good yet it's real bad. our home, of course, has been the neglected part, much to the dislike of both of us. we just leave ourselves no time to really make a home. however, now that we finally cooked our first meal (see these here!), and got pans and pots and stuff... we're almost there! we just bought a dining table which comes on friday, a bookshelf for our study, and an island cutting block for the kitchen. as odd as it may seem, i LOVE homemaking! i love the feeling of going home, and then seeing the wife, and putting the bling on the foyer shelf, draping the backpack on the dining table chair... kickin back on the sofa, opening up the 15" g4 powerbook, playin the tunes thru airport into the hi-fi speakers... i love it!
well... we off to taiwan likely next weekend. i'm SO EXCITED! ok...
there goes my '15mins-of-personal-stuff' every so often during the day that my boss tells me to take...
happy bday mom!!!! :)
wow... married for a whole month and sum! ain't life grand? :)
i have to say that honestly, married life is pretty awesome. i don't mean that married life in general, but of course, married to the one and only person whom i would ever want to marry! so - before she gets all big-headed reading this.. :P... i think it's so awesome to be able to pray with her before we sleep... starting to do devotionals together, even if it is just reading at this point. we can talk about stuff and plan our lives around each other, and just know that we got each other covered the whole way! i think we still have our rough spots to iron out - as it really IS weird to be doing devotions w/another person, or like when i need prayer, to just sit down and pray w/her (which really hasn't been so spontaneous like that yet)... but i think it's real cool cuz it's part of our growth, and part of our learning, and part of our next step w/God! add it all together, and it's pretty exciting!
sooooo - you can see from her blog that we just got back from singapore. that was pretty fun - and it's always a blessing to be able to travel so much! it's even better now cuz we don't have to get separate rooms and all that!
this past weekend was awesome, cuz i got an opportunity to speak at one_eighty - my first time! prepping for a talk on the parable of the talents really involved a lot of soul searching, and seeking what God's message is for me and everyone else. it made me realize many things on many levels. in summary, i was convicted that i have no reason to doubt HIS promise. after recounting the blessings and the mighty works God has done over the past few years, i was left in awe. it wasn't even in my own life - but also in the lives around me. i realize that i've been while "storing" up so much of God's blessings for myself - my real worth is in how much i then choose to let go and invest in the world around me.
it's taken me like 4 days to post this. i'm finding that despite thinking that now we might have all this free time from months of wedding planning, we actually don't! it's been crazy this past month! it's real good yet it's real bad. our home, of course, has been the neglected part, much to the dislike of both of us. we just leave ourselves no time to really make a home. however, now that we finally cooked our first meal (see these here!), and got pans and pots and stuff... we're almost there! we just bought a dining table which comes on friday, a bookshelf for our study, and an island cutting block for the kitchen. as odd as it may seem, i LOVE homemaking! i love the feeling of going home, and then seeing the wife, and putting the bling on the foyer shelf, draping the backpack on the dining table chair... kickin back on the sofa, opening up the 15" g4 powerbook, playin the tunes thru airport into the hi-fi speakers... i love it!
well... we off to taiwan likely next weekend. i'm SO EXCITED! ok...
there goes my '15mins-of-personal-stuff' every so often during the day that my boss tells me to take...
happy bday mom!!!! :)
Aug 1, 2005
My Office
corner baby!
wow. check out my new office! heheh... today, i walked into my new office and was taken to my new boss' room. now if you can imagine - our office floor is like a square donut, w/the lift core in the middle. then from the core out, there are the boss' rooms facing the windows, and all the cubicle spaces then moving out towards the window. the last time i was in that area, there was this one small cubicle facing the boss' room, w/the back to the window, that i had thought was mine. i was thinking - well.... at least it's fidelity, so it can't be all bad!!! so i walk in today, and he's like... 'well clifford, let's get you over to your desk'.... so in glum dis-anticipation (if that's a word) - i headed to that space.... but then! he turns the other way when he exits his room... and at this time, i'm so confused??? he's walking to the corner space, where as i'm closing in, i see this name bar empty on a corner space. at this time, i'm thinking... no way... can't be...
it's kinda funny, cuz then he's starts being super apologetic w/me cuz he thot i felt my 'space' was too small... he like 'well - this is it... BUT... at least you get a decent view." hmmmm.... oh wells. i'm not the most demanding guy, so my face was like, 'yeah - at the very least u can do is gimme a view!', but my heart was like - 'woah - i did NOT expect this!'
but yah - PRAISE GOD - cuz HE is so good to me!!! my first day was so busy! life back in a big top tier firm again... i love it! i come in and my email's all set up, w/about 50 in the inbox before i even log in. my assistant, who's on leave this week, had already booked my for various meetings, to the tune of like 5-7 a day for this week - which is part of the overall orientation, meeting all the other division heads n key personnel... well - all that stuff is real great. but just sitting back for a 5 min rest in between meetings and gazing out into the harbor is a real great feeling.
aside from that... got the keys to the new pad. however, now is the tough part of moving in... ugh... so much to move... so little time!
oh wells
hillsong united this thurs tho! man - it's gonna be so awesome!
i'm so drole right now.... sigh....
Jul 27, 2005
apartment... check...
last nite, we just closed on our apartment! we'll be living at harbor heights in fortress hill, which is a cool 5 min walk to the park! :) we'll likely get our keys on thursday, and then, we officially have a new home... woohoo... so that takes one big tick off the to-do list!
the rest of my list: (compiled by the lovely linnet)
1) arrange honeymoon (in maldives?) w/elim tourism
2) fill/design wedding ceremony program
3) find a printer to print program
4) contact conrad for wine tasting
5) call annie at conrad for deco & meal cards
6) florist
7) apartment closing
8) helpers for wedding!!!
9) write vows
10) guestlist confirmations w/ma-friends group
11) sofa shopping --> ALMOST THERE!!!!!!!!!!!
12) bed frame shopping --> SOOOO CLOSE TO BUYING IT!!!!
13)tv/washer/dryer/dining table --> i think this is almost done
14) utilities for apartment --> mostly being handled by our agent
15) give pics to tony photography for slideshow
16) get tux
17) reception table deco
18) pack up my house
19) follow up on un-RSVP'd invites!
20) tell my fiancee how awesome she is!
yah yah yah... i just pushed out the list to make it look like i got a ton to do. in actuality, my 'vacation' has been golf and basketball... some sleep... hehehe
only 38 more days to go! it's getting to the point where there's so much creative stuff to do - programs, deco, flowers... i'm so lost. i'm so left-brained, so when i'm asked to think of design stuff - i'm like spending an inordinate amount of processing power just trying to visualize the conrad reception and ballroom areas! aaarrrgghhhh!!!!! buuuuttt - it's a good thing lin has such artistic creativity! heheh... ok - so that's a pretty lame excuse. i try my best... no regrets...
it's already wednesday, so that means i only got 3 more weekdays off, then a weekend, then i start my job. so weird being in this job moving position. i'm enjoying not having responsibility - especially being free to roam the busy central streets in jeans and t-shirt and my cons. it's nice not to be in the middle of the rat-race for once, but yet, be in the midst of them. i felt like an outsider looking into the lives of all the people in central making millions of bux a year, w/out a concern for anything other than.... well... making millions of bux a year... wat a sad state :(
hillsong united coming to HK on AUG 4th! it's being hosted by the vine, and best of all, it's FREE!!!! here the venue info:
WHO: hillsong united...
WHAT: ....LIVE! in HONG KONG!
WHERE: Hong Kong Poly Univ. Jockey Club Auditorium, Hung Hum, Kowloon
WHEN: Thursday, aug. 4, 2005 @ 7pm doors will OPEN
this means... BE THERE BY THEN!!! there is limited capacity and the vine expects a FULL turnout! it's going to be awesome, to be blessed to share an evening of worship with the united band. AND, there will be a message (bilingual!) by phil dooley, hillsong youth pastor! so get there early to make sure u get a seat!
anyway - i'm done plugging. oh yeah... one more plug. download THIS!!!. tom read, worship pastor/leader of the vine, continues to pump out inspirational worship songs. in fact, one user/downloader had rated tom as asia's best worship songwriter and leader. after listening to some of his songs via download from this link, one will quickly come to understand why!
well... wednesday... that means golf. i'm off to the links
my last rant against the crazy dentist... this guy is like - if pain persists... then we'll do a root canal! i'm so pissed! my tooth hurts... no insurance till next week... so that means chewing like a #*()$@()$@# horse till then! ugh... praise GOD tho - cuz i've had such a great week so far! so wat's a li'l discomfort!
last nite, we just closed on our apartment! we'll be living at harbor heights in fortress hill, which is a cool 5 min walk to the park! :) we'll likely get our keys on thursday, and then, we officially have a new home... woohoo... so that takes one big tick off the to-do list!
the rest of my list: (compiled by the lovely linnet)
1) arrange honeymoon (in maldives?) w/elim tourism
2) fill/design wedding ceremony program
3) find a printer to print program
4) contact conrad for wine tasting
6) florist
8) helpers for wedding!!!
9) write vows
13)
15) give pics to tony photography for slideshow
16) get tux
17) reception table deco
18) pack up my house
19) follow up on un-RSVP'd invites!
yah yah yah... i just pushed out the list to make it look like i got a ton to do. in actuality, my 'vacation' has been golf and basketball... some sleep... hehehe
only 38 more days to go! it's getting to the point where there's so much creative stuff to do - programs, deco, flowers... i'm so lost. i'm so left-brained, so when i'm asked to think of design stuff - i'm like spending an inordinate amount of processing power just trying to visualize the conrad reception and ballroom areas! aaarrrgghhhh!!!!! buuuuttt - it's a good thing lin has such artistic creativity! heheh... ok - so that's a pretty lame excuse. i try my best... no regrets...
it's already wednesday, so that means i only got 3 more weekdays off, then a weekend, then i start my job. so weird being in this job moving position. i'm enjoying not having responsibility - especially being free to roam the busy central streets in jeans and t-shirt and my cons. it's nice not to be in the middle of the rat-race for once, but yet, be in the midst of them. i felt like an outsider looking into the lives of all the people in central making millions of bux a year, w/out a concern for anything other than.... well... making millions of bux a year... wat a sad state :(
hillsong united coming to HK on AUG 4th! it's being hosted by the vine, and best of all, it's FREE!!!! here the venue info:
WHO: hillsong united...
WHAT: ....LIVE! in HONG KONG!
WHERE: Hong Kong Poly Univ. Jockey Club Auditorium, Hung Hum, Kowloon
WHEN: Thursday, aug. 4, 2005 @ 7pm doors will OPEN
this means... BE THERE BY THEN!!! there is limited capacity and the vine expects a FULL turnout! it's going to be awesome, to be blessed to share an evening of worship with the united band. AND, there will be a message (bilingual!) by phil dooley, hillsong youth pastor! so get there early to make sure u get a seat!
anyway - i'm done plugging. oh yeah... one more plug. download THIS!!!. tom read, worship pastor/leader of the vine, continues to pump out inspirational worship songs. in fact, one user/downloader had rated tom as asia's best worship songwriter and leader. after listening to some of his songs via download from this link, one will quickly come to understand why!
well... wednesday... that means golf. i'm off to the links
my last rant against the crazy dentist... this guy is like - if pain persists... then we'll do a root canal! i'm so pissed! my tooth hurts... no insurance till next week... so that means chewing like a #*()$@()$@# horse till then! ugh... praise GOD tho - cuz i've had such a great week so far! so wat's a li'l discomfort!
Jul 21, 2005
last day w/nai app
well - it's 2:40pm on my last day here at nai app. it's a neat feeling knowing that i'm entering a different phase of my life - along many facets too! i've packed my desk, turned over my pending assignments, and really am just waiting for the horn to blow fer quittin' time!
the next 10 days will be fun fun fun. i've already gotten my tee-time for golf tom'w at 10:02am... and likely to hit the links again on monday. i'll likely not have to work saturday anymore (contractually, at least)... and best of all - i won't have to hike up the freakin wyndham street hill anymore!!!!
aside from that - 10 days of no responsibility will be cool. my tooth is KILLING from dental work on monday. i have no idea what's wrong- and after i tell the dentist that i'm experiencing some pretty ugly pain, he's like.... 'well, just deal with it for the next few days'. DEAL WITH IT???$)#@(*$)(@#*$@# sad thing is - he said if you have like pain that lasts more than 30mins at a time - you might really have to do a root canal. oooooo..kkkkkkkk....
when i went into his office on monday - i said right off that i thot i needed a root canal. he said "noooooo, prolly not! you don't wanna do a root canal unless it's absolutely necessary!"... so i trust him... he fills the tooth... and 3 days later - i have this excruciating pain - that just builds up at random intervals for like 5-10mins at a time. so weird. well - i deal with it a bit longer lah. if it continues - i guess root canal, here i come. here's the funny bit. he charges me 3000+ for this, then will prolly charge me another 8000 or so for the root canal. well - if he woulda done it correctly from the beginning, i wouldn't have had to pay that 3000+!!!!! does anyone else sense a SCAM here???????
anyway - no more venting. i'm in a happy place, reallly. i gotta pack up the remaining things, and then i'm jettin'. can't wait.
dave ng's in the hospital, so if you pray, please spare a prayer for him. he's recovering from surgery on his liver, and is in a pretty weak condition. he'll be in the hospital another 3-4 days at least, so pray for God give comfort to him and to give him healing!
well - it's 2:40pm on my last day here at nai app. it's a neat feeling knowing that i'm entering a different phase of my life - along many facets too! i've packed my desk, turned over my pending assignments, and really am just waiting for the horn to blow fer quittin' time!
the next 10 days will be fun fun fun. i've already gotten my tee-time for golf tom'w at 10:02am... and likely to hit the links again on monday. i'll likely not have to work saturday anymore (contractually, at least)... and best of all - i won't have to hike up the freakin wyndham street hill anymore!!!!
aside from that - 10 days of no responsibility will be cool. my tooth is KILLING from dental work on monday. i have no idea what's wrong- and after i tell the dentist that i'm experiencing some pretty ugly pain, he's like.... 'well, just deal with it for the next few days'. DEAL WITH IT???$)#@(*$)(@#*$@# sad thing is - he said if you have like pain that lasts more than 30mins at a time - you might really have to do a root canal. oooooo..kkkkkkkk....
when i went into his office on monday - i said right off that i thot i needed a root canal. he said "noooooo, prolly not! you don't wanna do a root canal unless it's absolutely necessary!"... so i trust him... he fills the tooth... and 3 days later - i have this excruciating pain - that just builds up at random intervals for like 5-10mins at a time. so weird. well - i deal with it a bit longer lah. if it continues - i guess root canal, here i come. here's the funny bit. he charges me 3000+ for this, then will prolly charge me another 8000 or so for the root canal. well - if he woulda done it correctly from the beginning, i wouldn't have had to pay that 3000+!!!!! does anyone else sense a SCAM here???????
anyway - no more venting. i'm in a happy place, reallly. i gotta pack up the remaining things, and then i'm jettin'. can't wait.
dave ng's in the hospital, so if you pray, please spare a prayer for him. he's recovering from surgery on his liver, and is in a pretty weak condition. he'll be in the hospital another 3-4 days at least, so pray for God give comfort to him and to give him healing!
Jul 14, 2005
numbers game
51 days till the big day
32 days till marriage registration
17 days till i start my new job
7 more days of current job
5 working days of current job
0 more saturday office days!
i just downloaded this cool satellite imaging tool. i would recommend all to do it and play around on it... it's so cool!
51 days till the big day
32 days till marriage registration
17 days till i start my new job
7 more days of current job
5 working days of current job
0 more saturday office days!
i just downloaded this cool satellite imaging tool. i would recommend all to do it and play around on it... it's so cool!
Jul 7, 2005
coincidence? bah...
i have to really stretch my imagination and wiles to attribute all the 'happenings' in my life to mere 'coincidence' or 'luck' or any outcome of some superior planning of mine. it really just boils down to one thing - God...
in the past year, i have been set on the "beginning of the rest of my life" train (or rollercoaster, depending on u'r perspective), and i can say that i am SO BLESSED and SO HAPPY because it's finally happening to ME!!!
in 58 days, i will be marrying linnet, who just happens to be the woman of my dreams! i will be moving into a new house, yet to be determined. and i'll be moving into a brand new job! my stint in the real estate business is finally over. it's been tough to leave, because i really do love my company, and especially the people here - especially since baggy works here now!
about 4-5 months ago, God gave me a vision of great encouragement to me. i guess if anything, it confirmed what i really felt in my heart - that there can be great and mighty things to happen, BUT, only if i take a bold step forward to TAKE that which God has in store. i thot and prayed and reflected again on this, and what i thot it meant. i had a strong sense of just moving forward - and that resources would be given so that i would be able to care for my own family, my parents, and also my brother's ministry. i shared this w/a bud in 180.. and we prayed over it.
there has always been only one firm that i would have considered moving for - and that's fidelity investments. they happen to be the largest pure fund management company in the world, and in my eyes - the most elite, and the best. so i figure, if i have sights, why not set it up to the top - only cuz w/God, anything is possible, amen? well - a "chance" encounter during a tour of 2 IFC for a group of investors from the US where i kinda lost my group and ended up waiting in the lobby for 1/2hr, where i then bumped into my old supervisor from my job in HK 10 years ago... who i then forward my resume to after i get this new 'vision of grandeur'.... who then gave my CV to a contact at fidelity... who then asks for an interview w/li'l ol' me...
i just can't believe that luck and circumstance had anything to do with it. especially after going thru this once before in my life that 'coincidentally' turned into my salvation... just before that first interview, on my way to 1 IFC, where my new office will be, i 'happen' to bump into andrew - an elder at the church. i tell him where i'm going, and he's says something that sorta sums it all up: ”hey - good luck, cliff. but then again, we don't much believe in luck anyway, huh? don't worry about it, cuz God's got it all taken care of already. bless you, mate”
i have to confess that it hasn't been an easy time. wondering about careers and whatnot is not an easy thing to endure. that level of uncertainty and the questioning of whether we are 'in God's will' can sometimes untrack us from the path He actually intends for us to ride on. i've learned this through so many lessons... that after each time and each season of change, i'm left in awe at the way His hand is always so evident. the secret to not worrying? it very simple! serving God is not necessarily the act of doing things for God - you can do all you want, church service or no... but it's not going to mean a thing if your heart and attitude are all wrong.... as linnet always points out to me - God knows!
anyway – praise GOD! i’m starting august 1 – and w/my end date set for the 21st, I’ll have a nice 10 day holiday to relax, golf, and catch up on my share of the wedding prep! only 2 more weeks to go!
i have to really stretch my imagination and wiles to attribute all the 'happenings' in my life to mere 'coincidence' or 'luck' or any outcome of some superior planning of mine. it really just boils down to one thing - God...
in the past year, i have been set on the "beginning of the rest of my life" train (or rollercoaster, depending on u'r perspective), and i can say that i am SO BLESSED and SO HAPPY because it's finally happening to ME!!!
in 58 days, i will be marrying linnet, who just happens to be the woman of my dreams! i will be moving into a new house, yet to be determined. and i'll be moving into a brand new job! my stint in the real estate business is finally over. it's been tough to leave, because i really do love my company, and especially the people here - especially since baggy works here now!
about 4-5 months ago, God gave me a vision of great encouragement to me. i guess if anything, it confirmed what i really felt in my heart - that there can be great and mighty things to happen, BUT, only if i take a bold step forward to TAKE that which God has in store. i thot and prayed and reflected again on this, and what i thot it meant. i had a strong sense of just moving forward - and that resources would be given so that i would be able to care for my own family, my parents, and also my brother's ministry. i shared this w/a bud in 180.. and we prayed over it.
there has always been only one firm that i would have considered moving for - and that's fidelity investments. they happen to be the largest pure fund management company in the world, and in my eyes - the most elite, and the best. so i figure, if i have sights, why not set it up to the top - only cuz w/God, anything is possible, amen? well - a "chance" encounter during a tour of 2 IFC for a group of investors from the US where i kinda lost my group and ended up waiting in the lobby for 1/2hr, where i then bumped into my old supervisor from my job in HK 10 years ago... who i then forward my resume to after i get this new 'vision of grandeur'.... who then gave my CV to a contact at fidelity... who then asks for an interview w/li'l ol' me...
i just can't believe that luck and circumstance had anything to do with it. especially after going thru this once before in my life that 'coincidentally' turned into my salvation... just before that first interview, on my way to 1 IFC, where my new office will be, i 'happen' to bump into andrew - an elder at the church. i tell him where i'm going, and he's says something that sorta sums it all up: ”hey - good luck, cliff. but then again, we don't much believe in luck anyway, huh? don't worry about it, cuz God's got it all taken care of already. bless you, mate”
i have to confess that it hasn't been an easy time. wondering about careers and whatnot is not an easy thing to endure. that level of uncertainty and the questioning of whether we are 'in God's will' can sometimes untrack us from the path He actually intends for us to ride on. i've learned this through so many lessons... that after each time and each season of change, i'm left in awe at the way His hand is always so evident. the secret to not worrying? it very simple! serving God is not necessarily the act of doing things for God - you can do all you want, church service or no... but it's not going to mean a thing if your heart and attitude are all wrong.... as linnet always points out to me - God knows!
anyway – praise GOD! i’m starting august 1 – and w/my end date set for the 21st, I’ll have a nice 10 day holiday to relax, golf, and catch up on my share of the wedding prep! only 2 more weeks to go!
May 30, 2005
mondays... hmph...
i'm getting to dislike mondays. despite the beautiful day outside, i'm stuck in an office building, filling TPS reports, and wondering what reaction my boss would have if i suddenly showed up in shorts and a t-shirt... *sigh*...
life ain't all that bad, and i don't really mean all that! ahahahaha... given that it IS a great day, and i DO have a job, and that it's IDEAL in the sense that i'm not here 15 hours a day 7 days a week... what do i have to complain about?
this has been such a hectic month. i never thought 2 consectutive weekends of travel would wear me down like that. but man - it was good to get away for a bit and have some fun in other countries. check it HERE!
in indonesia, i visited some old friends from the old church... was really fun to see the city, and eat at this awesome bread place. hehe.. we fly like 8000 miles (total) just for some #@($@)#$( bread!!!! anyway - it was good, and if you want to find out how good, you gotta go to jakarta and bread story at Plaza Indonesia!
then the following w/end was off to shanghai! that was so productive and fun. i mean- spending 3 hours at the cloth market and then another 2 hrs or so being fitted for the clothes to come... all at a cost of less than an IPOD photo??? we must have made about 30 pieces of clothing!! hehe :) i have to say tho - one of linnet's friends mentioned that if i were to stay/live in shanghai for a long period of time, i'd get as big as he is (he's pretty big!! ehhe).... and i think it's so true!! linnet likes to eat these squiggly squid on a satay sticks that actually look really gross but i'm sure tastes real good. a lot of the food is so oily, but b/c it's so cheap, you buy it by the dozen! case in point: sunday morning breakfast - 2 pork & veggie "bao"s, some 'fried' bread thing (not deep fried tho), some chinese "naan" thing w/egg... some fried (this time deep fried) really yummy chicken... that's a pretty gross breakfast. eating everyday like that definitely would add the poundage
buuuuuuttttt - at the end of the day, hk IS my home. and i had missed being here. being at 180. being at church. and being w/friends. and just hanging at home, watching csi, being w/my fiancee (awwwwwwwww....).
i can't help but wonder what it is God has planned for li'l ol' me. is it filing my TPS reports for the next 20 years? (PLEASE GOD! I PRAY YOU DELIVER ME FROM THAT!!!)... is it moving on and up in the biz world? what really matters? it's a long long process, but w/each time that passes where i actually think about it - i find that it's not about focusing on the where am i question. it's more about what am i doing about it that motivates me. this one sermon i heard one time puts it like this:
right place + right attitude = best of both worlds and where God can use u best
right place + wrong attitude = not so good a place, as not open to God's calling
wrong place + right attitude = God can use you despite this "wrong place", b/c you are willing
wrong place + wrong attitude = worst case - and you need to take a step back!
i think the hardest part is really determining which place you are in. for me - i feel that i was in the right place for a time, but now it's slowly turning. whichever way, my attitude is wat will determine my effectiveness. there are times when it just seems like it be so much better to do something "good" like charity work/church work/mission fields - you know, the altruistic endeavors. i'd love to just be able to spend my days purely thinking about helping others or planning 'stuff' to help others - but, i just know that God has not called me there (despite the thought that i probably could have an infinitely better attitude in that place).
there's a little story in the bible about using one's talents (matt. 25:14-30). in the application of that story - the parable talks about using the 'talents' God has given and multiplying it. the guy that just 'buried it', and was worried about losing it, had it taken away. in the same way - i don't even wanna think about what kinda report i would have to give God in that day when i have to tell HIM why i didn't use all that he had given me, and allow Him to multiply the fruit that will inevitably bare. not that i have to worry about that... just gotta go out and make it happen. but u know - u'll never make it if u never put yourself out there!
well - there's no doubt in my mind... changes are in store. fresh and new opportunities are coming. i know it. i believe it.
it's pretty slow this fine monday morning...
i'm getting to dislike mondays. despite the beautiful day outside, i'm stuck in an office building, filling TPS reports, and wondering what reaction my boss would have if i suddenly showed up in shorts and a t-shirt... *sigh*...
life ain't all that bad, and i don't really mean all that! ahahahaha... given that it IS a great day, and i DO have a job, and that it's IDEAL in the sense that i'm not here 15 hours a day 7 days a week... what do i have to complain about?
this has been such a hectic month. i never thought 2 consectutive weekends of travel would wear me down like that. but man - it was good to get away for a bit and have some fun in other countries. check it HERE!
in indonesia, i visited some old friends from the old church... was really fun to see the city, and eat at this awesome bread place. hehe.. we fly like 8000 miles (total) just for some #@($@)#$( bread!!!! anyway - it was good, and if you want to find out how good, you gotta go to jakarta and bread story at Plaza Indonesia!
then the following w/end was off to shanghai! that was so productive and fun. i mean- spending 3 hours at the cloth market and then another 2 hrs or so being fitted for the clothes to come... all at a cost of less than an IPOD photo??? we must have made about 30 pieces of clothing!! hehe :) i have to say tho - one of linnet's friends mentioned that if i were to stay/live in shanghai for a long period of time, i'd get as big as he is (he's pretty big!! ehhe).... and i think it's so true!! linnet likes to eat these squiggly squid on a satay sticks that actually look really gross but i'm sure tastes real good. a lot of the food is so oily, but b/c it's so cheap, you buy it by the dozen! case in point: sunday morning breakfast - 2 pork & veggie "bao"s, some 'fried' bread thing (not deep fried tho), some chinese "naan" thing w/egg... some fried (this time deep fried) really yummy chicken... that's a pretty gross breakfast. eating everyday like that definitely would add the poundage
buuuuuuttttt - at the end of the day, hk IS my home. and i had missed being here. being at 180. being at church. and being w/friends. and just hanging at home, watching csi, being w/my fiancee (awwwwwwwww....).
i can't help but wonder what it is God has planned for li'l ol' me. is it filing my TPS reports for the next 20 years? (PLEASE GOD! I PRAY YOU DELIVER ME FROM THAT!!!)... is it moving on and up in the biz world? what really matters? it's a long long process, but w/each time that passes where i actually think about it - i find that it's not about focusing on the where am i question. it's more about what am i doing about it that motivates me. this one sermon i heard one time puts it like this:
right place + right attitude = best of both worlds and where God can use u best
right place + wrong attitude = not so good a place, as not open to God's calling
wrong place + right attitude = God can use you despite this "wrong place", b/c you are willing
wrong place + wrong attitude = worst case - and you need to take a step back!
i think the hardest part is really determining which place you are in. for me - i feel that i was in the right place for a time, but now it's slowly turning. whichever way, my attitude is wat will determine my effectiveness. there are times when it just seems like it be so much better to do something "good" like charity work/church work/mission fields - you know, the altruistic endeavors. i'd love to just be able to spend my days purely thinking about helping others or planning 'stuff' to help others - but, i just know that God has not called me there (despite the thought that i probably could have an infinitely better attitude in that place).
there's a little story in the bible about using one's talents (matt. 25:14-30). in the application of that story - the parable talks about using the 'talents' God has given and multiplying it. the guy that just 'buried it', and was worried about losing it, had it taken away. in the same way - i don't even wanna think about what kinda report i would have to give God in that day when i have to tell HIM why i didn't use all that he had given me, and allow Him to multiply the fruit that will inevitably bare. not that i have to worry about that... just gotta go out and make it happen. but u know - u'll never make it if u never put yourself out there!
well - there's no doubt in my mind... changes are in store. fresh and new opportunities are coming. i know it. i believe it.
it's pretty slow this fine monday morning...
May 3, 2005
my brain
my brain is on evangelism... weird how one good word can brighten someone's day. how many can i do each day?
my brain is on Jesus... why cannot i let more people know about HIM???
my brain is on ME... this is the answer to the above question!
my brain is on books... i have to read so many for marriage, but yet they are so interesting.
my brain is on cell phones... i really want to buy a new one for some reason.
my brain is on wedding... i thinking of cards and lists and tables and flowers
my brain is on work... or rather not. should i leave?
my brain is on sleep... days are rather tiring recently.
my brain is on tea... tea or coffee?
my brain is on my boss... i know she gonna be saved one day, she already asked to go to church!
my brain is on apple... tiger just came out and i hope i can get an upgrade... CHEAPLY!
my brain is on water... drank too little yesterday, drank (drinking) too much today :(
my brain is on ME... is my resume good enough to get me a new job?
my brain is on dizzy... still reeling from the boat ride yesterday
my brain is on linnet... she gonna kill me for taking so long to think about her
my brain is on cold call... all part of a good day's work
my brain is on procrastination... all part of why i'm doing this and not doing that
my brain is on fire... from thinking off too many things in a 4 minute span!
just letting my brain go for a few minutes as i take a work break....
back to the daily grind!
:)
my brain is on evangelism... weird how one good word can brighten someone's day. how many can i do each day?
my brain is on Jesus... why cannot i let more people know about HIM???
my brain is on ME... this is the answer to the above question!
my brain is on books... i have to read so many for marriage, but yet they are so interesting.
my brain is on cell phones... i really want to buy a new one for some reason.
my brain is on wedding... i thinking of cards and lists and tables and flowers
my brain is on work... or rather not. should i leave?
my brain is on sleep... days are rather tiring recently.
my brain is on tea... tea or coffee?
my brain is on my boss... i know she gonna be saved one day, she already asked to go to church!
my brain is on apple... tiger just came out and i hope i can get an upgrade... CHEAPLY!
my brain is on water... drank too little yesterday, drank (drinking) too much today :(
my brain is on ME... is my resume good enough to get me a new job?
my brain is on dizzy... still reeling from the boat ride yesterday
my brain is on linnet... she gonna kill me for taking so long to think about her
my brain is on cold call... all part of a good day's work
my brain is on procrastination... all part of why i'm doing this and not doing that
my brain is on fire... from thinking off too many things in a 4 minute span!
just letting my brain go for a few minutes as i take a work break....
back to the daily grind!
:)
Apr 11, 2005
master-ful
i'm so zzzzzzzzzzzz. it's not b/c of the jet lag. it's not b/c i have sleepless nites thinking about my wedding. it's not b/c i have the most beautifulest fiancee in the world... (ok - if you even SAY the word PUKE...). it's simply the masters season! the greatest golf tournament of the year!! unfortunately, it's in augusta, georgia (america, not russia!!), so the time is waaaayyyyy off!
friday - up at 4:30am, sleep at 7:30am, wake at 8:15am
saturday - up at 4:30am - round is rained out so back to sleep
sunday - up at 5:30am - and up n about all day
then came monday... woke up at 3am. perfect timing had me sitting in front of the tv just as tiger tees off on the 1st hole of the last round of the 69th masters, in the final pairing, 3 shots ahead of chris dimarco. after watching tiger methodically birdie the first 2 holes to stretch the lead 4, i left to go pick up andyG and head up to my big bro's place for a final round bash!
so there we were, 3 golf nuts up at 3:30am watching tiger's pin point shots, and dimarco's steely resolve. it was pretty incredible stuff. i filled my pangs (i skipped dinner) with salt and vinegar chips, then did the unthinkable. i mixed that with haagen daaz cookies n cream ice cream. it's the death combo that i really would not recommend to anyone.
at the turn, we were all talking up tiger's romp to victory as they both shot 34s on the front 9, and tiger still clinging to a 3-stroke lead... at this time, brando fixes us up some sausage n eggs w/toast (i'm just about over the whole salt n vinegar-ice cream thing), and taking the pumpkin pie he just baked outta the oven... we chowin down, and by the time we clear everything up, tiger n dimarco are on the par-5 15th, tiger up 1 shot, AND DIMARCO LAYS UP!!!!! .... WHILE HE'S IN THE THICK OF CONTENTION FOR THE MASTERS!!!!!! we were ALL riled up at this point, yelling and screaming at the tv, as normal rowdy boys are when they all get together at 3am to watch a sporting event. then, after both birdie the hole, dimarco making a spirited charge, and tiger clinging to a 1 shot lead into the par-3 16th, the incredible happens...
dimarco leads off w/a very nice tee shot to about 20ft below the hole - a VERY makeable putt, similar to the one phil mickelson had drained the year before in the final round on the way to winning (incidentally also playing w/dimarco). tiger, on the other hand, pulls a nuked shot over the green and off line, to rest against the 2nd cut of grass, left w/an extremely difficult shot - and would do well just to get it into a makeable range on the green. so we like- oh man, this could be a 2 shot swing to put dimarco in the lead by 1 going to 17 & 18! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!
tiger than hits the most dramatic shot that i've ever seen at the masters - with everything on the line... an incredible chip way above the hole, where he checks it up perfectly, and just watches as the ball takes a 90 degree turn back down the slope and curves to the lip of the cup. the 3 of us at this time are slowly getting up and rushing towards the tv (don't ask).. as the ball creeps toward the hole, we chant in unison: go...go...go...go...go... oh my gawd, oh my gawd, oh my gawd... then the ball STOPS just at the lip of the hole, and dangles there for a loooonnnngggg 2 seconds. we screaming at this point, and i don't need to point out that we already out of our seats and already rushing to the tv. c'mon!c'mon! COOOOMMMMEEEE OOOONNNNNN!!!!!!!. then after the 2 secs, the ball just literally dies into the cup! at this time, we like all hi-5'ing each other and screaming some stuff you don't wanna know - clean tho, as andyG is an elder at my church. dimarco is clearly stunned, misses his bird to match, and goes off w/a par, losing an improbable stroke.
then tiger proceeds to bogey 17 & 18, and dimarco incredibly pars both, sending the game to sudden death. wat's incredible is the way dimarco stayed so composed, scrambling tough to save par on 18 w/a testy 5 foot putt. tiger killed the drama on the 1st sudden death hole w/a birdie on 18, winning his 4th green jacket, and 9th overall major. wow....
needless to say, i'm a bit zzzzzzzz now, especially after sitting thru a 2 hour luncheon listening to some economist talk about the asian economy...
however, this tourney was one for the memories. that shot on 16th will stay w/me for a while... the 3 of us were all pumped, especially after tiger's 20ft putt on the 18th in sudden death, when we jumped up, yelled, hi-5'ed.. watever... good times...
it's good to be a boy...
i'm so zzzzzzzzzzzz. it's not b/c of the jet lag. it's not b/c i have sleepless nites thinking about my wedding. it's not b/c i have the most beautifulest fiancee in the world... (ok - if you even SAY the word PUKE...). it's simply the masters season! the greatest golf tournament of the year!! unfortunately, it's in augusta, georgia (america, not russia!!), so the time is waaaayyyyy off!
friday - up at 4:30am, sleep at 7:30am, wake at 8:15am
saturday - up at 4:30am - round is rained out so back to sleep
sunday - up at 5:30am - and up n about all day
then came monday... woke up at 3am. perfect timing had me sitting in front of the tv just as tiger tees off on the 1st hole of the last round of the 69th masters, in the final pairing, 3 shots ahead of chris dimarco. after watching tiger methodically birdie the first 2 holes to stretch the lead 4, i left to go pick up andyG and head up to my big bro's place for a final round bash!
so there we were, 3 golf nuts up at 3:30am watching tiger's pin point shots, and dimarco's steely resolve. it was pretty incredible stuff. i filled my pangs (i skipped dinner) with salt and vinegar chips, then did the unthinkable. i mixed that with haagen daaz cookies n cream ice cream. it's the death combo that i really would not recommend to anyone.
at the turn, we were all talking up tiger's romp to victory as they both shot 34s on the front 9, and tiger still clinging to a 3-stroke lead... at this time, brando fixes us up some sausage n eggs w/toast (i'm just about over the whole salt n vinegar-ice cream thing), and taking the pumpkin pie he just baked outta the oven... we chowin down, and by the time we clear everything up, tiger n dimarco are on the par-5 15th, tiger up 1 shot, AND DIMARCO LAYS UP!!!!! .... WHILE HE'S IN THE THICK OF CONTENTION FOR THE MASTERS!!!!!! we were ALL riled up at this point, yelling and screaming at the tv, as normal rowdy boys are when they all get together at 3am to watch a sporting event. then, after both birdie the hole, dimarco making a spirited charge, and tiger clinging to a 1 shot lead into the par-3 16th, the incredible happens...
dimarco leads off w/a very nice tee shot to about 20ft below the hole - a VERY makeable putt, similar to the one phil mickelson had drained the year before in the final round on the way to winning (incidentally also playing w/dimarco). tiger, on the other hand, pulls a nuked shot over the green and off line, to rest against the 2nd cut of grass, left w/an extremely difficult shot - and would do well just to get it into a makeable range on the green. so we like- oh man, this could be a 2 shot swing to put dimarco in the lead by 1 going to 17 & 18! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!
tiger than hits the most dramatic shot that i've ever seen at the masters - with everything on the line... an incredible chip way above the hole, where he checks it up perfectly, and just watches as the ball takes a 90 degree turn back down the slope and curves to the lip of the cup. the 3 of us at this time are slowly getting up and rushing towards the tv (don't ask).. as the ball creeps toward the hole, we chant in unison: go...go...go...go...go... oh my gawd, oh my gawd, oh my gawd... then the ball STOPS just at the lip of the hole, and dangles there for a loooonnnngggg 2 seconds. we screaming at this point, and i don't need to point out that we already out of our seats and already rushing to the tv. c'mon!c'mon! COOOOMMMMEEEE OOOONNNNNN!!!!!!!. then after the 2 secs, the ball just literally dies into the cup! at this time, we like all hi-5'ing each other and screaming some stuff you don't wanna know - clean tho, as andyG is an elder at my church. dimarco is clearly stunned, misses his bird to match, and goes off w/a par, losing an improbable stroke.
then tiger proceeds to bogey 17 & 18, and dimarco incredibly pars both, sending the game to sudden death. wat's incredible is the way dimarco stayed so composed, scrambling tough to save par on 18 w/a testy 5 foot putt. tiger killed the drama on the 1st sudden death hole w/a birdie on 18, winning his 4th green jacket, and 9th overall major. wow....
needless to say, i'm a bit zzzzzzzz now, especially after sitting thru a 2 hour luncheon listening to some economist talk about the asian economy...
however, this tourney was one for the memories. that shot on 16th will stay w/me for a while... the 3 of us were all pumped, especially after tiger's 20ft putt on the 18th in sudden death, when we jumped up, yelled, hi-5'ed.. watever... good times...
it's good to be a boy...
Apr 5, 2005
Mar 31, 2005
more vacation
so after church on sunday, we had lunch in chinatown w/dren... it's fun talkin wedding planning n stuff. strange...
after that, we went midtown/uptown to have a look at some sites - first stop wuz rockerfeller center and the famous skating rink (and site where the humongo christmas tree is every year). then we walked up 5th ave to trump tower, which was not so good cuz it was under renovation. then to fao schwartz where we took pics of the stuffed animals and the 'big' piano! then over to the plaza hotel n peed there. we made it to the southeast corner of the park before we decided it was way too cold to proceed - so we headed back into brookly n dinner w/mioko n her b/f at some middle eastern place. pretty tame sunday eh?
monday, we went out to meet dren, john (the cuz) and his g/f janelle +1 for indian lunch in the city. we was only there fer lunch, then had to rush back to pack up and go to airport.
i can safely say that i'm glad we outta nyc. it was stinkin COLD - AND, it was raining on monday to boot! we ended up sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours on monday cuz of bad weather delay - but hey -it was WARM, and we were headed to CALI!!!!!
arrived like 11:30pm, rented our hyundai sante fe mini-SUV (SO COOL!)..hehehe... and headed in!
tueday...
so... we woke up to nice cali sunshine.... 15 degrees, not a cloud in the sky... BEAUTIFUL! we just hung out in the house. i'm staying with lin's uncle tim and aunt kay (who is the sis of her mom), and she w/the grandma, who lives in the opposite townhouse. we stayed in in the morn, but drove out to meet my buddy steve n his wife fer lunch at in n out in north hollywood! it was fun!!! after that we went up the road to universal city walk and had a fun time with stuff...
then drove out to ucla campus n got some krispy kremes for the house!!! hehheh back home fer din w/the fams.. and then met up w/howard (from hk!) for some shaved ice n boba!
wat aday
i write this more to keep track of what i'm doing. i don't care if it sounds dumb! heheh
today, we going to palm springs outlet to do some serious shopping!! long day cuz gotta head over to orange county at nite to do my book thang! *sigh*...
so after church on sunday, we had lunch in chinatown w/dren... it's fun talkin wedding planning n stuff. strange...
after that, we went midtown/uptown to have a look at some sites - first stop wuz rockerfeller center and the famous skating rink (and site where the humongo christmas tree is every year). then we walked up 5th ave to trump tower, which was not so good cuz it was under renovation. then to fao schwartz where we took pics of the stuffed animals and the 'big' piano! then over to the plaza hotel n peed there. we made it to the southeast corner of the park before we decided it was way too cold to proceed - so we headed back into brookly n dinner w/mioko n her b/f at some middle eastern place. pretty tame sunday eh?
monday, we went out to meet dren, john (the cuz) and his g/f janelle +1 for indian lunch in the city. we was only there fer lunch, then had to rush back to pack up and go to airport.
i can safely say that i'm glad we outta nyc. it was stinkin COLD - AND, it was raining on monday to boot! we ended up sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours on monday cuz of bad weather delay - but hey -it was WARM, and we were headed to CALI!!!!!
arrived like 11:30pm, rented our hyundai sante fe mini-SUV (SO COOL!)..hehehe... and headed in!
tueday...
so... we woke up to nice cali sunshine.... 15 degrees, not a cloud in the sky... BEAUTIFUL! we just hung out in the house. i'm staying with lin's uncle tim and aunt kay (who is the sis of her mom), and she w/the grandma, who lives in the opposite townhouse. we stayed in in the morn, but drove out to meet my buddy steve n his wife fer lunch at in n out in north hollywood! it was fun!!! after that we went up the road to universal city walk and had a fun time with stuff...
then drove out to ucla campus n got some krispy kremes for the house!!! hehheh back home fer din w/the fams.. and then met up w/howard (from hk!) for some shaved ice n boba!
wat aday
i write this more to keep track of what i'm doing. i don't care if it sounds dumb! heheh
today, we going to palm springs outlet to do some serious shopping!! long day cuz gotta head over to orange county at nite to do my book thang! *sigh*...
Mar 27, 2005
ny baby!!!!
this is our 3rd day in nyc!
day 1 - wat a hectic day! we spend 12 hrs on plane to LAX, and actually arrived bout 20 mins late, at about 8:20pm... normally, who cares, right? well - if not for our connecting flight at 10pm FOUR terminals away, we wouldn't have cared!!! so every minute counted... immigration was pretty fast, but surprisingly, baggage was slow... we thot we were SO SMART cuz we checked in as priority baggage, but for some reason, lin's bag was like almost last! heehe .. so we like - uh oh, someone else stole it! but alas, it commeth out!
then we like 45 mins or so left (actually,. prolly less).. and we literally RUNNING from terminal 4 to 7! which if one is not familiar, is akin to running the half freaking HK marathon! AND, we both lugging 25kg suitcases - lookin like 2 madmen! hahahah
we finally get to the UA domestic terminal, and bump into LL cool j... here's the thing w/celebs... they go straight to the counter! no waiting despite the LONG LINE that ling ling was standing in. anyway- b/c we're so genius, we went eticket and e-check in... and when we go to assign seat, it's like only 5 seats left!!!! we were so lucky to have made it on time!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!
after all the security check n stuff, we had only like 10 mins to spare, which we used to indulge ourselves with starbux (no laffing) - a venti skim SUGAR FREE hazlenut latte for the lad, and a grande vanilla skim latte for the lassie... AND... WHITE CHOCOLATE REECES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!!! WOW!!!!!! omg... that was so good....
so we arrive at new york at 6am or so on friday... these red eye flights are killers, and pretty much only useful if u can sleep. i was actually pretty surprised that i slept quite a bit on the trans-pacific one... now that trans-continental one, i'm sitting there for 5 hours watching finding neverland as a silent movie. i was sorta in that hazy state of mind where i wanted to sleep, but could not cuz i was sitting there wondering how the heck people watched films w/no sound in the early 20th century...
our host is mioko. she very nice for letting us stay in her place - which is a nice li'l 3 story brownstone in red hook, brooklyn. from here, we have to take the B61 bus to town, and then hop on either the 4 or the F train to get into the city. linnet doesn't like the nyc subway.
so first day - first thing we ate was a nice nyc slice from some pizzeria in brooklyn. i mean - if u ever watched spike lee's do the right thing... it's just like that, except not all black people in there... just a bunch of everyday peoples doin the everyday thang. but it was SO GOOD!
then we went to have some japanese place thing w/dren in the city, and spent the afternoon hanging out w/her. we had dinner at this ethiopian place in SOHO w/mioko's roomies and their +1s, and a her cuz who dropped in from LA as well... (i'll be staying at his parent's place later!).
then we went to meet up w/some of my buds - ken and dave - and had awesome dessert in little italy! got these cannoli's that was real good - and real tiramisu! man... it was yummy. and NY cheesecake to boot...
after that it was home and sleep!!!
day 2...
nothing much here - woke up so early, but decided to eat at some local joint for some good bagel n cream cheese... some western omelette n potatoes... 2 eggs sunny side up w/a slice of ham... yum.... then back home where we accidentally slept till like 12:30! hehee... then we went in to the city and split up - ling w/dren and i w/ken n dave... i went up to niketown up in 57th and 5th at trump tower, and decided things in america were just way too expensive...
we then walked around the village n village west w/lin's cuz... and then we split off to go shoot some pool in a noho joint...
being in nyc is fun... haven't been here in years. it's freakin COLD... like a constant 2-4 degrees. lin never believes in the cold. i mean - she wore a thin shirt, leather jacket, and high heels (no sox) to walk round the city! i mean - that girl got guts!!! i'm sitting here in thermals, sweater, jacket, scarf, gloves... ok to be fair she got scarf n gloves too! heheh but yah - so cold!!!!
funny thing last nite - we took the 4 back to brooklyn, but didn't know which stop to get off... so we ended up getting off at like 4 stops past. so double back and get on one the other way right? wrong!! ahahaha we did, and got on a 4 express, which then bypassed our stop, and took us back to wall st.!!!! hahah anyway - we decided to get out there, and have a look at the wtc site at midnite. it's an amazing site - just a hole in the ground to some that were never here pre-9/11. but i remember a great complex just across the street from everybody's fave outlet - century 21... it's weird not seeing anything there.
today is easter sunday. we getting ready to leave... gonna go to chinatown to get some congee.. then up to this church that dren's bringing us to. Christ rose from the dead on this day. the vine has 3 official mission trips this season - sri lanka, davao, and HK. we're on the unofficial 4th!!! please be praying for us this trip! i really wanna see some amazing stuff this trip!!!
it's cold. i gotta run into the shower now... pray for sudden 15 degree weather too...
this is our 3rd day in nyc!
day 1 - wat a hectic day! we spend 12 hrs on plane to LAX, and actually arrived bout 20 mins late, at about 8:20pm... normally, who cares, right? well - if not for our connecting flight at 10pm FOUR terminals away, we wouldn't have cared!!! so every minute counted... immigration was pretty fast, but surprisingly, baggage was slow... we thot we were SO SMART cuz we checked in as priority baggage, but for some reason, lin's bag was like almost last! heehe .. so we like - uh oh, someone else stole it! but alas, it commeth out!
then we like 45 mins or so left (actually,. prolly less).. and we literally RUNNING from terminal 4 to 7! which if one is not familiar, is akin to running the half freaking HK marathon! AND, we both lugging 25kg suitcases - lookin like 2 madmen! hahahah
we finally get to the UA domestic terminal, and bump into LL cool j... here's the thing w/celebs... they go straight to the counter! no waiting despite the LONG LINE that ling ling was standing in. anyway- b/c we're so genius, we went eticket and e-check in... and when we go to assign seat, it's like only 5 seats left!!!! we were so lucky to have made it on time!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!
after all the security check n stuff, we had only like 10 mins to spare, which we used to indulge ourselves with starbux (no laffing) - a venti skim SUGAR FREE hazlenut latte for the lad, and a grande vanilla skim latte for the lassie... AND... WHITE CHOCOLATE REECES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS!!! WOW!!!!!! omg... that was so good....
so we arrive at new york at 6am or so on friday... these red eye flights are killers, and pretty much only useful if u can sleep. i was actually pretty surprised that i slept quite a bit on the trans-pacific one... now that trans-continental one, i'm sitting there for 5 hours watching finding neverland as a silent movie. i was sorta in that hazy state of mind where i wanted to sleep, but could not cuz i was sitting there wondering how the heck people watched films w/no sound in the early 20th century...
our host is mioko. she very nice for letting us stay in her place - which is a nice li'l 3 story brownstone in red hook, brooklyn. from here, we have to take the B61 bus to town, and then hop on either the 4 or the F train to get into the city. linnet doesn't like the nyc subway.
so first day - first thing we ate was a nice nyc slice from some pizzeria in brooklyn. i mean - if u ever watched spike lee's do the right thing... it's just like that, except not all black people in there... just a bunch of everyday peoples doin the everyday thang. but it was SO GOOD!
then we went to have some japanese place thing w/dren in the city, and spent the afternoon hanging out w/her. we had dinner at this ethiopian place in SOHO w/mioko's roomies and their +1s, and a her cuz who dropped in from LA as well... (i'll be staying at his parent's place later!).
then we went to meet up w/some of my buds - ken and dave - and had awesome dessert in little italy! got these cannoli's that was real good - and real tiramisu! man... it was yummy. and NY cheesecake to boot...
after that it was home and sleep!!!
day 2...
nothing much here - woke up so early, but decided to eat at some local joint for some good bagel n cream cheese... some western omelette n potatoes... 2 eggs sunny side up w/a slice of ham... yum.... then back home where we accidentally slept till like 12:30! hehee... then we went in to the city and split up - ling w/dren and i w/ken n dave... i went up to niketown up in 57th and 5th at trump tower, and decided things in america were just way too expensive...
we then walked around the village n village west w/lin's cuz... and then we split off to go shoot some pool in a noho joint...
being in nyc is fun... haven't been here in years. it's freakin COLD... like a constant 2-4 degrees. lin never believes in the cold. i mean - she wore a thin shirt, leather jacket, and high heels (no sox) to walk round the city! i mean - that girl got guts!!! i'm sitting here in thermals, sweater, jacket, scarf, gloves... ok to be fair she got scarf n gloves too! heheh but yah - so cold!!!!
funny thing last nite - we took the 4 back to brooklyn, but didn't know which stop to get off... so we ended up getting off at like 4 stops past. so double back and get on one the other way right? wrong!! ahahaha we did, and got on a 4 express, which then bypassed our stop, and took us back to wall st.!!!! hahah anyway - we decided to get out there, and have a look at the wtc site at midnite. it's an amazing site - just a hole in the ground to some that were never here pre-9/11. but i remember a great complex just across the street from everybody's fave outlet - century 21... it's weird not seeing anything there.
today is easter sunday. we getting ready to leave... gonna go to chinatown to get some congee.. then up to this church that dren's bringing us to. Christ rose from the dead on this day. the vine has 3 official mission trips this season - sri lanka, davao, and HK. we're on the unofficial 4th!!! please be praying for us this trip! i really wanna see some amazing stuff this trip!!!
it's cold. i gotta run into the shower now... pray for sudden 15 degree weather too...
Mar 24, 2005
off to LALALALALA
well, the first 2 weeks of engaged life have been fairly hectic. sometimes i think we do this to ourselves - stressing out just for the sake of stressing out. i'm being dramatic, of course, but that's the whole fun of it, eh? we are trying to settle on the date, and really hoping the hotels will open up on our preferred date! *sigh*
today is the beginning of my holiday. after the 1st 3 months of the year, i definitely feel like i deserve one - despite us having just had a big new year in bali, then another week in hong kong for chinese new year... it's like one big vacation every month! ehhe :) this time travel sched is pretty good tho:
Thurs nite, 24 Mar: 11:50pm flight to LAX
Thurs nite, 24 Mar: 7:50pm arrive in LAX!
(now this is is cool cuz we actually go backwards in time)
Thurs nite, 24 Mar: 11:10pm flight to NYC
(crazy red-eye flight...)
Frid morn, 25 Mar: 6:15am arrive in NYC!!
Mond like 4ish: back to LAX
Mond, 4 Apr - time to fly back to HK
Wed, 6 Apr, 6am - arrive in HKG!
we're going to have a GREAT time visiting rebecca the sis in nyc, as well as visit other friends... do some shopping.. do some walking... i actually dunno what we gonna do :(
LA will be great too - visit both our grandma's and aunts & uncles... do the whole family thing... krispy kreme... jamba juice... noah's bagels... in n out... taco bell... promenades... coldstone ice cream... DRIVING!... shopping some more!!...
i dunno... it's gonna be a great trip!!!!!!
well, the first 2 weeks of engaged life have been fairly hectic. sometimes i think we do this to ourselves - stressing out just for the sake of stressing out. i'm being dramatic, of course, but that's the whole fun of it, eh? we are trying to settle on the date, and really hoping the hotels will open up on our preferred date! *sigh*
today is the beginning of my holiday. after the 1st 3 months of the year, i definitely feel like i deserve one - despite us having just had a big new year in bali, then another week in hong kong for chinese new year... it's like one big vacation every month! ehhe :) this time travel sched is pretty good tho:
Thurs nite, 24 Mar: 11:50pm flight to LAX
Thurs nite, 24 Mar: 7:50pm arrive in LAX!
(now this is is cool cuz we actually go backwards in time)
Thurs nite, 24 Mar: 11:10pm flight to NYC
(crazy red-eye flight...)
Frid morn, 25 Mar: 6:15am arrive in NYC!!
Mond like 4ish: back to LAX
Mond, 4 Apr - time to fly back to HK
Wed, 6 Apr, 6am - arrive in HKG!
we're going to have a GREAT time visiting rebecca the sis in nyc, as well as visit other friends... do some shopping.. do some walking... i actually dunno what we gonna do :(
LA will be great too - visit both our grandma's and aunts & uncles... do the whole family thing... krispy kreme... jamba juice... noah's bagels... in n out... taco bell... promenades... coldstone ice cream... DRIVING!... shopping some more!!...
i dunno... it's gonna be a great trip!!!!!!
Mar 11, 2005
life on THE OTHERside...
what a week... i dunno where to begin... guess i start with wed nite, and 'memento' my way back to where it all started?
i told her that we'd meet cynthia and her kids at starbux (in cwb) after work - maybe walk round toys r us or sumthing. since my friend from indonesia was in town, i threw her into the story as well. so we're sitting there, bout 6:50, sipping some coffee, chatting like any normal couple would do on a wednesday nite, waiting for other friends to stroll in and go off to dinner... i know linnet was looking forward to seeing the kids - she always is! sometimes prolly even more than she is to see me!!! (def a higher sense of excitement w/michael and christina!!)... anyway, 7:15 roles around, and still no cyn, dinar, & kidz???? so i'm like - ok - ferget waiting, let's just go find them. so she immediately gets up, and starts putting the layers on... i'm just sitting down watching her. i grab her arm, and say 'hey, hold on a sec...'
then the schpeil starts.
'remember when we first came here 7 months ago, and you told me you were ready to date fer real?'... 'it's been such an encouragement seeing you grow in Christ during this time'.... 'God has worked so much in me, in you, in US'....
during this time, she's like staring at me like i got 3 eyes; so i'm thinking i gotta recover! i'm going off on tangent!...
'we haven't had any time alone like this in a while'... 'i really want to just let you know that you mean so much to me'... ...
now she's like - u'r so weird, why u so serious... and i'm like getting emotional, if u know what i mean...
'linnet, i never told you this before. i wanted to say it when i meant it, when i could show you how serious i am'... 'i love you'... 'i love you so much'......
linnet's prolly really thinking at this time - "why u so serious? so formal???"...
'i know that God has a great plan for us ahead, and i want us to realize that together'... 'i'm ready to take the next step in our relationship'... ...
(cue to start moving on my knee... IN STARBUX!! AHAHAHAHAAH}
linnet reaction - 'what are u doing?'... 'are u joking?'
{cue to get box out of pocket}...
'linnet....'
lin's reaction - "no way..."...
{cue to open box}...
pause...
linnet now has her hands cupped over her mouth... and then another "no way!..."...
'will you marry me?'....
"yes"...
linnet jo... my fiancee... i really AM the most blessed person on earth!!!!!!!
what a week... i dunno where to begin... guess i start with wed nite, and 'memento' my way back to where it all started?
i told her that we'd meet cynthia and her kids at starbux (in cwb) after work - maybe walk round toys r us or sumthing. since my friend from indonesia was in town, i threw her into the story as well. so we're sitting there, bout 6:50, sipping some coffee, chatting like any normal couple would do on a wednesday nite, waiting for other friends to stroll in and go off to dinner... i know linnet was looking forward to seeing the kids - she always is! sometimes prolly even more than she is to see me!!! (def a higher sense of excitement w/michael and christina!!)... anyway, 7:15 roles around, and still no cyn, dinar, & kidz???? so i'm like - ok - ferget waiting, let's just go find them. so she immediately gets up, and starts putting the layers on... i'm just sitting down watching her. i grab her arm, and say 'hey, hold on a sec...'
then the schpeil starts.
'remember when we first came here 7 months ago, and you told me you were ready to date fer real?'... 'it's been such an encouragement seeing you grow in Christ during this time'.... 'God has worked so much in me, in you, in US'....
during this time, she's like staring at me like i got 3 eyes; so i'm thinking i gotta recover! i'm going off on tangent!...
'we haven't had any time alone like this in a while'... 'i really want to just let you know that you mean so much to me'... ...
now she's like - u'r so weird, why u so serious... and i'm like getting emotional, if u know what i mean...
'linnet, i never told you this before. i wanted to say it when i meant it, when i could show you how serious i am'... 'i love you'... 'i love you so much'......
linnet's prolly really thinking at this time - "why u so serious? so formal???"...
'i know that God has a great plan for us ahead, and i want us to realize that together'... 'i'm ready to take the next step in our relationship'... ...
(cue to start moving on my knee... IN STARBUX!! AHAHAHAHAAH}
linnet reaction - 'what are u doing?'... 'are u joking?'
{cue to get box out of pocket}...
'linnet....'
lin's reaction - "no way..."...
{cue to open box}...
pause...
linnet now has her hands cupped over her mouth... and then another "no way!..."...
'will you marry me?'....
"yes"...
linnet jo... my fiancee... i really AM the most blessed person on earth!!!!!!!
Feb 1, 2005
politically correct = just plain dumb
i was walking round HMV in central yesterday, just passing time as i had just finished an afternoon meeting. i wasn't really in a mood to sit round and listen to the plethora of cd selection available, but was just content to walk the aisles and get some inspiration as to which album to buy next. anyway - i'm walking thru the "top" section where they post all the "top" hits from everywhere, cut round the corner to the rock/pop section, then around the soundtracks, and the super saver cheapo-cds (where u can buy rick astley for like 2 bux)... and i come across this strange section called urban.
hmmm... urban?... as opposed to rural? or country? or maybe NON-BLACK??? please define for me. the section is filled w/black artists. (oh wait - i digress a bit - i was going to write 'african-american', which is what the white americans call black people... BUT - what if they NOT from america... or maybe NOT from africa??) actually - it's like 99.99% black, as m&m and joss stone are thrown in there to dilute the mix a bit. but this is so stupid a definition. is will smith REALLY urban? i mean the dude prolly lives in some plush mansion in LA or sumthin. u think m&m still lives in the ghettos of detroit... brutha pleaze... and joss stone????
to me - i think HK is pretty urban - by any definition of the word. urban.. defined as - relating to or concerned with a city or densely populated area. source: dictionary.com. DENSELY POPULATED AREA! hong kong is probably the most densely populated city in the world! we have ghettos! check out TST and chungking mansion for the indian population. check out disco bay for a gaggle of white people! we have culture! check out ladies street and temple street and flower street in mongkok! check out yungkee chasiu fan! we have big buildings!.. including 4 of the world's 15 tallest buildings! we have cars! - LOTS of them! we have taxis! - even MORE of them!
so silly. but then i guess u can't have 'black music' section. oh wells. i think as hk is pretty urban, we should put whence he came in there. i mean - they pretty boys and all... but hey - i hear the lead singer can belt out ice ice baby like vanilla could never dream of...
i was walking round HMV in central yesterday, just passing time as i had just finished an afternoon meeting. i wasn't really in a mood to sit round and listen to the plethora of cd selection available, but was just content to walk the aisles and get some inspiration as to which album to buy next. anyway - i'm walking thru the "top" section where they post all the "top" hits from everywhere, cut round the corner to the rock/pop section, then around the soundtracks, and the super saver cheapo-cds (where u can buy rick astley for like 2 bux)... and i come across this strange section called urban.
hmmm... urban?... as opposed to rural? or country? or maybe NON-BLACK??? please define for me. the section is filled w/black artists. (oh wait - i digress a bit - i was going to write 'african-american', which is what the white americans call black people... BUT - what if they NOT from america... or maybe NOT from africa??) actually - it's like 99.99% black, as m&m and joss stone are thrown in there to dilute the mix a bit. but this is so stupid a definition. is will smith REALLY urban? i mean the dude prolly lives in some plush mansion in LA or sumthin. u think m&m still lives in the ghettos of detroit... brutha pleaze... and joss stone????
to me - i think HK is pretty urban - by any definition of the word. urban.. defined as - relating to or concerned with a city or densely populated area. source: dictionary.com. DENSELY POPULATED AREA! hong kong is probably the most densely populated city in the world! we have ghettos! check out TST and chungking mansion for the indian population. check out disco bay for a gaggle of white people! we have culture! check out ladies street and temple street and flower street in mongkok! check out yungkee chasiu fan! we have big buildings!.. including 4 of the world's 15 tallest buildings! we have cars! - LOTS of them! we have taxis! - even MORE of them!
so silly. but then i guess u can't have 'black music' section. oh wells. i think as hk is pretty urban, we should put whence he came in there. i mean - they pretty boys and all... but hey - i hear the lead singer can belt out ice ice baby like vanilla could never dream of...
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