But If I Do Then I Might Miss You, Babe

I just love how my brain decides, without any reason, to like someone and I'M left with the consequences. I swear there is no logic at all as to why, out of nowhere, I started feeling this way about Mr. Doom. If you asked me why I liked him, I couldn't tell you.

I mean, he's cute, flirty, and is pretty much the life of ANY party.
...
These are good traits, I suppose. But I'm sure there are a ton of guys out there who also possess the same, if not better, traits. So why am I only attracted to him and no one else?

I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!!!

I'll say this though...the "consequences" are not pleasant. To say that I've lived the past week or so in agony is...somewhat of an understatement. :-\

Uh Oh

I'm doomed.

I have fallen for a boy... and by fallen I mean utterly-and-completely-not-myself fallen...as in I've-become-Jeff-from-Coupling fallen...as in I-DON'T-KNOW-WHAT-TO-SAY-AND-ACT-SO-AWKWARD-AND-STUPID-IN-FRONT-OF-HIM FALLEN!!!!

damn it!

damn it damn it damn it

The last time this happened to this extent was...probably in high school. And, yea...that did NOT work out AT ALL...

A lot of my attractions work out because I tend to develop the friendship first, then the attraction. But if I become completely infatuated with the boy at first, there's no hope, zero hope, of it working out.

:(

I think I'll call him Mr. Doom from now on :)

Basically there are three levels for me when I first meet a guy (and "meet" = meeting him for the first time and hanging out with him for a decent amount of time, say, 8 hours):

1. Level 1: Completely and utterly attracted.
   
2. Level 2: Somewhat attracted, see him more as a friend.
3. Level 3: Friend, completely.

Most of the guys I meet fall into level 2 and level 3. When this happens, I can usually handle it pretty well. Sometimes I'll develop an attraction for them after becoming friends with them for awhile.

So if a guy's level 3 when I first meet him, then I'll be completely at ease and feel no discomfort whatsoever when talking to him. I'm completely myself. This leads the guy to find me interesting/smart/funny/etc. and as a result, we become good friends. Sometimes we'll develop a mutual attraction after a while.

If a guy is level 2 when I first meet him, then I'll be somewhat nervous when I talk to him. But that nervousness is still under control. And as a result, he still finds me fun/smart/interesting..etc. And like guys at level 3, sometimes we might like each other as time pass.

If a guy is level 1 when I first meet him, then I'll be incredibly nervous around him. Whenever I talk to him, I can't seem to find anything to say, or say something that's really stupid/awkward. I'll get tongue tied very easily and say really stupid/random things. I'll think about him constantly and everything he does that relates to me I pick apart and analyze to no end. Basically, on his end, he's probably seeing me as someone who's not-so-smart/boring/awkward/ and..worst of all, he'll probably know I like him. And yea, when a guy knows you like him before he likes you/made up his mind about you, you're done. It's over. You and this guy have no chance together.

And it's no use to try to tell myself to "think of him as a friend", because that just doesn't work. Once the switch has been flicked on, you can't flick it back off.

So needless to say, Level 1 guys are the worst...because nothing ever works out with them. What I find myself do a lot of time is to pull away, distance myself, and avoid him because I know it won't work out. I can't change the impression I've already made.

And yea...Mr. Doom is definitely a level 1...unfortunately.

Curiosity Killed the Cat...er...or Rather...Efficiency

Most people who know me will tell you that I'm extremely curious and that I ask a lot of questions. It's true, when I find something that intrigues me, I want to find out all I can about it. So...if I just met you, and all of a sudden I become "the Inquisitor", don't worry, that just means you're interesting.

Anyway, that's not the point of this entry. I think I embrace my curiosity most of the time. It's a good thing to find many things fascinating. I don't mean this as if I'm someone who hasn't really seen the world, like..."oo a spooon....sooo shiny!" I think I've seen and experienced plenty, but I am curious about many things. Some recent things I've wondered about:

• How fighter jets on aircraft carriers take off/land
• Why/How people get acne
• Who is "cat woman" and wtf has she done to her face
• How they build underwater tunnels
• What makes Nick/Starr and Victor/Tammy so effective as teams on The Amazing Race
• What mammal has the longest average lifespan
• and the list goes on...
  

While most of the time, this keeps my life interesting, it can definitely be a hamper to productivity. For one, because I find many things so intriguing, it's hard not to be distracted by them. Recently I've been going to the bookstore a lot, to do research on a certain topic. But I have to say, each time I go there, it takes me at least 30 minutes, if not more, to settle down and do my research. I feel like I can't walk 2 steps without finding a book/puzzle/magazine/game/etc. that catches my eye. And while yes, I'll be entertained (and being entertained is always fun), I'm not sure it's good that I can't focus on my work without being distracted every few minutes. I actually think this might be a serious problem...

It's like one of those diseases where people can't believe that it's actually a disease! Like...persistent sexual arousal syndrome, where you're constantly on the brink of having an orgasm. Most people, when they hear that, think, "wow, awesome! I wish I had that!" Um, no. Even though I'm not one of the sufferers, I don't think it'd actually be fun to have it.

On the other hand, I don't think it's a good idea to suppress my curiosity either.
Yes, it killed the cat
but...
satisfaction brought it back!
OH SNAP!

Incidentally, in case you were wondering what the answers to the above ponderings are:

• How fighter jets on aircraft carriers take off/land

The length of an aircraft carrier is not long enough for airplanes to build up enough speed to take off or to slow down and stop when they land.

take-off -- Catapults on the aircraft carrier are used to basically generate enough force so that the fighter jet bound to it can get enough speed to take off


landing (recovery) -- The pilot of an incoming jet has to attach his tailhook (a hook on the rear of his plane) to one of the 4 arresting wires on the carrier. This is extremely difficult and requires the plane to come in at an exact angle. The actual procedure for this is quite complicated but basically there are these signal lights on the carrier that the crew on deck directs at the pilot. And depending on where he is with respect to the carrier, he'll see different light patterns. If he sees an amber light in line with a bunch of green lights, he's right on target. If he sees the amber light above the green light, he coming in too high; if he sees the amber light below the green light, he's coming in too low. If he's way too low, he'll see red lights.

• Why/How people get acne

There's some debate as to what really is the cause. Some people say it's diet, some say it's genetics, some think it's a combination of both. But no conclusive evidence has come of any of these claims. It's important to note that acne happens when your pores are clogged. And your pores are clogged whenever there's an excessive build-up of sebum (or the oil that your skin produces). So if you can make sure that your pores are unclogged and your face is clean, then it'll lessen it from occuring. There are other causes too, like the p. acne bacteria.

• Who is "cat woman" and wtf has she done to her face

"Cat woman"'s real name is Jocelyn Wildenstein. She's a rich socialite who, when her husband started cheating on her, thought "oo, if I just looked like a cat, I'm sure he'll come back to me!" and spent $4 million dollars on plastic surgery to transform her face to resemble a cat.

...

Moving on!

• How they build underwater tunnels

By using tunnel-boring-machines (TBMs), which has circular disk-shaped cutters that chisel the rock as it rotates. The pieces are then carried out by a conveyor on the TBM. TBMs also provide support for the space they create until something can be put in place.

Another method is the cut-and-cover method, whereby trenches are created on the ocean bed and prefabricated tunnel sections, airtight, are lowered into place. The sections are then connected and the seals between the sections (to keep the water out) are opened by divers and then they are filled with backfill...

I don't understand this fully but the TBMs sound really awesome. (Fact: 11 TBMs were used to build the tunnel connecting France and England)

• What makes Nick/Starr and Victor/Tammy so effective as teams on The Amazing Race

In my opinion, a combination of

1. following directions precisely
2. not making mistakes
3. working extremely well with each other and
4. staying positive
   

• What mammal has the longest average lifespan

I wasn't able to find conclusively what the answer to this is. To my knowledge, I think a bowhead whale was known to live up to 211 years old. Not sure what the average for it is though. Probably still pretty long.

Qualities of Mr. Right

EDIT (12/17/2010): Some of my views have changed regarding this. Please take it with a grain of salt.

Hm...for some reason I think I already blogged about this...x_x
Yep. I did. It's here.
I have to say a lot has happened since then and I've learned a lot.

Not that I'm actively searching for, you know, Mr. Right or anything. I just think I've realized, in the last year or so, a lot more of the qualities I'd want in him.

A lot of these aren't just "standard". It's more of how these qualities relate to me. I think that's the main difference between the other list and this list. In the other list, I've just listed qualities, but not how they relate to me.

Here's the comprehensive list (in order of importance):

Prerequisites -- I feel like these qualities are pretty obvious and are revealed to me pretty soon after I meet someone, if not on that day. And if they don't at least possess these, well, I guess they can forget about the rest of the list.

• Taller than me -- I don't know if people will think of me as superficial, but I think this one's pretty standard. I just don't think it looks right to have the guy shorter than the girl. That said, it would help if he's tall enough so that he'll still be taller than me if I wore heels. But this is less important since I tend to wear little-to-no-heel shoes anyway.

• Not fat -- This has never been a problem, because I've never been attracted to anyone who is anyway. I'm sorry if that makes me mean/superficial, but when he's fat, he becomes unattractive and unhealthy. It's very simple, you'll gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn off. Yes, genetics is a factor too, but I always find that with exercise and the right diet, there is a way to not be fat. That said, I don't like it when he's super skinny either. Some meat is good. :)
  

• Older than me -- This one's not as important to me anymore (because I keep on meeting people younger than me that I become attracted to). But I do have to say, maturity does come with age and, in the words of Megan Fox, "boys in their 20s are a waste of time. They have nothing to offer conversationally; they're immature." OK, maybe that's a little too extreme. But she does have a point in that some boys this age can be immature. (More on maturity later)

• Smart/Confident -- This one's pretty simple. If he's boring, or has nothing interesting to offer (and I'm easily interested in a lot of things), then...well, he's not Mr. Right. "Confident" is listed along "Smart" because they tend to go hand in hand--smart people are usually pretty confident, and confident people are smart (though there are a lot of people who are confident but not smart--I call them douchebags :D). Smart/confident also means he's good at something, if not more than one thing. And letting others see that he's good at something makes him interesting.
  

Actual Qualities -- Friendship also contains these qualities. So I think it's safe to say that he has to be my friend before there's any further development.

• Nice -- I put this one under "actual qualities" because everyone's nice when you first meet them. A person's real "niceness" doesn't come out until you get to know them better. I think this one should go without saying--if he genuinely likes/cares about me, he should be nice towards me. I'm not saying he should lie to me if/when there is something about me he doesn't like, that's not the "nice" I'm talking about. I'm just saying, he shouldn't out right diss, or put me down unless I did something that warranted it, and even then, it wouldn't exactly be a constructive thing to do.
  

• I "click" with him -- Call it compatibility or whatever you want, but there are some people that I just have an endless amount of things to talk about and I'm not afraid to be myself around. Though I've questioned the importance of this one (because, after all, there will be a day where you'll run out of things to say, right?), I've come to realize that not having things to talk about/say to each other despite caring for, or even loving one another, can have negative effects on a relationship.

• Positive/In Control -- I don't think negativity or pessimism can carry one very far in life. To fully enjoy it and not be bogged down by bumps in the road is to be positive and stay positive (and nothing teaches one to stay positive better than The Amazing Race :D) and be in control of one's life. It's important that he believes in himself despite uncertainties. A way that positivity/optimism shows through is the encouragement he gives to others. A negative person is more likely to think "he can't" and be disgruntled, he is more likely to give negative remarks, or even put people down.
  

• Spontaneous -- I'm a very impulsive person, I think of things on the fly, and do them. So it'd be really fun/awesome if he's also like that -- up for anything. (Anything but rollercoasters, bungee jumping, or skydiving. :) Sorry, my impulsiveness has its limits...)

• Honest -- This is pretty important. And I haven't run into problems with this in the past so I won't elaborate too much. I do try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but if there ever was a discrepancy, then it would be very hard to gain my trust back.

• Dependable -- By this I mean, if there ever was a time where I really needed someone, he would be there for me. And I know and trust that he will be there. So, let's say I was in a situation where I really needed help, and he happened to be there and was able to help me, I'd greatly appreciate it, but I wouldn't necessarily think that I can rely on him in the future.

Quality Qualities -- This is where I dive into the "relationship realm". I think the following traits are pretty hard to come by. And I wouldn't demand them in anyone less than a lover.

• Mutual Trust -- This has to be both ways and is pretty self-explanatory. I don't think a relationship can survive if the people involved are always suspicious of one another.

• Mutual Respect -- I think mutual respect comes when both people think highly of each other. I have respect for people who don't just sit on their asses and wait for things to happen. They go after it. They stand up for themselves and for what they believe in. They won't give in or give up until they've tried their best. I speak my mind and what I believe in in a relationship, so I don't think it should be any different for him. I also don't think it's a good idea for him to give in to me so as to "preserve" the relationship. Avoiding arguments is not the way to preserve a relationship--it makes me lose respect for him--and the relationship only goes downhill from there.

• Mature -- This one is really hard to qualify, because so many things can show that one possesses this trait. I'll just give a few examples. Maturity is knowing what to do in situations. If he made plans with friends but can't go anymore, he doesn't just not go without telling anyone, he calls and genuinely apologizes (and maybe comes up with a believeable excuse--true or not). I guess one would call that being responsible. Maturity is being bold enough to tell me how he feels about me and not be afraid of what might come of that. Maturity is making me do things that I should do, but not necessarily want to do. Maturity is putting up with my friend even though it might mean spending less time with me. Maturity is being observant and thoughtful and think about me. This is very important. I feel like someone who's immature, or less mature would only think of themselves, but someone who is mature is more likely to think of others.

• Experienced in bed -- This is a different kind of "mature" but not less important. I don't mean promiscuous here. Being experienced doesn't necessarily mean having slept around a lot. But this does mean knowing what to do please women. Granted, every woman is different and yes, the "difference" is up to me to explain, which I'll gladly do, but there are some general things that appeal to all women. There are "buttons" to push, etc. that'll turn a woman on. And this, I feel, can only come by with experience (and not by just reading a book, listening to others, or watching a movie). It would be very unromantic/un-sexy and a turn-off if he's just groping around, not knowing what's where, etc. I'm not opposed to teaching him about specifics, but if that means I have to teach him everything, that's a little too much... On the other end, even if he's very experienced, he should be open to suggestions (because, like I said, every woman's different) and won't be disgruntled if he tries something and it doesn't work.
  

• Reasonable -- By this I mean "can be reasoned with". I think this might be the most important trait. (I didn't put this at the top because he wouldn't get here unless he possesses all the other traits before this. So I guess in that sense, all of these traits are important.) Although in any given situation, things aren't always black and white, there is usually a "better" thing to do. And I'm not saying that my reasoning in is impeccable and that if I try to persuade someone into doing something, they should definitely do it. There are times where I have been wrong and times where I've been right. I'll admit, I'm pretty stubborn at times, but I'm also very reasonable. If I'm convinced by someone that one path is better than another path, then I'll take the better path. But not everyone is like this. Some people are so set in their ways that they dismiss all other reasoning except their own. This can do a lot of damage in a relationship, because it effectively closes the door on communication. It's very important to be able to "put oneself in another's shoes" and see things from different perspectives, because only then will a person be able to understand the reasoning used by another. It can be very frustrating to make people see things your way if they can't imagine themselves in your position (it also could be that you're an ineffective communicator, but for now, let's assume that you are and he still doesn't understand). On the other hand, if he is reasonable, then this is a very constructive thing for a relationship. It means he's open to potentially changing himself, if he realizes, say, a wrongful act. A person who is not reasonable is unjustifiably stubborn and closed to all changes.
  

I think these actually cover a lot of other qualities, like taking care of himself and others, caring for one another (not exactly the same as the one before), being supportive of each other, open to making sacrifices/compromises, etc.

Optional -- These are things you'd see in an ad-easily definable characteristics that's not too hard to find.

• Likes to travel -- This is actually pretty important. I'm all about the whole going-out-there-to-see-the-world-before-you're-old deal. So it would be much more fun if he's also this way.

• Can cook -- :D I love food and enjoy making it. So it would also be a lot of fun to share this experience.

• Cute -- Up to now I haven't said anything about looks. And that's because, on the whole spectrum of traits, it's not too important. But, it doesn't hurt to look good/cute. :)

• Athletic -- I've never really been a huge sports person...I can be very clumsy...x_X. So it would help if he is not so clumsy and can teach me a few things about not being clumsy. Basically, I like to be active, and an athletic person wouldn't have a problem being active.
  

Practical Factors -- I hate how practicality can be an issue, but gone are my idealistic days...experience and reality have set in...(damn it reality!)

I have to say, if he posesses all of the above qualities I've pointed out, then I still think any relationship would last, despite distance, if any.

So how long is long distance anyway? I quantify it not by the actual distance in miles, but by how frequently and how long per frequency we are able to see each other. I'd say a relationship is long distance if I can't see him for at least 3 days in a 7-day week, every week.

A lot of people aren't willing to be in long distance relationships because of the "pain" it'll cause. There's no doubt that there'll be pain/loneliness/sadness when I can't see him for the amount of time I'd like to and vice versa, not to mention the inability to share enjoyable times with each other. But I do think that if he does meet all of the characteristics I mentioned, and therefore is Mr. Right, then I would be very willing to do long distance with him because I know there will be a point in time when we'll be able to be with each other for an extended amount of time. And all the waiting for that time to come will be worth it.

And there you have it, my all-encompassing, exhausive, comprehensive list of qualities I (and I would think a lot of other women) look for in the perfect guy--Mr. Right. (Though I don't think anyone made it this far...this is by far my longest post. So insanely long!!)

4 Things I Don't Understand

• Fashion scarves. OK. I think this is going to make me sound like a guy ("what are cushions for??!?!"), but, wtf is the purpose of fashion scarves?? From what I understand, the purpose of scarves is to keep your neck warm when it's cold out. Well, you're supposed to wear fashion scarves with tee-shirts, or other loose-fitting apparel, like tanktops with a vest (often topped with a fedora). Yes, they are made of a lighter material, but still! In the summer (or in warm weather), anything wrapped around your neck will make you sweat and feel uncomfortable! I guess I'm saying 1) they serve no functional purpose and 2) they don't even look that good so any sensible person would not wear them. :)

• "Employees must wash hands" signs. I mean, are you supposed to feel safer or that the place you're at is more hygenic? I don't think employees are more likely to wash their hands just because of that sign. I think most of the time, people, employee or otherwise, don't give a crap about those signs. If I were an employee, I sure wouldn't. That is not to say I don't wash my hands after I go to the bathroom. I wash my hands regardless--having the sign there would not have any effect on my washing my hands.
  

• 
• Buying the same piece of clothing or accessory that a celebrity has worn. OK, I guess I kind of get this one. If I see a celebrity that I like wear something that I like, it's going to make me more inclined to purchase that item, whatever it might be. But does this mean I'll buy anything that I see on a celebrity that I like?? No! But sites such as shopintuition.com have cropped up just for that purpose! The logic is: If [insert famous celebrity here] has worn this, then everyone will want it. While that, on some levels, is true, I don't think anyone would, or should pay $60 for these stirrup black leggings just because Paris Hilton has the same pair.

• Men who tie sweaters around their shoulders. First of all, whoever came up with this idea must be a douchebag since it doesn't look good at all--just really incredibly stupid. Also, whoever dresses like this must either be:

1. gay*
   
2. or an arrogant priss

*Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against gay people, I just don't think this style looks good, that's all. It just looks like you're trying too hard...

Now You See Me, Now You Don't?

Apparently, people have a tendency to see me when they hallucinate due to alcohol withdrawl! :)

Er...I'm actually not sure what to make of that...

Daneeka: i learned something hilarious today
me: what
Daneeka: you'll appreciate this
Daneeka: do you know what the most common hallucination is for people experiencing delirium tremens (aka alcohol withdrawl)?
me: um no
Daneeka: it's a PINK ELEPHANT!!!
me: NO
me: WAY
Daneeka: YES
Daneeka: WAY!
me: LOL
Daneeka: ROFL
me: that's HILARIOUS
me: hahahah
me: wow
me: like they actually see a pink elephant?
me: a pink
me: elephant
Daneeka: yup
Daneeka: it's the most common thing to see
Daneeka: and you are one
me: that is sooo funny

Lucidity Times 1000!

I've always wanted to lucid dream, but have not been successful at it. But tonight, I believe I just had my first lucid dream, whereby I was aware that I was dreaming!!

It's interesting how it happened. I definitely wasn't trying to lucid dream (maybe that's what did it). I was lying in my bed, trying to go to sleep. I closed my eyes, and soon I entered that realm of semi-consciousness right before complete unawareness...

I was standing at the start of a dark staircase at night with someone else. He pointed his wand at the open space in front of us and muttered something. Suddenly, a black opening appeared. We both climbed in there.

We were in a room. The room had a dark green tinge to it. There were two or three other people in there--a brunette and 2 guys. The brunette was very nice, but emo. She was talking about making a movie and how one of the guys and I were supposed to help out. I remember thinking she was very chill (as in cool) and I wanted her to be my friend. We all started talking and everyone was laughing. We were having a good time. I think I was paying attention to the guy who was sitting across from me but not saying much.

At one point, they poured me a drink and I, without thinking much, drank it. It appeared as though everyone was drinking. We talked for a bit more. Laughed.

This whole time, I remember thinking once or twice to myself, "wow, this is the coolest, most psychedelic dream ever!"

Then, my vision started blurring. The few lights in the room seemed like bright blurry orbs against a dark background. Then everything started tilting...and spinning. And no matter what I tried, I couldn't get myself to move! I tried opening my eyes (in real life), but all I saw are blurry orbs against a black backdrop! (I think this was an attempt my body made to wake me up.) As I was becoming aware of this, so did the other people in the room. All of a sudden, they were looking at me, smiling sinister smiles. "It's working," one of them said. Then they all laughed. I tried my best to move, but to no avail. They realized what I was trying to do and laughed some more. I started to panic (another attempt by my body to wake me up).

Before I knew it, the person I went with (to the room) were running down a hallway, passing weird creatures that peered at us. While this is happening, the most awesome (but loud) music was playing*, a mixture of rock and trance, I believe. It was quite good. At last we were able to step into the black opening and get back to the start of the stairs at which we started.

Finally, I opened my eyes...and saw my room. It took me a second to realize that I wasn't dreaming anymore.

*This is the first time I've had a dream in which music was playing...Too bad I don't remember the tune...

I promised myself I would get up early to go to work and be productive.

Well, here I am, in the office....BLOGGING!!

At least I got here relatively early compared to the time I have been coming in for the past few weeks...

Alright time to get back to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Annoyance of the Day: Incompetence

I'm always surprised at the incompetence of people. I don't want to sound arrogant or suggest that I'm better than everyone else (I'm not), but it just frustrates me that there are people out there like this.

Incompetence, to me, is basically not doing a good job at what you're paid to do a good job at. I'm not saying that in order to be competent, you have to be amazing at what you do. I'm just saying to be incompetent, you're not doing what's required of you (and what's required of you can and usually does include being good at what you do).

And this can take many forms. These include, but are not limited to:

• Being too slow when your job requires you to handle things at a certain speed (and your speed is below that speed required of you)
  
• Being too careless when attention to detail is required
• ...
  

My apartment complex recently put in place a parking policy that says if you don't have a parking permit that was obtained from the leasing office, and you park your car in one of the parking spots, then your car might be towed. This is reasonable enough, considering there are not that many parking places on my street and you always see these random cars parked in people's spots for a long time.

Everyone who lives here have until the end of May to get a parking permit from the office. I got mine last week. At the time I got it, I asked them if there's a spot I should put the sticker on. "No, you can put it anywhere that can be seen," said the lady at the office.

OK. Not wanting to purposely hide the sticker and thereby risk my car getting towed, I put the sticker at what I thought was a pretty prominent-but-not-so-prominent-as-to-block-my-view-while-driving place--at the bottom right corner of my right rear window.

Today, when I got to my car, there was a sign taped to it that says something to the effect of "We can't find the parking permit sticker on your car, if we can't find it starting tomorrow, then your car may be towed." I noticed that it was taped to the side of the car that didn't have the sticker.

W.T.F.
Just to confirm that I wasn't crazy, I went to the other side of my car to see if the sticker was there. It was.

So...I can't think of any reason for them not being able to find it aside from:

• They were too lazy and only checked one side.
• They don't know what the sticker looks like.
• They checked the other side, but somehow missed it.

With respect to the last bullet, I really can't see how they could have missed it. Even though I put it in the bottom corner, it's still on a window, and it's not microscopic. So, unless the person examining was blind, there's no way they could have missed it.

Regardless of what happened, all of the possible reasons for them not seeing it is a sign of incompetency. I'm not being harsh here, it doesn't take much to see that there is a "Parking Permit" sign on my car.

That said, it would really be unfair (not to mention upsetting, to put it lightly) if my car was towed due to their mistake. I would seriously not appreciate that.

Furthermore, if they're really having trouble finding the permits on people's cars, then they should have enforced a rule by saying "You have to put the permit here", thereby getting rid of all ambiguities as to where the permit could possibly be.

And while we're on the subject of incompetence, note that it is actually all around us.
Some examples:

• That server at McDonalds who gave you a McChicken sandwich when you've clearly articulated to them you wanted McNUGGETS.
• That cashier who, instead of refunding you the amount he/she's supposed to refund you, charged you again for that same amount and does not know how to undo it.
  
• That Seattle's Best coffee shop server, who took forever to get you your drink even though you didn't have any special requirements and there was no one in front of you.

I suppose it's reasonable that these positions are not filled by rocket scientists, but still, one would think that they would be a little better at what they do.

"The Ultimate Blonde Moment"

Today was not a good day...at all.

I set 3 alarms this morning, 7:50am, 8:15am and 8:45am. Did not get up until 9:50am.

I called the Franchise Tax Board because it's been more than a month since I've filed my California taxes and I still haven't gotten the refund that I was supposed to get. Apparently, I owe them money. No. Fucking. Way. They have my Employer's withholding down as a different number -- way less than what is shown on my W-2, so they told me to fax it to them.

And the fun starts here. I went to my apartment office because I had to take care of something else (way to start the work day on time...x_X). When I was about to be done, I realized I could just fax the W-2 from there. So I asked them if I could and they said yes. So I went to the fax machine and tried to fax it. Turns out, faxing something is more complicated than just dialing the fax number!! I tried to fax it 3 times. Did not work. Fuck. I'm soo fucking late for work now.

I didn't want to leave this thing hanging so I decided to go to the nearest FedEx to try to fax it from there. Same--did not work. Ok did I write down the fax number wrong?! I asked the FedEx people to get the fax number for the Franchise Tax Board for me and 10 minutes later, the lady returned with 5 pages of numbers for the Franchise Tax Board...W.T.F.!? There's like a different fax number for each department!! So I scanned through the whole thing to try to guess which department I should fax my W-2 to (the number I wrote down wasn't on the list). Finally, I found 2 that I thought could be the right department--Filing Enforcement Notice Information and Withholding Services and Compliance.

So I went over to the fax machine and punched in the numbers for Withholding Services and Compliance. Did not work. On the other end of the line, some lady starts talking...What is wrong with these numbers!? At this very exact moment, a guy next to me asked if I have the right number down. Yes, I believe so, I said. "Did you dial a 1 before the actual number?"

...

No!!!

Wow, I can't believe I was so out of it.
Damn it, not only did I not save any time, I LOST ABOUT HALF A DAY!
It turned out the original number did work--I just had to dial a 1 before everything. If I had been more alert, I would have thought of that.

I swear, this will be my downfall on the Amazing Race--constant grogginess.

Thoughts on the Amazing Race

After watching (and almost finishing) 2 seasons of the Amazing Race (seasons 13 and 14)--the most AMAZING show ever, here are some of my thoughts.

Important Lessons:

• Read the clues CAREFULLY and THOROUGHLY. If it says not to take your cow costume off before you get to the next destination, DON'T TAKE YOUR COW COSTUME OFF. If it says to get to a place by foot, DON'T TAKE A TAXI. (That said, if you're not sure about something, RE-READ the task)
  
• Bring EVERYTHING with you when you're doing a task. DO NOT assume you will have a chance to come back. This has screwed 2 teams over...
  
• THINK before you choose to do a fast forward. E.g. If you have dietary restrictions, and the fast forward involves eating...DON'T DO IT.
• Do not attempt a fast forward unless you're VERY confident you can do it.
• Try to stick to one detour and don't give up on it unless you absolutely have to. Don't think of the other detour as another choice.
  
• Always stay positive and encourage your partner. This is the most important thing. And it may seem obvious, but when you're not winning, it's really easy to blame the other person, or say things to put them down. This can get ugly really fast and hurt both your morale for the rest of the race.
  
• Never give up. This one is pretty obvious too. But when you haven't been doing well and always come in last or near last, it's pretty easy to not want to try anymore. BUT, you never know. Someone could be behind you. Always always try your best.

Logistical Observations:

• There's at least one camera man following each team everywhere. So I'm surprised at points where two or more teams merge, you don't see a bunch of cameramen filming... I guess they either must be very careful, or have one camera man take over and film the whole thing?
• I always found it funny that sometimes a team will miss something (e.g. an object they're supposed to look for or a sign), and the cameraman will pan to that thing and zoom in. I swear, the teams should pay more attention to what the cameraman is filming. Or maybe they filmed that at a different time?
• I always wonder how Phil knows whether a team has violated the rules. I guess the cameraman must have called it in before they get to Phil.
  
• The show always makes the last two teams seem like they're neck and neck. But I doubt that's the case. I feel like it's probably pretty spread out.

Other comments:

• Despite the fact that a lot of the time, teams are at the mercy of cab drivers, I don't think that affects the ultimate outcome at the end of a leg too much, since it's probably pretty likely that more than one team, if not a few, will encounter an incompetent driver. The editing always makes it seem that the cab driver is going to screw people over, but I doubt it's actually like that. If one team's stuck in traffic, so are other teams.
  
• I think my perception of "frat brothers" DEFINITELY changed after watching Dan and Andrew in the 13th Season.
  

100th Post!

It's always really bothered me that if you get one comment on your post, it says "1 comments". I mean, come on Google!, you can do better than that! This disappoints me. And to think Google, the company that outdoes itself with every new product it puts out, neglected to see this just really pisses me off. Actually, I don't think they failed to notice this. They know about it, but choose not to do anything about it, which pisses me off even more!

Speaking of things that piss me off (this is not a happy 100th post at all...sorry), here are some more things:

• That annoying ass barking dog next door. Sometimes I'd be walking home at night, thinking about things to myself. And all of a sudden, OUT OF NOWHERE, comes this bark, which makes me jump 10 feet into the air. I hate small dogs with a passion...
• People who get scared off from hanging out with you because they think you like them. Honestly, are we all still in 5th grade!?!? Just because someone's nice to you and thinks your fun and want to hang out with you does not necessarily mean they like you (as more than a friend). It could just mean they think you're a cool person they want to hang out with. Ever thought of that!?!?
• People who think they're better than everyone else and think they're always right. Please, no matter how fucking smart you are, there's going to be someone out there who's smarter than you. It doesn't hurt to listen to other people's ideas once in awhile!

The Little Engine That Could?

I got inspired by this Well Blog article, which basically states that any couch potato can run a marathon, if they so choose. Well, I can be quite sedentary at times, but I don't think I'm a stereotypical "couch potato", who perches in front of a TV/Computer screen and snacks on junk food for long periods of time. I think at least I try to be active and am, somewhat.

So this gets me thinking...maybe I should try running a marathon. I mean, I'm not a couch potato and heck, I'm in my prime!! If there's a time to do marathons, this is the time to do it. I think a lot of times I just want to do something to prove that I can. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

And actually, if you think about it, a marathon isn't that big of a deal. It's basically just running for 4-5 hours straight. And if you can do that, you can tell everyone that you just ran A MARATHON!!! and yea, that just sounds pretty fucking awesome.

So the method the article prescribed is the run-walk method. It stresses that a mistake that beginner runners often make is that they push themselves too far, they overdo it--and that's where they get injured. The run-walk method basically states that you should train in run-walk-run-walk intervals, at a pace that works for you. For example, one can try running for a minute and walking for a minute, and repeat. The thing about walking is that it relieves a lot of the stress that your muscles endure when you run, so it's a good way to recover. And apparently people who trained with this method were able to finish in less than 5 hours.

I'm not going to strive for a time really. I just want to do it and know that I did it. :)

I just went to the website for the New York Marathon, which takes place every first Sunday of November. Apparently there are only 37,000 spots and people flock from all over the world to be in this race so they do it in a lottery format. The deadline to apply is June 1, so I still have some time to decide...

This sounds really exciting and I do have 23 weeks to train...but according to coolrunning.com, a very awesome site that provides training schedules for different types of runs, you shouldn't try to run a marathon unless you've been running on a regular basis for at least a year. So I guess the question I have to ask myself is: Can I do this -- train for a marathon -- in 23 weeks without hurting myself? A part of me wants to bet that I can, but the more sensible part thinks I should take this slowly, and just apply to be in next year's (2010) instead...

Alternatively, I could sign up for the Boston Marathon, which is in April every year. I guess that does give me about a year, but it's cold in April and I'd rather do it in New York. :D I also checked the Chicago Marathon, but that's in October...even earlier than the New York one. Then there's the Shamrock Marathon, which is on Virginia Beach, VA. It's less famous, but sounds like it could be fun. I know people who did that. This is in March...so, also a little cold. But I know that in this race, you can run a half marathon if you choose. (I'm not so sure about the other ones.)

As a first step, I just registered to run a 10K (about 6 miles) in the annual Wharf-to-Wharf race!!! I've done this race two years ago. It basically goes from Santa Cruz to Capitola and is right along the beach. And you have people on the sidelines cheering for you, playing music, and giving you water the whole way. It was pretty fun the last time I did it.

Help Me Pick a Cell Phone Plan!

Before you look at the plans, here are some things you should know about me:

• In the past half a year, I have gone over 700 minutes per month a few times
• There are only a few people I talk to on the phone on a regular basis, but I usually talk a long time with them each time we talk
• My current plan includes 250 text messages, which I usually never go over (I think I came close to going over once...)

Here are a few plans that I picked that could work:
Right now I'm kind of leaning towards T-Mobile plan 1. I feel like with the unlimited minutes with 5 of the people that I talk to most regularly, the other 300 minutes should be enough. Plus the 400 text messages will definitely be enough. The only thing is, I'm not sure how reliable (reception-wise) T-Mobile is... Also, there wasn't a phone in the store that I particularly liked.

And that's the other thing, I'm really afraid to switch phones because I'm soooo used to the way my cell phone works that it will probably take forever to un-learn everything. For example, at the AT&T store, there was a phone that I liked. But for text messages, it uses "0" for "space" and "#" for "next" (in T9word text entry mode, you only have to press each letter once, but there might be more than one combination, so you have to press "next" if the first combination that came up wasn't what you were looking for.) This seemingly insignificant feature is going to be a huge problem for me, because my current phone uses "0" for "next" and "#" for "space". I'm sure this will affect my efficiency in sending text messages...

Oh what to do...what to do?
Which one should I go with?
Refer to the poll on the right to vote.

To Do List

Oy I've wanted to do these things for awhile now...hopefully I'll finally get around to doing them this weekend:

• Laundry -- I have a lot of clothes...so I haven't had to do laundry for a while. But now I'm starting to run out of underwear. x_x I think that's a pretty good indication that I need to do laundry ASAP!!
• Wash Car -- The last time I washed it was probably some time in February. I kept telling myself to wash it..but I never got around to it. Poor car...has so much grime on it...not to mention tree sap on the windshield. I have no idea how I'm going to get that out. Hopefully the car soap I have will do...
• Find new cell phone/Get a New Plan -- My mom's kicking me off the family plan. :-\ I guess it's reasonable considering we only have 700 minutes total--shared between my mom, my stepdad, and me--and my own usage often goes over 700 minutes. x_X Damn it Verizon! I want some roll-over minutes!!
  

10 Seemingly Insignificant Mundane Things That Make Me Happy and 3 Things that Don't

There are many things that affect my happiness. These things change depending on different circumstances at different times. These are what cheer me up at the current moment.

• Banana Nut Cheerios (it's new!)
• Princess Phoebe
• the song, Kids by MGMT
• Haagen Das Snack Size Coffee and Almond Crunch bars
• the song, Echo by Gorilla Zoe
• Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter
• The Santa Clara International Swim Center
• the song, Sweetest Girl by Wyclef Jean
• the show, the AMAZING RACE!!!
  
• the ShamWow Parody (If you haven't seen this, watch the original infomercial first)

On the flip side, here are some things/people that make my happiness meter go down at the moment:

• daily nightly calls
  
• the vastness of the US
• my expensive apartment!!
  

Voldemort might be a Sex Addict

Why am I not surprised about this?

Apparently, Ralph Fiennes, the actor who plays Voldemort in all the Harry Potter movies, was seen leaving an airplane lavatory with a flight attendant behind him. And now there are speculations that he might have a compulsion to have sex.

I guess villains will always be villains...

Original article.

Burning the Midnight Oil

It's 12:24am and I'm working. Every night (Sunday - Thursday) I have 2 nightly calls with India. And then after that, I work for 2-3 hours. I might as well as just work at night and sleep during the day because everyday I get so tired that my efficiency at work might as well be zero. (Ok, I'm not that bad...I think)

Every Wednesday, there is an hour-long team meeting that occurs at 7:00am. Most (99%) of the time, I don't have to say anything except for the roundtable in the end, where the manager calls on everyone to see if they have anything else to add, at which point, I, like pretty much everyone else, say "nope, nothing from me." So usually, I set my alarm for 6:55am, which just gives me enough time to wake up to the alarm to dial in. Once this is accomplished, I then put myself on mute (i.e. no one else can hear me), and go to sleep for about 55 minutes, until the time for the roundtable. Usually, I have my laptop on my bed, very close to me, so I don't fall asleep completely and miss the roundtable.

Today, because I was having issues with my laptop screen, I decided to leave it on my desk. So I dialed in, muted myself, and then crawled back into bed. Slowly, I began to drift into a semi-conscious state where I can hear what people are saying on the call, but not so much process it... This went on for what felt like...maybe 30 minutes. Then, at one point, I heard "ok let's do the roundtable...". Since it's always in alphabetical order, I'm always last. After hearing people go before me, I prepared myself for my turn. (This usually involves me clearing my voice and practicing at least once, since I sound like a ... well, I sound nothing like myself in the morning). Then I heard, "H, do you have anything else[to say]?" "Nope, I'm good," I said. "Ok folks, that's all for today..."

some time later...
I woke up to an alert sound from my computer. I looked at the time: 8:30am...

!!!

UM...have I been dreaming this whole time??

Someone stole my yogurt!!!

I put 2 bottles of yogurt in the company communal fridge on Tuesday. I didn't have any yesterday. Today, when I opened it, there's only one!!!

That is NOT cool!

I didn't know people do that! I thought we're all responsible adults with MORALS! See, now I could take the bottle of Starbucks Mocha from the fridge since someone stole my yogurt. Buttttttttttt I'm not going to. I'm above that.

Taken from F*** My Life, a site where people share amusing (though not to the person it happened to) everyday anecdotes:

"Today, my friend was saying how her 'nano' died. I quickly responded by saying "so? recharge it." Turns out she didn't say 'nano', she'd said 'nana'. FML

Word of the Day

apposite -- –adjective. suitable; well-adapted; pertinent; relevant; apt: an apposite answer.

This word cracked me up for 5 minutes straight. When you say this word, it just sounds like you are trying to say "opposite" but are mispronouncing it for some reason. Or it sounds like you have a Southern or some kind of weird accent... For example, try saying this out loud, "Those are apposite views." I think the "a" in there is just hilarious... Maybe I'm placing too much emphasis on the "a" and dragging it out way longer than I should? I'm sure even if I used it correctly, people will still think I'm saying "opposite" because no one uses "apposite". There's "apt" for that.

Other news--

• changed blog name/address to reflect more recent ... happenings.
  
• yes, in case you haven't noticed, I've merged my long-time inactive blog with the other blog I had, which I kept secret for awhile. So all the posts that you see here from 9/7/2008 until now have been created in the other blog