my itty bitty retreat...

028. oh baby!

2008-04-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yes... it has been far too long since my last post. But so many things have happened recently that I haven't been able to keep up with my life. However... the BIGGEST thing that is going on right now is that Alex and I are expecting our first baby this coming October! Here is the latest ultrasound (with annotation). Hope everyone is doing well!!

027. ouchie

2007-10-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

i am getting old... i strained my neck muscle (again!!). Oh... and for future references... I am not going to take both Tylenol and Advil on the same day. I know... I am very impatient. :-P

026. tgif

2007-10-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

so happy that it's friday... :) wait, i have to go back to work tomorrow. no weekend for me... boo hoo!

025. i wish

2007-10-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

i wish i can just tell people off when they say some stupid remark to me. i wish i don't get bothered by these stupid remarks. i wish i don't get so emotionally attached to my work. i just wish that i can be meaner, because being nice sucks!

024. dreams

2007-10-04T14:59:00.001-07:00

i have been dreaming about work a lot recently. either i am in the lab doing an experiment, or i am talking to someone that i work with. it's so strange since i don't feel stressed about work... i guess i have been thinking about it a lot.

023. Childhood memories

2007-09-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

I finally found it! These are chinese donuts... Hong Kong style! They are a bit sweeter and denser than the longer version. But they are so yummy (and super fatty!!). Ahh... memories... :)

022. Nike run

2007-09-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

After an all night marathon of Heroes Season 1... We managed to run the Nike Run Hit Remix on Saturday morning with 1 hour of sleep! Good times..

021. lalala

2007-09-10T11:48:00.001-07:00

Just testing the email function...

020. 405 sucks

2007-09-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today it took me 1.5 hours from Torrance to UCLA. And, I left super late too... hoping to avoid the morning commute traffic! Apparently... a lot of people were late to work today too. :-P

019. lovely morning

2007-06-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

I just had my thesis defense yesterday and luckily I passed. All I have to do is to tweak my dissertation and then I am all done! When I woke up this morning, I was so relieved. I don't think I have been this relaxed since I don't even remember when! So I have a couple more weeks to enjoy this moment until I start my new jobbie at the Ganz lab in UCLA!

018. note to self... car keys don't unlock everything

2007-06-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

thought i share something funny...

Eileen: i am almost done with my slides :)
xxxxx yay!
Eileen: just 2 more to go
xxxxx: good for you..
xxxxx: yay!
i worked sooo hard lat night
xxxxx: I have to do my slide deck for my project review today...
good for you...
i want to go home and sleep...
Eileen: i tried to open my offce with my car keys just now!
haha
xxxxx: hahaaha..
lol..
with you merc key?
Eileen: yeah!
i pressed the button
didn't open
and then i tried to use the key...
and it still didn't open!
hehe luckily no one was in the office haha
xxxxx: hahaaha..
no kidding?
damn. that's classic!
Eileen: i wasn't tired... just preoccupied.. haha
xxxxx: sure...
or both..

017. thesis defense...

2007-05-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

turns out that one of the hardest thing is to manage to get 4 people to be in the same room for 3 hours. but... it's official... my thesis defense date is set for june 11 (10am - 1pm). okie... i think i am going to have a heart attack now. *.*

016. parallel computing

2007-05-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Parallel computing is the simultaneous execution of the same task (split up and specially adapted) on multiple processors in order to obtain results faster. The idea is based on the fact that the process of solving a problem usually can be divided into smaller tasks, which may be carried out simultaneously with some coordination.

Taken from Wikipedia

As the date of my thesis defense creeps closer and closer each day, I am pretty much operating on parallel computing right now. I am constantly thinking about my thesis, finding a new job, running the class, and other random thoughts. In theory, I should be more efficient with all my tasks. Unfortunately, I think I am running on Windows as my OS, which means that I need a reboot more often because of the constant crashing...

Wow... that was super geeky! Hehe 8-)

015. june 4..

2007-05-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

so that is the date of my thesis defense... yikes!

014. carebears, rainbows, and golf... oh my!

2007-05-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

golf and carebears... Fore!

rainbows trailing behind balls

such a trippy dream...

(www.care-bears.com)

013. grammar

2007-05-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

*** feeling very "bloggy" today... so today i will have two entries! :) ***

I know that I don't have the best grammar. I am sure some of you know that my tenses are always all messed up. Yet, I still managed to correct people when I hear bad grammar. I know... I am annoying like that. Anyway, here is the little exchange that I have with the customs officer when I was entering Canada:

Officer: So... why are you coming to Canada today?
Me: My grandmother just passed away so I am here to attend her funeral this afternoon.
O: So that means that you have other relatives, right?
M: Yeah, I have a few uncles and aunts here.
O: This means that your grandmother lives with your uncles or aunts?
M: Well, she passed away already, so yeah, she lived with them when she was alive.

Awkward pause. (At this point, I was thinking, crap, crap, crap, why can't I keep my month shut.)

O: Yeah, that would make sense huh. So she lived with them.
M: Eh.. yeah... I am here for the funeral that's why it's a short trip.

At this point, she prompty stamped my passport and told me to move along.

...yeah... I am pretty obnoxious, huh? :-P

012. very close

2007-04-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

so, i am leaving for canada this friday and i still do not have my passport. so i called the national passport agency regional center to make an appointment. after waiting on hold for 40 mins... i finally got an appointment for this thursday 8am. cutting it close...

011. stealing...

2007-04-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sad... just found out that someone stole the little mercedes logo from my tires... :(

010. toto!

2007-04-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

009. passport

2007-04-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

i finally renewed my passport! yay! and it took just a little under 3 hours and cost me a little bit more than $180. yes... renewing passport is quite costly. especially if you need to expedite it. so the breakdown:

Renewal fee: $67
Expedite fee: $60
Money order: $0.95
Express mail to the Passport Agency (which is in LA): $14.40
Express mail to me (also in LA): $14.40
USPS Passport Fee: $30

and... the USPS Passport Fee is basically a postal employee putting your application, old passport, and pictures (which are all organized) together with a paperclip. Oh... and they staple one of your pictures on your application too. wOw.....

008. cookie monster

2007-04-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

I really like this picture... so cute!

007. 405N

2007-04-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

Stuck on the freeway
Need to pee very badly
Where is the exit?

006. another 10am day

2007-04-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

no haikus today... :-P guess not feeling very creative...

i have to ta this quarter again... boo. and adding to this, i am going to teach the 8am section. i actually volunteered too!! i was just thinking back when i had to take classes, i avoided 8am classes like a plaque. and when i had no choice, i either slept in the class or in the comfort of my own bed. so now... when i did have a choice, why did i have to teach the 8am section? well, looking back, i haven't been at work before 10am for the past one and a half weeks. i don't feel like writing my thesis and writing my research statement. (both of these are super important right now...) i wonder what's wrong with me? after all these years in grad school, have my advisor finally broken me? i used to be more motivated. i used to be more creative. but now... i think i am just tired.

and maybe that's why i volunteered to teach the 8am section. of course, now i can have normal people working schedule of 8am - 6pm. i can spend more time with alex (good thing). eat at normal time (good thing). and, hopefully, i can jumpstart myself (hope, hope).

looking at the clock now... yep... today will be another 10am day for me. laters!

005. saturday

2007-03-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

saturday is great
a day of relaxation
then sunday arrives

004. distraction

2007-03-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

should be working now
distracted, unfocused... crap
write haikus instead :)

003. motivation

2007-03-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Need to find a job
To make a lot of money
Get out of hell hole

002. pho heating degree

2007-03-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

“Going to be done”
This is what I keep saying
For the past three years!

001. first entry.... yeah!

2007-03-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

so this is my first entry in my very first blog! maybe because i am bored... maybe because today is friday... but whatever it is... it doesn't matter! okie.. enough ramblings... :-)

yesterday, i came across some office haikus... and as i was sending some of them to my peeps... I became inspired to write some of my own... so, stay tuned!