«.·°·. Wednesday, December 31, 2003 .·°·.»
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Oy...gots me a headcold. Took the day off yesterday to nurse myself back to 100%. I felt 95% yesterday, but I figured I'd take advantage of my "stuffy-head" sounding voice to call in a sick day hehehehe. However, I definitely was fighting something off since my body had no problem sleeping 18 hours of the day away *jumps for joy*.
Damn...looks kinda foggy outside...and it's forecasted to start raining early tonight. Guess our plans of embarking to the Embarcadero might get mushed out meaning a quiet New Year's Eve. That f*ckin' sux. Who knows, I might just rebel against mother nature and still go check out the festivities if they're still on. If it turns out that way, at least I get to test out my "weatherproof" digicam hee hee!
Ok...getting kinda sleepy here at work...more to talk later.
***posted by Mouji on 12/31/2003 02:01:00 PM*** ::
«.·°·. Monday, December 29, 2003 .·°·.»
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Sad News: Anita Mui died today. At least her suffering has ended.
Don't say I'm a pessimist because I really am not. However, I do believe in a "natural balance" of all things. Remember our bout of great weather this past summer? Well, I remember making an impromtu prediction that there was hell to pay for because of the great fortunes that were bestowed upon us. An earthquake, mudslide, and non-stop winter storm patterns made my observation a bit prophetic I'd say.
I had a great relaxing weekend...thanks for asking. I have a few pics to share, but lo and behold, our company firewall isn't very kind to ftp connections. Doh! I guess I'll have to go home to post tonight (but I always say that and do nothing afterwards...hehehehehe).
I managed to get my old PIII computer up and running again (barely) and started to do the slow process of deleting old programs and other questionable materials when the thought hit me - replace the harddrive, install video and sound cards, and move it to the bedroom and hook it up to the TV! All I need is a wireless keyboard w/ a touchpad mouse, and I'm all set! Better yet, I should install a wireless DSL router for some midnight web-surfing in bed! The only problem I can forsee is how I'm going to hook that bad boy up to the TV *shrug*. Anyone got some easy solutions they wanna share? *clasps hands together and falls on knees begging*
***posted by Mouji on 12/29/2003 12:57:00 PM*** ::
«.·°·. Friday, December 26, 2003 .·°·.»
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Although I'm at work today *hiss*, I still think I had a very good Christmas season thus far. Aside from getting an all new digicam (thanks, baby!!!), I think what made my Christmas a great one was that I got to at least spend it with my beautiful g/f! And THAT makes all the difference in the world.
So I got inspired after talking to BriYam about his holiday menu and watching Alton Brown's show on roasting meat. So much so that initially I was going to buy a full rack of standing ribeye roast replete with bones, but my g/f gave me this wicked look that I decided to go for the smallest, boneless hunk of meat I could find at Costco. In the middle of dry-aging the meat, I got a bit concerned cuz the meat started smelling kinda "funny". Next thing I know, the news became inundated with reports of mad cow disease. Undeterred, I proceeded to slow roast the bugger, and decided that even though the meat came out to near perfection, there was still room for improvement:
- Ease up on the salt...it only helps provide a nice flavored crust and will not flavor the meat inside very much
- For smaller hunks of meat, you must roast it to a higher temp than the 118 deg. F that Alton Brown suggests since there's not enough heat stored in the meat to raise the bugger to 130 deg. F
- Definitely use a pyrex baking dish without a rack if you want to make some au jus...most non-stick pans cannot be used on the stove top range
- Must remember to buy horseradish BEFORE Christmas day when stores are open...thank goodness that we had some gourmet sweet hot mustard in the cupboard
Have an awesome New Year's celebration everyone! If you're gonna be near the Embarcadero 4, I hope to run into y'all!
***posted by Mouji on 12/26/2003 10:23:00 AM*** ::
«.·°·. Monday, December 22, 2003 .·°·.»
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Just when I said it was going to be quiet day today, some higher being decided to make me eat my words. My g/f didn't feel the quake at all (which is a good thing), but the building I'm in swayed continuously for about 30 seconds. I dunno what's worse if the "big" one hits - being on the top floor or near ground level. On one hand, you'd plummet down a coupla hundred feet to an instant death; on the otherhand, you'd possibly die a slow, agonizing death buried under all the rubble. Let's hope I don't find out anytime soon (or even later).
***posted by Mouji on 12/22/2003 01:48:00 PM*** ::
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I dunno how many of yuz out there have already seen/read about the pic above, but it sure raised every single hair on the back of my neck! Now I'm just waiting for someone to say, "Just kidding!"
It's going to be a quiet Christmas this year since both of us don't quite have enough vacay hours to go home to Hawaii. I'll earn 40 hours of vacay time with 6 floating holidays by the middle of February 2004. We'll probably be going back home in late March in sync with my g/f's youngest brother's spring break. Bus' out da poke an' beeyah, brah!
It's all quiet here in the office. I think I'll enjoy the next couple of days *grin*
***posted by Mouji on 12/22/2003 10:07:00 AM*** ::
«.·°·. Friday, December 19, 2003 .·°·.»
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You've seen the commercials...a person goes to a store she/he normally wouldn't go to because someone gave her/him a gift certificate. In the next scene she/he finds a suitable store, and like a street-wise person standing outside in broad daylight, she/he busts out an American Express gift check for the world to see, which apparently you can use virtually anywhere. Gee...that's a great gift idea...hard to match...but I think I can do one better. Instead of the gift check, what if you just gave the person you decided wasn't worth the trouble of putting a drop of thought or sentiment into a gift idea say...I dunno...CASH??? I swear...sometimes a few companies lose sight of how intelligent their customer base is. And if you're one of the minority who actually fell for the marketing scheme, you deserve to get mugged.
On a more somber note, say farewell to Nels' personal journal. It's been quite a ride, bro!
***posted by Mouji on 12/19/2003 12:54:00 AM*** ::
«.·°·. Thursday, December 18, 2003 .·°·.»
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One bad thing about the holiday lull in the workplace is that now I'm officially bored (but that won't last very long I can assure you!). I just can't wait for everyone in the office to take their damned vacation next week, so that I can just cruise on in n' cruise on out any damned time I want to! *big grin*
I'm almost done with all my Christmas shopping, and I'm quite proud of the fact that I've only stepped foot in a mall once (if Embarcadero 4 counts as a "mall" [which it really doesn't IMHO], then make it 2]. I still have the "band of brothers" left to do...my older and younger brothers as well as my g/f's 2 younger brothers. I know what I'm going to get 2 of them, but undecided on the other 2 *sigh*. Looks like just one more mall visit (non-peak hours of course) to get them a little sumpin' sumpin'.
On the tech front, I got mahself an internal DVD Burner (Sony DRU510A to be exact). Gawd I LOVE it! Best part about the whole thing is that I got a $30 instant rebate coupon from Staples.com and I'll be mailing in a Sony rebate for another $30 refund! Couldn't resist folx! And y'know what really made me squeal like a Hobbit in the Shire? I went to Office Depot in search of a decent deal on blank DVD media. Lo and behold there was an in-store coupon for a "buy one, get one free" on spindles of 25 Phillips DVD+R discs, whereas each spindle was like $60...so w/ the coupon it would be 50 discs for $60 or $1.20 per disc...not bad, eh? I neatly stacked two spindles (one on top of each other), grabbed the coupon, and headed for the checkout. The chick that checked me out (hehehehe...you know I thought that phrase out) thought it was a spindle of 50 and only zapped the top one and proceeded to process the coupon. End result: 50 DVD+R discs for $30! Yee haw!!!
I think 30 is my lucky number...
***posted by Mouji on 12/18/2003 04:16:00 PM*** ::
«.·°·. Monday, December 15, 2003 .·°·.»
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Y'know, I'm no fashion/image expert, nor do I care to be political about the whole thing, but doncha think that if you're on the top of the list of most wanted men in America that growing a beard like Osama Bin Laden (who incidentally is also on the top o' the list of most wanted men) isn't quite exactly a wise choice? I dunno...call me crazy...but I think that it will not bode well for you if you're trying to "blend" in with the general populous.
So while we were waiting for a seat with the hostess barking out numbers in both Canto and English (yee sup say ho! nahmbah twenty-foh!), I coudn't quite help but make a few observations about my fellow Chinese peeps:
- The men don't give a f*ck about how they look...would it kill ya to put a f*ckin' comb to your head once in a while??? I'd settle for you dunking your head in the puhn (brightly colored plastic bucket of sorts) of water, that's undoubtedly sitting in your bathtub, and let it dry as is.
- Women of FOB descent...who are you trying to fool w/ the LV knockoffs? I mean really!
- Stop trying to pretend you know someone who works in the restaurant so you can bypass the already long freakin' line! I'm sure your busboy acquaintance would much rather you wait patiently than piss off the manager and jeopardize his employment.
- Will y'all stop pushing me around? Just get a f*ckin' ticket w/ a number on it and stand still!
- Horny old men...stop staring at my g/f or I will knock you the f*ck out!
- When telling an "engaging" story, must you put one arm on the table, push out your flabby chest, and illustrate with the arm not on the table? Makes ya look like Hitler delivering a speech.
- Generally, here in the United State, moth balls do not count as a form of perfume or deodorant. Do yourself a favor and hire an exterminator, ok?
- Water...it's free right? Why do I hafta ask a million times before someone hands me a glass of tap? Oh, by the way, my g/f would like a glass as well!
- Seriously...you stare at my g/f's boobs one more time and I WILL punch a hole in your f*ckin' face!
***posted by Mouji on 12/15/2003 02:16:00 AM*** ::
«.·°·. Thursday, December 11, 2003 .·°·.»
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Although I try not act wacko and insane 100% of the times, I can't resist saying that I find the above pic f*ckin' hilarious!
Things have slowed down a bit in the office, especially since peeps are moving along at a snail's pace trying to duck under the radar until their scheduled vacay which starts late next week. I, along with all the other poor schmucks who started working for the company late in the year, will be in the office handling calls like 911 operators in an Amish community. In case you didn't get that, what I meant to say that we're basically there to occupy space and surf the net like deranged people.
By now most of you have lost interest in our little Vegas getaway, so I'll save you the trouble of a half-assed recount of our adventures. However, I must make a few observations and other notes:
- Next time I'm in Vegas, I'll be sure to hit downtown for all the cheap yet good food
- Why call it the California? Might as well just name it the Hawaii
- There's nothing Hawaiian about Vegas 808 store in the Cal...only one f*ckin' rounder of arare (pronounced ah-rah-reh...Japanese cracker snacks in case ya didn't know)...should also rename that establishment Vegas Beefjerky cuz that's what they be sellin'
- Don't go to Vegas during the winter months...f*ckin' COLD!
- Taking the bus between downtown and the strip ain't no thang...my g/f and I rode the 5 Fulton MUNI for years to get to/from work, and that makes the #301 bus route look like a Disneyland ride...even at night!
- Fashion Show Mall is a lot bigger than what I remember it to be
- I WILL try a deep-fried Twinkie next time!
- Although it might not sound like it, we had a freakin' blast there!
More random thoughts tomorrow as they come. Toodles!
***posted by Mouji on 12/11/2003 01:38:00 AM*** ::
«.·°·. Wednesday, December 10, 2003 .·°·.»
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Another month-end close down the tubes...there's no turning back now. I'm pretty sure I won't be at the institution where I am currently employed. I'm getting a bit anxious for something "bigger and better", but I have to admit that where I am now provides me with a really good break from the chaos and madness of public accounting. However, there's only so much mind-numbing bullsh*t I can take, y'know?
A co-worker plopped herself on my guest chair, and she had this really concerned...almost sad...look on her face. In a whisper, she was telling me how "concerned" she is that her year-end eval wasn't as good as she hoped knowing that the bonus (which is tied to your eval) is inherently contingent upon whether or not the managers like you. Isn't that always the case peeps? I find "evaluations" such bull f*ckin' shit, that it behooves me to make a strong statement against such lack of objectivity. I told her that if I think I did the best that I can, and it's not good enough for the poor f*cks above me, I'd pack my bags and leave without a 2nd thought...period. Hey, after surviving 3 rounds of layoffs at the accounting firm and finally leaving the firm on my terms, I guess you could say I'm battle-hardened and jaded.
I know I can afford to say that since I don't have a mortgage nor am I married w/ children, but there's got to be a fine line of how much corporate abuse you can tolerate. Personally, my tolerance is quite low these days.
***posted by Mouji on 12/10/2003 10:54:00 AM*** ::
«.·°·. Tuesday, December 02, 2003 .·°·.»
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It's starting to get a bit busy for the month-end close process. As such, I'm just going to post the rest of the Vegas pics. There aren't that many since I hated lugging around my camera and fumbling around with my jacket since it was freezing outside. I sooooo need a smaller cam *ahem*. Enjoy!
***posted by Mouji on 12/02/2003 10:03:00 AM*** ::
«.·°·. Monday, December 01, 2003 .·°·.»
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I've gotten a limited request for my Vegas update, but I've been so preoccupied with entertaining my g/f's brother, who's visiting from Washington state, and his g/f for the entire weekend. In a nutshell, all I have to say is that if you REALLY wanted to save some serious moola on a Vegas trip, eat and sleep in downtown Vegas...period! If you're not in the know, you'd think that the food in DT Vegas would be substandard, but to tell you the truth, I'd prefer DT food over the strip anyday (excluding Paris's buffet which is primarily French replete with duck and rabbit!). So here are pics from our first day in Vegas. I'll do a wrap up sometime later this week. Enjoy!
***posted by Mouji on 12/01/2003 10:00:00 AM*** ::
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