Free Yourself

I should know better as I used to be in adveristing, but this ad totally suckered me into buying the newest NIKE FREE XT.

Hope

[I've heard that it's possible to grow up - I've just never met anyone who's actually done it. Without parents to defy, we break the rules we make for ourselves. We throw tantrums when things don't go our way, we whisper secrets with our best friends in the dark, we look for comfort where we can find it, and we hope - against all logic, against all experience. Like children, we never give up hope...]

Yap, I just quoted Greys. A drama series that's so dyfunctional, but yet so wise.

Can't Beat The Feeling

I accidentally drank expired coke.



oops~

Cut Throat

There's this pool game called cut throat that's played by 3 players. The pool balls are divided up into 3 sets. The objective of the game is to sink in other peoples balls -- hence the name, cut throat.

Every man for himself.

What can I say? Son of a mutha effin bitch~

Ready, Get Set, Go!

Something happened throughout the years..

I had perfect attendence in 8th grade (even got an award)..

Zero hour in high school..

7:30am business law class in college -- which I must brag b/c I went a total of 3.5 times and got an A-!

Yet for the life the me, I am always late for work! I admit, my ad days have spoiled me a bit by clocking in at 10, but in the wonderful world that is Imperial, 9am is like pulling teeth with chopsticks!

But its ok b/c I've been playing a game with my boss. She's actually not aware of this game and so far, I'm kicking ass and taking names. The premise is quite simple: as long as I arrive before my boss, I win!

High five!

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

E. Fudd

"Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits" ...

Happy Chinese New Year!

PDA-ing

Last night at a Starbucks in the upper East side, sat 2 couples showcasing extreme PDA. I, did not appreciate it because it was 1) not cute and 2) almost full on porn.

These kids were young-- say late tweens early 20's. They ordered 2 venti somethings and a cheesecake. I don't really understand feeding your significant other food -- but that's how they were. The bf would feed the girl a bite of cheesecake and then kiss her on the cheek. Another bite, 2 smooches and so on and so forth. I wanted to pull my hair out. His free hand was actually in the vicinity of her crotch and I was just thinking '2 ventis + cheesecake, they could've used that money to get a room...'

seriously!

Sigh, young folks know not of the value of money these days.

Magic 8 Ball

Sell! Buy! Sell! Buy!

I've been seesawing for the past year on whether or not to sell my place. The locations great -- next to the subway (and subway sandwich shop), park, grocery store, 7-11 and a million and 1 eateries.

So why sell? Mortgage is killin me. I've been breaking even every month for the past 13 months and still in debt. Lol~

I've been lucky enough to squeeze a trip here and there, but as I'm getting close to my 30's, I'd like to stop this trend of living paycheck to paycheck.

I hear the real estate market is going up again and its a good time to sell... here's the kicker: Where the heck am I going to live? It's me + dog and not all places here rent out to tenants with pets. Should I buy again and go through all the paper work, bank statements, interior designers BS again!?

I asked the IT guy (whose knowledge of the real estate market is just as up to date as his own calling) and he suggested I move to Bali. Not Bali, Indonesia, but the Bali that's 30mins north of the city, that's not really near a subway or grocery store or civilization, but great for hot springs and relaxation!

I'm already a hermit living in the city -- I can't be a hermit living out in booneyland.

>_<"

I hate seesaws.

Table For One + Dog

As Debby is off in Europe living the champagne wishes and caviar dreams life, I am about 2 blocks from my apt, sitting at an outdoor cafe, enjoying my iced coffee(mostly likely made from powder, but still delish!) and basking in the very weird 82 degrees weather.

Le Paris, Yong He is not, but the many scooters parked along the street has it's own charm. The only thing I can do without are the yappy lil dogs at the next table over.

Phuket

my phuket trip in a nutshell. there's pics of le beach on le facebook.

bali (keeping fingers crossed) may be next!

Sigh

I need a massage el pronto.

sigh.

On a sad note, my company blocked fb. I hear messenger is next.

sigh.

Hot In Taipei

Good lord, its 72 degrees in Taipei. 72 degrees!!

So much for winter.

SPF 0

tickets... check!
hotel... check!

phuket, i'ma coming!

Herbal Essence

I have the urge to drop everything and backpack throughout Europe. But then movies like "hostel" and "the human centipede" have freaked me out to a point of no return. Maybe I'll stick to SE Asia and the white sandy beaches.

Phukett in December!

The story that never happened..

The story that never happened -- goes a little like this:

6 friends were hanging out a bar on a Saturday night. They had take out delivered straight to the bar (never knew you could do that huh?) and Friend X tells a story of how a boy had wronged her. Now, being the supportive friends we were, wanted to kick some ass. We knew the boy that wronged her was at a bar 4 blocks yonder so we rallied up the troops and made our way over.

A lot of shit talking was made enroute and continued when we got there. But alas, even after all the instigating and 'peer pressure', nothing happened. Zip, zilch, none. Beers were finished and the 6 friends walked out of that place like losers.

hMm..

I miss ..

I heard the scuffle sounds as I walked towards the gym. I could feel my heart beat faster -- as if it was opening game night and we had home court advantage. Needless to say, I missed it. The sleek, glistening hardwood flooring, touch of the leather ball and the nothing but net, swoosh-- brought me back to the good ol days.

And today was the day I drove all over town. From my place to downtown for brunch then to the National Palace Musuem then back into town for dinner then to the south side to shop at the mega Ikea store and finally back home. Yes, I miss driving!!!

If parking weren't such bitch (and hella expensive), I'd totally consider getting a car. Sigh..

Say Wha?!

HOLLER!

is the word that can describe the 'eureka' moment i just had.

i, being the dumbass, accidentally upgraded my iphone software to the latest 4.0.2 -- which meant that i couldn't download the 'jailbreakme' software. so after numerous searches, i found a link where this guy gave a brilliant tutorial on how to downgrade your software.

bada-bing~ i'm now using 4.0.1! time to jailbreak this badass!

Nancy SMASH!

Road rage level has increased (surprisingly).

This morning, enroute to work, bunch of dumbasses were scootering pretty slow. As in leaving a huge ass space between them and a bus (that was at least 10 yards ahead) and blocking the folks behind.

STUPID mofos.

Whatever.

Then this lady literally cuts me off -- into a gas station. I was on the inside lane and did not appreciate the sudden serve to the right without warning. This ain't no QB sweep lady.

I'm sure she heard me yell "USE YOUR FUCKIN BLINKERS!" through my face mask.

Later at nite, while waiting for the subway, instead of spreading throughout the cars, bitchasses crammed by the doors thus making it impossible for others (ie ME) to get in.

I'm starting to hate Taiwanese people again...

8/18 ∙ Taipei ∙ Home

OCD, perfectionist or ...?

spent an hour (out of 4) at the production house racking my brain on the simplest detail for a company video: formatting the title pages

original format:
Kaohsiung: 3/10 Dreams

1st draft:
高雄: 3/10 Dreams

2nd draft:
Mar 10th, Kaohsiung Dreams

3rd draft:
10 Mar, Kaohsiung Dreams

4th draft:
3/10 . Kaohsiung . Dreams

Final draft:
3/10 ∙ Kaohsiung ∙ Dreams

major props to the editor and agency folks for bearing with me.

they must think i'm insane. sigh~

hoo-ha

Finally taught Monga how the ride the scooter over the weekend.

I don't think she actually learned, as I still have to drag her ass onto it. Plus, I have to set my left leg as a rail for her to lean on and right leg to prevent her from flying off. I'm guessing this is the first time in her doggie life that's been on scooter, so needless to say, she freaked out. And what does she do when she's freaked out and trapped on a moving scooter? She looks at me for comfort. But in her position, she's more or less facing my hoo-ha -- yes, its exactly how it sounds.

Uncomfortable? You betcha. The kicker. Its a million degrees now and since she's all fur, the only way for her to cool down is to pant, which leads to drool -- onto my crotch.

Crazy in love

At Volar, aka Plush, setting up deco for an 'i heart ny' event later. As I came up the escalator, memories of partyroom came flooding back -- not to mention all those nites dropping it like it's hot here. Seems like a lifetime ago...

Blah~

Current mood described by an old skool slogan:

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?

The world may never know~

FIFA

The Greatest Ad I've Ever Seen

Can't argue with the writer.

Fong Da Coffee

Coffee connoisseur I am not, I just know what I like.

Some decisions are just that easy to make.

No need to over think, over analyze, over expect.

"1 hazelnut latte please"

What Real Women Expect From Men

Taken from Esquire mag.


At 18:

He should be compassionate, at least. There have to be some teenage boys with compassion!

He should be good with the parents.

He should have a goal.

He should know how to whittle wood.

We don't expect very much, to be honest.


At 27:

He should be reliable.

He shouldn't rely on text messaging as a tool of courtship.

He should have a "way" about him.

He should have traveled the world.

He should know how to cook one thing really well.

He should have a political affiliation.

He should, every now and then, substitute a light beer with Scotch on the rocks.

He should behave as if his mother raised him correctly — even if she didn't.


At 35:

He should not have a belly.

He should have decided on a sexual preference.

He should possess the thoughtfulness required to help a mom with a stroller and two kids up the stairs.

He should not have mommy issues.

He should have moved on from pickup lines to conversation starters.

He should want the party to end at some point.


At 44:

He should be a real partner.

He should still be eager to learn.

He should be able to sing along to all the songs on Boston's first album.

He should be financially secure.

He should understand the importance of jewelry in a woman's life.

He should take out the garbage without being asked.

He should be sexy.

He should be a gentleman.


At 53:

He should work out.

He should smell like something: aftershave or cologne.

He should know politics.

He should be faithful.

He should like Bob Dylan.

He should dance.

He should not be addicted to his work.

He should admit his mistakes.

Eye of the Tiger

small burst of motivation came when i saw sharon's status on fb -- she lost 6 lbs in a week, gained 4 lbs of muscles and i'm thinkin its due to this new workout craze, p90x.

yes, i'm a bit tempted to buy the whole 13 DVD set for 3 easy payments of 39.95 (not including shipping & handling). but as i mentioned this 'splurge' to my coworker, she simply went 'you have a gym membership.. just go workout'. touche~

i've heard if you've maintained your high school weight, you're in pretty good shape. 'don't believe everything you hear' would be a good lesson cuz i'm about 1..2..3..4..5 would be lying-- 12, 12 lbs heavier than i was back in hs.

whateva. i love food too much. we'll see how long this 'motivation' lasts. roaaaarrr~

Off The Beaten Path

This past weekend, I took a short trip down to the dirrty south, was a beach bum for [that long] and just followed the road to wherever it led.



I don't know why, but I kept humming 'renagade! da dumm'... must've been the ocean breeze.

M for Monga

brought Monga to visit grandma yesterday.

First thing that grandma said?

"why did you get a dog instead of a bf?"

-____-

Smells like teen spirit

I don't know what that word is when you see folks from 7-8 years ago still doing the same thing. Let me be more specific. Last night at a work related event, I bumped into a crowd of clubbers that I've known from once upon a time. I'm not hating or anything -- maybe a tad bit envious. Envious at how their lifestyles haven't changed or that they're living like it's 1999. Or maybe they are the lucky ones that stumbled on to a path that was meant for them.

I'm sitting outside a starbucks, people watching, sipping my overpriced hazelnut latte and blogging -- life ain't too shabby despite all the shit that's always goin on. I gotta say, not much has changed. Still thinking about the future. Still day dreaming about that one fine day. Still looking forward to that moment where I'll have the balls to fuck everything and travel the world, aka, mexico.

Obasan

I think Asian parents are funny -- in the sense that they say the darnest things.

Couple weeks ago, I called my Mom, aka obasan (not to be confused with Obama) to wish her a happy birthday:

Me: O-ba-san, happy birthday ah! Btw, you're a grandma now!
Obasan: Yeah, I saw the pictures... she's so ugly and big!
Me: -___-
Obasan: Why did you get a dog instead of a boyfriend?
Me: -___-
Obasan: You're almost 30! When are you going to get married?
Me: -___-
Obasan: Don't you want to get married?
Me: -___-
Obasan: Aren't you lonely?
Me: -___-
Obasan: How's your job going? Stable?
Me: -___-
Obasan: When are you coming back to the states?
Me: -___-
Obasan: blah blah taxes blah blah boyfriend blah blah blah...

Point of the story? Never call your parents.

Authentic Happiness

Kristi passed me this site.

Took the suvery of character strengths.

Results?

林寶珠

B/c of you:

My life pretty much revolves around the stupid mortgage.

Adios random trips.

Savings account? HA~

And now...

Taxes
Bdays
Weddings

Muther Effer! #)(*$*#($%#$)

Next~

Events. Check.
Mortgage. Check.
Bills. Check.
Multiple Naps. Check.

Next item on list?

Beach. Beach. Beach.

Plitter, Platter

I don't know if its the Seattleite in me, but I LOVE walking in the rain without an umbrella. Take note that folks from Seattle don't really use'em. You can usually spot an out of towner holdin one.

On my way back from work yesterday, it poured. The kid in me started to get excited -- but only for a second cuz according to urban legend, its acid rain here in the motherland.

Me no likey bald spots.

Fat

Obviously the writer has not lived/worked in Asia...

Please click the lime colored link => Stress = fat

Cha-Ching

I was catching up with Amanda earlier this week and she mentioned how great it would be to win the lottery. Um, hell ya to that! Then the musical chimes kicked in and I started to day dream about 'what if I won the lottery!?'

I'm a 'realistic day dreamer', so let's say I hit the million dollar (US$) jackpot.

First things first, stupid house = stupid mortgage. Check.

What do I do with 750k? I'ma buy another house -- this time in America. Check.

Yes, I'm aware 750K can't get me shit in New York, Chicago, SF... so might as well stick to what you know. Seattle, it's not like you're the last kid picked for dodgeball, its just compared to the other cities, you're more of a 'value for money' type location.

I'm single. I don't really need a house-house with front and back yards that I know will just be a communal shitting ground for the neighborhood dogs. So I'm opting for a loft. I'm guessing 500k? Check.

Sweet, 250k left. Do I invest? Psh, this is freakin day dream so of course I'm gonna piss it all away on crap I don't need.

George Foreman Grill. Check.
TiVo. Check.
Snuggie. Check.
Hello Kitty Mah Jong Set. Check.

250,000 faux dollars and that's all I can come up with. I'm sorry if I've disappointed you all. Hmm, I wonder if I can buy an island somewhere in SE Asia with 250k? I can sense you nodding in agreement with me that the island buying is a kickass idea.

High-five!

Ingenious Plan

Amanda recommended that I blog this -- who knows, I may gather a new following b/c of it.

This is a true story in the works:

Once upon a time in early 2010, I made a list of new year resolutions and one of the items on that list was to get married -- to any guy .. this year.

Why this proposal? My mom's been nagging me ever since puberty on finding a nice boy, settling down and popping babies out. My reaction has always been a 'this ain't the 50's' or 'you want kids, you pop them out!' sorta thing.

Even this whole house buying thing was a scheme of hers to have me one step closer to matrimony. For the record, I'm not against marriage, I'm just enjoying the single life in one of the busiest cities in the world.

I'll be turning the big 3-0 next year and if my math serves me right, I was 6 years old when my mom was 30. Scary thought aint' it? There could be a mini me in grade school eating glue b/c 1+1 is just too damn hard!!

Anyway, back to the plan. The plan, as stated before, is to get married. I'm not even picky. The guy can be any guy. Asian, Ukrainian, 1 eyed show pirate in vegas etc... as long as he's living, breathing and able say 'I do', its all good.

We'll have a quick n dirty wedding and 3-6 months down the line, an even quicker divorce. The whole point is to use this as an excuse for future questionings.

IE

Mom: Are you dating anyone?

Me: No, I'm still not over the last relationship.. The divorce was too painful.

Mom: Hmm.

I'm thinking this excuse will last a good 3-5 years.

Woot!

Monday mornings usually mean Monday blues. But once in a blue moon (har har) there's always an exception -- like today.

I can't stop smiling. This ranks up there with baby Kouen.

What can I say? Woot! Woot!

G.I.M.P

ROTC Mike broke the news -- turns out my left leg is 1cm shorter than my right. Ain't that a bitch? He gave me pointers: put more pressure on your right side, work your core, try not to slouch, etc...

So today, as I was slowly getting started with my run, all I could think about was 'put more pressure on my right', 'crap, don't forget to breathe', 'I'm using too much pressure', 'suck in my gut, work that core', repeat and rinse.

35 mins and 5 kms later, my brain was exhausted. @(*$&@(*@!

As I was halfway into my run, I unexpectedly ran into 2 people. I don't know them on a personal level nor have I ever been aquainted with them, but it was weird how at first glance, I just knew who they were.

No, they weren't celebrities or anyone newsworthy. They were a couple. A couple to be married this year (if I remember correctly). Just funny how the world works.

At The Core~

As a treat for signing up to True Fitness, they offered 3 free personal training sessions. Yippee for me~

Today was the first session. I thought it was gentle on the eyes, Jason... but no, they stuck me with ROTC Mike. ROTC Mike that also enjoys triatholons, marathons and walks on the beach. Anyway, after drilling me on why I wanted to exercise (apparently 'being healthy' was not the right answer) and watching me do a demo run, he just frowned and did this weird head nod thingy. Apparently, my posture is all wrong, my stance is wrong, its just ALL wrong.

Bah~

Next was core training. He totally dissed my pilates skills (Mary Winsor, I've failed you completely) and tried to correct my core. '你太僵硬了!' Yep, that's what he kept telling me. I wanted to reply with '僵硬有什麼不好'. But considering we just met, I didnt want to scare him away.

Next weekend, next session.

Urban Dictionary

Definition of [Nancy]

she's bootylicious and funky fresh.
she's a perfect ten and the most amazing person you will EVER meet. everyone who meets her loves her very very much.
nancy is pretty much the sex.
did you see that girl, she was a total nancy!


(boy sees hot girl)
boy: WOAH WHAT A NANCY!

hahahaha~

nobody, nobody machu

i can dance nobody in mah sleep now~

year end dinner was AWESOME -- only cuz i don't remember half it being drunk for most of the nite. but the end results? CHA-CHING baby!

i'm so getting a new laptop over break! =T

---

on a different note, i got membership at true fitness today. the smell of sweat reminded me of the good ol days spent at cali fitness.

Thirsty Thursdays

Feelings, nothing more than fee..fee..feelings~

Company year end dinner is tomorrow -- half dreading, half anxious.

The only sound in my head right now is 'cha-ching!' cuz mama needs a new laptop el pronto~

Perceptions

Taking a cue from Queenie (somewhat), my life has now once again revolved around work (somewhat). As I'm getting more and more settled into my new digs, things are slowly falling into place.

A very recent biz trip down to KS with a coworker became more of a bonding trip. I thought we knew each other pretty well (as co workers go) and for those that know me or have worked with me, I crack inappropriate jokes during the worst time, I sing way off key when I'm stressed, I show what color panties I have and ask what color other people are wearing...

My point? Her perception of me is a complete 180 of what I just described. Funny thing is, my boss said someting similar couple months before.

Hmm, who would've thunk~

----

From the wonderful news section: Its a boy!!! And also caongrats to Doc and Danny!! 4th o July, here I come!

Amen

Borrowing this from Hsini's blog.

Cliffhanger

You know whenever you're watching a movie/tv show and one of the character has that window of opportunity to make things right by telling the truth or just plain speaking out loud, but doesn't and a whole bunch of crap (that could've been easily avoided) happens?

And everytime you think to yourself,'幹~又在托戲. 講出來就好了ㄚ!'

Art imitating life...

I talked to Eve (my coworker) about this and she simply said 'some things just aren't meant to be said.' I think that's horseshit (could be my stubborness, could be the American in me), but on some level, I know she's right.

So now what?

Shoo!

Go away throat infection!!!

So much for drinking freshly squeezed oj everyday...

Run Nancy, Run!

Jogged to Fanny's place last nite. Such a bad idea to run outside at nite in Taipei. I almost got hit by scooters (twice) and took a wrong turn in the beginning which led me in the opposite direction of where I needed to go. Then, on the way back, I thought I made the right turn, but turns out, nope, sorry, better luck next time...

I'ma stickin to a well lit gym and a treadmill. At least I won't get hit by a scooter...

Filler Up

After driving in Yilan and not running anyone over, it dawned on me on how much I miss it!

So after checking prices on the most economic car in Taiwan -- I've concluded that I can't afford shit here with my salary plus mortgage. There is the option of getting a roommate to help with the mortgage or getting a used car. hmm, I'll see...

Resolutions!

So every year I list down new year resolutions... Last year was horrible. I don't think I stuck to any of them. As traditions go, here is my list for 2010.


1. Get back on the frickin mill

2. Minimize on the procrastination (ha~ as I blog this at work on a Monday morning)

3. Don't sweat the small stuff

4. Have a lil more faith in people -- especially here

5. Reconnect with old friends

6. This one I'll tell you later...

7. Be more organized

Lets see if I can stick to at least 3 of them!

2010, its on!

Peace Out 2009!

Oh yah! Counting down to 2010!

What can I say about 2009? Hmm~ Lots of random life experiences fo'sure.

Where do I start?
(in no particular order)

Quarantined for faux H1N1 (love how this is on the top of my list)
Bought a house
Bought company stock
Food poisoning over Xmas
Still at Imperial(!!!)
Road trips with new and old friends
Amanda's wedding
Still drunk dialin folks back home
Getting sick every other month
Shotgun weddings (quoting Kristi "its raining babies!")
All the Seatown/Cali folks visiting
Drama-rama
Realizing habits are called habits for a reason (ie. road rage)
Only 1 gray hair this year!
Fresh ink
Please, no more biz trips to Macau!
Wakabayashi Jr. ^__^

2009 was definitely full of ups and downs and its ending on a really good note. News of baby Wakabayashi, for some reason, put a lot of things into perspective. It's like a kick in the ass to stop fuckin around and to be more pro-active.

I usually go with the flow of things, but I'm pretty anxious (in a good way) for 2010.

Baby Talk

Whenever a friend or friend of a friend announced an engagement, we'd always joke 'is she pregnant?' out of good humor.

After a bunch of missed calls and a somewhat excited voicemail, it didnt dawn on me of what's to come.

I still think I'm being punk'd (just kidding!!!)...

This is hands down the best news I've heard in 2009.

I wonder if you'll name the kid 'something warrior wakabayashi'... Has a nice ring to it, no?

Congrats again!

B. Murphy

A Munday it is with news of her passing.

Moments like these always make me think of the cliches: life is short, important things in life, living with no regrets, etc. But once the moment passes, I go back to my routine as if nothing had ever happened.

As I'm away from my family and friends this holiday season (like many holiday seasons), just know that I'm thinkin of you guys and that your Christmas cards will probably arrive after the new year.

Har har~

Inner Charlotte

A guy that I used to have a crush on left me a message on FB recently. I don't know why, but I'm still smiling. Funny how after all these years, he's still able to give me the warm n fuzzies...

Squares with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients
50 mL 1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 pkg 1 pkg 250 g (about 40) regular marshmallows or 5 cups miniature marshmallows
2 mL 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1.5 L 6 cups RICE KRISPIES*
250 mL 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preparation
In large saucepan over low heat, melt margarine. Add marshmallows; stir until melted and well blended. Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla. Add cereal, stirring until coated. Add chocolate chips, stirring until thoroughly coated.

Using lightly-buttered spatula, press into buttered 3.5 L (13 x 9") pan. Cool. Cut into squares.


----

da da dum!

Defining Moments

An excoworker IM'd me recently and noted how exciting my life is -- basing all this on my FB pictures.

If she only knew that I had 15 work events within a 6 week period that spanned 2 countries and 3 cities in Taiwan. During the same 6 week period, I: filed dozens of paperwork for a damn house that I didn't want to get in the first place; met with interior designers after work to make the house more live-able; used my weekends (when I'm not traveling) to pick out flooring, bathroom toilets, sinks, faucets, tubs, shower heads, an entire kitchenette, granite tiles for the kitcken, color panels for the kitchen cabinets; wall color, door color, stair color; back and forth trips between the house and numerous furniture stores to check measurments, breaking down already installed lighting to fit a closet in, breaking down already installed wall frames b/c the door space was too narrow, finding out they booked the wrong color wood floor AFTER they installed it; the numerous trips to the house during lunch hour, after work, day after day...

I'm exhausted as hell.

The events are done (thank god) and the house is in its final stretch. My life is not exciting. Because on top of all this, there's other drama (within the same time period). The kind that you see on day time soap and every week there's something new and even more out there -- this isn't November sweeps people.

And in the midst of all this, moments are defined, characters revealed, actions speaking louder than words and the ugly truth comes out. It's heartbreaking and disappointing but also a relief b/c finally you stop wondering, you stop caring...

Yeah, my life is totally exciting~~

Represent!

All that jazz

There's this ABC singer, Alisa, that we had perform at one of our recent events -- surprisingly and thankfully, she rocks on stage. In fact, during rehearsal, I couldn't help but notice certain similarities between her and Amanda. Turns out, Alisa's manager was Amanda's old one (small world).

Anyway, as I watched her perform that night, seeing her work the crowd, all I could think was "that should be diva up there doing her thang..." It was a bittersweet moment -- c'est la vie no?


ps. note to self: stretching is very important...

Death by 林寶珠。

My moms a funny lady. Just the other day she called and goes "I knew you would buy a house. Fortune teller said you would and look how it came true! Fortune teller also said once you buy house, you will get married soon after! Ha ha ha. So, you have boyfriend now?"

The whole time I was thinking it was all a conspiracy. It was my mom that kept hounding me everyday to buy a damn house and now I know why. Taiwanese mom's are totally scandalous...

Push

Where is that 'easy' button when you need one?

Autumn Days

Change in weather, change in scenary, change in perception...

Summer has ended and just like that, another year has passed.

Just like that...

Low...

Wake me up when September ends...

I'm AWAKE! K, maybe not wide awake, but my eyes are definitely open. My self indulgent month is over and its time to face the phat lady.

Back from Langkawi and I can only describe it as awesome! I haven't traveled with a big group since my Bali trip back in 2003, but this was a great group considering most met for the first time. In a nutshell, the days were spent out in the sun, the nites were spent watching Gossip Girl, season one. What can I say, that's just how we rolled! Tons of pics (I think 1000+ were taken courtesy of Daisy), which I am still waiting for and will post (just the PG ones). Already planning my next destination for CNY. I'm thinking white sandy beach in ....?

The housing thing is coming along and I met with interior designers last week on how they can squeeze me for every cent I have. I'm looking at the layout one of the designers drafted up and I'm debating whether to keep the guest room or make it into an office or dining room or convert the 2nd bathroom into a walk in closet. This is how lame my personal life has become -- my friend Andy asked why I'm still single. Well dude, there's your answer.

A new development at work happened via email followed by a phone call. I'm all for it but as my mind wanders to the endless possibilities, the more unliklihood its going to happen. Thats how pessimistic I am about these things. Whatever will be, will be.

Oh, on a happy note, its my 10th year anniversary with the college crew! 10 years... Kristi lah, I'ma be telling our story to your kids one day -- including all those times I copied your homework, Rihanna days, jerky girls, etc. Can't wait for the reunion in Hawaii!

Itchy

Blogging via iPhone cuz we forgot to pay the phone bill at home... Oops.

Andy's in town and met up with him yesterday for what I thought was a relaxing bike ride along the riverside park, but noooo, we rode for 20 plus miles. I have a foldable bike so needless to say, my arse is freaking tender and sore right now. And to prove that we're still young, we met up with Jen's crew at Brown Sugar then Spark.

It's Sunday nite and I'm watching this local tv show where this guy spent $3000 on a raccoon. I wonder if he knows they're pretty much free in the states not to mention filled with rabies. I can think of plenty of things that I can buy with $3000...

3Gs

Skeptical at first.
Kinda too bulky for my taste.
Internet access on the go will be my doom.

Still working out the quirks.
Me no likey smudges.

Hmm.

月下老人靈籤之方便求籤法

From 小梅

click here to play => 月下老人靈籤之方便求籤法

This is what I picked:



妙.

Materialistic

Ignorance is total bliss. The less you know, the safer you are (in terms of gossip, office politics, company's safe combination numbers...) I even agree with the less you have, the happier you are. I admit I'm somewhat of a minimalist -- but with recent new funds (donated graciously by my company), I'm starting to get greedy.

No LV or GUCCI bags for me, I'm more of a tech geek.

First on the list:

iphone 3Gs. Yes, I've conformed and reserved one.

Eeepc. I love my current laptop, but its time to upgrade after almost 5 years.

Leica vs Ricoh. Tough choice indeedy.

Plasma. Do I really need a tv in my room? Ack~

Scooter. Something newer and less beat up?

In my chinky eyes these are considered 'luxury' items that I don't really need. If I had my parents mentality, I would store all that $$ away in a savings account and save it for my future, good for nothing kids. But that ain't never gonna happen.

So I do click that little box that says "put in shopping cart" or should I put the $$ into better use and continue to daydream about having those luxe toys... hmm~

Sometimes having less options is surprisingly less stressful.

[Delay No More]

Back from Macau and HK.

Sadly, no gambling was done. Maybe in October...?

Zara, H&M and meeting up with Carrie were the highlights in HK.

My company totally pampered us by setting up camp in sweet ass hotels throughout the trip. I don't know if I can ever stay at a US$5 hostel again! J/k.

On a different note, my phone is going ape shit on me. It's annoying me to the point where I'm considering the iphone. I called Kristi last nite and her first reaction "but you hate the iphone!" So true~

24 more days till Langkawi baby! 浪花一朵朵 will be stuck in my head all month long. la la la la la...

Lust For Luxe

‘Luxury is a necessity that begins where necessity ends.’

Coco Chanel

---

'I can resist anything but temptation'

Ocsar Wilde

FB Stats

According to one of the FB applications:

I have 224 friends, 104 more than average. 44% are male, 56% are female. 31 are single, 64 are dating or married. If I contracted a deadly variant of flu, I would likely infect 10 people, 1 of whom would die. When I share something on Facebook, it is typically viewed by 19 people. If I died today, an estimated 412 people would try to attend my funeral. Based on my Facebook profile, I have a 90% probability of getting married. I am likely to earn US$2.7 million and have 2.2 children over my lifetime.

Thanks FB for predicting how many people will try to attend my funeral and the probability of me getting married. I didn't realize I knew an estimated 412 people and 90%!? My mom doesn't have to worry about me dying an old maid.

La Di La

Today was one of those lazy Sunday's that you haven't had in a while. The kind where you slept in, had a few missed calls and just didn't have a single care in the world. Of course being sick played a big part in the 'lazyness'. I did head out for brunch and ran some errands in the afternoon. The weather was simply amazing. Scootering down Zhongxiao E. Road, soaking in the sun -- it can't be beat.

Sure, I was scootering down the busiest street in the city, but at that moment, it felt like I was in Hua Lien, scootering down the coast; ocean on one side, mountain on the other. I could even feel the imaginary breeze.

You just don't get days like today that often.

Heading to Macau on Wednesday for a biz trip. 25 black or red?

The lady and ... Luke?

Lil rice sausage on a date...

Stop, drop and roll III

Yes, Taiwan was hit with yet another earthquake this morning.

Quoting Jen: "... yeah, drink lots, eat lots, and fuck lots before we all drown"

Amen~

Sardines

I don't know you or you or even you, but this morning, I've never felt closer. I especially enjoyed you elbowing me in the shoulder blades and you backin your ass up near my hoo-ha and how could I forget you and your sticky skin plastered against my arm.

But hey, you guys weren't the only ones giving. I know my leg was all up in your area as well, but at least you didn't topple over at every stop and frankly, you seemed to enjoy it. And yes, it was me that was providing the music cuz everyone needs a lil Beyonce in the AM. Oh, I'd also like to take this moment to thank Flower by Kenzo. I know I smelled good, which is a major hint to the rest of y'alls.

all the single ladies
all the single ladies
all the single ladies
now put your hands up....

Comic Relief

A study of different nationalities behavioral patterns. On a chain of beautiful deserted islands in the middle of South Pacific, the following people are stranded:

> Two Italian men and one Italian woman.
> Two French men and one French woman.
> Two German men and one German woman.
> Two Greek men and one Greek woman.
> Two British men and one British woman.
> Two Bulgarian men and one Bulgarian woman.
> Two Japanese men and one Japanese woman.
> Two Chinese men and one Chinese woman.
> Two Irish men and one Irish woman.
> Two American men and one American woman.

One month later, on these absolutely stunning deserted islands in the middle of nowhere, the following things have occurred:

> One Italian man killed the other Italian man for the Italian woman.

> The two French men and the French woman are living happily together in a minage a trios.

> The two German men have a strict weekly schedule of alternating visits with the German woman.

> The two Greek men are sleeping together and the Greek woman is cooking and cleaning for them.

> The two British men are waiting for someone to introduce them to the British woman.

> The two Bulgarian men took one look at the Bulgarian woman and started swimming to another island.

> The two Japanese have faxed Tokyo and are awaiting instructions.

> The two Chinese men have set up a pharmacy, liquor store, restaurant, and laundry, and have gotten the woman pregnant in order to supply employees for their stores.

> The two Irish men divided the island into north and south and set up a distillery. They do not remember if sex is in the picture because it gets somewhat foggy after a few liters of coconut whiskey. However, they're satisfied because the British aren't having any fun.

> The two American men are contemplating suicide, because the American woman will not shut up and complains relentlessly about her body, the true nature of feminism, what the sun is doing to her skin, how she can do anything they can do, the necessity of fulfillment, the equal division of household chores, how sand and palm trees make her look fat, how her last boyfriend respected her opinion and treated her nicer than they do, and how her relationship with her mother is the root cause of all her problems, and why didn't they bring a damn cell phone so they could call 911 and get them all rescued off this God-forsaken deserted island in the middle of freaking nowhere so she can get her nails done and go shopping.

It's Official

Mondays suck...

So there's this older fella in the next building that comes out to the balcony to smoke every hour or so. I've come to nickname him [隔壁老王] which pretty much means "neighbor wang". But to me, he's like the ugly naked guy from Friends in the sense that whenever he comes out, I drop what I do and look over. My coworkers have been egging me to get him to switch to Davidoff cigs -- um, just how exactly do I that without sounding like a stalker/psycho?!

---

I met this girl, I'll call her 'Susan', maybe 6 years ago. I remember her being really nice and she had a bf that was half her size (literally). She wasn't really big -- her bf was just really small, frame wise. Anyway, somehow I got on her email list and this girl sends out emails practically every week. Needless to say, it goes straight to my SPAM file.

So whats my point? 6 years of seeing this persons email in my SPAM folder and not clicking on a single one. Hmm, I have no point.

2 hours later...

Bought another nano.

^___^

Boo hoo~

I lost my nano. =(

frick on a mutha effin stick...

Double D's

The pager days.

Stupid honors chemistry and Tran's off the wall exams.

The early Sunday morning 'my bf is cheating on me' confrontation, followed by being hit on by bums in downtown Seattle.

Cancer society walkathon -- good cause, yes. but somehow we all ended up chillin at Dennys.

Thaikorn in SoCal.

Crab cheese wontons. friend or foe?

Cleanliness --- us?

Countless pool games that have been won/lost due to default.

Getting our shit together slowly, but surely.

No, this isn't a Mastercard commercial.

What you said last nite:

'nancy, you're finally settling down. its not that you can't focus at work, its b/c you're finally committing and its freaking you out.'

Plain and simple. Just like that.

PS. I still hate you. lol~

浪花一朵朵

我要你陪著我 看著那海龜水中游
慢慢的爬在沙灘上 數著浪花一朵朵
你不要害怕 你不會寂寞
我會一直陪在你的左右 讓你樂悠悠

日子一天一天過 我們會慢慢長大
我不管你懂不懂我在唱什麼 喔～
我知道有一天 啊你 一定會愛上我
因為我覺得我真的很不錯 喔～

時光匆匆匆匆流走 也也也不回頭 美女變成老太婆
哎喲 那那那那個時候 我我我我也也 已經是個糟老頭
啦啦～ 我們一起手牽手
啦啦～ 數著浪花一朵朵

Those are lyrics to this song that I thought was really cute back in college. Kristi lah, I know I annoyed you one too many times by singing it when we would walk to QFC? Ah, good times. =)

Anyhoo, the song is from the movie, 夏日的麼麼茶 [Summer Holiday]. Really cute rom-com that's set on an island in Malaysia. So why am I blogging about it? Har har, I'm heading there (well, near there) in September!

Originally, the plan was to head to Phuket, but since we were all on freakin standby, we just picked another island to go to.

Langkawi, I'ma (plus 9 others) coming!!!



Yes, I'm a beach whore~

Squirrel!

On a whim, I caught UP last Friday nite. This (amongst many others) was one of the Summer movies I've been anticipating. Pixar NEVER fails and it was delight to see it in 3D (a first for me as well).

Before the movie actually started, we were treated to a short clip called [Partly Cloudly]. 2 words: too cute!

Back to UP... I teared up not once, but twice. Damn you Pixar! I have a pretty good feeling this movie will win a couple of academy awards later this year.

So yeah, simply put, I 'heart' UP!

Its gettin hot in....Seattle !?

Please click the lime colored link => Seattle breaks heat record

Yes, I like Pina Coladas.

He Said, She Said IV

[Warning: Parental discretion is advised]

He said: TITTTSSS!
She said: COCCCK!
He said: Wuddup mo fucken tittts!
She said: I could use some *bleep* about now...

Yes, this is how they've been greeting each other.

Turrets? Sadly, no.
Unusual? Yes.
Perverted? Duh.
Getting old? Psh, never!

Stop, Drop and Roll II

EARTHQUAKE!!!

So here I am, sitting in the living room surfing the net while my roommate watches a movie on her laptop. The house dog is being her usually 'la-di-la' self and plops on the couch next to her owner to snooze.

[the ground starts shaking...]

WTF, I thought animals were suppose to sense these sort of things? Sadly, just another 'pretty' face.

Tsk~

Casa

Signed the first contract last nite!

[deep breath...]

----

PHUKET in Sept! Yah baby!

Da An Road

Thanks for the countless nites of randomness, sillyness, laughter and great memories.

[Really][Good].....[Not][!]

People here need to define words better.

The team went out to dinner last nite at this not really fancy seafood place called "Really Good Seafood Restuarant". I'm serious, the place is called "Really Good..." and its suppose to be one of the best restaurants in town too!

Food: 3 out of 5 stars
Deco: 2 out of 5 stars
Service: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The final bill for 9 folks? US$1000.

WTF.

Tsk

Ignorance is bliss for some folks.

[shaking head...]

Hush

The silence is deafening -- seriously.

The missing words, the glance that says millions, the sigh that can shatter a window...

Speak now or forever hold your peace.

---

On a more depressing note: plucked a gray hair this morning... sigh~

Plus, CM is in town for the next couple of days.

Dinner + HORECA visit tonite. Sheeeeit~

Kawai 2003

#&$(#$#(*$&#@)#*&#$&#$&

---

Not looking forward to tomorrow at all. Mentally preparing myself for the longest week ever(since my last longest week).

Over and out.

Tick, Tock

Once upon a time, when I was at JWT, whenever I looked at the time and saw that it was 8pm, I would think "oh, I still have 4-5 hours of working time left!" Now that I'm on the client side, its very rare that this happens -- until now.

Who's the culprit? Central Marketing + Company Day Event. (*$#&)(!#()$*

Anyhoo....

Stop, Drop and Roll!

I am an earthquake survivor baby!

Taiwan got rattled last nite -- 6.3 on the richter scale! I'm reading the news and no casualties, whew~

---

So every morning when I wake up, the hardest thing I have to decide is what to wear for work. It's not like I'm back in advertising where I can just throw on a pair of jeans (no jeans Mon-Thurs), t-shirt and flip flops. Hmm, sounds like I'm going to Starbucks eh?

This morning, I literally had a staring contest with my closet. I stared that sucker up, up, down, down, left, left, right, right (contra code anyone?) and ennie, mennie, miney, moed which outfit to wear. The woes of working in corporate taiwan.

Boo-boo

I have multiple boo-boos. Some asshole fender bendered me on the way to work today. No cuts, no blood, no stitches... just hella bruised up from falling over.

I just wanna wrap salonpas all over my body and/or slather on bengay. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

On a different note, I can cross Taroko Gorge off my list! Next stop: le beach!

He Said, She Said III

He said: this one you is for you
She said: hmm
He said: just say the word...

---

She later surfed the web and did a lil research of her own.

Conclusion: mutha fucker.

Tuesday Morning

zzzzzzzzzz

He Said, She Said II

He said: What do you think?
She said: I think you already know.
He said: Well?

---

She said: I know you can do better.
He said: Hmm...
She said: I know you can...

This is Sparta!

My head hurts (literally).

Went paintballin for the first time ever and as I did a commando crawl move to capture the flag (I was so far away that I couldn't even see the damn thing), some mutha effer on the opposite team kept blastin my unprotected head.

Splat! Splat!
Someone freakin cover me!
Splat! Splat!
Fuck it, I'm retreating.
Splat!

Sigh~

I think I would be the first to die at war.

You don't say....

An interesting turn of events.

Stay tuned!

He Said, She Said

She said: it's just how it is.
He said: but...
She said: what else is there to do/say?

---

She said: doesn't matter whats been said or done -- cause i know.
He said: but...
She said: [smiles and nods] i know.