too bad, so sad

(this links to a picture of something dead)

Our temporary 3rd roommate is no more.

when did this happen?!

The Internet becomes a very scary place when your mom starts using emoticons.

Sample email 1:
ops!! I mean I will pick Melissa on 7/17/06, and the "Safe trip" is for everyone of us who's going to travel in the future.

Embarassed smiley? Wink?! When did my mom know what wink meant? If I ever winked at her she'd think there was something wrong with my eye.

Sample email 2:
I am just learning to use it, but it's OK for you to make fun out of my expense , because I am enjoying to read all of your suprises.

The idea of my mom sticking her tongue out at me just destroys any idea of normalcy I had in my head.

My mom is joining the Internet revolution.

This scares me to no end.

(Kudos to Yahoo for making emoticons so user-friendly, my mom can use them.)

Today marks....

Exactly one month until I cut my hair.

Exactly one month until I finish school.

Let this be the shortest month ever.

The Great Digital Divide

There is a chasm. It is big. It is wide. It is known as the Great Digital Divide. (yes, I did make that up on the spot.)

If any of you have been paying attention to the blogosphere, you'll already know about the Stolen Sidekick. (a LOT of reading on that page, reserve 30-60 min to read it all)

Summary: Person A has a friend who left their Sidekick (a T-mobile email thingy/cell-phone) in a NYC taxi. Person B finds it and keeps it. Person A offers reward and tries to get it back. Person B refuses. Person A is appalled at the lack of consideration from Person B. Person A decides to humiliate Person B on the internet to try to get the Sidekick back.

I don't care to comment on the morality of the situation or how it all played out, but what struck me was this: It's obvious that Person A is definitely in the "technology haves" while Person B (who is a 16-year-old mother) is probably in the "technology have-nots". While Person B may have a computer/cell-phone/myspace page, she definitely does not have as much knowledge as Person A (who works in the IT industry). What if the roles had been reversed? Person A wouldn't have the knowledge to create a website to publicly shame Person B and get the support of thousands/millions of readers. Or the money to pay for the bandwidth. Or the ability to take that much time off (the guy missed a week of work; he's a consultant).

Is this fair? Essentially, those who are tech-savvy have a tremendous advantage over those who are not. While this is true with many other things (born a certain race, class, or in a certain country), the information age is widening this gap and making it even more difficult for the weak/oppressed/poor to move up. While the Internet/technology is a huge boon to economic activity and is changing our lives forever, it's also leaving people behind.

What's the moral of this story? Teach your kids how to use a computer. I know a great tutor who is about to get his Master's in Computer Science, loves kids, and has really long hair.

Just kidding, the real moral of the story is we need to help those on the other end of the chasm to come to our side, but you already knew that.

this just in: second richest man in the world gives billions to first richest man

http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/25/magazines/fortune/charity1.fortune/index.htm?cnn=yes

Not really, but that sensationalist title got you to read this post right?

second time i've won something

I just won a company raffle for a mini fridge. It's now sitting on my desk cooling a bottle of snapple. Way to go piece of paper with '3' on it.

The first time I won something, I got a package in the mail with a free computer game and a T-shirt. I didn't even remember entering the contest, but whatever.

T-shirt and computer game, now a mini fridge. I'm moving up! Too bad I didn't win the lottery last time it was over 300 million.

< Ross' voice > It's all relative

Yup. That's right. I'm part Dutch.

As my conversation with SC confirms, his mom and my mom both say we have Dutch blood in our family. I think the story goes like this:

Somebody, somewhere, a long time ago got married. To a Dutch lady (or guy). And then they had kids, and some more people got married and had kids, and somewhere in there, I was born. Thus, making it clear and obvious that I am part Dutch. If anybody says otherwise, you can point them to the aforementioned irrefutable evidence.

This also explains my amazing hair growing ability.

See? The world make sense again. Rest easy.

The end is near

A date has been set. For the cutting of the hair. I know, it's a momentous occasion.

I think it's kinda sad that I didn't document this. (I say sad, some people say a fortuitous oversight. Hey, I say I want to remember this phase of my life. If you were in some kind of horrible accident that left you temporarily disfigured, wouldn't you want it documented and photographed so you could remember it? Ok, maybe not. I'm gonna have to rethink this whole give-an-example thing.)

This all started back in Sept or Oct of 2005. BM and I agreed to grow out our hair and made a pact saying neither one of us could cut it (trimming was allowed) unless both of us agreed. Thus began my journey on the path to becoming a walking advertisement for the Hair Club for Men. And then got promoted to the Example-of-What-Happens-When-Your-Hair-Takes-Over-Your-Head Club for anyone. Over the course of the last hair-filled months, I have learned many things, a sampling of which I will list below.

The amount of time it takes to shower has an exponential relation to the length of your hair

You (and when I say you, I mean me) should rotate shampoo and conditioners because they all have their uses

I used to take for granted that I never had to comb my hair. Not anymore. I can't even put my contacts in without first combing my hair out of the way.

My hair is naturally wavy.

Hair-ties are priceless. (and free if you bum them off your female friends)

The heat retention property of hair is amazing. This becomes especially pronounced in the summer (read NOW).

It takes forever for your hair to grow long enough to donate to Locks of Love. Seriously. Forever. And we all know Forever is too long.

All of your friends and relatives will crack hair jokes. All of them. Even EL's Dad who completely out of the blue, said "If we were gonna make a movie, guess who'd be Jesus?" and then slapped me on the back. Yup, all of them.

I feel like I've learned so much, and come such a long way from my short-haired ignorance.

Nah, maybe not.

August 8th, mark your calendars. Cuz I know that's what you do when something important is gonna happen.

san-guo's birthday

I dunno how to spell Taiwanese words.

Pictures from my Dad's 3rd sister's Birthday celebration have been posted.

My favorite moment from that night:

You know that awkward moment when someone is talking to you, or you need to say something but your mouth is full of food? Or how about if you need to smile for a spontaneous picture? This happened to Kay. As we were eating, our uncle came over to our table to take a picture. JL and EL's family was first. So they told Kay to smile. Which she did. That's when she realized her mouth was full of food. (Rice from what I saw) This is what I imagine was going on in her head.

"Oooo, a camera. The relatives must want more pictures of me so they can remember how cute I am. That's what I would do if I were them. Who IS that weird uncle with the long hair? I've been wondering that ever since he sat down. I think his name starts with a J......Jane? Janice? Janine? He looks like a girl. He should cut his hair after he finishes his last class and gets his degree. Oh wait, Mommy and Daddy are telling me to smile. What is this stuff in my mouth? Oh, it must be the rice. But I'm not supposed to open my mouth when I'm eating. What to do? WHAT TO DO?! I know, I'll ask Daddy."

So Kay turns to JL and points to her full cheeks and says, "I have food in my mouth." Since the picture was about to be taken, JL and EL reply, "it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter" through their smiles.

I think the picture was taken with a confused Kay looking at JL. I'm really curious how that picture turned out.

I'd have to say my second favorite moment was when everyone was taught how to play Bang!

Buh-Buh-Boston?

Whenever I come back from a vacation, I wish my life were a vacation all the time. (Yeah, I know I don't have room to complain because, let's face it, my life is pretty good. But still, doesn't everyone wish it could be better? Yes, I know everyone wishes my life would be better. Don't you just love all these rhetorical questions I ask?)

So last weekend I flew out to Boston to visit my bro and his wife, SW and MY. My sister JW and my cousin and his wife DW and SW met us there, too. This was the first reunion of the "Bang! Dodge City" club. If you don't know what that is, you should find out. (Yes, I know the original Bang! club was in San Jose with EH, DO and VO, but this is the first time with the _expansion_. Just thought I'd clarify.)

I arrived Friday, and spent most of the day chatting with MY and studying for my LSATs. Since it was raining, everyone's flight got delayed and we picked up JW, DW, and SW at night. We wasted no time and played Bang! as soon as everyone got home.

On Saturday it was raining all day. But that didn't stop us from walking around Boston. We got some Dim Sum in China Town, then went to Quincy Market. Afterwards, we walked to Paul Revere's house. Then we went home, steamed some lobster and feasted. Then we played some more Bang!

Sunday, we woke up and went to CBCGB, then went to lunch at Chili's with SW's friends. After lunch, we went home and decided to go walk around Copley Square and Newbury street. Then we rushed home to buy dinner and squeeze in one last game of Bang! before DW and SW left that night. You know how great it is when we decide we don't have enough time and must play WHILE we're eating.

Monday was my LSATs which is the longest test I've ever taken. Depending on my score, I may or may not elaborate further. We'll see in July. Afterwards, we went to go watch Cars. And then I flew home.

Pictures are now up.

for your amusement

The Advertising Slogan Generator

And now for something completely different.

GOAL!!!

I remember where I was 4 years ago during this month. I was in Taiwan, attending a Chinese Language camp with my brother and younger sister. It was hot. It was humid. And we were dying.

The camp was like a prison, except without the bars, guards, and prisoners. Our schedule was laid out for us every hour of every day and the teachers gave us tons of homework. I remember we counted down every single day until it would be over. And when it was, everyone started crying. There were people from Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the US. But despite our differences, we all bonded together against a common enemy, our overlords. It's amazing the relationships you build when you are going through hardships.

Anyway, why do I even remember this? Because I remember the World Cup was on tv during that time. Yeah, I know, random memory. It's amazing what kind of junk I have stored in my head.

allergy season

What's the worst part about riding a motorcycle? Is it perpetually being invisible to car drivers? No air conditioning/radio? Not being able to pick up your cellphone? The fear of getting rear-ended at any traffic light?

None of the above. The worst thing about riding a motorcycle is having to sneeze. And seeing as how my allergies have been acting up recently, my daily commute to work has had its interesting moments.

Midwesterners are just nicer

Wednesday night, one of my roommates and I decide to get some coffee after dinner. In the parking lot, we witness an accident: a pickup truck backs into another car. When the drivers got out, the truck driver starts yelling at the car driver. My roommate and I park the car and go over because we were witnesses to the accident. (I don't know about CA driving laws, but in Ohio, if you're a witness to an accident, you're supposed to stay until the police arrive so you can give a statement. If there's already a witness, you can leave.) As it was a crowded parking lot, a lot of people saw it happen and we all agreed it was the truck driver's fault. Since the truck driver was yelling at the car driver, we all came to his defense and a lot of people gave him their number offering to complete a statement saying it was the truck driver's fault. After everyone came to the car driver's aid, the truck driver backed off.

What was surprising to me about this incident, was that it was one of the few times I have witnessed LAians being genuinely decent, nice, and helpful to others. Ever since I moved here, most of my experiences have been on the side of the truck driver; everyone only cares about their own needs/wants/life. It's nice to see LA actually has a soul, too.

what's in a name?

hahahahahhaahaa.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4774429.stm



Check out a picture of the real Guy Kewney. (he's on the left column)

more babysitting adventures

Ever wondered what it was like to drive around with 3 kids in the car yelling "We're lost! We're lost! We're lost!"? Yeah me neither. But fortunately for me, now I never have to.

Babysitting for my cousin involves watching 3 future-stunt-doubles. (If they end up doing anything besides becoming professional stunt doubles, they are not using all of the gifts God gave them, which include but are not limited to: the ability and desire to climb everything......and then jump off, and not have a scratch on them, as well as the energy equivalent of a million mortal men) Today's task included taking them to their dance class.

Ok, no problem.

Except that today, the road that my cousin told me to take to get to the class was blocked off for a parade.

Ok, no problem. Just go around.

That's when I found out that kids, even though they don't know street names or directions, can 'remember' the way to get to a certain place. Since we weren't taking the normal route, all I kept hearing was "I don't remember this place. Are we lost? Do you know how to get there? Are you sure you're going the right way? This is taking a long time. We should have been there by now. I think we're lost. I don't want to be lost." This eventually led to "WE'RE LOST!! WE'RE LOST!!" And no matter how many times I assured them we weren't lost, that I was just taking a different road because the road was closed, they would have none of it.

This created a problem. I think today was the first day that babysitting has made me not want to have kids. Ever. Granted, that was a brief moment, but I think I've reached a new plane on the whole "to have kids/not to have kids" question.

Another interesting thing happened today. While waiting for his two older sisters to finish their dance class, the youngest kid (GC) and I were walking around. Suddenly, a small dog escapes from his owner's grasp and runs toward GC. GC starts frantically running away and screaming at the top of his lungs. At first, this catches me completely off guard. Dogs run toward me all the time. They smell your crotch, maybe sniff your hand and then run away. What I later realized was that if something the size of a BEAR was running at me, I probably would have reacted in the exact same way. AND, I'm guessing he doesn't have a lot of interaction with dogs. I felt bad. He's probably scarred for life. I didn't really know what to do either, as they were running in circles around me. Do I try to grab the dog? Or do I try to grab the frantic kid who's running for his life? Didn't matter, by the time I started moving, the owner already had grabbed the dog. Yeah, I guess I'm not so decisive under pressure.

the end is near

The first class of my last semester at USC was this afternoon. I only fell asleep three times. That I know of.

The professor is humorous and he says he grades leniently, but the class involves a lot of projects. Great. So much for a nice relaxing last semester. Oh well, it'll make finishing that much more of an accomplishment.

In other news, this video caused my department at work to explode into laughter the other day. Back to you, Bob.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wzMJ_RdgHg

future of communication

For the last few years, I've been using a program called Skype (rhymes with pipe). It lets you talk with any other Skype user for free using a computer, mic, and speakers/headphones. It has also allowed you to call any other phone in the world for a fee (a couple cents/min depending on country). This has been great for international calls (free if both people are near a internet-enabled computer).

That's all changing.

According to this, ALL calls originating and ending in the US and Canada are free. At least until the end of this year. This means people who don't want to use their cell phone minutes during peak hours can call any phone (including cell phones) in the US or Canada, anytime, for free as long as they are near a computer. I mean, I don't know anyone like that *cough*MJ*cough*, but maybe you do.

No catches, no gimmicks.

Welcome to the future. Commence rejoicing.

Graduation day

Things I will remember about my graduation:

Being slightly late and having to try to find my college while other colleges were already proceeding into the graduation area. Luckily we were one of the last ones to be seated.

Seeing all the engineering students stand on their chairs to get a better view....while everyone else was sitting down. (see pictures in gallery)

Going to E3 during the break from the main ceremony and my satellite ceremony. Sometimes it's hard to believe I live in LA.

Sitting through a billion graduates' names while I waited for my name to be called.

Seeing my friends at the front of the audience taking pictures.

Hearing my name pronounce correctly. (Chinese pronounciation, "wong" not "wang")

Seeing TC do a crazy dance while I walked across the stage.

Looking for a way to escape with a bunch of other graduates.

Seeing my friends there.

Even though I don't officially finish for another semester, participating in commencement really makes me feel like I've finished something. The last class is like the cleanup you have to do after a big party. The main event is over, you just have some odds and ends to take care of.

This blog has lasted through another chapter in my life. I wonder what's next.

Thanks to RY, TC, BH, JL, EL, EH, WL, DVJ for coming. Thanks to KG for the flowers. They were very masculine.

Student in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering planning on graduating in August 2006.