Random Thought

As I sit here at Regent, eating my luner at 6pm, I wonder - wouldn't it be nice to be able to see different people everyday and make them smile...

Like seeing kids light up seeing their favorite pastries arrive at their hands, or seeing people enjoy what they are eating, under a nice relaxing atmosphere... wouldn't that be fun...

The freedom to do whatever you want, to control your own time, and be anywhere you want to be... it will take alot of work and 'experience' and 'tuition' to make happen, but maybe it is worth it...

On Buses and Bus Apps

Even if you know in almost real time when the bus is arriving, it doesn't do any good when you feel bad when someone is running way over in their 2 hour talk with no breaks... one ends up just watching the app the connecting bus pass by...

To think, without technology, I wouldn't have the expectation...

Probably what annoys me more was I missed my chance to get back 30 min earlier... and I had to sit through a 3 hour lecture without break hearing about what for the last 20 min were advertisement of the patent industry... maybe it was the lack of breaks, but the talk could have been half an hour shorter.

As I sit here now, alone at the bus stop, lesson learnt. Be concise with my own presentations and don't ramble on and on...

Oh.. on another note.. it has been 2 months, and the publish button for blogger on ie9 still doesn't work. Now with Mango, the browser is now ie9 too (w.o the option to go into compatibility mode)... so no more publishing as I go... what a bummer. I wonder when someone will decide to fix this.

Ghetto Heart Monitor

Technology from what must be from the 80s...

You'd think there would be some kind of USB or wifi/internet upload. But nope, to use, you call in, put the mouthpiece near the device, then replay this high pitched voice.

Not to mention it doesn't work... Good thing I am getting a different device. Someone really needs to fix this for this industry... .. .

My Course Textbook

When course textbooks are effectively 120 page novels... it makes it a much more entertaining read... even though I have taken a nap or two already... and it's only 3:47 pm...

The coolest part is perhaps if I knew about this book, I probably would have picked it up to read in my spare time anyway :)

Paying for Things I Don't Use

Question of the day:
Why do I have to pay for a bus pass that I will never get to use?

And the kicker is - if I try to pay by credit card, there's a convenience fee of $83 for a $79 charge... wtf...

Rip-off x2

A Bday Present For Myself - Skydiving!

For some quirky reason, half the team was going to take the day off, so I figure, why not me too :) - given I have the best reason (cough... excuse) in the world.

So yesterday at lunch, I wondered, what should I do today. Needed something different... then it clicked. What have I been wanting to do for 2.5 years? Yes - Skydiving!

Quickly checking the weather, it was good. Skydive lesson availability - good. Credit card - good. Booked - good! :)

Skydiving actually seemed pretty safe in hindsight. Though the waiver they make you sign seems pretty scary (see below).


Some interesting tidbits:
1) Looking down with your feet dangling at 13500 ft makes my balls shrink just a tiny bit... hahaha
2) Free falling. You'd think there's that roller coaster feeling... but actually, there was none of that during the free fall (and I think I was falling for quite some time)... see the video below
3) The run felt really short. The movie is a good indicator of how long the run lasted.

Anyhow, alive = me. Back from plunging 13500 ft.

(not quite sure why there's no sound.. oh well)
Let the festivities begin!

Software Entrepreneurship Day 1

u know it's not an engineering building when the lecture room is nicely lit, not in a basement, and the chairs are comfortable...

Past Few Weeks...

Been just mo liu-ing around for the past week or two... it's a pretty nice feeling and all, but at some point I need to start moving again...

Or do I need to? I am enjoying this for the most part, and I am still in my whole simple life mentality mode.

Also learned that supposedly lack of sleep makes hair fall out (though I think it's having an opposite effect on me)... yes very random comment ... but just recalled it.

Or maybe it's time to make a move... I mean, at some point I should come back to reality, or make my dreams (whatever they may be), a reality.

Hakuna Matata...

Volunteering at a school painting away...

Today woke up bright and early (at 9:00am) to go to an elementary school for Seattle Works. Today's task, paint the halls and touch up the painting job at the library.

With the threat of detention, I and child genius got there with 10 minutes to spare, and in the process set a new record for myself as the first one to arrive at a volunteer event for Seattle Works. Previously, I am probably almost the first latest person to arrive - but not today! woohoo!

The painting was interesting... though the part I was most interested with was the principal. He really seemed to care about the school and treated us volunteers pretty well. He had a rough agenda prepared, had the tools ready, and provided us even lunch. That and he stayed in on a Saturday (and likely Sunday), to make the school better. Kudos to him!

Also, eating inside a school cafeteria was pretty nostalgic. Easily been 10+ years now since I've done that... lol.

The other surprising thing was that there were teachers at the school. Given it is a Saturday, I would have never thought they'd need to come in to work. I wonder what they there for.

3 lb. Lobster Dinner

Mmmm.... After seeing this on the menu a couple months back, I have been craving it. Today, with my hard earned points, I finally tried it out.

The lobster itself wasn't as good as the first 3 lb. lobster I had a couple years back when I one-up-ed Anime Buddy, but the company I had mowing down the lobster with was pretty awesome. Heard some interesting stories and was pretty fun times.

Best Friday night since I've been back... well, at least the first part of the night that is... lol