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| Can't wait 'till the weekend |
| 06.30.04 (8:31 pm) [edit] |
I just got home from working on my annual review at the Capital Coffee House. Gosh I love that place. Anyway, I'm trying to make my self-analysis as thorough and compelling as possible - my review is coming up in August. I already started working on it a few months ago, but that was on scrap paper so I have to make it nice, right?
Tomorrow is the first day I start parking at my new lot - I'm curious to see how this works out! It's 4 blocks away and the garage is 3 stories tall (and of course, I'm on the 3rd floor) so I'll have to allow for 10-15 minutes extra. Oh shoot - tomorrow's First Thursday; I hope I don't get stuck! I'm not sure if I'm going or not ... I haven't gone for months, but I know I should ... I'll guess we'll have to wait and see?
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| Wallflower collection |
| 06.29.04 (6:23 pm) [edit] |
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I thought it'd be cool to incorporate some of my work here. A few months ago I had the inspiration to combine silk flowers on acrylic. My mom isn't into modern art, so I had to stash my paintings in my office. Fortunately I get better reviews there - and definitely more wallspace! It'd be nice to sell them at First Thursday, but I always forget. Oh well ...
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| Workaholic no more!! |
| 06.27.04 (3:16 pm) [edit] |
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I'm so excited. I get Friday the 2nd off and Monday the 5th off (our company's closed on Monday, since the 4th falls on a Sunday). Do you guys get a long weekend, too? They're so great - I think we should treat ourselves to them more often because we work too hard. Then when we crash, we blame it on work, when in all actuality we're partly to blame for not taking care of our physiological/mental/spir itual/etc. health. Life is too short to be consumed by work - I should know! I'm trying so hard to surrender all of my work-related stresses over to God but it's so hard. Corporate America practically brainwashes you to believe that you HAVE to be a workaholic - ESPECIALLY in the eyes of your peers and management. Who's the better candidate to let go? The average-revenue-bringing guy with a decent attitude but 40 hour workweek, or the highly-visible-department head who's there before 7a and out at 8P and works weekends occasionally (and by the way, let's people know)? It sucks, but that's what we're spoon-fed to believe in the working world. No one will come out and say that but it's an undeniable presence in the corporate culture. Maybe it's just the industry I'm in, but it seems like no matter how many articles get published on having a work/lilfe balance and how to take care of yourself, you still have to APPEAR to everyone you work with like you're super busy and serious and that you worked through your lunch break all day last week. I'm sick and tired of living like this, and you know what, I'm going to continue to keep making time for myself and my friends. I want to see people. I want to go for walks on the waterfront. I want to see movies. I want to go back to the PHRMA luncheons and join SIG's (special interest groups). I want to have fun and enjoy each season God places me in. So I implore you, if you feel stressed out and like you're a slave to your job, please, please realize how special the present is! Have you ever heard that saying ... yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, today is the present so that's why it's a gift? Let's take the next step to work/life balance and make this a resolution we don't go bad on.
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| Oops |
| 06.27.04 (2:55 pm) [edit] |
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I never mentioned why I posted the St. Francis prayer. Basically, I love this prayer because it brings me back to what's most important and helps me stay grounded. I'll admit that I get caught up easily in fashion, the latest electronics, my career, all this "me" stuff - and I always feel kind of bored and somewhat unsatisfied afterwards. It's those moments when I realize how selfish I've been that make me realize I could've been doing those things for other people. Fortunately I'm so blessed with such wonderful friends that think quite the opposite! I guess we're all our #1 critic. Anyway, I have a tendency to do things sometimes and forget to finish them, so yeah, that's why I wrote this up today.
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| Home improvement lesson #2: wear gloves |
| 06.26.04 (4:46 pm) [edit] |
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We just got done moving furniture, ripping carpet and pulling staples for the past 5 hours. And it was good. The time must have flown because before I knew it, I was already getting blisters while I was pulling out staples. Since I'm so ghetto fab I used my chenille winter gloves to get the work done. They were rather comfortable, thank you. Just next time I'll be more like my heroes from While You Were Out and be more prepared. =)
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| Camera phone graphics |
| 06.25.04 (11:56 pm) [edit] |
Today during my lunch break I thought I'd snap some pictures with my hearing-impaired camera phone & make new graphics for this blog. I always use this program called ArcSoft Photo Studio, even though it makes my laptop crash ever so often. Call me crazy, but it is way easier to use than Photoshop.
Totally random, but today I got my lenses changed. I was getting headaches every day after wearing my glasses, and at some points feeling nauseated. My old Rx was -1.75 & -1.50; it's now -1.00 & -0.75. Quite a change, huh? Well, time for bed. My brother still hasn't answered my questions that I posted on his blog.
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| Hot Lips in the Pearl!! |
| 06.24.04 (6:29 pm) [edit] |
I just had to write this. My all time favorite pizza place is just blocks away from my building!! 11th & Irving, to be exact. Since when was there a Hot Lips in the Pearl district?? I ate there, well, that is, the one on 6th ... all 4 years at PSU. There was a time in my freshman & sophomore years that I'd have 2 slices with one of their famous pesto breadsticks EVERY DAY for lunch ... when I'd get to Statistics, I'd be so full from eating that it was hard to stay awake! Good thing I understood standard deviations, z scores & t-tests, bell curves, multiple regression ... okay now I'm just off subject, sorry ...
Anyway, it was Hot Lips that started my craving for organic-environmentally-f riendly-grown food - as well as eclectic pizza!! My favorite by far is plain cheese pizza with apples (or pears), walnuts and brie. ;) Yum ...
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| Wireless hot spots |
| 06.22.04 (6:26 pm) [edit] |
Did you know you can find wireless hotspots in your area? Got to cnet.com & type in your zip code. I was reading an article there on how popular hot spots are and how plentiful they are becoming. I wonder how much sooner until every single place that has an internet connection will have wireless? That would be the coolest day ...
Speaking of wireless, the signal strength on our Actiontec gateway is pretty weak. I feel like I have to do all these little "tricks" to go wireless. I wonder if it's because the gateway does so many things at once? (Router, wireless access point, modem) Who knows ... When I went to the Fireside Lodge, I picked up their connection within seconds of turning on my laptop. Huh.
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| St. Francis Prayer |
| 06.20.04 (6:45 pm) [edit] |
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
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| Gorgeous weather |
| 06.20.04 (6:36 pm) [edit] |
This has been the best weekend so far! On Friday I got my glasses and got to hang out with one of my closest friends. My glasses are great - I am stunned at the details I am finally able to see again!! They're only for distance, as my up-close vision is 20/20. The precision, the clarity of words, the details I see in the distance make me feel like I've been living in some kind of parallel universe or something!! It was my friend's birthday earlier this week, and I told her we'd hang out Friday since I got the day off. It was really nice to see her, as always. On Saturday, my brother & I went to see Shrek 2 - I already mentioned that in a previous blog. Did I mention how funny it was? Later Saturday, I met up another great friend at the Fireside Lodge & then we met up another friend @ Cha Cha Cha near PSU. After dinner, we walked up & down the waterfront & it was just a beautiful evening. Today we went to Hood River & on the way back, were stuck in gridlocked traffic for an hour - we must have only driven a couple miles. Despite that, I couldn't help but admire the beautiful things our Creator's put in place ... it started to make me think about Creation theory & Evolution theory, and you know what, I believe both theories work together. Anything that lives evolves in some form or another; animals become extinct, we don't really know why we have an appendix, and some people are not born with wisdom teeth. Inanimate things evolve most obviously: natural occurences such as flash floods result in erosion which eventually creates new geological landscapes such as meandering rivers, not to mention the slow demise of the Florida coastline. However, I believe something had to initiate all of those things to exist in the first place - and that's where I believe Creation theory comes into place.
Okay, didn't think I'd go there, but speaking of oh-so-heavenly things, it was funny because today in church I could actually see the pastor & choir's faces!! It was insane.
Well, here's to a great week - a week of having faith that everything will work out and that I must try to deny myself daily; a week of great 90 degree weather & great conversation. Hope yours is wonderful, too.
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| Shrek 2 rocks!!!!!!!!!! |
| 06.19.04 (1:01 pm) [edit] |
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I just got back from seeing Shrek 2 w/my brother Mikey & it was sooooooooo funny!!! It was a billion times funnier than the first one, IMHO.
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| Accidents suck! So do deductibles when you can't afford them |
| 06.17.04 (10:06 pm) [edit] |
This morning I got into an accident on my way to work!! I am still upset about the whole thing - yes, everyone was okay - I just can't believe I rear ended someone. I don't have $500 for the deductible (can you tell I'm not an insurance fan?) - so I'm either going to get a credit card or personal loan hopefully. My front bumper is caved in & there's something smashed up against my AC. Both fog lights are shoved back & my bumper kinda wings out at the sides now. The car I hit was a bigger SUV than mine; hers was a Trail Blazer & I couldn't see what was in front of it.
Well, so here's what happened: I was exiting off Multnomah Blvd to get onto I5 North. I get into the right lane, and signal to get into the center lane, which is what I do every morning. I didn't cut anyone off to get into the center lane. However, within seconds of getting into that lane, the SUV in front of me brakes quickly & I realize they're trying to brake completely - I slammed on my brakes & skidded for like 5 seconds & slammed into the back of the Trail Blazer. Stunned, shaking, totally trembling & feeling like this is all some kind of bad dream ... we pull over, & I notice 2 other cars in front are pulling over, too. What happened was, the Trail Blazer, aka car #3 - car #1 braked, car #2 which cut in front of #3 rear ended #1, so #3 puts the brakes on, blind me I couldn't see or had any idea whats going on in front of me because I can't see over the SUV, I hit car #3.
Fortunately the lady I hit (by the way, she left enough room in front of herself, so she didn't hit car #2) was so sweet & helpful - she even gave me a hug & kept asking if I was okay. She also acknowledged the fact anyone would have a hard time seeing over her rig; the insurance lady I talked to later said she would have done the same thing, too. I'll admit that I was so upset & angry at myself for this, but you know, I sometimes think God's just trying to break through to me again ... perhaps He's trying to get me to slow down with my life, or be more aware of what's going on in the present instead of worrying about the future. It could have been worse, I have to keep reminding myself. Thank God He didn't let it be worse for any of us.
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| Dental trickery |
| 06.14.04 (10:23 pm) [edit] |
Today when I got home from work, I saw an envelope from my dental insurer & quickly opened it up to find an Explanation of Benefits. Turns out that the appointment I had a couple Fridays ago - that was supposed to "only cost about $15 - $20 out of pocket" - is showing that I owe $114!!! It's just an EOB, and from my experience, they're not necessarily written in stone ... I hope that things work out, because I really need every penny right now. During the 4th of July weekend, my good friend Kim & I were planning on going to a few places in Eastern and/or Southern OR. I still want to go to Kahneeta ... and Ashland ... but these recent insurance happenings are sure putting a damper on my summer plans.
Back to the dentist EOB ... okay, this is my second bad experience with this place. I don't want to say names because that'd be libelous; I'll just say that it's a trendy, First Thursday-hosting, close-in-proximity-to-my- office kind of place. The people sure are nice - but they sure like to pressure you for your next appointment. Here's what happened a couple Fridays ago after they tricked me into taking fluoride (which my insurance doesn't cover - gee, who knew?):
Receptionist: "So, can I set up your next visit in 3 months?"
Me: "Um, no, that's okay - I'm not sure right now when I'll be back again."
Receptionist: "I can set you up now, but you can always change your mind later."
Me: "Um, no, really, that's okay - I really don't know what the future holds right now."
Receptionist: "Are you sure? This won't take long; as I said, you can always change the date later."
At this point, I was already irritated & kinda anxious to get back to work, even though I almost fell flat on my back in front of a bunch of people that were in a meeting. So I told her in a calm but assertive voice that "That's alright, I will call you when I know." And that was the end of that conversation.
Who ever said you need to get your teeth cleaned 4 times a year??? Twice is all it takes, unless you have conditions that prove otherwise ... Well, my first visit back in February of this year was horrible. Okay, I'll admit I hadn't seen a dentist for a year, so that's probably why the teeth cleaning from the dentist felt like sharp knives against my super-sensitive gums. They totally sold me on the idea that I'm borderline average/beginning stages of periodontis (did I spell that right?) and that I needed to come back in a few months to check my pockets again. Ha ha, pockets ... they didn't just mean gum pockets, obviously. Anyway, I ended up having to pay $142 for a teeth cleaning & this Rx to help make my gums less sensitive - 3x as much as I thought I'd have to pay out of pocket. Yes, I did meet my calendar year deductible - but with all the hype & pressure, I know I won't be going back there again. The only reason why I came back in again recently was to verify that the reason why my gums were so sensitive was because of the time lapse between my last visit - hopefully not due to perio. So, I proved to the gum-care zealous dental assistant that it WAS just routine maintenance that needed to get the job done. Now, if I can only get them to eat their words & make my insurance pay up. Okay I'm done letting off steam ... I just hope that I have a little something left over tomorrow when I call them up & complain about their lying ways.
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| Home improvement lesson #1: don't start what you can't finish |
| 06.12.04 (6:12 pm) [edit] |
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For the past several months, my mom has been fixing up the house and it's been looking better and better. Yesterday we got a new sliding door upstairs and a new window in the dining room. The next step? Yanking out our icky, drab, dog-derrier-smelling grey carpet and replacing it with hardwood floors. I started to pull up some of the carpet near the foyer only to discover TONS of nails ... I can remove them, but it's an all-day process to ensure every nail's been removed and the floor is ready for install. Don't remove carpeting unless you have the time and resources to do so.
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| bebe eyewear & discipline |
| 06.12.04 (4:50 pm) [edit] |
Okay, you know that the world has really started to come to an end when eyewear became fashionable. Well, maybe it's my checking account that's come to an end. A few weekends ago I visited one of my cousins in Burien and discovered that I truly need glasses. I used to think that not being able to decipher signs from 10 feet away was just normal; who ever said you really needed to see [i]that[/i] far away? Sitting at her dining room table, I could see the lines on a paper towel roll about 5' away. When I put her glasses on, all of a sudden I could see all the little dots that made up those lines! I began to realize that all the stress and tiredness I experience after work is partly induced to the strain I put on my eyes. After my visit, I made a point to enroll in my company's eye insurance plan - and get glasses asap. Today I went to Binyon's and just about flipped out when I saw their bebe collection. Funky, cat-eye retro styles in artsy splashes of color immediately drew my attention. Fortunately all frames are 59.99 right now, so it was a blessing in disguise to realize my slight vision demise at a time like this. Here's my problema: the styles are totally me, but I want a pair that will make senior executives take me seriously - something that will make me look more credible and knowledgeable. Hence, I chose a pair of Nine West frames, style #NW67. They're still stylish, but way more classy and conservative. And the bebe frames? Well, I'm still stuck on them, but I'm trying to fight the urge to buy them because a) I can only afford 1 pair right now b) I made a promise that I wouldn't buy anything that I don't need for a while.
About a month ago, I felt so convicted after buying more shirts to wear for work. I felt like I haven't been a good steward of the money God enables me to earn ... it made me think: if I can't be trusted with the small things, how can I be trusted with bigger things? So I made a pact in early May to not buy anything that I don't need for 3 months. So far, I've stuck to that promise but I tell you it's been hard. My eyeglass situation? I'm really trying hard to stop thinking about buying a second pair - I DON'T NEED a second pair of glasses, but the designers at bebe did a great job of capturing my idea of great eyewear and materializing it into something tangible. *sigh*
Do you ever struggle with stupid little things like that? Maybe I'm being legalistic, but I've learned that discipline is one of the most stellar virtues one can have, and it's also one of the hardest to maintain. Maybe I never should have stepped foot into Binyon's. No, it's not that - I think God's just testing me right now to see if I can say no to something that He knows I normally can't resist: the urge to buy something hip & fashionable when I don't have the money (or the money should be going towards my credit card). Will I pass this test? Yes ... I'll admit I typed that a bit grudingly, but I know that what solves my selfish tendencies is simple prayer and reflection of all the awesome things that I'm already blessed with. Stay tuned and I'll tell you how it goes ...
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| Parking in the Pearl |
| 06.11.04 (7:40 pm) [edit] |
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Yesterday after work as I entered my parking garage, I noticed all these yellow papers on people's cars. Apparently they're turning our garage into a retail store. How sad! While it's expensive to park there, it's right next to work and is easily accessible from 405. Well, who said life was all roses all the time, right? On my lunch break, a new co-worker and I walked around Everett & Davis, trying to find a couple lots that were supposedly available in our neighborhood. We found one of them ... well, kinda ... it's about 4 blocks south of our building. Parking downtown isn't fun ... but trying to park in the Pearl is even tougher! My only concern with the cheaper monthly parking places is their locations ... they're about 6 blocks into a more industrial, secluded part of town that I wouldn't feel comfortable walking to in the dark. Cost efficiency aside, I may have to take my co-worker up on purchasing a permit at that $150/month lot.
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| First time for everything |
| 06.11.04 (7:30 pm) [edit] |
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Today is the first time I've ever written a blog - so please excuse the plainness of this place. So, what's my reason for broadcasting my thoughts for everyone to see? I believe there's a purpose behind everything. Sometimes the things we come across in our lives can make us better people, or just simply encourage us to have a little more faith. God bless you as join me on this journey ... I hope even the most boring posts are somewhat amusing.
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