Powered by Blogger.

12.29.2005

"my dog ate my power adapter"

There's a reason why we call him Brindo T. Preston: The "T" is for TROUBLE.

I was sitting at my desk, working on my apps stuff, when the screen suddenly dimmed and I heard a strange beeping noise. I looked down, and there was Brindo, looking at me with that face when he knows he's done something wrong. Next to him was the power adapter and a pool of doggie spit.

"BRINDO!" I yelled, and he scurried away. He knew he was due for a spanking.

I nearly had a panic attack. I won't be going back into the office until Jan 3rd, and I've got four apps to finish before then. Without a power supply, I was screwed - my parents don't have a computer.

Frantically, I called Dell. An obnoxious customer service rep informed me that no retailer sells Dell batteries or adapters, and that it would take about a week for them to ship it to me. I was even willing to pay a rush fee, but no dice. "Well, I'M never buying a Dell, that's for sure," I snapped. I hung up on him as he started to lecture me - AGAIN - about how Dell is superior to other laptops.

A call to the Helpdesk didn't net anything either. "No, I'm not joking," I said, when the guy started laughing. "My dog really ate my power supply."

Unfortunately, no one who would have an adapter was in the office. At this point, I started contemplating buying a new computer, just so I could finish my apps.

I went downstairs, ready to give Brindo a spanking. But one look at that face, and I couldn't do it. Luckily, Dad walked in while I as debating with myself, and did something magical that fixed the wires. I'm back on again, but I'm leaving my cord high up where the dog can't reach it.

12.28.2005

mom, technology can be your friend

serena: my mother does not know how to open a zip file
serena: *groan*

karen: well
karen: i don't think mine would either
serena: but its ANNOYING
serena: now i have to send my files to her one by one
serena: and on a modem its taking forever
karen: omg
karen: i bet
karen: i hate modems

serena: i'm trying to walk my mother through the miracle of attachments
serena: she's confused by the fact that i could include more than one per email

karen: huh
karen: hahha
karen: funny
karen: doesn't she work?

serena: yes
serena: but this is the woman who exits then reopens outlook to send/recieve her emails
serena: (i am currently banging my head on the desk)
serena: she said that she only got 6 of the 8 files
serena: i told her to scroll, and she didn't realize she could

serena: (!!!!!)
karen: omg
serena: HOW am i possibl related to her?

Posted 10 minutes later...

serena: omg
serena: the saga continues
serena: i asked my mom to print 2 copies of each essay

karen: zip file drama
serena: yes
serena: its no longer in a zip file though
serena: anyhow
serena: she calls me and says "i can only print one copy of each"

karen: where is she?
karen: at work?

serena: because she doesn't know how to change the paper in the photocopy machine
serena: and is afraid it will run out of paper
serena: !!!!
serena: yes
serena: i thought about telling her that she can print more than one copy at a time, but i figured it would only confuse her
serena: so i let it go


The understatement of the year: "Serena, I'm not very technical." ~ Mom

12.27.2005

underwire for men?

I talked to A tonight and told him that I finally picked out his gift. This reminded me of Karen's suggestion that I dress up in some sexy lingerie and show up at his door as his present.

"Hehe," he leered. "I wouldn't mind that."

Roll eyes. "Hon, when YOU decide to wear whale bone underneath your scrotum to prop up your balls, I'll wear a corset for you."

He thought about it for a second (wincing, I'm sure) and concurred that "cotton panties are fine."

Why do we women torture ourselves? Isn't it time that guys spent the effort to impress US?

12.26.2005

memoirs of a geisha... and a naughty puppy

Last night, the parents and I went out to the movies. This is a favorite tradition in our household. We all love movies; yet, Mom and Dad never have time to go except during the holidays, and most of my friends have this thing against watching movies in the theatres. ("Its so expensive," they complain of the $10 ticket price, and then proceed to spend $70 on dinner.)

As expected, Mommy wanted to see Memoirs of a Geisha. And, as expected, Daddy didn't. So we went off into separate theatres - me and Mommy for Geisha, and Dad for Narnia.

Despite what my friends have said about it ("hated the Americanized ending", "book was so much better") and what the critics have complained about ("why use Chinese actresses for a Japanese movie in English?"), I actually liked it. Once I learned that they were making a movie, I purposesly didn't read the book - because the movie NEVER lives up to the book. So I had no idea what was going to happen. I do agree that Sayuri's big dance was like she was having an epileptic fit, but it was beautifully shot, and I love most of the actors involved. There just aren't that many famous Asian actors around, and even though I can see why people complained, I still think we've come so far from the days when Ben Kingsley had to put on dark makeup to play Gandhi.

Next on the list: The Producers!

*~*~*~*

Geisha memoirs were not the only highlight of yesterday. Brindo once again proved to be naughty, irrascible, and a total handful. I used to think Bennie was hyper, but Brindo redefines the word.

Each morning, both puppies whine at my door until I let them into bed with me. Bennie just wants some peace and quiet, and Brindo wants to go wherever she goes. Bennie gets annoyed, and hides at the edge of my feet; Brindo decides to walk all over my head. I have so many scratches from him that I look like I've walked through a forest of bramble.

Yesterday, Brindo was so excited by his new dog bowl that he ate everything in it in one sitting. Then he proceeded to chase me and Bennie and his toys around... so much that he ended up puking dog food all over me. I guess I can be thankful that it was dry dog food. Diet dog food at that... our Bennie is still fat, and on a diet. (Only in America!)

This morning, Mom and Dad were painting various rooms in the house. We've bought a new house in PA, and are planning to sell this one soon. Brindo of course picked up a small paint roller, and got it all over the carpet, his bed, and himself. Dad was not pleased. Baby was locked up in the kitchen for a couple of hours, and got a good scrubbing as punishment.

And in the end, I still like my baby better. He's got spirit. I love Bennie, but I've always said - she's too spoiled, and to much of a weenie. (No pun intended.) Brindo's a real puppy. But I can really do without him biting my nose.

12.25.2005

on the hunt...

THE GOAL

In the last month, I've realized that I no longer want to lose weight to look "good" or "thin", but that I need to start losing weight for health purposes. I'm hardly grossly overweight - my BMI is at 24, and I'm a happy size 6 - but I'm hitting 30 this year, and want to start establishing a healthy lifestyle that I'll maintain through stress or famine or happy times. I can't keep using the excuse of "no time" to go to the gym, "too much stress" to not eat healthy, or "too much to do" to relax.

Basically, I've come to grips with the fact that I'm an overachieving stressball, and that my life will never be in perfect balance.

An article in Fitness magazine also really woke me up. Apparently, if you have gained more than 11 lbs since high school, you're at risk for diabetes. In addition, people with waistlines over 32 inches are also at risk for health problems. And most importantly, studies have shown that people who weigh less earn more :-)

So this year, I'm getting serious about making a healthy lifestyle a priority. And I don't mean, I'm going on a diet or I need to lose 10 lbs for a this-that event or I'm going to obsessively exercise like I did back in Seattle. I'm aiming to reduce my body fat % by at least 5% and my weight by about 10lbs over the course of the year.

THE HUNT BEGINS

Thus, I'm on the hunt for the perfect diet tracking software/program. What I'm looking for:

  • Recommended caloric intake
  • Meal and exercise tracker
  • Exercise planner: Input my schedule of planned activities over the week to see if I meet them
  • Calorie database that includes ethnic foods. The test: Korean food
  • Blogging option. If not a blogging option, at least a journaling one.
  • Goals/Rewards. Through my discovery, I've realized how important it is to input short- and long-term goals, and associated rewards.
  • Associated mood
  • Picture upload
  • Ease of use and good UI

So far, the most critical test has been the calorie database. Come on, I live in SF and I'm Chinese. There's no way that I'm going to be eating pasta and sauce everyday, and tracking calories from chain restaurants aren't going to cut it! If it takes me 10 minutes to google a recipe or food and then cut and paste the nutritional information, you know its going to fail.

THE RESULTS

In the last 2 days at home, I've searched for and signed up for free trials over probably about 10 programs. (You cannot imagine how hard this is when you're on a modem.) Here are the results to date:

  • iShape.com. Sounded really promising. I'm a big fan of Shape magazine, and I like that you are emailed your meal plan and exercise schedule, either the day of or the day before. In addition, there are nice features that I would expect from Shape - i.e., recommended weight training exercises and the right way to do them.

    Unfortunately, while I've gotten a the email for today and tomorrow's meal plan, I haven't been able to actually log on to the site. Everytime I log in, I'm prompted to go through my entire preferences profile again, and then at the end it gives me a cookie error. Now I'm not technical queen, but I've tried this on two browsers, with multiple internet security and privacy settings and its not working. I'm contacting Customer Service tomorrow, but in the meanwhile, it gets a big thumbs down for its most important feature: functionality.

  • PersonalFitnessPlanner. I'm also a fan of Fitness magazine - even more than Shape - so I decided to be fair and give it a whirl. Great UI, asked for much more info regarding my measurements than iShape, and it allowed me to specify how much weight I wanted to lose. (Strangely enough, iShape does that for you.)

    Hrmph. Then came the kicker: I could not log what I actually ate today. I had something relatively simple and common to American cuisine - poached eggs and chicken apple sausage - but you can only eat what they recommend to you or find a substitute meal. Even substitute foods individually would have been better. I was disappointed and canceled my subscription immediately.

  • myfooddiary.com. Also recommended by Fitness, I checked it out and really like the UI. It seemed to be more of a pure calorie tracker, which seemed more flexible to me after my experience with iShape and PersonalFitnessPlanner, and I was fine with not having a plan or inputting my schedule ahead of time. I liked the fact that they have a "refridgerator", which allows you to save your favorite foods, and that you could customize the activities you commonly do.

    The test came when I came home from dinner with the parents and tried to log in my Korean meal. What a pain! It took forever, the recipe builder didn't work as I expected. Plus there's a lot of confusion over how you actually enter in food and whether or not you're finished for the day. I already paid the $9 for the month, no cancelations or free trials. Stay away unless you truly do eat mac n cheese everyday.

  • Others. I also looked at some others, mostly to see what their calorie database was like, with disappointing results. I briefly tried fitwatch.com (the free version), but was disappointed by its UI. StartMyDiet.com had the blogging features, but the site was so misleading - it says that you can use the free version, but it didn't allow you to track foods! - so I decided against that one as well. It seemed sketchy to me. I searched on both About.com and Download.com found a couple of actual software packages that you can download for 30 days, but that will have to wait until I'm back in high speed land again.


THE VERDICT

I guess what I'm looking for is flexibility to customize, and most importantly, a database of ethnic foods. Yes, I understand that Americans are really fat, and that is the audience we're catering to, but no one living in a decent sized city can really succeed without being able to track ethnic food calories. Note to product makers: Look for your sophisticated audience, those are the ones who will pay a price for this kind of service. Or have add on features.

Ironically enough, so far the best site has been Weight Watchers, which I have been using on and off since last year. I didn't really appreciate how easy it was, or how impressive its food database was. Yes, I still need to input my recipes for some foods, and no, it doesn't have the journaling, mood or goal tracking features that I'd like to find. And I'm not sure how I like their exercise tracker. But from a food perspective, its surprisingly the best one. I guess it should be - it costs at least twice as much as comparative programs.

The hunt continues...

12.24.2005

a very doggie christmas

My baby Brindo welcomed me home last night by peeing all over me.

It must be love if I think that's cute :-)

I am so happy to be home with the puppies. Brindo's grown so much - he's a champion eater - and Bennie has really mellowed out. Observing the two of them is actually quite educational... I'm not altogether sure that I want to have more than one child now, considering the amount of energy we all spend to make sure they both feel equally loved.

Today, the doggie bowls that I painted for them arrived. So cute! Yeah, they look like they were made by a retarded kindergartener, but as A said, "They're dogs. They're not going to know the difference."

(Pics coming... no hookup for camera here.)

And yet, despite A's contention that dogs are color blind and can't read, they both recognize their bowls.

Being home has been pretty nice so far. I gave my mom my credit card so that I wouldn't be tempted to go out shopping while I was here. It helps that for the time being, I have no clean underwear or bras, so I can't leave the house anyway. I told all of my friends that I wasn't leaving the house. This week is for bschool apps ONLY. I even skipped out on the family Christmas dinner at Uncle Charlie's so I could have some quiet time.

The heater also broke, so we're around the space heater that dad bought. The guy's supposed to come tomorrow and fix it, but I'm starting to wonder if my parents are trying to tell me something. A couple of years ago, when I came home in for 4th of July, the a/c broke. This is not even remotely as miserable... it was 102 degrees all weekend, with 10 people in the house. We had to go to the mall and sit in the car just so we could cool down for a spell!

OK, back to apps. I swear.

12.23.2005

out with the old...

So cliche. And yet, never more appropriate than this year. I found a whole new meaning to "decluttering" this year... one that included old friendships that had long ago died, old habits that needed to be broken, new people that made me unhappy, and lots of emotional baggage that I finally tossed - along with 9 bags of size 0 clothes.

One of my friends once commented to me: "You're the only person I know that breaks up with friends." Maybe. Or maybe I'm just more clear cut about it. In any case, I've finally ended relationships with people that probably should have been severed long ago. It makes an amazing difference, when your friends are people that you actually enjoy being around, not ones that you feel obligated to or are friends with out of habit or loneliness.

More importantly, I learned to let go of new relationships that weren't making me happy - both friends and boys. Some people might say I'm mean, insensitive, or a bitch. None of which I deny. But what the hell is the point of sticking around with people that you just complain about? Is there really a reason to be friends with someone just because you once dated? Stay friends with someone because, once, long ago, they did something nice?

Maybe I should say "Out with the Catholic guilt" instead. As kinorvelle pointed out - "It ain't worth hanging out with the guy working the hot dog stand." Especially when you find someone else that makes you happy.

home is where the tivo is

For the past 5 days, I've felt like I've been in corporate housing. Neither Eric nor Philippe are here, and I've just moved into a new place. The first couple of days I spent unpacking my room - and even though I still have to assemble my bed, its relatively ok. However, I've completely neglected the living room, so it was a disaster area with boxes, and bags, and half-assembled furniture everywhere.

I couldn't take hiding in my room anymore, so on Tuesday, I went through the whole place and put it (relatively) together. I can't really assemble the entertainment center by myself - A is in Michigan, and both the boys are gone - but I did everything else, including moving the couches around and putting stuff back where it belongs.

Tonight, I put the final touches - I hooked up the Tivo! Man, how I've missed TV. The other good thing about television (besides the fact that it relaxes me like nothing else can) is that you don't feel quite so alone at home. I finally spent time in the living room, just catching up on Alias, Nip/Tuck, and Bones.

I also finally organized the mess of wires from the cable modem in my room and set up my new laptop. OK, its not "new" per se, buy my manager let me have my ex-co worker's after she left. Its SO MUCH BETTER - I had the old Dell Latitude, and it literally strained a muscle in my back. Not only is it at least 5 lbs lighter, but oddly enough, the resolution isn't quite as high. Which means that I don't even need a monitor in order to see! Yay! I hooked up all of my peripherals, including a keyboard that is making all the difference, and suddenly, I am inspired to work on my applications again. I think I might even bring the keyboard with me, it helps so much.

Yeah, its totally silly, but anything that will get my ass moving for the last week of apps is a GOOD thing.

Can I just say how nice it is that my whole house doesn't reek of pot? I'm hardly opposed to it on a moral level, but seriously - Lauri smokes up in the morning before work! That's a little too extreme for me. I still kind of expect the scent to blow through the house when the heater comes on, but I can appreciate breathing again.

12.22.2005

painting dog bowls

Last night, I went over to Terra Mia to paint dog bowls. My mother was telling me how Bennie and Brindo were fighting over the food, and I was wondering why they were sharing a bowl. So I decided to get them custom dog bowls for Christmas.

Yes, its sad that I spent more time and effort on Christmas presents for my puppies than for my family or my boyfriend.

Despite the torrential downpour and the rush (I only had 45 mins, as I was meeting Karen for dinner), painting was a blast. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown yesterday because of delays in product releases at work. Painting was amazingly relaxing, and I'm definitely planning on going back when I have more time... I might even make it a regular relaxation exercise!

Of course, I have absolutely no talent, so the dog bowls look like they've been painted by 5 year olds :-)

Afterwards, I rushed over to Chez Papa to meet Karen for dinner. I wanted foie gras, but they had already sold out the last one! Wah! We more than overcompensated by killing a bottle of wine between us and spending $99 on dinner per person. "I have to see you less often," Karen remarked as she tucked away her credit card. "Its expensive going out with you." Thankfully, the dinner, the company and the painting made me feel SO much better.

12.20.2005

its just like 1999!

Let's see...

  • I love my job
  • I'm working downtown
  • I've just moved into a new place and it feels a bit like corporate housing (mostly b/c both roomies are gone)
  • My boyfriend is in Japan for New Years
  • Its raining cats and dogs
  • I'm looking forward to more changes in the upcoming year

Actually, its a bit like 2002 as well - except I was looking forward to the New Year because I'd just broken up with my boyfriend and was happy to be myself again :-) And, well, I was in Seattle at the time, which gives a whole new meaning to RAIN. (Think Noah's Ark.)

But there's one big difference between 1999, and even 2002 - I'm happy. In 1999, I was miserable because I'd just moved to SF, didn't know anyone, thought NY was the only place to live, and had to work out next to nasty, Diet Coke-guzzling dot-com developers at 24 Hour Fitness. Now, I have great friends, a boyfriend that actually makes me happy, not angsty, a robust social life (yes, Robusteam - I said that for you!), a beautiful new apartment, and a job that I love.

Plus, I'm just happier with myself in general.

In the past 3 days, I've realized what a terrific year its been. Finally, I think I'm shedding some of the old baggage and clutter that I've held onto - and we're talking emotional, friend-wise, and material-wise. Of course, its had its ups and downs - and being stressed out for FOUR STRAIGHT MONTHS due to bschool apps and GMATs was not the most fun I've ever had. But that's stress I can handle. Besides, it'll be worth it when I get into Harvard.

I guess I should finish my app first ;-)

P.S. Its so nice to actually live in a place where the shower doors both open, the bath mat doesn't get stuck under the door, the heater actually warms you up, the house doesn't smell like pot at 8 am, and there are no homeless people camped on your doorstep. Did I tell you that I love my new place?

12.17.2005

"you know, today's a crappy day to move."

Thanks to the 19 people who made that comment today. Me included.

After almost 4.5 years at 20th and Lincoln, I've finally moved out and into the original ESL household in Potrero Hill. I don't know what took me so long... I LOVE my new place.

Of course, I had to choose the day that it literally poured rain nonstop to move my buttload of stuff. It wasn't just my bedroom furniture (which is far more vast than it sounds, considering the size of my former room), but also two couches, an entertainment center, pots and pans and dishes galore, artwork, a dining room table set and I don't know what else. When you live somewhere, you tend to accumulate a lot of crap. And even though I got rid of A LOT of crap, it was still a chore.

And before you ask, yes, I'm leaving this summer. I'm moving because it was an exercise in downsizing. Yes, I know how much it sucks to move.

As expected, the day was an adventure. The movers I had originally engaged via Craigslist never confirmed, and when I called, did not have me on the schedule. I hung up in a huff and canceled the order, getting a last minute moving company and A's consternation. The girl who was living in my new room emailed me last night about using my movers. "Only if you want to front $150 depending on how long it takes," I replied not-so-sweetly. She declined, decided I'm a bitch (which I am), and got her shit out of the way in time.

We ordered pizza, and it arrived 1.5 hours later. Already in a mood, I called them up and complained, resulting in a 1/2 off discount. A was again skeptical of my attitude - oh ye of little faith. He will soon learn that I am the queen of getting things comped. Just ask Karen. She's taking lessons from me.

And of course, the movers didn't speak English. At all. Luckily, this is SF so they all spoke Chinese. "Are you from China?" they asked me. "No, I was born in Taiwan," I replied. They looked at me with a little bit of pity, then very nicely said, "Its ok, we're all Chinese people."

Moving went relatively smoothly until we actually got to Potrero. I live on a one-way street on a hill, and we couldn't park the van outside of the house. So we ended up having to move in the rain uphill 1/2 a block. The couch didn't fit, and I forgot my dresser.

But all in all, I'd have to say that it was probably one of the smoother moves I've done. For once, I wasn't packing up until the movers came, as I've been packing all week. I even had time to kill! I got rid of my punching bag and my elliptical for cashish. And even though the place is a mess, I'm so glad I'm here. My room is 1/2 the size of my old one, and I like it!

OK, rambling from tiredness. Sleepy now...

12.13.2005

sitting down for a moment

Sigh. This is one of the first times I've had to sit down in the last few weeks. Crazy! Between work, Project training, bschool apps, and moving, I've been a stressball. I CANNOT wait until Jan 15th, when the last of my bschool apps are due, and I'll be all settled into the new house in Potrero. Even better, work should be calmer after the 20th when HiPer and Process both are done launching.

Of course, this is sort of a lie, since I've got losing weight, GREs , and the SIPA and Wagner School apps still due in early Feb, not to mention the PMP certification in April. But really, it can't be worse. As I explained to A when he asked me if I was always this stressed out, I do get stressed out like this a couple of times a year, but all of it has just been compressed into one extended period.

On a separate tangent, I am in the midst of some *major* PMS. I honestly have never had it this bad before... I'm randomly bursting into tears, even though there's nothing to be upset about, and have probably consumed about 10,000 calories in the last 3 days. Let's see... burger/fries/orings on Friday, pizza/wings/biscuit/ranch sauce yesterday, and then a big-ass burrito today. Yuck.

I usually craving a spot of chocolate and am bloated around this time, but a couple of weeks ago I got food poisoning and started puking up my bc. Of course, that meant that I have to wait for my next cycle to start taking the pill again, so I think the on/off thing is making my system funny. Poor A. He gets to see stressball Serena and PMS Serena all at the same time.

*Burp.* Back to bschool apps. At least I'm ahead of schedule with packing...

*gnash teeth*

I hate moving. So much! But this is a good exercise in downsizing... I've thrown away more of my life than I thought was possible. This is a good thing. I don't know if I would have been able to handle it if I was actually moving across the country right now.

In other news, I have completely neglected my bschool apps, and have dropped Sloan from the list. Grrr. I'll be working on them tonight, post dish-packing.
 

About