April 24, 2011
Tainan Outing
Haven't really seen wife's paternal relatives ever since the wedding, since they mostly live in Tainan. With the father-in-law back from China for an extended Chinese New Year holiday, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit, especially since they...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:42 AM
Tainan Outing
Haven't really seen wife's paternal relatives ever since the wedding, since they mostly live in Tainan. With the father-in-law back from China for an extended Chinese New Year holiday, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit, especially since they...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:42 AM
April 08, 2011
Tohoku Tremors Hit Home, Finally
"When one person dies, it's a tragedy, but when a million people die, it's a statistic." — Josef Stalin The Great Tohoku Earthquake, with over 26,000 people dead and missing, falls somewhere between Stalin's cold-blooded extremes. But even with...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:48 PM
October 20, 2010
Shanghai Thoughts
Wife and I had frequent flier miles expiring soon. Had enough for a free ticket, but only to Hong Kong or China. We'd been to Hong Kong not that long ago, and plane+hotel combo plans are so cheap that a...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:23 PM
February 04, 2010
Minor Milestone
Or, Freezer Freedom Our moms didn't breast-feed because they were sold on the convenience and new-and-improved-ness of baby formula, and because they were busy at work with no accommodation for new mothers at all. Now we know that breast-milk...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:12 PM
December 02, 2009
Self Pacifying
On the one hand, the baby is settling into a familiar appearance, the adorable little meat-ball. On the other hand, he is still growing and making new surprises every day. Like when he sprouted a couple of baby teeth,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:50 PM
October 20, 2009
Good Timing
After getting up and checking AAPL's earning report, then making coffee for the wife and I, I was already running a bit behind. Still couldn't resist cooing over the baby for a bit, as he raised up his head and...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 07:41 PM
July 13, 2009
Baby, Season One
65cm, 7.2Kg, catching up and even passing the 50-percentile mark. All that mother's milk has got to be doing some good after all. His face is all rounded, the cheeks almost drooping from their full extent, and his legs...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:43 PM
May 05, 2009
承晞 Update
So how's the baby doing at the two-month mark? Picked the name 承晞 just in time for 滿月. Literal translation would be "to inherit dawn's first light". He's already earned his first allowance just by existing, thanks to Taiwan's NTD3600-per-head...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:59 AM
承晞 Update
So how's the baby doing at the two-month mark? Picked the name 承晞 just in time for 滿月. Literal translation would be "to inherit dawn's first light". He's already earned his first allowance just by existing, thanks to Taiwan's NTD3600-per-head...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:59 AM
March 23, 2009
Labor Via Twitter
Instead of recollecting and re-editing the story of the birth of our first child, I'll just repost all the tweets that I sent out throughout the process, a raw retelling mostly sent by iPhone. We have water leakage. No...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:58 PM
January 29, 2009
Lifestyle 2.0
While strolling along on a fine afternoon… "Honey, is the grocery store open during the holidays? We're out of milk." "Hold on, I can check their webpage on the iPhone and see what they say." Tap… tap tap… tap…...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:36 AM
January 10, 2009
New Years Atwitterin'
It's always slow at the office at the end of the year as all our customers go on vacation. Even more so this year with the conspicuous lack of orders in the face of global uncertainty. So the department...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 07:05 PM
December 01, 2008
Perks
The rich uncles have all their financial advisers and investment accounts to handle the money rolling in. Mom's in more of a retirement-mode, but she has enough to piggy-back on their uber-VIP status and go along for the ride....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:21 PM
October 27, 2008
Old Friends
It's always interesting to see what long-unseen friends are up to nowadays. And thanks to Web 2.0, you don't actually have to sully yourself with social contact to find out. Mike's been puttering around on an old Treo for...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:40 AM
September 11, 2008
Submit Your Images For Criticism
Nikon has been working hard both technically and marketing-wise to recapture market share from Canon. As a part of their Nikon School efforts, they partnered with Flickr to create the Nikon Digital Learning Center Flickr group. Now, self-congratulatory Flickr...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 05:09 PM
May 30, 2008
Lost Not Found
Went by the B&Q after work to pick up a couple of light bulbs to replace burnt out fixtures. My bag was full with the lunch box and the light bulbs so I kept my umbrella dangling on my...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:08 PM
December 13, 2007
Just Married
Nothing like a good-old Category 4 typhoon to put a damper on one's wedding day. Thankfully the worst of it hit on Saturday and it was relatively quiet by Sunday. Sam&Michelle's flight got delayed by 12 hours in the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:42 AM
May 28, 2007
Zapped
The SO went and got LASIK'ed because she wanted to get rid of her contacts before our wedding photos. She had thick glasses and a long history of wearing hard contacts, so it took her a while to recover,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:03 PM
April 01, 2007
Italy Notes
Took the SO for a 11-day trip to Rome, Florence, and Milan after our formal engagement. It was a good excuse to buy a new DSLR camera and associated goodies. Took lots of pictures, some of which even managed...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:33 PM
March 06, 2007
Anonymous Contribution
Always nice to see people who actually make a difference in the world make the news, like the Chronicle profile of the latest hotshot surgeon at UCSF. Using the narrow space between ribs, Kukreja makes a small horizontal incision,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:47 PM
January 01, 2007
New Year Resolution/Announcement
My resolution for 2007: Get married Other things The GF and I have been dragging this out a long time (well, me mostly) and we finally decided to get engaged on Valentine's Day. Aside from the obvious connotations, it...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:16 PM
December 23, 2006
LA Trip
Yay, back on the air thanks to an interim Intel build of ecto. Now I can get back to posting via my favorite editor while awaiting the next version. The necessity for the Intel-architecture upgrade was because dad was...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:50 AM
August 02, 2006
Top Of The Morn'
Finally finished the jar of theJune Taylor Cherry Preserves. Now, June Taylor does make wonderful jams, all hand-made with local, organic fruit with the most minimal amount of sugar and additives. It's great that they preserve the original nature...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:41 PM
July 12, 2006
The Rest Of My Life Is So Hard
It's a street in a strange world I would like to inform my loyal readers (plural optional) that it is very hot and humid in the summer in Taiwan. Perhaps if I had spent more time in Florida I...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 05:35 PM
April 30, 2006
Owies
The GF took a hard spill on the rain-slicked pavement on the way to work. She was still feeling pains in her backside and lower back after a day, and sitting in an office chair all day didn't help....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:18 AM
April 16, 2006
PDA Eats
I am proud to introduce 吃飯了嗎? ("Have You Eaten Yet", a.k.a. the most common opening query upon meeting any Chinese relative), the latest addition to the Personal Dork media empire. You can check out the Eats page itself, or...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:50 PM
March 19, 2006
Long Flight, Short Trip
Went to Düsseldorf for three days and two nights, all included. Unfortunately, all it included were day-ful of meetings for work, so I literally zero time for sightseeing. Didn't help that we were staying out-of-town near our distributor's office,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:14 PM
January 14, 2006
Leisurely Dissipation
Got to go on a field trip to Xinchu for an ITRI seminar on LED heat dissipation techniques. The weather was great, and they provided pretty decent food and snacks, but the show was a little disappointing for NTD2000....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 07:19 AM
December 25, 2005
好好好， 聖誕快樂！
Sorry, "Ho" just doesn't transliterate well into Mandarin. Apparently Santas do translate across cultures and languages, in Mandarin and Cantonese. And I guess the jolly white elderly gentleman with a long beard is the one type of worker that...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 07:04 PM
December 23, 2005
Blogospherical
Sam's got a blog now. The sidebar with the Recent Procedures is a nice touch. Although the geeky side thinks that it should be implemented as an headline syndication script to auto-generate the headlines from a sub-blog rather than...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:38 PM
November 25, 2005
Closely Packed
Went to the factory because a big-corp. customer was visiting and because I was due for a trip anyway. Of course, being a big company doesn't mean they'll be a big customer, and it's kinda pointless to be sitting...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:08 PM
July 18, 2005
Summering
Amazing how the MRT becomes echoingly empty in the morning now that school's out. Would probably be a couple of hours later before the kids get out of bed to play. Of course, the afternoon commute remains just as...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:17 PM
February 22, 2005
No Solicitors
You know that no visitors are coming in today when the manager treats everyone in the office to stinky tofu stew for lunch. Yeah, the smell can linger a bit. Now, far from me to complain about free food,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:18 PM
January 27, 2005
A Little Gettogether
There was the formal Chinese New Year dinner with the boss and everybody, but you can't really cut loose with the main man sitting right there, and people didn't really like the Macallan anyway (funny hangovers). Plus the food...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:39 AM
January 14, 2005
Back In The PRoC
The trip to the factory is getting to be old hat at this point. Catch the cab to the airport at 8am, flight is at 10, get to HK by noon and run to catch the 12:30 bus across...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:21 PM
December 19, 2004
Sick Day
It was inevitable, I guess, with the new environment and the changing seasons. Caught a cold and had to take a day off last Thursday. Getting caught out in the autumn rain without an umbrella really can't cause colds,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:21 PM
December 04, 2004
Migration Pattern
Typhoon in December, of course there's no global warming. Thankfully it turned away from the island once it touched the southern tip of Taiwan, so it wasn't much more than a windy rainstorm in Taipei. That meant David had...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:55 PM
November 25, 2004
Life of a Salesman
Tagged along with our sales guy to downtown Shenzhen for a Supplier Business Review with a big American CPU/motherboard company. Chien was there, too, but we were more there as warm bodies than anything else, in order to show...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:51 AM
October 16, 2004
saturday! Saturday! SATURDAY!
"Can't wait until I finish these last couple of emails so I can get outta here." "Isn't it kinda early?" [noon-ish] "Not when it's Saturday and I haven't even swiped my time card." Yeah, I got to sleep in...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:37 PM
August 08, 2004
Happy Hours
The manager for Taiwan sales was retiring at the "suggestion" of the uncle. Guy's getting a nice pension (unlike some people), so it's not as if he's being thrown out on the street. Nevertheless, for the sake of saving...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:36 PM
July 23, 2004
What I Did On My Summer Vacation, LA Edition
I had a month back in the states to pack up stuff and prepare for the long-term move to Taiwan. There was the trip to Origins, of course, but that was hardly the only thing on the schedule. Was...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:29 PM
July 16, 2004
Travel Note
Back in Taiwan. Two words: Humidity Sucks. Good news: We finally got an IC card for the BS Digital Japanese satellite TV box, so we can get digital-TV-goodness for grandma's NHK variety shows. Plus they run lots of MLB...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:14 PM
June 23, 2004
Altitude 35,000ft, airspeed 605mph heading east along the TPE-SFO great circle, north of Hawaii
Heading back to the States after a month in Taiwan. Felt like the time went by awfully fast, but it also feels as if it was much more than just one month. Got a job, got a girlfriend, both...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:07 PM
May 20, 2004
Life as a Stiff
It's a little embarrassing to be coming in when everyone's already here, and leave when everyone is still there. I think 8:00-5:30 is doing my part, though, especially considering that my part right now consists of reading lots of...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:31 PM
May 14, 2004
First Day On The Job (whatever it may be)
Got up early enough to hitch a ride with uncle to the office. It's a 30-minute ride from home to an anonymous building in the anonymously bustling streets just outside Taipei City. The outside isn't all that imposing, but...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:45 AM
May 10, 2004
Twisty Maze of Passages
Went mom to the local neighborhood city office to get a Taiwanese ID card. Like most of the buildings nearby, the city office is mostly new, situated in a plaza across the street from Taipei 101. Had a bit...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:09 PM
Not Just Carnations
It's good to have good help. Sure's nice to have a Taiwanese ah-yi who can cook all the familiar dishes, instead having to teach an Indonesian or Filipina maid. Must take quite some skill to make daikon-and-beef-liver soup taste...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:36 AM
April 27, 2004
Dog Days
Sam's heading back to Duke to finish his last year, and Michelle is starting hospital rotations, right after a month in Botswana volunteering at the Butler clinic. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave much time or place for the dog, so...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:39 AM
April 18, 2004
To The City
Went to SF to visit that busiest of busybodies, auntie Dai. Aunt drove so dad and I were just kind of extraneous bodies to fill the table at the restaurant. Kinda silly to take an S500 into SF and...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:34 AM
February 27, 2004
Such Great Heights
A few of the neighbors were washing their cars as we drove out. You know you're in a nice neighborhood when one garage had a S and a Carrera, while next door held an A4, X5, and LS.Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:22 AM
February 15, 2004
n00Bz
Went up to Rowland Heights on Thursday to visit Uncle Jiang. When we visited last time the lawns and trees at the hilltop development were still dusty plots and saplings. Only thing that grew faster than the trees were...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 07:02 PM
January 25, 2004
Sunday Thoughts
What's the difference between green beans and haricot vert at the farmers' market? About two bucks a pound. The bastards at Ralphs are still using scabs, and even then they've had to close down the deli section for the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:17 PM
January 23, 2004
A Human Connection
"Double-double-grilled-onions, and fries-no-salt?" "Yep." "Want some ketchup?" "Sure." "How you like the Tivo?" "Oh, it's awesome." "Yeah, it's the best thing I bought this year" "Cool." "Alright, you have a good day." "Thanks." This convesation is brought to you...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:45 AM
January 18, 2004
Sunday Morning
Whole Paycheck had a table of Asian veggies and foods set up in the produce section. Not sure if it's just a Chinese New Year thing or a permanent display. They even had more obscure things like gai choi...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:08 PM
January 05, 2004
Sleepy Time
Rule No. 1 applies: "Never bet on a shaky QB on the road."Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:02 PM
January 01, 2004
Welcome Home
Still adjusting to the time difference. Got up today just in time for the Rose Bowl. Looks like I picked the right day to fly home, as it rained the day before, and today after I got in, but...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 07:16 PM
December 29, 2003
Party Time
Wasn't planning on going anywhere on Saturday, which was why I drank with uncle on Friday night. Good booze and tasty peanuts plus a solid revenue number. But you understand why I might not have been a sprightly camper...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:22 PM
December 26, 2003
Large Men
Boy did that kick ass in HD. You can see all the sumo dudes' back hairs.Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:13 PM
December 23, 2003
The Jungle
"Welcome to the jungle We got fun 'n' games" — Guns 'N Roses "The line of the buildings stood clear-cut and black against the sky; here and there out of the mass rose the great chimneys, with the river...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 05:14 PM
December 19, 2003
Chop Chop
Now that the funeral is over, we're now into meet-and-greet mode. I can shave and cut my hair, now, too. Aunt Dai's restaurant folded. Taiwan isn't really ready for real French food and Taiwan-ified French food isn't very good,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:58 AM
December 17, 2003
Today Is The Big Day
Was roused out of bed at 3 am to catch a charter bus with the rest of the family. Got to the mortuary and had a mercifully short ceremony to seal the casket. Then it was a little while...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:14 PM
December 13, 2003
Respects
Landed at 10:15, got in at around 11, and went to bed at 12 after getting the Airport Base Station up and running. Good old Apple plug-and-play. Had to get up at 6am. That's fine, none of us could...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:59 PM
3am PST, god knows when local time
Just breezed by Tokyo on the way to Taipei. Three and a half more hours of flight time. Even with the precious few extra inches of space in Deluxe Class, I still can't find a sleeping position that doesn't...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:34 AM
December 10, 2003
Warming Up
Flew home to get a good night's sleep before the trans-Pacific marathon out of SFO tomorrow. The shuttle driver was coming from North County and got caught in the rush-hour mess at the 8-805 merge. Then he couldn't find...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:48 PM
November 30, 2003
Passing On
Grandfather finally died. In his sleep, I think. It was a matter of time, really, and he's probably better off for it. The strokes were debilitating and the diabetes didn't help. Glad to have been back to see him...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:09 AM
November 06, 2003
Magical Mystery Tour
Four Magic tournaments in four days and I bat barely over .500. So much for bumping my rating. Not sure if the entertainment value was worth the money spent, but now that I've bought the cards I might as well as play with them. This is starting to take time away from my 160GB Tivo, though.Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:57 PM
October 28, 2003
No Fire, But
The air outside just turned a horrible shade of gray-brown. Seriously, it's almost like a sudden solar eclipse in the way the sunlight just got gobbled up. The wind must've shifted directions again. The fire isn't threatening San Diego...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:54 PM
October 27, 2003
Less Fire
It doesn't look like the fire is going to get west of the 805, thank goodness. So I can unpack my Magic cards, the collectible DVD boxsets, and the desert island CDs. Oh, and the extra underwear, too.Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:17 AM
October 26, 2003
More Fire
I-805 is now shut down from I-8 to the I-5 merge, which means that I-5 is the only north-south artery still open in San Diego. They're recommending that people stay home unless ordered to evacuate. No imminent danger here,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:30 PM
Ominous
Basically, if the fire hops west past the 805, I am outta here.Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:55 PM
October 22, 2003
Colorized
Pulled some new $20 bills out of the ATM. Folks were impressed by the new bills. Or perhaps they were impressed by the fact that I was handing them money....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:19 PM
October 14, 2003
Pro Tour Amsterdam Qualifier, Costa Mesa
Got up early Saturday morning to head up to the Woman's Club for the PTQ and Grand Prix Kansas City Trial tournaments. Had a good time at the Mirrodin Prerelease, so I figure I'd give Mirrodin sealed-deck a shot...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:28 AM
October 10, 2003
Move On
Saw the offer from 1and1.com on the Penny Arcade forums. Three years of professional webhosting for free? Way too good to be true, right? I usually never go for these freebie offers since the catch is almost way more...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:22 PM
October 09, 2003
September 27, 2003
Newer <> Better
Hit Roberto's for some slightly-later-than-usual dinner fare. Love how all the grease settles to the bottom of the carnitas burrito when I hold it upright. Hey, I had a salad for lunch. Anyway, they still have the two video...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:58 PM
September 21, 2003
Multi-Tasker
Forgot to take the bread out of the freezer yesterday. Turn on the receiver for some Sunday Morning Unplugged (basically a ripoff of KFOG's Sunday Morning Unplugged) and plopped the (individually plastic-wrapped) bread on top of the vent holes....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:39 AM
September 20, 2003
Mirrodin Pre-Release Notes
9:30 Geez, could they have hidden the geeks more if they tried? The tournament was in a ballroom on the lower level in the very corner of the Convention Center. We're sharing the center with conventions of Honda dealers...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:41 AM
September 04, 2003
PSA
Sichuan food is hot. Like, really hot. Picked out all the dried chilis and they stacked up higher than the food, and that still left the fresh jalapeños. Of course I had to be the big man and say...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:41 PM
September 02, 2003
The Process
I became sure that quality management processes are overrated when I saw moon cakes ads that trumpeted their ISO 9001 certification. All I want from my moon cake is filling (preferably red bean, lotus seed is okay, not so...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:27 PM
August 27, 2003
Imagine a World
If I told you that a woman waited in a parking lot with her son for thirteen days for the grand-opening of a Krispy Kreme, what do you think the duo would look like? For me, the mental picture...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:39 PM
August 26, 2003
Pennywise
Sam borked his computer so that Windows wouldn't boot. The Dell tech support guy (complete with Indian accent) quickly decided to overnight him a new hard disk. Unfortunately, that doesn't help him recover his study notes for the board...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:38 AM
August 20, 2003
Vegas, Part 3
Uncle's friend went back to LA with his sister after we all hit the brunch for the buffet. Always tough to decide between the cheesecake and the carrot cake for dessert. Wasn't in an icing mood so I went...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:21 PM
August 16, 2003
Vegas, cont.
The teppanyaki meal was tasty, even if the Benihana-wannabe schtick has got a little old at this point. Uncle's friend's sister and her family were also in town from Arcadia, and we almost filled up the teppanyaki table, but...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:56 PM
The Drill
Does it get worse than being stuck in traffic, on the way to the dentist, forced to listen as your ace pitcher get hammered on the radio?...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:22 PM
August 15, 2003
Vegas Baby, Vegas
I really should catch that movie sometime. Best Buy has the DVD on-sale all the time. I guess I was just turned off by all the hype from Gen-X wannabe hipsters (read: The Sports Guy). Feel as if I've...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:15 PM
August 09, 2003
Adult Education
What a maroon: Ok say I do take a few math classes and get a few Cs [ed: in community college], well then my GPA goes under 3.0 and I can forget about transfering into a good 4 year...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:28 PM
August 06, 2003
On the Road
It's surprisingly difficult to fit a 10-hour block of time into one's day. Procrastinated enough so that I ended up eating lunch in San Diego and didn't leave until 2pm. This meant that I ran smack-on into the Orange...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:20 AM
August 05, 2003
Crap
Apparently, the next bogeyman in the anti-terrorism chase is "the possibility of weapons that could be concealed in small electronic items carried aboard airplanes." Now this is seriously not good since just about all I carry onto the airplane...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:31 PM
July 30, 2003
Christ on a Pogo Stick
I'm a programming dilettante at best, i.e. I can learn any language real fast as long as I don't have to write anything more complicated than Hello World. This means that I prefer lighter languages with less syntax so...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:56 PM
July 27, 2003
Reporting In
No big pre-release tournaments for Eighth Edition, instead individual stores hold sealed deck tourneys with some WotC prize support. Went out to a little store in Pacific Beach for a chance to play a sealed tournament and the foil...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:19 PM
July 15, 2003
Poor Bastard
I guess they had to come up with something to fill the slowest American sports week of the year. Adam Bernero got traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Colorado Rockies for a backup catcher. Bernero had only one...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:34 AM
July 13, 2003
Life in the Southland
This lady (LA Times registration req.) is the perfect blend of ernest grass-roots activism and ruthless paternal NIMBY-ism that makes LA populism so strange. She and her associates at Pasadena Heritage, a preservation group that would inspire the launch...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:11 AM
July 09, 2003
I see dead people...
Spics Niggers Sand-niggers Breeders Towelheads Freaks Infidels Rugrat Gravitationally challenged He deserved it Darwin Award? Hey, at least the kitten made it. But maybe not for long....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:15 AM
July 08, 2003
Macropayment > Micropayment
So a random (albeit slightly influential) artist is selling his latest web-comic for 25 cents. Micropayment systems is a solution without a problem (or is it a problem without a solution?), since most web content is pretty worthless anyway,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:54 PM
July 06, 2003
Small Taste of Success
Slice up a shallot, couple of ribs of celery, and a clove of garlic. Sweat over medium-low heat in some olive oil. Toss in a few parsley stalks, too. Once vegetables are soft, add half-cup of white wine and...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:21 PM
July 05, 2003
Life's a Bitch
Basic economics treat labor as just another factor of production, another raw material for the machine. So it was only a matter of time after the rise of just-in-time manufacturing before just-in-time jobs streamlined labor practices. Of course, silicon...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:17 AM
July 04, 2003
PSA
Donut peaches are awesome. That is all....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:08 PM
July 02, 2003
So much for Two Systems
Hong Kong is about as apolitical a place as there is on Earth, so it's surprising to see hundreds of thousands of people turn out for a protest. Or maybe not, once one realizes that Article 23 allows China...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:38 PM
July 01, 2003
Beats Money Market
Best Buy had a Preferred Customer Weekend and had the Cowboy Bebop Movie on sale, so let's burn buck-fify of gas to save a dollar-forty. Turned out that both San Diego BB's were sold out of the CBM, which...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:49 PM
June 30, 2003
Stupid Baseball Rules
Nothing like a fantasy league to turn yourself into a rules geek. In the Cubs - White Sox game yesterday, Joe Borowski came in to pitch for the Cubs with a 5-2 lead, one out in the bottom of...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:34 PM
June 29, 2003
Catchphrase of the Day
I curse the casual brilliance of your life strategy!!! My bagel will be extra tasty today....
Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:43 PM
June 28, 2003
Hey, I actually witnessed
Hey, I actually witnessed a practical use for a Hummer! Passed by an H2 towing a boat. Well not really a boat, more like a rubber dinghy, but at least it's doing something to justify the 10 mpg fuel...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:30 PM
June 25, 2003
Working Backwards
5e7 / 11% = 4.54e8 4.54e8 / 10% = 4.54e9 4.54e9 / 34.50 = 1.32e8 A big ouch on the exchange rate factor, especially with the consideration that the RMB is pegged to USD....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:19 AM
June 19, 2003
Sensible Numbers
Wow, a securities analyst saying something sensible about the economy. Chinese Connection. One of the most aggressive buyers of U.S. Treasuries in recent months has been China's central bank. Data collected monthly by the U.S. Treasury can be used...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:38 PM
June 14, 2003
Fast Food is the Debil
Well, it was bound to happen sometime. My food was order 666. Sign of the impending Apocalypse? Or something less sinister?...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:19 PM
June 12, 2003
ROFL
Screw the house in the El Cerrito hills. We should've gone for the 19th-century chateau in Brittany (complete with 13.5 acres of wooded park), or maybe Burgundy. Would've been tough to hit the Open House, though. One of the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:39 AM
June 08, 2003
Fry's Electronics opened a
Fry's Electronics opened a new store in north county San Diego, so there was a Grand Opening Sale at the SD stores, complete with One Day Only! specials. The line of cars to get into the parking lot went...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:51 PM
June 01, 2003
You know it's almost summer when...
...the white nectarines start showing up in the grocery store. On the other hand, you know that summer isn't quite here yet when said white nectarines are "on sale" for one-fucking-ninety-nine a pound....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:37 AM
May 27, 2003
Hip To Be Square?
The thesis for a new era of Republican dominance seems to make a lot more sense than the idea of an emerging Democratic majority. If nothing else, a 200 million (and growing) dollar advantage in fund raising gives Republicans...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:25 AM
May 23, 2003
Saw plenty of Starbucks
Saw plenty of Starbucks and a Coffee Bean coffee shops in Taipei, which doesn't give one much hope for the quality of the coffee. Frankly, I'd rather have an sweet pseudo-coffee ice-blended drink on a summer day in Taiwan....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:25 PM
May 12, 2003
In the "Now I've Seen Everything" department
Saw a Ford Focus with a fart-can muffler and no other visible mods. Now I know that there are some Focuses out there that are real pocket rockets, but this was a dusty, plain-jane model, except for a really...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:33 PM
May 04, 2003
Woof
Good News: Sam's new dog is adorable Bad News: The dog chewed/clawed through the door the first time they left him alone in the bathroom At least he didn't go and trash the rest of the place once he...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:20 PM
April 22, 2003
The Most Important Medical Discovery in the Last 50 Years
"...apoptosis in chronic heart failure is mediated in part by telomere dysfunction and suggest an essential role for TRF2 even in postmitotic cells." Oh H., et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 2003, 10.1073 Okay, maybe not....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:52 AM
March 23, 2003
Draft Day
8:30 Got my smoothie on. Set up the laptop next to the PC for maximum screen estate. IM draft and the roster spreadsheet windows on the PC monitor. Stats and reference spreadsheets on the PowerBook. 9:00 Check into the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:37 PM
March 17, 2003
It's True Love When...
...you go Kazaa-ing up John Mayers songs for the girlfriend in the middle of the night. And how pathetic is it to make up a sucky music list by copying-and-pasting the top of the Billboard charts? It just screams,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:19 AM
March 16, 2003
Walked down to Peets
Walked down to Peets Coffee for coffee beans (interesting comparison between the Peets' demographic and the people hanging out at Starbucks across the street). Picked up half a pound of Major Dickason's Blend, and got a small cup of...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:42 PM
March 10, 2003
Instant Karma's Gonna Get You
I've been using the Peets debit card for my caffeine needs because there's a 5% discount, but it means that I don't have any change to drop in the tip jar. So I stuffed a dollar bill into the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:49 PM
March 09, 2003
Inflation?
The gym replaced the old Stairmasters with some new elliptical steppers. The orbiting motion is smoother and less jarring than the old up-and-down, and there are even swinging arm bars to get the upper body involved. Even with all...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:39 PM
February 07, 2003
The Anti-Atkin's Diet
Breakfast: Pancakes Lunch: Sandwich Dinner: Spaghetti puttanesca Snack: Peppridge Farm Milano cookies I finally figured out a use for the Canadian dried blueberries that uncle gave mom, who passed it to me because she has enough random things in...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:13 AM
February 01, 2003
Happy New Year of the Ram/Sheep/Goat/Bovine Ruminant
Anyway, who gives a fuck what you call it in English. It's the year of the 羊 and hope you have a good one. And in the true spirit of the season: 恭喜恭喜 紅包那裡 Yes, in this era of...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:43 PM
January 29, 2003
A Cry For Help
I'm addicted to Fox reality shows. It was one thing when I was watching The Amazing Race, The Mole (no, the Celebrity Hawaii version doesn't count), or Survivor. At least they featured exotic locales and required some smarts on...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:40 PM
January 26, 2003
Super Bowl Sunday
Boy, the Raiders sure stunk it up good at the Super Bowl. I mean, when even Al Davis is at a loss for words, you know it was a major ass whoopin'. Now I know how those Chargers fans...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:44 PM
January 22, 2003
It's not easy being green
You know, I recycle as much as I can. I drive a fuel efficient car, instead of a fuel-guzzling (but tax efficient) monstrosity. I try not to order chilean sea bass (a.k.a. the Patagonian toothfish) at restaurants. I'm willing...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 07:17 PM
January 17, 2003
Capitalism in Action
Made my first sale on EBay. More to clean out the closet than trying to make money, really. Hey, if someone out there wants to learn all about MacOS 7.5.5, more power to him. EBay announced earnings today, "shattering...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:05 PM
January 05, 2003
Came over the Grapevine
Came over the Grapevine around 7:30pm and was ready to refuel myself (refueled the car on Laval Rd. and got raped on the gas prices, should've stopped in Lost Hills instead). Once I reentered civilization, I stopped by the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:04 PM
January 04, 2003
Accomplishments at Home
Beat the Omega Pirate and collecting all twelve Chozo Artifacts in Metroid Prime. Calibrated the 81-point convergence of the Sony RPTV in service mode. Put the rear speakers on real stands instead of on stools, thanks to Parts Express....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:28 AM
January 02, 2003
Hopefully someone will come
Hopefully someone will come by and take a look at the house after some nagging from our real estate agent. With the recent rainstorms, some defects have become apparent. A big bubble formed in the paint of the kitchen...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:05 PM
January 01, 2003
Apparently the Chinese restaurants
Apparently the Chinese restaurants were the only ones open, since all the places at the Pacific East mall were doing good business tonight, with more non-Chinese folks than usual. Managed to make it through the entire meal without speaking...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:24 PM
Happy New Year
Mom's going around replacing all the 2002 calendars with the 2003 calendars she picked up. There are calendars from 99 Ranch Market, Oakland Market in Chinatown, China Airlines (which she doesn't even fly anymore), her old bank, plus one...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:25 PM
December 29, 2002
Virtual Reality on Bay Street
Damn it, this is exactly what I've been saying all along. The new development in Emeryville is nothing more than your typical yuppie mall placed in a pseudo-urban environment, created out of whole cloth since there wasn't a real...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:27 AM
December 27, 2002
So we spent the
So we spent the money (well, I spent the parents' money, so it's "we" in that sense) for a nice stereo/home theater system (hey, it was less than what mom spent on the drapes). Then when I turn on...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:18 PM
December 26, 2002
NFL Tiebreakers
What's Hot: Record vs. common conference opponents What's Not: Strength of victories...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:37 AM
December 23, 2002
No Two Towers Review Here
Because everyone and their mother's dog is reviewing the movie. Read their reviews....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 07:02 PM
December 22, 2002
Six Degrees
The Pacific East Mall and the 99 Ranch Market has become a significant hub of Asian-American social activity. Went with mom and dad for lunch and groceries. Was eating at the VH Noodle House when we ran into Lawrence...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:45 AM
December 19, 2002
Ugly
Jesus, Sharks give up nine goals, the Lakers score 71 points, and whiny Flo won The Amazing Race. Hey, at least the Stanford ladies advanced to the volleyball finals. They're tall....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:20 PM
December 18, 2002
Long Way Home
Perversely ended up heading out right into the teeth of the afternoon commute. Crawled along with all the worker ants for an hour before getting out of San Diego. Stopped by at the La Mirada In-n-Out for a quick...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:35 PM
December 16, 2002
Traffic Report
I5 [SOUTH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA] THE SOUTHBOUND CONNECTOR TO EASTBOUND & WESTBOUND SR 58 (KERN CO) IS CLOSED FROM 0600 HRS TO 1800 HRS MONDAY THRU FRIDAY THRU 12/20/02 - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION - A DETOUR IS AVAILABLE THE NORTHBOUND CONNECTOR...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:11 PM
ROFL
A wisely anonymous reader writes: Following my company's Christmas party on Friday, I found myself the proud recipient of... a bobble head doll of the company CEO! Needless to say I was PISSED. They didn't even comp. parking at the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:18 AM
December 14, 2002
The Amazing Race was
The Amazing Race was being Tivo-ed, so I could branch out in my reality-television viewing. Yes, I watched Extreme Makeover. I guess the special fit nicely into The Bachelor's former time slot, in terms of appealing to the fantasy-fulfillment...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:38 PM
December 11, 2002
United Airlines finally filed for
United Airlines finally filed for bankruptcy, after the government denied United a $1.9 billion loan package. I suppose it's good to avoid corporate welfare, protests of the (Republican) House Speaker aside. On the other hand, the loan application was rejected...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:07 PM
December 09, 2002
I like to get
I like to get a bottle of apple juice when I'm sick. It's a source of fluids, and it's sweet, so it's easier to drink than the more acidic OJ, and helps to make those cold pills go down...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:32 PM
December 08, 2002
Sports Update
Ugh, the Giants gave 2 years, $4.5 million to Maquis Grissom, and worse, promised to play him every day. Not that promises of playing time means anything, but Grissom was actually useful against lefty pitchers, and turns back into a...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 03:27 PM
December 05, 2002
Death, destruction, and despair.
People dying everywhere.
Scary article about rising rates of diabetes in Asia. More incentive to lay off the fast food? Genetics probably isn't on my side, either. There's a good chance that a good fraction of relatives will die from diabetes-related complications. Well,...
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Posted by mikewang at 10:11 PM
December 04, 2002
There's nothing wrong with
There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish once in a while, especially with the increasing income inequality (note the rising Gini coefficient in the big table of numbers), and the stagnant income of your average (in the median...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 05:44 PM
December 03, 2002
More technological progress at Southwest:
More technological progress at Southwest: They have computer screens at the Oakland Airport terminal entrance where you can check in by swiping your Rapid Reward card. The computer will spit out your boarding pass right then and there, no need...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:38 AM
December 01, 2002
Thanksgiving has never seemed like
Thanksgiving has never seemed like a very Asian or Asian-American holiday. But it's a chance to sell things, so the 99 Ranch Market will sell roasted turkeys instead of the usual ducks and chickens, and they'll throw in a big...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:17 PM
November 28, 2002
Be Very Afraid
Mom is thinking about buying a karaoke machine....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:53 PM
November 26, 2002
The newly federalized airport security
The newly federalized airport security screeners seem to be an improvement. They're at least pretending to look at the X-ray images for a second before passing the luggage through. Although I don't understand how I can walk right on by...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:47 PM
November 09, 2002
Words of wisdom on Chinese iconography in Spirited Away
Editor: Stolen shamelessly from people smarter than I. In the depiction of the spirit world, the music, the tone of visual representation (especially the composition of color of the bath hall, the architectural design of its ceilings, and the vases...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:43 AM
November 06, 2002
Vote
So I went to the polls (heck, it was only down the street) and did my part in turning California into a one-party state. All the electronic voting machines are fun and all, but I like punching holes in paper...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:12 PM
October 18, 2002
Stupid Project #2801128 That Will Never Happen
Set up a webcam to track the basil plant. My 2-dollar-at-Target ficus died a hideous death after being unwatered for 6 weeks (although the fern managed to pull through), so I had a couple of empty plant pots. Always wanted...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:07 AM
October 15, 2002
After three weeks of baseball
After three weeks of baseball playoff games involving both Bay Area teams plus football and the start of the NHL season, it's a litle strange to have a day with absolutely nothing of interest sports-wise on TV. It's almost comical...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:04 PM
September 26, 2002
Found myself at a
Found myself at a bit of a loss in the grocery store after sitting on my ass for a month at home. Haven't had to deal with the calculus of daily subsistence for a while. Picked up garlic, ginger,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:08 AM
September 23, 2002
So I'm back in San
So I'm back in San Diego after being away for a month and a half. Yep, the plants died. Although the fern might pull through after a good watering. Still need to get some groceries and other household sundries that...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:23 PM
September 19, 2002
Oddities on the way to Costco
Seeing a Prius at the gas pump. Beating an honest-to-goodness BMW M5 off the stop light to the lane merge. Admittedly the beamer wasn't trying, but still....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:34 PM
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, near the International Date Line, so it could be the 15th or the 16th, and God knows what time it really is
Impressions Back hair on Sumo wrestlers is really unattractive. No matter how bland and boring the music is, at least Asian MTV still plays music videos. My eyes and throat definitely notices the air quality after a stroll down the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:02 AM
September 10, 2002
22:30, Somewhere over the South China Sea
I'm not a fan of group tours, but mom found a 3-day, 2-night package with plane, hotel, and a short guided tour that left us with a day to ourselves for the price of the plane tickets alone. There were...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:20 PM
September 07, 2002
Taiwan, Part 1
Well, the whole typhoon deal ended up being a whole lot of nothing as it swung north and only skirted northern Taiwan. Everyone's happy since work and school were cancelled and it ends up being a three-day weekend. Of course,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:34 AM
September 06, 2002
September 3rd (or is it the 4th?): Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, south of Vladivostok, 5 hours to Taiwan
I'm cutting it a little close with this trip to Taiwan. However, the ticket is $200 cheaper if I waited until September, and another $100 less if I waited until after the long weekend, so here I am. Another perk...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:51 AM
September 03, 2002
Going out the door to
Going out the door to fly back to Taiwan for the first time in about 17 years. Apparently I'll be flying into an incoming typhoon. Should be exciting....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:53 PM
August 23, 2002
Catching Up on Stuff
Rented Waking Life. It was cool. Maybe a little too cool. I might pick up the DVD. The director's commentary could be fascinating. Or terribly tedious. Sam's on the way to Houston. It was a good excuse to ship him...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:40 AM
August 20, 2002
It's cool to be able
It's cool to be able to hop on the 7 bus outside the front door and get off right on Telegraph. Get off right in front of Unit 3, which is coming to life once again. The street was filled...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:43 PM
August 03, 2002
It's another misty morning. When
It's another misty morning. When the marine layer isn't just some clouds in the sky, but a shifting, breathing creature right on top of you. The only people out on a Saturday morning are the joggers. I hope nobody booked...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:56 AM
August 01, 2002
Hey, I actually got off
Hey, I actually got off my ass and got some exercise! I've been seriously vegetating since I've been home, partly out of laziness and partly because the neighborhood isn't really designed to encourage walking about. Got up early this morning,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:14 PM
July 30, 2002
Afternoon naps are dangerous. My
Afternoon naps are dangerous. My body still thinks that I'm trying to go to sleep for real and knocking me out like a light....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:26 PM
July 28, 2002
European Oddities
Featured promnently at the checkout counter of the newstand in Schipol Airport was Penthouse, with naked boobies on the cover in full display. Well, this is the Netherlands. Alongside Penthouse, however, was featured The Economist. Reading material for both...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:03 AM
July 20, 2002
I would like to note
I would like to note what a pain in the ass it is to type with a Dutch keyboard. Actually, it's Flemish around here, but it's just like Dutch, from what I've been told. Here's what the above bit would...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:52 AM
July 16, 2002
The Chemical Brothers on the Bandstand
It's got a beat and you can dance to it. Except for the bit with Beth Orton but she's cool so it's okay....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:01 AM
July 13, 2002
Watching a pretty girl playing
Watching a pretty girl playing the recorder was... um... exciting. Especially the big alto recorder which was quite a handful. In a church, no less....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:41 AM
June 25, 2002
Eight more hours out of
Eight more hours out of my life spent on the lovely Interstate 5. Actually, a couple hours of that was on State Highway 57 and Interstate 210, since I stayed overnight at my uncle's house in LA. Diamond Bar and...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:50 AM
June 05, 2002
Lights Out
Picked up a carnitas burrito from Roberto's and was on the way back when I ran into the blinking red traffic lights. Just a glitch? Turned for home and noticed that the Hilton tower was dark. Uh oh. I've never...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:10 PM
June 04, 2002
Sign on Truck
Independent Contractor California Shopping Cart Retrieval Corporation The truck was at the apartment complex to gather up all the stray shopping carts that people have schlepped from the mini-mall down the street. Is there no limit to the reach...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:19 AM
May 28, 2002
Hey, I've been Googled! Self-referential
Hey, I've been Googled! Self-referential cache link. It's kinda out-of-date, and the robot probably won't be back, but it's a little bit of self-validation....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:05 AM
May 27, 2002
Good thing mom always flies
Good thing mom always flies EVA Air instead of China Airlines. The fact that EVA's airplanes don't fall out of the sky is a nice bonus, but it's also socioeconomic protest of the native Taiwanese against the flag carrier, a...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:48 AM
May 26, 2002
Sunday Morning
Cup of Peet's Anniversary Blend from the french press with a big shot of half-and-half Warm apricot danish out of the toaster oven Allegri's Miserere in the CD changer The new version of Mozilla on the TiBook. Catching up...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:36 AM
May 25, 2002
May the wind take your troubles away
May the wind take your troubles away, Both feet on the floor, two hands on the wheel, May the wind take your troubles away. � Windfall, Jay Ferrar As long as we're on the alt.country kick, I picked up...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:13 AM
May 19, 2002
Magic Diary
Found out that there was a pre-release tournament showcasing the latest Magic card set in San Diego on Saturday. I haven't played in a long time, and I don't have any tournament-legal decks anyway, but pre-release tournaments are sealed deck,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:47 PM
May 16, 2002
Went to see Star Wars.
Went to see Star Wars. Walked up to the ticket window for the 3:00PM matinee ten minutes before showtime and waltzed on in. True, the local theater doesn't have the super-duper THX sound system and stadium seating, but it was...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:06 PM
May 13, 2002
The In-n-Out drive-thru line has
The In-n-Out drive-thru line has its own peculiar rhythm. It's not particularly "fast" food, per se, especially during your typical mealtime rush, when it can take 15 minutes to get to the front of the line. It's never a good...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:28 PM
May 08, 2002
Self Validation
Could've hopped on the bus on the way home, but I decided to walk. I needed the exercise. As I turned the corner on the home stretch, only then did the bus chug on by, thanks to the afternoon rush-hour...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 05:40 PM
May 04, 2002
Weekend Catch-up
I have five episodes of ER stacked up on the Tivo, and May sweeps is coming up with all new episodes you don't want to miss. Time to hitch up the pants and settle into the couch. For god's sake...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:33 AM
May 03, 2002
Maybe, but probably not.
Maybe, but probably not....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:35 AM
April 30, 2002
Sunday Brunch
Got a call from my uncle in LA over the weekend. "Hello Michael, I'm in San Diego to visit some friends. If you're not busy on Sunday let's get together for breakfast or brunch." "Long time no see. Sorry for...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:14 AM
April 28, 2002
Great Hair Disasters
Any band from the 80s featured on Behind the Music Sugarbaker with a shaved head (at least until the razor burns heal) Dharma with a perm Barry Melrose with a mullet...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:45 PM
April 26, 2002
Left the salmon filet
Left the salmon filet on the George Foreman grill far too long and turned it into sawdust. I really should've let it marinate a little longer, too. Hey, I was hungry....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:11 PM
April 15, 2002
Popped Weezer's Pinkerton into the
Poped Weezer's Pinkerton into the CD player on a lark.Both the blue and green albums are on the iPod, so I've been listening to them quite a bit, but the middle album is the forgotten stepchild. It's not hard to...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:51 PM
April 10, 2002
Nothing makes me feel more
Nothing makes me feel more American than shopping at WalMart. It even contains its own McDonald's! Complete with Ronald McDonald sitting on a bench, right arm outstretched, waiting for you to sit down and be friends....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:12 AM
April 05, 2002
License plate holder on the
License plate holder on the new Volvo convertible(?!) ahead in line at the drive-thru: I'm not spoiled... I just buy whatever I want...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:02 PM
April 01, 2002
Caught the credits to Red
Caught the credits to Red Shoe Diaries (a.k.a. what Fox Mulder does in his spare time) the other day and noticed that all the names in the credits were Russian. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Russian girls can...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:02 PM
March 31, 2002
A group of girls at
A group of girls at the airport, looks like a soccer team, complete with Soccer Mom chaperone. A few of them headed a glittery rubber ball amongst themselves. One was wearing a North Carolina sweatshirt....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:40 AM
March 27, 2002
Travel's Travails
The crowd on a morning flight is usually a diverse mix. First in line are the pros. Suits and tie, blazers and wingtips, laptop case in tow, gunning for a top-30 Southwest boarding pass so they can be the first...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 05:18 PM
March 26, 2002
Why Peter Gammons is a Genius
"Peter writes that a healthy Pedro is key for Boston." Now that's a revelation...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:15 PM
March 24, 2002
brown The daschound'smournfuleyes. liquid
brown The daschound'smournfuleyes. liquid...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:31 AM
March 22, 2002
Happy Easter
There's a bunny that lives in the hedges around the mini-mall. I always thought that the rabbit was the luckiest creature alive. There's a dense hedge for shelter, surrounded by a manicured (and tasty) lawn. When I walk by, it's...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:26 PM
March 17, 2002
After subsisting on a single
After subsisting on a single English muffin the previous day (admittedly, I did sleep for most of the day, but still), I figured that I deserved a big breakfast. Went down to the local Jewish deli/restaurant, or what passes for...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:11 AM
March 06, 2002
Did my civic duty and
Did my civic duty and voted. Wished that I hadn't registered as a Democrat, since the Democratic primary ballot was pretty dull. I mean, Gray Davis? Although I guess I might as well as vote for someone who represents the...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 05:54 PM
March 05, 2002
Overheard
"Small, non-fat mocha!" "Right here. Thanks." "Want whip cream on that?" "Um, sure."...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:51 AM
March 03, 2002
Slashdot is going to a
Slashdot is going to a subscription model. This is after Salon and The Motley Fool have also gone to a pay-to-play system, and that's just out of the sites that I browse. All of them also happen to be in...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:59 PM
March 01, 2002
This is all pointless and
This is all pointless and banal. The important thing is that I'm okay with that. To be able to spew pointless banalities and not care what other people think, tempered with a dash of self-awareness, is a good, stable equilibrium....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:11 PM
February 26, 2002
Had to reboot my FreeBSD
Had to reboot my FreeBSD test box, since Sendmail was starting to get flaky. Lost my 10-month uptime in the process, though. I'm not all that hung up about uptime, really. Just need to remember that it's not the length...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:14 AM
February 22, 2002
February 21, 2002
Strange image that came upon
Strange image that came upon me: Car Wars vs. Critical Mass....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:02 PM
You can tell that you're
You can tell that you're in the Physics department when the bathroom urinals has that whiff of excreted coffee. Although that smell isn't really all that different from the smell of the departmental coffee pot around here. Maybe the women's...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:07 AM
February 18, 2002
After a weekend's worth of
After a weekend's worth of Krispy Kremes and double-doubles, it's time to get reacquainted with Mr. Stairmaster. The exercise helps to hold off complete cardiovascular atrophy, but it's more of an enabling mechanism than anything else. The 150 calories consumed...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:29 PM
February 14, 2002
I knew it was a
I knew it was a bad idea to pick up the phone. I'm usually not rude to telemarketers. I mean, I usually at least say "hello" or something. But when the lady on the other end said that she was...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 09:46 PM
It's a bummer of a
It's a bummer of a way to start out the day when the breakfast danish is stale. At least the coffee was decent....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:46 AM
February 13, 2002
They're redecorating the hallways of
They're redecorating the hallways of the apartment complex. There's about a million gallons of flat latex paint sitting in pallets of buckets outside my door. They put in some nice light sconces on the walls to complement the overhead fluorescents,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:58 AM
BTW, happy new year, everybody.
BTW, happy new year, everybody....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:07 AM
February 11, 2002
I've been in grad school
I've been in grad school too long. After reading the comments to this Slashdot story, all this "work" stuff seems perfectly awful. Why bother? Unless you have kids to feed, etc. Most people are just plowing that cash into more...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 04:21 PM
February 06, 2002
Alright, I had potato curry
Alright, I had potato curry on rice for lunch and now I'm in starch-overload mode. Which would be great if I were running a marathon tomorrow, but not so hot when I'm sitting in front of a computer all day....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:50 PM
February 03, 2002
Super Bowl Sunday
Ah, the one day of the year when it's politically correct to lay back on the sofa, eat junk food, and watch TV. Unless you're some sort of left wing liberal Commie who hates sports and doesn't own a TV,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:36 PM
February 01, 2002
What I learned from The
What I learned from The Naked Chef today: Use olive oil to sear the scallops, then add butter in the end. So the scallops get some color but the butter wont burn....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:47 PM
January 29, 2002
Rode in an double-length bus
Rode in an double-length bus for the first time in ages. I'd forgotten how cool the swivel and accordion section in the middle was. Especially when you're sitting in the back section as the bus turns and the front half...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 02:00 PM
January 28, 2002
A new coffee cart just
A new coffee cart just set up shop on my way to school. The lady behind it seems nice enough, if a glance as I walk by is sufficient evidence for character. Small business is the invisible but powerful driving...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 01:18 PM
January 26, 2002
Getting out of the House
Decided to head up to Costa Mesa to check out the computer fair at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Main reason was to check out the Zalman low-noise CPU cooler/heatsinks and power supplies. Besides, at a place like this there's always...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:50 PM
January 24, 2002
It's heartwarming to come home
It's heartwarming to come home long after sundown to be able to find my way in the darkened apartment by the soft glow of LEDs from all the gadgets strewn about. Of course, I could've just used the iPod's backlight...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:15 PM
January 19, 2002
.plan
Prepare for Tivo upgrade Burn boot CD Repartition HD to add a FAT32 filesystem Check out Tower's weekend sale Laundry (colors) Catch up on the Tivo-ed episodes of SatC...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:05 AM
January 16, 2002
Ran the first discussion section
Ran the first discussion section of the quarter today. Went like most first-try sections. Attendance is always good, and I always plan way too much material so I never finish on time. There's plenty of fascinating history and people involved...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:52 PM
January 14, 2002
Today's Experiment
Sear jumbo scallops in butter. Season with salt. Two minutes per side. Set aside. Throw in a minced shallot and a small clove of minced garlic into the brown butter and sautee. Deglaze the whole mess with some lemon juice....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 11:28 PM
January 13, 2002
It's a little depressing to
It's a little depressing to spend half an hour on the Stairmaster only to find that I didn't even buy myself half a hamburger from In-n-Out....Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:07 AM
January 12, 2002
Saturday Morning
Ah... there's no better way to start out a quiet weekend than plopping all the rechargeable batteries and toys into their chargers. A blast of Santa Anas has rendered the sky crystal clear. The desert wind wrings all the moisture...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:47 AM
January 09, 2002
What I Did on My Winter Vacation: Part 2
Finally got around to reading the Harry Potter books (well, the paperback ones, anyway). Finished Sorcerer's Stone while waiting in the airport on the Vegas trip. Did I mention that the people in the next seat on both the flight...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 06:33 PM
January 08, 2002
Went to the local postal
Went to the local postal distribution center to pick up my held mail. After culling through the ads and tearing up the credit card offers, the only things left were the bills. You know, even with convenient on-line bill payment...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:36 PM
I'd almost forgotten how darn
I'd almost forgotten how darn nice the weather is around here. At home, the house seems to be sitting in a slight depression near the top of the hills, so that the fog and mist gathers and it takes most...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:14 PM
January 06, 2002
Good reasons for blogging
Gets me writing something coherent(?) again so I won't be overwhelmed when I have to write a thesis. If I ever get that far, that is. I'm getting a crash course in CSS by messing with these Blogger templates Well,...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:55 AM
What I Did On My Winter Vacation: Part 1
We went to Las Vegas for Christmas. It's sort of become a family tradition when we get together with a couple of uncles and their families for the holidays. The uncles are Vegas fiends from way back, but we never...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 12:07 AM
January 04, 2002
Alright, time for some content.
Alright, time for some content. I drove back to San Diego from the Bay Area yesterday. I timed it perfectly so that I hit LA after six hours of mind-sucking boredom that is the drive through the Central Valley, just...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 10:40 PM
Woohoo, my first step into
Woohoo, my first step into weblog navel-gazing. Thanks, Blogger. I'm surprised by the impressive array of software engineering just so people can brain-dump into the cyber-ether. I'm sure there are better tools out there (emacs?), but since I don't have...Read the full entry...
Posted by mikewang at 08:32 PM