Very elaborate wine flask from the ancient times

11232008037, originally uploaded by pigann.

With Christmas motif! Picture taken from Getty Villa last Sunday.

Fire!

Not the Tea fire, not the Sayre fire, and not the Freeway Complex fire, but there was actually a fire in Alhambra tonite which is a few blocks away from where I live. The fire started before 11pm, and shortly after 11, my building's fire alarm went off because the smoke blew this way. The alarm didn't stop till 30 mins later, plus there were helicopters circling above and sirens all over. My ears!

Story from San Gabriel Valley Tribune: http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_11017376

Only in Japan

LOL! WTF! (You can skip the first minute and 20 secs... it's quite long...)

Vote for DonorsChoose

Worse than going to work

Back from conference in Las Vegas... so tired!


Green Valley Ranch Resort


Hoover Dam

Nokia Mail for Exchange vs. Emoze

I've been wanting to get work mail on my cellphone for quite a while since I don't have a crackberry and I don't want to carry my laptop with me all the time just for checking emails. If the iphone can do it, there must be a way for a N95 to do it, right? RIGHT? (nothing against people with iphones but I'm a little anti-Apple) So a few days ago, I finally sat my lazy ass down and figured out how to do it. In the process of researching on the internet, I pretty much narrowed my choices down to Nokia's Mail for Exchange (MfE) app and Emoze since they are both free, and since some articles have mentioned that SEVEN uses a lot of RAM. I was trying to find a comparison of the apps but didn't find anything till just now: Check this article

I'll try to test each of the 2 apps I have in mind for a few days and decide which one I want to keep. For the record, I am using a N95-3 on T-mobile (ya... EDGE), accessing Exchange mail through OWA (Outlook Web Access). Sorry I don't know which version of Exchange server we have.

What They Do
Both of these apps will push your Exchange mail, contacts, calendar, tasks, etc. right to your cell phone. Emoze can also be configured to other personal mail accounts such as Google or Yahoo, however you can only configure 1 account, so I am using it for Exchange. MfE, as spelled out in the name, is strictly for Exchange. You can tell the apps which folders to sync and when to sync. Both apps are FREE!

What You Need
You will need an unlimited data plan since it is constantly syncing your mail. MfE obviously only works with Nokia phones and only on the E series and certain N series phones right now, but will be available for all Nokia Symbian S60 devices in the future. Emoze can work with different devices that have the supported OS.

Mail for Exchange
What I like

• Sync will occur as long as profile is set up. No need to have separate app open
• Fast sync
• Can open attachments as long as your phone supports the file type for the attachment

What I don't like

• Cannot sync subfolders
• Cannot go to mailbox directly from MfE app
• There's no way to turn off the syncing other than changing the sync schedule in your profile to other dates or set it to manual sync
  

Emoze
What I like

• Can sync subfolders under the Inbox, but they will all appear in the same "emoze mailbox"
• Can truncate emails, and fetch truncated portion if necessary

What I don't like

• Need to have Emoze app open to sync
• Can only sync email from the last day
• Starting up and syncing took very long, and actually didn't always work for me
• Can only open attachments under 100k in the free version

I'll do some more testing in the next few days but right now it feels like MfE works better for me.

Bitching of the Day

I took my car to Glendale Infiniti for service today. This is the loaner car that they gave me. I'm not a clean freak at all and I have only one word to say... GROSS!
Click on the pic to enlarge if you feel like it...

"Who Killed Chandra Levy?" series

I came across this Washington Post series "Who Killed Chandra Levy?" a while back and finally finished reading it recently. This series talks about some details of the Chandra Levy case that was not known before and it is an interesting read. I remember hearing about this case a few years back, but I don't recall all the media frenzy that was mentioned... I think I was in HK that summer and missed it, so I didn't know she went to USC. We would have graduated from the same graduation ceremony if she was alive! There are cold cases that eventually get solved down the line as new evidence comes up. I surely hope this is one of them.

The Washington Post "Who Killed Chandra Levy?" Series

Pics from hotel room (yeah you can tell I'm bored)

Bay view



Pool view

Pool view at night

Where's my food??!!!!

I'm in San Diego now for a conference starting tomorrow, and I'm staying at the Manchester Grand Hyatt... well, all I can say is I'm not impressed. TV remote didn't work. Called housekeeping and it took them almost an hour to bring me another one. The bathroom is ok clean but there is only 1 bar of soap in there... ok... so if I use that for shower, what am I supposed to wash my hands with??? The room is fairly small (and apparently it's already an upgrade), and I waited 1.5 hrs for room service! I just ordered a pizza, an apple tart, and a glass of wine. What took them so long? When the food finally came, they gave me a complimentary bottle of Evian because of the wait... Quoi?? From a 4-5 star hotel, I would expect my whole meal on the house (esp. when they said on the phone that it would not take more than 30 mins when I placed the order on the phone!)

Nice thing is I was able to see fireworks from the room. This sure is a big plus, if not, I would be steaming by now!

Some more songs I like (國語)

Hands-free... for other activities? (II)

Here's another one:


http://view.break.com/530439 - Watch more free videos

Hands-free... for other activities?

From LA Times:

Trip to SF (II)

For this trip, I stayed at the Sheraton by SFO. I stayed there before and didn't like it that much but I read some recent reviews and knew that it has remodeled, so I decided to give it another try. I am quite pleased this time. I booked a room with the cheapest rate available online. Seems like all rooms now sport a 42-inch flat screen TV. Room is nice and clean and has a modern look (which I like). Complimentary bottle of water for SPG members. Also worth mentioning is the bath amenities. Not only are they from Bliss, it also comes with a pouf! The first time I've ever seen in a hotel. Quite impressive I must say! If you don't mind the fact that it is a half an hour drive from downtown and would like to save up on room rate and parking fees ($18/day versus $45/day in downtown), this is not a bad choice. (Btw, the second pic is the view from my room.)

My 蕭敬騰 playlist

Trip to SF

2.5 hrs into my drive to SF... CHP sightings so far: 6!
Oh btw it is 106°F outside!
And oh the time from mobile upload is messed up again. This was from 11:05am, not 4:05am!

Black Friday

Ah! It's Friday the 13th! No wonder! It's my day off today, but just when I planned to go to UPS to pick a package, and to the recycling center to recycle the month's worth of bottles, and to the grocery store to get food for the upcoming weeks, my car battery has to die on me. It wouldn't start. NICE! The wait for roadside assistance to come jump start the car for me? 1 hr!

$5 gas coming soon?!!

So when do you think we'll be hitting $5/gallon? With the rate that the price is increasing, my guess is July if not earlier.

Map of San Gabriel Valley gas prices

Crime

So I've been pretty obsessed about reading crime blogs lately. I started this habit a few months ago. Before that, I never knew there is SO MUCH crime in LA. I guess when you're just hiding in your room and sit in front of the computer everyday, you really don't know what's happening in the outside world. There were 14 homicides this past weekend. That number sounds kinda insane. And it's not like that messed up Akihabara guy who just sort of snapped because he's sick of life. Most of these happening in LA are gang-related shootings and stabbings, which makes me want to know even more whether my neighborhood is safe or not (although if it really has to happen, there's nothing you can do about it). Here are some links that I check often. I'll also add these links to the right-hand panel.

• LA Times - The Homicide Report
• San Gabriel Valley Tribune - Crime Scene Blog
• LAPD Crime Maps and Statistics
  
• City of Alhambra Crime Statistics
  

No wonder my commute is bad!

I pass by one of these spots everyday!

Top LA County Bottlenecks

View Larger Map

WTF?!!

Spotted in Koreatown today... I guess that $4.39 gallon wasn't so bad afterall...

Update: Hmm... very strange... I actually posted this from my cellphone @ 6:47pm not 11:47am!

Speechless!

OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!

Notice the price difference in just 10 days. So it's my birthday today. I suggest people who are thinking of buying something for me to consider a free gas card!!!

What's up with these crazy gas prices?

Today marks my first pump of $4+ per gallon gas. Oh my wallet hurts!

Good Tea

If you like floral blends...

Yum!

Fortnum & Mason Macadamia Nut shortbread... so fattening but it's so good!

Cool Air Finally!!!

So my AC finally got fixed today, but it was not without hurdles though (and why can't things be smooth-sailing for once??). So I borrowed the key from one of the Board members and when the tech came we went up to the roof right away. Tried to open the door with the key and... it wouldn't open! I was thinking 'Oh crap not again!' Called the guy on the Board about the key, and he didn't know what to do cos' that's the only key he got and he actually just got it from the management company a few weeks ago and apparently nobody tried it. He made a few phone calls for me. The tech and I just waited in the stairway and chit-chatted for 20 minutes. Finally someone from the management company called back and said if we can break the lock, just go ahead and break it and they'll get a locksmith to repair it later. Errrr... ok... What the heck but if you say so...
The tech used all his force to turn the handle and... voila! It opened! He spent another hour repairing and finally it was fixed! I'm so happy now, after three weeks of steaming in my 'sauna room'! Kudos to Jose for breaking the lock and fixing the AC for me! I can finally enjoy some nice cool air now! (And you know what I'll be bitching about in my letter to the management company!)

Please fix my AC!!!

For the first time in 3 weeks, my room temperature has dropped to 80°F (even though it's 57°F outside), but yay!!! At least it didn't feel as hot! Room temp had been 85°F+ and it was quite uncomfortable! Well the tech is coming again tomorrow and I got the key to the roof this time! Hope he can get it fixed!

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Days 13 & 14

It's been 2 weeks already! This is probably the last post about my wisdom teeth since it's pretty much the same these days. Just waiting for that last socket to heal. I went to the oral surgeon today for follow up. He looked at it for 30 seconds and that was it. He said it doesn't look like there is an infection, so just wait till it heals! Oh well! I was really not that happy with this surgeon and his clinic, but I'm glad this is over.
As for the AC, the tech came this morning, checked out the thing, then he said he need to check the unit on the roof. Went up the stairs and found out the door is locked! We checked 3 doors, the other 2 going to different sections of the building, and they were both unlocked, only the one we need is locked!!! WTF! I called the management company and they said this needs to be scheduled with them in advance (preferably more than 1 week notice)! Now I have to endure this heat for another week (or two), AND I have to pay the AC company twice because I have to pay for the tech to come out today even though nothing much was done! The bill is $89!!! I told the management company and they say I can write to the HOA and request for the fee to be reimbursed although there is no guarantee that the request will be granted. I'll be sure to write to them and bitch and complain about this. I only have three words to say now:
FREAKING PISSED OFF!!!

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Days 11 & 12

Teeth is still the same. Is it Thursday yet? I need to see the oral surgeon again to see what's going on with my gums, and I want my AC fixed! My room is like a furnace again! ARGHHH!

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 10

More real food today! Yippee! Finally a day in which I had normal meals for both lunch and dinner! Still have to chew carefully with the teeth on the right hand side, but at least I can eat! Feels great! Now just waiting for the bottom left to heal. On a unrelated note, it's another hot day today (97°F) and of course my AC still hasn't been fixed because... they called on the day of my appointment last week and said the tech had a family emergency and had to reschedule! WTF! Ok I know nothing can beat a family emergency but don't you have other techs besides that one who was gonna come??!!! Oh well, my appointment is now scheduled for this Thurs. Hope they can get it fixed then! I don't know how much longer I can stand this heat!

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Days 8 & 9

I was too lazy to update yesterday but I'm finally seeing some progress! Last night I tried the frozen fish filet again, with the coating, and I downed 5 pieces in less than 1 hr! And I had my first glass of wine in 10 days without my teeth or gums feeling any worse! Yay! Tonight, even more progress! I had... RAMEN!!! I went to Hakata tonight with my friends, finished one whole bowl of soft ramen, AND they didn't have to wait for me for too long! The bottom left socket is still bothering me but at least I can chew with my teeth on the right side. It felt good to be able to eat some REAL food again! Finally!

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 7

Swelling has gone down pretty much. I finally got my chin back! That's a good sign! Although the bruises are still there and I still look like I got beaten up. Oh well. What can you do. Still on my bread and soup diet. I think 3 of the 4 sockets are starting to get better but I might have a dry socket on the bottom left one. Hopefully that will heal soon. I'm hoping that I can start chewing some semi-solid food this weekend. We'll see.

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 6

Didn't expect that I'll be writing this wisdom teeth story for so many days (well that's because it's still bothering me!) I got a new name at work today: "Alvina" (from Alvin the Chipmunk)! The swelling has gone down a bit actually, but the bruises are more noticeable today. Now I really looked like somebody punched me in the face! I'm also getting a weird pulling sensation from the gums and it hurts sometimes. I hope it's not dry socket. Today I just had a smoothie drink and bread for lunch, then a small slice of cake for dinner. No mood to eat anything else, but I've been taking Airborne to make sure that I get the vitamins needed. Well I sure hope I don't have to write about this for much longer!

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 5

Face is still bruised. Still swollen. Still can't sleep like normal because my face is swollen so I can't sleep on the side. Still can't eat much solid food. Still have to chew everything with my front teeth (which can take a LONG time). I had Chicken Noodle Soup for lunch today and it was difficult to chew all those noodles with my front teeth. I got tired half way through and gave up. Had 4 pieces of baked fish filet for dinner. The fish is easy to deal with, but the coating took a long time to chew. Just eating those damned 4 pieces of fish took more than an hour! I guess I'll just skip the coating all together next time.

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 4

Well, it's the first day of work after my wisdom teeth extraction. Since my face is still swollen, as expected, I got teased as "Alvin the Chipmunk"! Ugh... should have taken a few more days off! The pain is pretty much gone and I've stopped the painkillers, but my gums are still swollen and so it's still somewhat uncomfortable. I tried having scrambled eggs tonight, but I guess I had been trying to avoid using my molars for too long, now it's like I don't know how to chew with my molars anymore. It's a very weird feeling! Oh god, when can I be back to normal???

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 3

Today I felt the worst ever since I had my teeth pulled. This morning when I woke up, I felt hot and my limbs had no energy. I thought I had a fever but turns out it wasn't. Maybe I was just having hot flashes. I had Campbell Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup today for lunch. It was good to take a break from yogurt. I also made myself an iced Vietnamese coffee, but perhaps I shouldn't have done that because I had a really bad stomach ache afterwards. Not sure if it's because of the coffee though. Dinner was porridge again, but I tried biting the roast duck pieces with my front teeth and then I just swallowed them. It worked out ok. I finally finished my supply of porridge so I think I'll move on to Campbell soup, and I guess I probably won't have porridge again for a good while.
The pain today is actually tolerable even without the painkiller. However, it seems like my face is even more swollen than yesterday. I also noticed a little bit of bruising. Hopefully it will go away soon. Maybe I should wear a mask to work tomorrow!

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 2

It's pretty much the same diet today except that I had a real yogurt instead of that smoothie-like drink for lunch, then a few spoons of ice-cream in the afternoon, and porridge for dinner. I get hungry quite often, but there's nothing much that I can eat. My goodness, when can I have some REAL FOOD??!!!
My face is actually more swollen than yesterday. Ugh... don't tell me I have to go to work like this on Monday!

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 1

My diet today consists of a Dannon smoothie (kind of like a yogurt drink), Haagan-Dazs ice cream, and the rest of the fish filet porridge from yesterday. I rarely eat yogurt, so I decided to go for the smoothie-like drink instead. In addition, this is the first time in I don't know how many years that I am buying ice-cream for myself! (Those of you who knew me know that I quit eating ice-cream many years ago because I ate ice-cream everyday the first 2 years I came to the States and I gained 20 lbs from that.) It's amazing how situations like these can force you to change your habits. Although I'm still the same-old lazy and so I didn't go get my milkshake today. :(

The pain is manageable with the painkiller. My face is a little bit swollen so I'll continue with the ice pack today and probably tomorrow. The bleeding has stopped (I think), so I'll also start rinsing my mouth with salt water as instructed by the oral surgeon. I hope I can at least chew some soft food like scrambled eggs by Monday.

Wisdom Teeth Extraction - Day 0

Well it's not exactly Day 0 since it's past midnight already, but I guess it's still within 24 hrs, so... Anyway, got all 4 wisdom teeth extracted today. The procedure itself was rather painless. I only had local anesthesia, and I actually started to feel something by the time the oral surgeon was working on the 3rd teeth, so I told him and he gave me another shot and it was fine afterwards. The bottom 2 were more difficult. The surgeon said they were moving but they just wouldn't come out. He was trying to pull them so hard that he was sweating although it was pretty cold in there. The whole thing took maybe 30 mins. I got done at about 3:15pm. At about 5:30pm, the anesthesia started to wear off, so I took some Motrin. Then at 6:30pm I realized the Motrin wasn't helping (although I took 2 tablets already), so I ran to CVS to fill the prescription from the dentist. He prescribed me Tylenol with Codeine and some antibiotics. Thanks to the Codeine, I'm not in too much pain right now, and I'm not nauseous. I'm actually looking forward to the next pill! LOL.
So what did I have for dinner? Porridge with fish filet... no chewing, just swallow. I didn't take the medication till after dinner, so it was hurting a bit when I was eating. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow. I have porridge that can last for another day or two, then maybe I'll move on to Campbell soup. I was reading about this topic on Chowhound, and milkshake and cheesecake sounds good! Maybe I'll go get some tomorrow!

Kyochon

After reading many reviews about Kyochon, I finally decided to give it a try (since I pass by it almost everyday anyway). I just got a medium order of their original wings to go. The wings comes packaged nicely in a cute little box, and there are about 15 small pieces of wings and drumettes in it. Too bad I forgot to take a picture before I ate it! :P I'll spare you with the details of the "remains" though.



Each order also comes with a pack of pickled daikon. I didn't try it myself since I hate everything pickled, but I've heard they are good. As for the wings itself, the flavor is not bad. It's a garlicky kind of flavor (and I didn't even like garlic that much), but it's definitely not bad. However, since I didn't get to eat it till more than half an hour later after I've picked it up, it obviously got cold a little bit... might be better to just eat there unless you can get home quickly. I'll give it a 3.5/5 for the flavor. The spicy wings seems to be popular too if you can handle spicy Korean food. I think I'll hit Bon Chon soon just to see if they're any different. One last thing about Kyochon (WARNING): that parking is a MADHOUSE!!!

Kyochon
3833 W. 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90020
213-739-9292

Quick alcohol fix

Since it's so hot at home, what's better than fixing yourself a little chilled beverage? Here's what I do:
1 part vodka + 2 parts Welch's White Grape Peach Juice
(adjust amount of vodka to your liking)
Stir well. Serve on the rocks.

It's getting hot in here!

It's a record-breaking 96°F today and guess what... my AC is not working! Very bad luck indeed! My room is like a sauna room now! Hm... is this gonna help me lose weight since I'm "steaming" all the fat out? LOL

First Post

Finally got my lazy ass off to start writing on my blog. I guess I'll start off by sharing some blogs and websites that I frequent (which can be found on the right). I'll be posting... I don't know... random thoughts, reviews, complaints, just about anything I came across in the future. Let's see for how long I can keep this up! HA!